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I was reminded of the goodness of W&M this weekend when a friend suggested it for dinner. I've gone for lunch in the past, and have always been happy I did. It isn't a cheap lunch, but their breads and pastas are top-notch, and should be your focus. For dinner, Cristina and I shared the pasta special of the day, duck confit stuffed pasta (I can't remember the name of the pasta, but it was kind of a fat tubular ravioli) in a sage butter, and the roasted carrot pizza. I've somehow never had a pizza here, but they do it right. Nice chew and char to the crust. They describe it as Neapolitan style, though I think it's a bit more substantial than that (no soupy center). My pizza came with thin slices of carrot, Fresno chile, and cilantro. The base used Point Reyes Toma cheese and a nice, rustic dukkah (that is, larger chunks of nuts, not super-finely processed). Great flavors and textures. Interesting cocktail menu, and a fairly extensive selections of wines by the glass. I didn't ask to see the full wine list, but apparently there is much more to choose from than what's on the main menu.

Sugar Shack Donuts is another soon-to-be addition to the area near the Braddock Road Metro. Sugar Shack made USA Today's list of Top 10 best doughnut shops earlier this year. Things are definitely picking up in the Northwest quadrant of Old Town, with more to come. And they're hiring, according to the signs in the windows. The latest news, and links to previous stories from Red Brick Town can be found here.

Have been stopping at the wholesale bakery for Balthazar located in Englewood NJ for 2 days. Wonderful breads plus amazing tarts which might be more like spectacular toppings the likes of which I’ve never had.

Have you tried the espresso at Misha's? I am not a big coffee person, but didn't see it on your list.

Somehow this place has passed me by with stealth. I just really noticed it today, and it's apparently going to open in mid-May. (Well, that's the target.) Two of us spoke with a man working outside I assume is the owner, and he said that he plans outdoor seating and will also be applying for an alcohol permit to serve wine (or at least wine). Projected hours: 6AM to 9PM Mondays through Thursdays and 6 to 10 on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Sundays. Since it has completely passed me by, I have no idea how far he has gotten with any of the permitting for outdoor seating or alcohol. I'm not sure how the immediate neighbors will react to those two facets of the operation. There is a decent space for a patio outside. (Visually, this is catty-corner from the northeast corner of the Car Barn, at 101 15th Street.) Their website is up and functioning: http://www.miascoffeehouse.com I wasn't sure if this was the right forum for the posting, but given that this is the coffee menu, I figured here: Espresso Americano Flat White French Press Pour Over Macchiato Cortado Cappucino Latte Cold Brew Iced Coffee Decaf House Blend

Northern Virginia Magazine reports on Liberty Tavern's plan for the old Murky Coffee space: Chef Liam LaCivita will oversee the kitchen. The article also has info on their new restaurant, Lyon Hall.

While in San Francisco over the summer we had coffee from Philz Coffee, actually their coffee truck. Beans ground to order, pour over, they even cream and sugar the coffee for you. ok, I was slightly hung over, and it was a beautiful day in SF, down by the marina over looking the Golden Gate Bridge. My glasses may have been a little rose tinted. But that was a damn good cup of coffee...Ambrosia Coffee of God lived up to its name. Will the coffee live up to these high expectations without that Golden Gate Bridge view...only one way to find out. Coming soon to The Yards and Adams Morgan

Definitely not a joke. I am 99.9% sure that they will not keep the Murky "ambience".

Finally, a good cup of coffee in Bethesda. Also they sell Vigilante beans, of which they get a shipment every Thursday evening.

So the area in and around the Lake Anne Plaza still aesthetically remains much like it was when Reston initially designed. Concrete structures, on the water, and hidden since it is off the beaten path (it is not RTC nor Northpoint Shopping Center). This relatively new venture by a local family is a great place to grab coffee (they source from Cafe Amouri in Vienna, Virginia), breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is small, but the outdoor seating pared with the nights they feature live music is relaxing and simple. Right now on Sunday evenings they feature Patio party with Paella ($18) but that is all they have on Sunday evenings. If you want more variety, check out the regular menu and decent wine list. They have a nice white Sangria as well. You will often find several of the family members who own/run the establishment there working and more than friendly.

What do people think of "Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee," the web series on the Crackle network by Jerry Seinfeld? I've only watched a few episodes, but it has recently caught my eye, and I'm kind of falling in love with it. Such a simple premise: two funny comedians, one interesting car, and beautiful cinematography of such mundane things as coffee coming out of an espresso machine. The episodes are about 15-minutes long, and if they were any longer, it would detract from them because, like "Seinfeld," it's essentially a "show about nothing." So I guess there's really not much to say about it other than a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Thumbs up from me - in limited doses for sure, sort of like a "Word-A-Day Calendar." Plus if you go to the home page, the entire series is right there in front of you, and free-of-charge (there's one (annoyingly repetitive) ad before each episode). This is, I believe, the only complete compendium of restaurants visited during this series on the entire internet. No other website would be able to identify the restaurants (I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for Baked By Melissa in Season 2, Episode 3). Season 1 1. Jul 19, 2012, Larry David, 1952 VW Bug, John O'Groat's (West LA, CA) 2. Aug 2, 2012, Ricky Gervais, 1967 Austin Healey 3000 MK III, City Island Diner (City Island, The Bronx, NYC, NY) 3. Aug 9, 2012, Brian Regan, 1970 Dodge Challenger TA, Rae's Restaurant (Santa Monica, CA) 4. Aug 16, 2012, Alec Baldwin, 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL, Fairway Market Cafe (Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 5. Aug 23, 2012, Joel Hodgson, 1963 Volkswagon Karmann Ghia (equpped with a Porsche 912 engine, suspension, and brakes), Skylark Diner (Edison, NJ) 6. Aug 30, 2012, Bob Einstein, 1970 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, Jerry's Famous Deli (Studio City, LA, CA) & Nate & Al's (Beverly Hills, CA) 7. Sep 6, 2012, Barry Marder, 1966 Porsche 356 SC Cabriolet (Dutch police car), Bendix Diner (Hasbrouk Heights, NJ) 8. Sep 13, 2012, Colin Quinn & Mario Joyner, 1976 Triumph TR-6, Fort Defiance Restaurant & Bar (Red Hook, Brooklyn, NYC, NY) 9. Sep 20, 2012, Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks, 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II & 1970 Porsche 911 S, Norm's Diner (West LA, CA) 10. Sep 27, 2012, Michael Richards, 1962 VW Type 2 (used as body-shop vehicle), Malibu Kitchen & Gourmet Country Market (Malibu, CA) Season 2 1. Jun 13, 2013, Sarah Silverman, 1969 Jaguar E-Type (XK-E) Series 2 Convertible, Millie's Cafe (Silver Lake, LA, CA) & K&C Donuts (Silver Lake, LA, CA) 2. Jun 20, 2013, David Letterman, 1995 Volvo 960 Station Wagon (rebuilt with a racing engine by Paul Newman) & 2011 Nissan Leaf, Green Granary (New Milford, CT) & Taylor & Son True Value Hardware (New Milford, CT) 3. Jun 27, 2013, Gad Elmaleh, 1950 Citroí«n 2CV, Frites Shop (East Village, Manhattan, NYC, NY), Balthazar (East Village, Manhattan, NYC, NY), French Roast (Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC, NY), & Baked by Melissa (Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 4. Jul 4, 2013, Don Rickles, 1958 Cadillac El Dorado Seville, Factor's Famous Deli (Pico-Robertson, LA, CA) 5. Jul 11, 2013, Seth Meyers, 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS, Roebling Tea Room (Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC, NY) 6. Jul 18, 2013, Chris Rock, 1969 Lamborghini P400S Miura, Allendale Eats! (Allendale, NJ) Season 3 1. Jan 2, 2014, Louis C.K., 1959 Fiat Jolly, Louis C.K.'s Meridian 341, (Chelsea Piers, Chelsea, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 2. Jan 9, 2014, Patton Oswalt, 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 & 2012 Honda Accord SE Sedan, Handsome Coffee Roasters (Arts District, LA, CA) 3. Jan 16, 2014, Jay Leno, 1949 Porsche 356/2, Jones Coffee Roasters (Pasadena, CA) 4. Jan 23, 2014 Todd Barry, 1966 MGB Roadster, Tom's Brooklyn (Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC, NY), Nathan's Famous (Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC, NY), William's Candy (Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC, NY), It'Sugar (Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC, NY), Everyman Espresso (lobby of Classic Stage Company, East Village, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 5. Jan 30, 2014, Tina Fey, 1967 Volvo 1800S, Floridita (Harlem, Manhattan, NYC, NY) Dominique Ansel Bakery (Soho, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 6. Feb 2, 2014, George Costanza (Jason Alexander in character), 1976 AMC Pacer D/L, Tom's Restaurant (Morningside Heights, Manhattan, NYC, NY) 7. Feb 6, 2014, Howard Stern, 1969 Pontiac GTO "The Judge", Bel-Aire Diner (Astoria, Queens, NYC, NY), Associated Supermarket (Astoria, Queens, NYC, NY) Season 4 1. Jun 19, 2014, Sarah Jessica Parker, 1976 Ford Country Squire LTD, Starbucks (Kips Bay, Manhattan, NYC, NY), Colony Diner (East Meadow, NY), Francesco's Bakery (Hicksville, NY) 2. Jun 26, 2014, George Wallace, 1965 Buick Riviera 2-Door Hardtop, The Flamingo Hotel (Las Vegas, NV), Peppermill (Las Vegas, NV) 3. Jul 3, 2014, Robert Klein, 1967 Jaguar Mark 2, Landmark Diner (Ossining, NY), Sing Sing Correctional Facility (Ossining, NY) 4. Jul 10, 2014, Aziz Ansari, 2012 Prevost X3-45 VIP Touring Coach, Brody's Diner, (Shrewsbury, MA) 5. Jul 17, 2014, Jon Stewart, 1978 AMC Gremlin & 1969 AMC AMX, NEP Studio 52 (Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, NY), Tick Tock Diner (Clifton, NJ), Petco (Clifton, NJ) Season 5 1. Nov 6, 2014, Kevin Hart & Dick Corcoran (Michael Richards in character), 1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder, Pier 212 (Santa Monica, CA), Undefeated (Santa Monica, CA) 2. Nov 13, 2014, Amy Schumer, 1971 Ferrari Daytona 365 GTB/4, Short Stop Coffee Shop (The Bronx, NYC, NY) Parkview Sports Center (The Bronx, NYC, NY) 3, Nov 20, 2014, Bill Burr, 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302, The Novel Cafe (Santa Monica, CA), Hollywood Smoke (Santa Monica, CA) 4. Nov 27, 2014, Miranda Sings (Colleen Ballinger in character), 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite, Art's Delicatessen and Restaurant (Studio City, CA), Fountain, Hollywood and Highland Center (Hollywood, LA, CA), Hot Topic, Hollywood and Highland Center (Hollywood, LA, CA) 5. Dec 4, 2014, Fred Armisen & Dick Corcoran (Michael Richards in character), 1965 Saab 96 Monte Carlo 850, Coava Brew Bar (Buckman, Portland, OR), The Grilled Cheese Grill (Buckman, Portland, OR), Paxton Gate (Boise, Portland, OR) 6. Dec 11, 2014, Ali Wentworth, 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Low Grille Cabriolet, Blue Tree (Upper East Side, Manhattan, NYC, NY) (Fiddler's Elbow Country Club, Bedminster, NJ) 7. Dec 18, 2014, Jimmy Fallon (Parts 1 and 2) & Dick Corcoran (Michael Richards in character), 1956 Chevrolet Corvette Convertiblle, 1994 Land Rover Defender 90, & 13-Foot Boston Whaler, John's Pancake House (Montauk, NY) Season 6 1. Jun 3, 2015, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 1964 Aston Martin DB5, Caffe Luxe (Santa Monica, CA), Art's Table (Santa Monica, CA) 2. Jun 10, 2015, Steve Harvey, 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air V8 Convertible, Manny's Deli & Cafeteria (Chicago, IL), Biggs Mansion (Chicago, IL) 3. Jun 17, 2015, Jim Carrey, 1976 Lamborghini Countach LP400, Killer Cafe (Marina del Rey, CA) 4. Jun 24, 2015, Bill Maher, 1979 VW Beetle Police Car (used in Wofsburg, Germany), Brite Spot (Echo Park, LA, CA) 5. Jul 1, 2015, Trevor Noah, 1985 Ferrari GTB qv, One Girl Cookies, (Dumbo, Brooklyn, NYC, NY) 6. Jul 8, 2015, Stephen Colbert, 1964 Morgan +4, Bluestone Coffee Co. (Montclair, NJ), Watchung Booksellers (Montclair, NJ) Season 7 1. Dec 30, 2015, Barack Obama, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray & 2009 Cadillac One (Presidental State Car), The White House (Washington, DC) 2. Jan 6, 2016, Steve Martin, 1954 Siata 8V & 1966 Ford Mustang, Pleasantville Diner (Pleasantville, NY) 3. Jan 13, 2016, Kathleen Madigan & Chuck Martin, 1972 BMW 2002 tii, Alfred Coffee & Kitchen using Stumptown Roasters (West Hollywood, LA, CA)

The new name of the new fine dining restaurant from Aaron Silverman will be Pineapple and Pearls: "Rose's Luxury's Sister Restaurant Has a Name: 'Pineapple and Pearls'" by Jessica Sidman on washingtoncitypaper.com Café/coffee/sandwich shop in the mornings and fine dining (with reservations accepted!) in the evenings. They're only going to be open 4 nights a week and no weekends. A very bare bones website is up too: PineappleAndPearls.com

What's your Maximum Starbucks Density? I'm at 76. Although it probably changes pretty regularly. Find out yours here and let us know. I wish there was a site that could give me my tasty bar snacks density.

Opened 10/21/2013 - Caffé Aficionado, 1919 N Lynn St, Arlington. A new high-end coffee house opened Monday in the CEB/Deloitte building in Rosslyn. They serve Handsome Coffee, from Los Angeles using a 2-group La Marzocco GB/5. They do pour overs later in the day and serve amazing pastries. Not sure who bakes them, but they are delish. Not everything on the menu is available--like some house made Belgian-style waffles. They also have fresh squeezed orange juice.

A non-foodie friend suggested Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant for dinner last weekend and we came away quite impressed. +1 ordered the Girgiro, the chef's own creation that came out on a "fire plate" - very tasty and tender and very generously portioned. I ordered the Gurage kitfo rare and it was excellent - nicely warmed with lots of flavor and generously portioned. We sampled a bit of the lamb tibs and vegan platters ordered by others - they were pretty good for what they are but not nearly as good as the Girgiro or Gurage kitfo. The injera was good and they also serve a good kocho (a chewy thicker flatbread that's served in wedges, which is also available at Enat). The service can be a bit slow and erratic at times in the busy restaurant, but it's actually quite nice and attentive for an Ethiopian restaurant. The menu is quite extensive, so there's a more here to lure us back.

Best coffee in western fairfax. There. I said it. Really, this is a no lose scenario for me. If someone had one better, I will go there. I have 4 small kids. I need a lot of coffee. I normally just get the house coffee which is damn fine. They normally use an Ethiopian blend. These days I get 2. One for the morning and one for the afternoon. Cold Stumptown is better than the office coffee. The standouts at this place are the lattes. They were closed during December because of a fire. While they were off their batistas won a regional coffee competition. Artistically they look good but taste even better. My favorites are the rose latte and the honey cinnamon. If you don't like coffee the hot chocolate is good too. They do pour overs too if you are into that. I normally like those but have never tried it because the house coffee is soo good. Seriously. These guys are good. If you haven't tried them yet, you should. I only wish they were there back when I worked nearby.

Though I know Qualia has been referenced on some other coffee topics, I don't think it has it's own thread. Not in the Dining Guide. Didn't come up with a google search. So I'll create it here because this shop, now three years old, totally deserves to have a little spotlight shone on it. WaPo got it right with their brief review last year. And, even a visit to the content-rich Qualia website makes clear this is a shop obsessed with bean quality and the technique/process that convert bean to great-tasting cup. Today I was in the area of Georgia Avenue and remembered Qualia Coffee was nearby. I'd only been there once before a year or two ago and vaguely remembered enjoying it but I'd had a lot of good/great coffee since then...and had learned a bit more, so I wanted to check back. This time, I talked at length with Joel Finkelstein, Qualia's owner and chief roaster, along with Aaron, also a roaster and a serious and generous teacher of all things coffee to anyone interested enough to ask. Qualia is a Great Shop by my scale as explained here. They offer a large selection of very fresh, frequently changing and clearly dated beans. They roast onsite using a smaller roaster and average 5lb batches. This means they'll run out of a given roast often but then can restock in 2 hours. With a dozen or so from which to choose for a pourover, this means you'll always get freshly roasted beans, whatever the region or varietal. Joel and Aaron both care about roasting intensely. Their knowledge is incredibly deep and their dedication to excellence exceedingly high. I think they do espresso drinks but that's decidedly not the main focus here. It's very much about the world's best beans roasted with a crazy high level of finesse. Oh, and coffee aside, Qualia does seriously good baked goods including bagels from the area's best bagel maker* I had a very interesting Panamanian coffee I really enjoyed followed by a Brazilian Minco I loved. And, I left the shop with a deep appreciation for Joel, what he's doing and how he's doing it. He's thinking about possibly opening a 2nd Qualia downtown somewhere and I hope he does since the only downside to Qualia that I can see is that it's not that conveniently situation for me to be a regular. For all of us that deeply appreciate purveyors who prioritize quality over revenue maximization, Qualia deserves our enthusiastic support. It'd be great to see a few restaurants in town serving Qualia. Qualia won't ever be a multi-million, high-growth business. But it is already a great business because it is first and foremost about Great Product. * Georgetown Bagelry on River Road

I've been talking with Joel Finklestein of Qualia Coffee about which grinder is best for me, and he pointed me to this blog entry: "Choosing the Best Baratza Grinder for You (Revised)" on baratza.com I, for one, am going to listen to what Joel said in his chat and buy a good grinder. I'm *sick* of going out for coffee each morning only to have a lousy cup of burnt Starbucks served in a *paper cup*, so I'm going to subscribe to Qualia's mail-order program. (I'll add that there are absolutely no discounts or kick-backs for me; I just want to help support a quality business - I took the initiative and wrote Joel; not the other way around.) Fino Pour-Over Kettle --- Related threads on Coffee Makers and High-Volume Coffee Makers (Joel, if you run across this, I'd be curious to read your opinions about these two, as you came on board after they were written.)

The coffee portion of Little Pearl is opening today, Dec. 16 (via Washington Post) and the wine bar portion is opening on Dec. 30 according to their website.

Metropolitan Coffee House and Wine Bar is great. Federal Hill, not Inner Harbor, but close by. Casual, coffee shop atmosphere, but nice friendly spot with good breakfast foods. 902 South Charles at Henrietta.

Souk Bakery and Market was scheduled to soft open in the Hello Cupcake Barracks Row space today (via PoPville).

On the very-contentious topic of donuts: I have now gotten them a couple of times from Zombie Coffee and Donuts (address 3100 14th St., but really it's on Irving Street between 14th and 15th). The first time I was amazed at how good they were. The second time they were nearly as good. What is especially good about them is that, unlike so many donuts, they have the crunch of having been fried. (I would call them, basically, "cake" donuts rather than "yeasted" though I am not an expert.) They have that good crisp exterior and a nice greasiness. They offer various "glazes" (including none, basic sugar glaze, chocolate, vanilla, maple, strawberry, lemon) and various "toppings" (including shredded coconut, cereals, candies, and even the absurd bacon). Then they are fabricated to order. Even with those additions they are not as absurdly cloyingly sweet as some (I'm looking at you, Fractured Prune). Check it out.

About a week ago I followed signs leading me to Firehook Bakery, in a very odd, industrial location on Flint Lee Road off Lee Road in Chantilly (across from Chantilly Crossing, home of Target and Costco). Having seen Firehook in DC, but not being close enough to try it, I was intrigued. Given that the most prominent bakeries out here are in supermarkets or wholesale clubs, I find this to be a great addition to the neighborhood. I tried a loaf of the pumpkin cranberry bread. Quite delicious. Many of the other offerings also looked good (example: Danish with fresh fruit instead of neon gop). Also, they are giving a free cup of coffee with each purchase, and the coffee is fantastic. Next time I'm in there I'm going to buy a bag of beans. In short, good news for us hicks.

Junction Bakery and Bistro had it's soft opening this week. It's where Mancini's used to be. They gutted it. I stopped by to get the staff's Friday breakfast. They've gotten real spoiled when I'm in the clinic on Fridays not Dunkin Donuts like my partners The place is cool, super retro looking, you can see into the bakery and watch them work and make delicious baked goods. Seems like people already know about it, it was fairly busy for just being open for 2 days. I got a bunch of stuff - ham and cheese croissant, chocolate croissant, everything croissant, lemon poppy tea cakes, cheddar chive biscuits, some scones, and then I get an Americano for myself. Was a big hit... Everyone loved it. The everything crossaint was a real winner. I had half a cheddar chive biscuit, and that was good. Everything was rich/moist. The Americano was ... watered down (I know, I know ... it has water in it), but it wasn't as strong as Swing's or Stomping Ground or even the new St. Elmo's (what a revamp!). Well, the next hipster thing continues in Del Ray, a full fledged bakery with people with those baking hats. Food is good. Looking forward to trying real breakfast here. -S