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Showing results for tags 'Kingstowne'.
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Not only is this restaurant not in the dining guide, but neither is Kingstowne. As far as Kingstowne is concerned, that slight is merited. The food there is abysmal. But as far as Johnny's is concerned, this is one of the better pizza places in Fairfax County, similar in a way to Tony's in Fair Lakes. I'm not talking about artisanal flatbreads in wood-fired ovens with charred bottoms and with artichokes and pears and goat cheese on them. I'm talking about pizza to whom you would treat your son's rugby team, or your neighbors from Brooklyn, or your old frat brothers, or the local fire house, or returning veterans, or people with a last name ending in a vowel. This is hearty and tasty fare, not necessarily low cost, but hitting some good notes in the quality department. The Meatatarian, Valentino Special and Mo's Special are among my favorite pizzas in the area, and I've heard others rave about the Buffalo Chicken pizza. Subs are pretty good here too, about as good as Bozelli's but maybe not quite up to Italian Store standards. I have taken a liking to the salami, anchovy and roasted peppers sub. Pastas and other entrees are in the good category, not great, but filling and tasty and able to feed a family well. However, I don't recommend this place for eat-in. The interior is small, and storage shelves and crates cramp the back end of the limited space. For a quick snack when you're in the area, it's not bad, but take-out or delivery within a 3-mile radius is a better bet. http://www.johnnysnystylepizzeria.com/index.html -
It's easy to mistake Lucky's for a sports bar, because two-thirds of it is a sports bar, complete with cigarette smoke and flat screens. Although a redeeming characteristic could be the 20-oz Yuenglings for $2 during happy hour.... But next to the sports bar is a real live restaurant serving up some of the Kingstowne area's finest food. Tonight I had the carne asada, and my companion had the Monterey salad with roasted chicken. Both were solid dishes - the carne asada was one of the better versions I've had, with delicious steak giving off cumin and spice and lime flavors, and a Spanish rice side that went well with the meat. I would order this meal again and again. Let's put it this way -- it isn't fine dining, but if you think that Stone's Cove Kitbar in Herndon is worth a try, then you'll love Lucky's. It's the kind of place that would earn 2 stars from Candy Sagon. http://www.luckyssportstheatre.com/
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Had a pre-dinner meal at Sampan Cafe this evening. This place is in the little strip mall where Mediterranean Gourmet Market is located, and whenever I'm in this vicinity, I always eat at Mediterranean Gourmet Market. It's the best Middle Eastern food in northern Virginia, I'm convinced, but it turns out it closes on Sunday evening at 5pm. So, Plan B was Sampan Cafe, a few doors down. I had been going to Sampan Cafe for over 20 years in its original incarnation. It used to be the definition of American Chinese, with big floppy egg rolls and chop suey on the menu, and the waiters clad in red tuxedo tops. Not many Chinese people ate there back then. It closed about 6 years ago and an average-ish Vietnamese restaurant took its place. Then about 4 years ago, it reincarnated as Sampan Cafe, under different ownership. I have raved a bit on this board about Canton Cafe in Springfield. Sampan Cafe is at least its equal, and maybe then some. Aside from a few quirks in the service -- girlfriend's entree arrived about 5 minutes before mine -- the food here is very good and the clientele is mostly Chinese. We started with a whole steamed oyster with black bean sauce that was exquisite (and large). Last night I had the Beef in Black Pepper Sauce at Canton Cafe and labeled it Peking man-food. I mentioned that at $16 it was superior to any beef dish I ever had at Morton's or Ruth's Chris or any other steak house that would charge $40 for a la carte beef. Well, tonight I had the same dish at Sampan Cafe, and it was even better and was only $14. It came out sizzling like Canton fajitas, but the beef was perfect, tender and juicy. Girlfriend had her standard seafood combination, which in this case was off menu. Chunks of scallops, shrimp, lobster, and veggies in a white sauce, for $12.50 (did I mention lobster?). The chef's specialty here is "Hong Kong style" and I intend to come back and taste "Sour Cabbage Stir Fried with Intestine" and "Salt Fish and Chicken Stir Fried with Chive Flower".... Bottom line is that Sampan Cafe in its current incarnation is very good, and at least the equal of Canton Cafe, but at a better value. [but I still have the problem of passing up the best Middle Eastern food in northern Virginia just a few doors down!]
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Who wants some insipid Indian food? Well, do I have the place for you. A lunch meeting today over Indian at Aditi was, well, just not very good. The chicken tikka masala was just plain sweet with nothing else really coming through. The daal resembled mush. The saag paneer was flavorless. And the chunks of lamb in the korma were like little pebbles. The naan wasn't terrible, I suppose. Sorry to sound so harsh, but what am I supposed to do? I suppose the useless website should have been a tip-off, especially when it brags about being "a Blue Ribbon Award Winner (from the prestigious Washingtonian Magazine), first in 1991!" Yes, but when was the most recent time. . . I'm going to Tackle Box next time, with or without my colleagues. -
My wife had planned to go have dinner at East Moon Asian Bistro in Kingstowne with her friends, and suggested that I take my brother here for sushi while he's in town. A friend had recommended it to her. It wasn't bad, but I won't be in a hurry to return. As soon as we sat down, the servers were upon us asking if we were ready to order. I assume that's because they're right next to the theater, and have people coming in before movies. We had an assortment of sushi, and my brother also had the drunken noodles. The sushi was cut in large pieces, larger than I prefer, but fresh. Tuna, yellowtail, and scallops were slabs of tasty meat, but were two or three-bite pieces. The rolls were more normal sized. The sweet shrimp were served with their heads tempura fried, crunchy and fresh-shrimp-tasting. Spicy tuna roll was OK, but could have been spicier. The eel in the eel roll tasted a bit old. My brother said the drunken noodles were good, but very oily. Overall, it was all acceptable. I just can't think of a reason to fight the crowds near the movie theater there. If you're already there, you could do worse.
