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Where Did I Dine? A Photograph-Based Guessing Game


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Complete and I mean complete and total guess Amphora?  I was trying to think of somewhere the veggies fit.

Are you still talking about mine? Is it still going on or has it been guessed?

If the former, Nixon in China.

---

Don't forget I have a second, Valentine's Day meal up too which should be much easier for people (I expect people to guess it on the first try).

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This is an even better guess than Mama Ayesha's, but that's not it either.

Okay, this is *the* final hint: Remember that it's on this list, the owner worked in the grocery store, and ... it's not Mama Leone's.

(One of the most underrated popular songs in history, IMO.)

Where did I dine?

attachicon.gifphoto (1).JPG

It has to be Anthony's in Falls Church, doesn't it?

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Anita's?

Pretty darned good guess, Dente. Not correct, but about as close as you can be.

Taylor Gourmet and Buzz

I can see Buzz (although Tiffany MacIssac is no longer there, so it's not *that* easy assuming you're correct, but they do seem to use their share of very dark chocolate), but what is it about this sandwich that makes you guess Taylor? And where?

Earl's wraps their sandwiches in brown paper, so it's definitely not them (plus this would be disappointing if it were Earl's).

I'd love to hear some rationale behind some of the guesses (especially if they're revealed to be correct).

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Taqueria Poblano

Multi-multi-million-dollar pig slop.

Hint: My first bite (a chip with salsa), and I looked at my young dining companion and said, "You taste olive oil in here?" I'm not saying that's good or bad; I can't even say for sure that there's actually olive oil in it, but this was the first time I've ever encountered such a pronounced taste of it in salsa, and it was odd.

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Chuy's?

He nods his head, sadly (Fairfax, FWIW).

I don't even have any idea what y'all are talking about, but being present for a performance of Nixon in China during its original run at the Kennedy Center was one of the (many, wonderful) high points of my life.

Yeah, I figured since Anthony's isn't such a stud restaurant, I'd at least try to paint the cultural enlightenment with a putty knife so I wouldn't be wasting people's time (it was actually a perfectly fine meal, and the people there (at the new Falls Church location) were wonderfully friendly). It really wouldn't be such a bad place to go sit at the bar and have a couple beers - if you've only seen the original Falls Church location (they also have one in Manassas) this will pleasantly surprise you when you see it - I believe it opened last August.

Yep.

cheezepowder, let's hear your rationale for Buzz, and especially for Taylor - you're just too good!

Where did I dine?

post-2-0-63972500-1424147652_thumb.jpg

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cheezepowder, let's hear your rationale for Buzz, and especially for Taylor - you're just too good!

My rationale for Taylor Gourmet isn't that exciting - I recognized the bread with sesame seeds, it looked like a chicken cutlet in the sandwich, and Taylor wraps their sandwiches in foil. Ktmoomau said the 2 places were in close proximity. I know there's a Buzz across from the Taylor Gourmet in Ballston, and you can get a single takeout kind of pastry at Buzz (there was gold cardboard under the pastry), and Buzz has marble counters.

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To be honest, the revised and updated Uncle Julio's meals look a heck of a lot better on the plate than this does.  I was expecting it to at least look more appealing than UJ's.  

I'd be surprised if the revised and updated Uncle Julio's *wasn't* better than Chuy's. I'm sorry to say this, but Tim Carman's recent article is more personal reminiscence than serious food criticism - he even comes out and says as much without actually saying it (which I've certainly done in the past), but I can verify that Chuy's is on a par with the very worst of the large Tex-Mex chains (think about it for a moment: Why, or perhaps, "how" would it not be?). Nevertheless, I encourage people to see for themselves; actually, I encourage people to listen to what I'm saying and save your money, but one must do what one must do, and one plus one is two.

My rationale for Taylor Gourmet isn't that exciting - I recognized the bread with sesame seeds, it looked like a chicken cutlet in the sandwich, and Taylor wraps their sandwiches in foil. Ktmoomau said the 2 places were in close proximity. I know there's a Buzz across from the Taylor Gourmet in Ballston, and you can get a single takeout kind of pastry at Buzz (there was gold cardboard under the pastry), and Buzz has marble counters.

It might not be that exciting, but neither was Ken Jennings. :)

<Cue theme song from "Final Jeopardy">

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Cheezepowder is phenomenal at this game.  I've been following it in awe.  I'd have to admit if I played I'd probably finish at least  60 places behind the next to worst finisher.  I'm abysmal.

When the dish from Chuy's was presented and an initial suggestion was Anita's...I had to think back.  I've probably had a meal similar to that at Anita's in total hundreds of times and dishes of that ilk hundreds more at various restaurants.  I couldn't identify one of them by plate, setting, background, what is on the plate, etc.

Anyway its fun to follow the masters.

Bravo to the experts.

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I have no idea what the main entree is... but the plates look a little like those from Celebrity Deli?

That's a good guess given that you had no hints. Here's a good place to start: The *only* thing that will allow people to guess this restaurant is the entree - I've had it three times in the past few years, and this is the one instance where it was improperly cooked (over heat that was too high, causing an overcooked exterior and an undercooked interior - but you can't see the interior). It was also trimmed poorly, being thick on the left side and thin on the right (which undoubtedly didn't help the cook).

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That's a good guess given that you had no hints. Here's a good place to start: The *only* thing that will allow people to guess this restaurant is the entree - I've had it three times in the past few years, and this is the one instance where it was improperly cooked (over heat that was too high, causing an overcooked exterior and an undercooked interior - but you can't see the interior). It was also trimmed poorly, being thick on the left side and thin on the right (which undoubtedly didn't help the cook).

It looks like some sort of fish fillet topped with caramelized vomit. Am I warm?

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Don - the toast (Cuban toast? Ciabatta?) in your picture looks like it had alot of butter on it. I was thinking of a tuna melt, and maybe so given your response to The Hersch. But a tuna melt alone doesn't seem distinctive enough to guess a restaurant,

You know what? It *does* look like a tuna melt! But that's not toast; it's pure, 100% animal protein (but I agree with you wholeheartedly that it looks like toast in this picture).

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Don - the toast (Cuban toast? Ciabatta?) in your picture looks like it had alot of butter on it. I was thinking of a tuna melt, and maybe so given your response to The Hersch. But a tuna melt alone doesn't seem distinctive enough to guess a restaurant,

Here's another picture!

Swordfish kebab at Kapnos Taverna?

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Whole Foods?

You got it!  I posted this one just as an illustration of how different WF locations are from one another in terms of quality and offerings, not really relevant to this thread I know but something that struck me when I saw this bar in a Tampa location (plus some amazing looking seafood a few feet away), house-made pasta in a Cherry Hill, NJ WF, etc...DC does not get the cream of the Whole Foods crop.

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Where did I dine?

post-2-0-65820500-1424278002_thumb.jpg post-2-0-18006900-1424278019_thumb.jpg

(The Bistroquet carryout menu is merely a bookmarker.)

If anyone wants a hint with this one, just ask - I can tell you right now it's going to be very, very difficult, but since it's the only active photo, I figure you need something to keep you busy.

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Seventh Hill?

That's a good guess, and a reasonable guess given that the Palisades Seventh Hill might have just opened. But, Seventh Hill doesn't (or didn't) have edges this large, so we've got one seriously bread-edged pie on our hands, something you might have seen at Pizzeria Paradiso ten years ago.

The folks on this website are perfectly capable of identifying this as a Margherita, and are equally capable (especially as a group) of identifying which pizzeria it might be. But remember, I said this was going to be difficult (that, in and of itself, is a clue).

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Yeah, I was just going on geographic proximity to your last post...

My last post was Crisfield. Bistroquet was ages ago (last Saturday).

Pietanza?

Pie-Tanza doesn't have Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man edges (another hint: I only ate half the salad on this evening (took the rest home), and didn't eat the edges on this particular meal; a second pizza, taken home, got more of an edge treatment the next day, and the edges (fortunately) are not that dense - I wouldn't call them "airy," but they're also not like dinner rolls).

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Time is a flat circle, man.

Comet Ping Pong? They have pretty puffy pies.

Red Rocks?

Remember though, I said this was going to be difficult, and neither of these two guesses would be difficult for you as a group. I can tell you, however, that this is in the Washington, DC area, so it's not some sort of trick.

Here's another hint: It took me awhile to find the restaurant, and the shopping center which I *thought* was my destination was ... gone. And when I say gone, I don't mean empty; I mean imploded, bulldozed, etc. - it's Gone.

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