Casual Dinner in Ballston

[The Doctor]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for a place to have a relatively quick (less than 90 mins) casual dinner tonight in the Ballston area. It seems like there are an awful lot of chains over there. Right now my first instinct is to eat at the bar at Willow (I've never been). Are there are any other options? It should be pretty close to the Ballston Common Mall (for example, Clarendon would be too far away).

I guess I have two follow up questions.

1) If I did go to Willow, what's the bar area like? Is it just some seats along the bar, or are there smaller tables in that section, too?

2) Are there any Thai places in the vicinity worth going to?

Thanks for your time and attention!

[goodeats]

Big Buns, Aladdin's eatery, Uncle Julio's Rio Grande, and Vapiano's come to mind. Have no idea about Willow.

1Gen is near there, and I Love Thai is inside the common mall -- I have no idea what they are like though.

Shiki Sushi's predecessor was decent, but have not been to Shiki Sushi before -

Edited January 18, 2010 by goodeats

[dcs]

1) If I did go to Willow, what's the bar area like? Is it just some seats along the bar, or are there smaller tables in that section, too?

Yes. A mixture of both. The web site says there are 38 seats in the bar area, but I have never actually counted them. Pictures here.

[The Doctor]

Thanks for the replies so far! I hadn't seen the pictures on the Willow website -- it looks like it will suit my needs. It's always good to have a backup, too.

[DonRocks]

Thanks for the replies so far! I hadn't seen the pictures on the Willow website -- it looks like it will suit my needs. It's always good to have a backup, too.

Your backup could be Grand Cru Cafe. I just had a ham and gruyere tartine there for lunch two weeks ago (and ended up buying two bottles of wine in the process!), and it was great, served with a perfectly dressed side salad, and they even gave me a little sample of their celeriac soup free of charge. This restaurant gets ignored because it's in the middle of a courtyard, but it's really one of the best restaurants in Ballston (their website is here).

Kibbee Nayee recently posted about Tutto Bene (known in the Sicilian mafia as Two-Toed Benny), which Tom Sietsema has raved about in the past. I'm not sure if they serve the Bolivian menu during the week, or if it's only on the weekends. I haven't been here in several years now (and need to return), but I remember enjoying the Italian menu when I last went. Don't be scared off by the shoddy exterior.

Cheers,

Rocks.

P.S. It's a Monday AND a holiday - don't forget to call to make sure these places are open.

[ktmoomau]

I like the bar at Willow there is normally plenty of seats. I like the flatbreads, avoid the chicken balls, the gougeres are good too better than central.

[The Doctor]

I like the bar at Willow there is normally plenty of seats. I like the flatbreads, avoid the chicken balls, the gougeres are good too better than central.

We ended up at Willow. It turned out they were still doing Restaurant Week. I had initially thought that maybe I'd do some of the bar menu items plus something from the regular menu, but with RW you had to do the full three courses -- which I ended up doing. Fantastic stuff.