Some competition for Ray's the Steaks?

Pay no regard to my failed attempt (in the comments) to implore Michael Landrum to open an enormous Ray's Hellburger in the Marriott Residence Inn, right across from Ray's the Steaks.

Instead, apparently Fire Works restaurant is coming. What is it? I have no idea. Here is the blurb from DCmud, The Urban Real Estate Digest of DC:

"Fire Works will occupy approximately 5,500 square feet at the street level on Clarendon Boulevard and open up to the Western end of Courthouse Plaza for patio dining. The 240 seat (160 indoor, 80 outdoor) restaurant will offer upscale casual dining featuring local, fresh and organic ingredients and is expected to open in Spring 2010."

Supposedly it's the same Fire Works as Fire Works Pizza in Leesburg. Anyone been? Is it any good? Should Faccia Luna be worried?

But my dreams haven't been crushed yet--there's still over 3000 sq ft of retail space available. Michael Landrum, are you listening now???

Thanks LB for the link!

Mr. Hibachi Out, Chez Manelle In

Not sure what awaits me here, but I guess I'll find out when I get back. Crepes? Croque monsieurs? Maybe comedy club/tiki bar/bad fake European-inspired food? (Re comedy club, see here).

Goodbye Mr. Hibachi, hello Chez Manelle. Hope you are worth saying hello to.

No news yet (from me at least) who is going into the Marriott space at Adams & Clarendon.

Chez Manelle, coming soon to
2313 Wilson Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Courthouse

Happy Belated Birthday To Me

Or rather, to this blog. Only 2 years ago, several intern colleagues berated me with their food questions, usually involving nearby cheap places to have a date. We were rising 2Ls. Now we're all sweating it out with the bar less just 2 weeks away.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

In other news, Boccato Gelato is driving me crazy in good and bad ways.

GOOD: Dark chocolate sorbet is ridiculously amazing and apparently fat free (put this in the HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE category along with Greek yogurt and devil's food chocolate pudding). And my new favorite gelato flavor is the Minty Chocolate Oreo or something along those lines (maybe Chocolate Oreo Mint? Chocolate Mint Oreo?). SO GOOD.

BAD: J decided (and I agree) that Boccato should have at least 2 people scooping and 1 person ringing up nightly from July 4 (that's conservative--probably should be Memorial Day) until Labor Day. On recent weekday evenings we've endured long lines stretching out the door (not tough, it's a small place). I don't mind a line, except for when it takes FOREVER. At DG we move swiftly; after all, we're not at either place for the ambiance. At Boccato, we do not. Recently, part of the problem is the people who order an affogato (espresso with a scoop of gelato in it) or a coffee. Of course, the real problem is understaffing--not the people.

I admit, I don't have much patience for anything anymore. But if I pay $3+ for a cone of gelato, I'd rather it not melt before my eyes while I stand in the adorably cozy (read: small and hot) establishment.

A melted cone never did one much good (except in that great Princess Diaries scene where Anne Hathaway "cones" Mandy Moore).

But we're not going to stop going; the place it a few blocks away and eating there is synonymous with "Let's take a walk!" So this is just a whine. ::whine::

Boccato Gelato [delicious, if you don't get cranky from a wait and can endure the possibility of meltage]
2719 Wilson Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Court House or Clarendon

Courthouse Farmers' Market

So that sign is new. Or last year I totally walked by it every Saturday and didn't notice?

What's new with Courthouse Farmers' Market: Quail Creek Farm has joined us recently! Yummmm. The brioche is AWESOME (ahem, three of us downed a loaf during brunch. "Just one more slice with a little more jam," we promised ourselves.) I think if you made French toast with it, you'd immediately be transported to a magical land of happiness. The pain au chocolat and chocolate chip cookies are divine. Pain au chocolat for breakfast (pairs well with some Euro Market iced coffee, I promise), and for dessert a chocolate chip cookie. The cookie was fluffy and cakey, not thin and crispy like LPQ. Both good, but totally different. You couldn't dip this one in milk, because it would fall apart.



Everyone loves these people already. It's only been a few weeks, but their absence was much mourned a couple Saturdays ago when they were absent. I overheard several inquiries to the egg/dairy tent in QC's place.



And, as per us[ual], the line at the Westmoreland Farms tent snakes around the truck and down the sidewalk. One half of each couple swears they "aren't going to wait in this ridiculous line just for some berries" but then, alas, pouting ensues and everybody waits. Every year they have unbelievable blackberries, although I haven't seen them yet (it's a little early, and I was gone this past weekend), but recently it's been all about the strawberries. People bring back their Westmoreland crates week after week to fill up on the great-looking and great-tasting produce. The most hilarious thing about Westmoreland is that when you walk a few blocks back home with your purchases, you will either (a) be stopped at least once by someone asking "where did you get those berries?!" or (b) overhear one person say to another "holy @*%$, did you see those berries?"



And there are some antiques, the Cookie Lady, and some cute jewelry and dresses. To fit in, bring your reusable shopping bag, wear your running shorts, and push a stroller full of baby cuteness.

Courthouse Farmers' Market
Courthouse Parking Lot - N. Courthouse Road & 14th Street
Metro: Orange Line to Courthouse

Ray's Hell-Burger has the best burger in Virginia...

According to the Food Network!

Not that I'm surprised. You all know my obsession. HELP. I AM IN NEED OF IRON. I NEED LOTS AND LOTS OF RED MEAT, FRESHLY GROUND PREFERABLY K THX.

Thanks Dan Rockwell thread.

NEWS! Ray's Hell-Burger--Still Delicious, New Side Dish Added

VEGETARIANS, READ NO FURTHER. KTHXBYE.*

I have no idea when the new side dish appeared. Anyone? Comments? (I don't know because I'm not allowed to have Ray's more than once every three or so weeks...let's be honest, no one should. It's a huge amount of red meat for one person. You need to space that stuff out, ya'll. I care about each and every one of you, and I want you to live for a very, very, very long time.)

We both got blackened burgers cooked "recommended." J got Vermont white cheddar, grilled peppers, and heck sauce. I got grilled onions and dill pickle chips. We noticed the blackened was kicked up a notch--previously it was difficult to distinguish between grilled and blackened, but tonight we felt the heat! And we liked it! On the side were cheese tater puffs, these little buttery balls of pretty-good-ness (they were good, but not AMAZING--definitely more interesting than French fries, though). When did these little guys appear? Last time we checked the options were potato salad, mac & cheese, and coleslaw. Wow, I didn't realize coleslaw was one word.

The Boylan's Diet Root Beer tasted flat, but the Cheerwine I had next made me forget about all that sadness.

And yeah, that's my hand in the picture. There was another picture that DIDN'T have half of my blurry hand in it, but I want you to really get a sense of how hungry I was, and how I didn't want to wait for a picture to be taken before tasting one of the fluffy puffy thingies. And not bad for a camera-phone picture, right?!

*I <3 you vegetarians, but there's nothing for you here. No veggie burgers, no fish sandwiches, no fake meat, no Portobello mushroom situation...

Ray's Hell-Burger
1725 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Court House, or an uphill walk from Rosslyn on Orange or Blue

Velocity Five Sports Restaurant & Bar - Court House OPEN

Just a little announcement: I walked by Velocity Five last night (it replaced King Street Blues) and it was OPEN. Over the weekend the sign said "coming soon" and a nice flat-screen TV was playing sports to the sidewalk from above the door.

Good for them on the quick turnaround. If I was working on opening a sports bar during March Madness, I'd have a similar fire under my tush to get started.

Just trust me that it's open--the web site doesn't yet have any news/pages about the new location. And if it's true that appetizers are half-priced between 5-7, then consider me psyched.

Velocity Five Sports Restaurant & Bar
2300 Clarendon Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

Minh's

While it's still cold, do yourself a favor and head to Minh's for an enormous bowl of pho. (Most Americans say pho like "fee fie PHO fum" but it's really more like "fuh"--the problem is, most people won't know what you MEAN when you say "fuh" so you're stuck seeming confusing and pretentious at the same time).

Yes, the ginger beef is also good. Yeah, there are other dishes (like pretty much anything made in a clay pot) that are delicious.

But the savory soups outdo them all--I'm a huge fan of beef noodle soup #2, which contains well-done brisket. Others have rare beef, or both rare and well-done TOGETHER (J's choice). The "cup" is pretty big--you and a friend can each get a cup and share an entree (or get two and you've got leftovers for lunch). Get "large" and don't bother with entrees. They are not kidding around with the large, my friends!

So quick! Hurry! Before it gets warm again!

Minh's Restaurant
2500 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA
Metro: Court House

Bye King Street Blues, Hello Velocity Five Sports Restaurant & Bar

We weren't exactly fans of King Street Blues (read: it's greasy and mediocre at best), so it's sort of exciting that a new sports bar is opening.

Velocity Five (VV--they play on the Roman numeral...) should do well in that awkward spot by the Metro, especially considering that Ray's is it's new neighbor. Much like Guajillo and the Italian place down in the old Ray's strip mall, VV should at least get some of the people who are starving, didn't "call ahead" as per the new policy, and cannot wait 2 hours for steak.

The homepage looks more like ESPN than a restaurant, and the menu is full of wings, but maybe it'll be a little interesting. I'm unclear about why they have a sushi menu, but if they say it's the most exciting sports restaurant of the millennium then I'll at least try it. We'll see what their happy hour specials are--it's nearly impossible to get a cheap beer around here. $3.50 is NOT a special, people.

Velocity Five Sports Restaurant & Bar
Coming soon to 2300 Clarendon Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

Ray's! Soon! Clarendon!

Remember when I said it was going to happen?

It's happening this Tuesday.

Hide the women and children! No wait, take them out for steak.

News: We Want Steak!

People have been talking about it for a while, more recently here and here. I walk by almost eery day, occasionally peering in if my eyes think they see something new. For now there are some classy looking white leather-esque bench/seat deals, and cool fans that have two long blades (that go across the fan, looking like four blades) that are at slightly different heights and spin in opposite directions. The second article above says Ray's the Steaks is moving to the Navy League Building at 2300 Wilson Boulevard sometime in January, maybe--that's right across from the Court House Metro Elevator and around the corner from Five Guys. It's been a looong time coming, and it seems like such a prime location, it's insane that it's been empty for so long.

Apparently the current RTS location might turn into a fish fry place! I always hear people complaining that there's not a decent fish-fry in this town, so that would answer those guys. Fish fry tonight, guys? Nah, let's get enormous burgers instead.

Come quickly! Save us from the yucky American food in Court House. To be honest, only the Asian food in Court House is edible--Sawatdee, Minh's, and Delhi Dhaba.

Boulevard Woodgrill--way to go!

GREAT news! Boulevard Woodgrill, which I usually put in the mediocre category, has updated its brunch menu recently. I'm not exactly sure when, but I am CERTAIN that the last few times we brunched there, the menu was teensy and there weren't any low-carb meat-free options. I'm obviously not a vegetarian anymore, but I still enjoy big veggie omelets. Oh, and parfaits with granola and berries don't count in my LCMF options. Granola is just oats rolled in fat, ok?

So on this larger menu was an EGG WHITE (fave!!!) vegetable frittata with tomatoes (I believe they were cherry tomatoes), spinach, and feta. The feta was great--very creamy and not super salty or pungent. It played well with others. There were a few breakfast potatoes on top, but not a huge side that would make you nauseous.

BW has awesome French toast. It's cornflake-crusted, and baked after being dipped and pan-fried. It has a beautiful crisp to it. J got the French toast with a side of two eggs over easy, and gave me a slice of French toast. He essentially got more food than what comes with the French Country Breakfast for just $0.50 more, and was able to share the French toast with me (FCB comes with 2 slices, he got 4). It was a game-day decision, and extremely well executed.

I'm happy about this recent trip. I still think the lunch and dinner food leaves much to be desired, but for brunch this is definitely a new favorite. Obviously, we've been looking for a place that doesn't disappoint us every time we go there. Would it kill them to give a roll or muffin or something before the food comes out, though?

Yes, I know I'm over-excited. But it's brunch. I *love* brunch, and it loves me back. I had a brunch wedding, for crying out loud. It's a state of mind.

Boulevard Woodgrill
2109 Wilson Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Ray's Hell-Burger

So you read this and then that and collectively almost peed yourself because you could NOT wait to visit Michael Landrum's latest maneuver? Us too!

We DID wait until Thursday, its third day of business, to make our appearance...after all, we don't want to wait on line. We're too cool for that (Disclaimer: We are not too cool for waiting on line at Dairy Godmother, where we have recently done some serious waiting...that's what we get for not checking the CustardCam).

In case you don't already know, Michael Landrum (proprietor of Ray's the Steaks/Bar/Classics) opened a new joint called Ray's Hell-Burger (officially Butcher Burgers, but that's because the government doesn't like H-E-double hockey sticks in a name) a few doors down in the same shopping center as Ray's the Steaks, my favorite stop when I'm seriously craving fluffy blackened salmon and to-die-for mashed tatoes. J tells me we can thank the recession for the recent explosion of new burger places--burgers are cheap, so people who have stopped going out for more expensive dinners will still plunk down $8-15 for a good one. It's kind of like why I've been to Tackle Box 6 times and Citronelle just once.

You can get a bunch of toppings for free (grilled red onions, mushrooms, etc), others for a small fee (avocado, fancy and not-as-fancy cheeses...), and delicious it will be.

All rhyming aside, I loved watching the meat being cut and then grinded/ground (I can't decide) before my eyes. No frozen dehydrated backdoor nonsense there. The burger was huge (they suggest cutting it in half) and delicious, I got it cooked "Recommended." There are no fries, which I consider to be a positive--if you are eating a 10 oz burger, twice the suggested serving of meat for one meal, you do not need any french fries. Eat a vegetable, people. All burgers at Ray's (at least this summer) come with a slice of watermelon and a piece of corn on the cob. My corn could have used another few days to ripen, but I ate it anyway and it was tasty for what it was. Watermelon was good, and the best part was I didn't have to slice it myself. Yes!

We always have great service at Ray's (including complimentary dessert on J's birthday...even though we didn't tell them it was his birthday), and RHB was no different. When Tiny didn't eat half her burger and a staff member asked if she liked it, she honestly replied "no." She ordered medium rare and probably should have gotten medium--it was pretty rare. The staff member gently chided her for not asking them to throw it back on for a few minutes (don't be shy, folks! They've opened the door to it now!) and escorted her to the ice cream area to get a big free waffle cone of her choice. Tiny was sad no longer.

Best thing about Ray's I haven't said yet: Cheerwine (tastes kind of like cherry root beerish...sorta) and root beer on tap (although I'd prefer a larger pitcher)

Worst thing about Ray's I haven't said yet: OK, it's not horrible, but out of all the lovely things I have to say about Ray's, I'll tell you what could be better. A home-made bun. A fresh home-made bun would bring this burger and this place to a new level of fab.

Ray's Hell-Burger aka Butcher Burgers (for the feds)
1725 Wilson Boulevard, or near there (that's officially the RTS address) - there's no sign yet, but if you are facing the shopping center, RHB is almost all the way to the right
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Court House, or an uphill walk from Orange or Blue Lines to Rosslyn.

Me Jana, part deux

We recently returned to Me Jana and wisely convinced a friend to join us so we didn't have to over-order for ourselves (again) to get the full experience. We only got 2 repeat dishes, and otherwise tried new things.

Kafta kebob - This mix of ground lamb and beef mixed with onion, parsley, and spices was molded into a sausage shape and cooked on the grill. It was OK.

Zucchini fritters - 2/3 of us really enjoyed the flavors in this wet, latke-like dish, made with zucchini, mint, scallions, egg whites, and Manchego cheese. The fritters would shine more and meet expectations if they were less wet, but if they are deep fried to a golden brown they'll likely just taste like fried (instead of mint).

Chicken shwarma - Again, these mini shwarma sandwiches, the meat tucked inside mini-pitas, was a huge winner. The fluffy accompaniment labeled "garlic whip" also won fans.

Lahem be ajeen - The pieces of this dish resembled pizza slices, so we called it the pizza. The pizza was baked pita topped with ground lamb, spices, and pomegranate molasses. Yes, I ordered it because it had the word "pomegranate." It was OK, but not wonderful.

Seared haloumi - J says this dish is too salty and too chewy, and I say, BRING IT ON, that's Haloumi cheese, baby! Grilled and tops with dates and pears, this dish is everything I'd want on an Aroma sandwich in Israel (or NY) and more.

Scallops - Light, not quite hot enough for my tastes, and an inoffensive but unmemorable sauce.

Salmon - I was asked if I wanted the salmon "well done," and said no, I want it how it would usually be cooked, which was "medium." We received salmon that was definitely overcooked, but it was fine. The result of overcooking it, for me, was that it seemed more like slightly-softer chicken, not light flaky fish, and the marinade of lemon and herbs was totally lost.

Arayes - I had this dish at Zaytinya, and J frowns when I order it--so sue me, I want to compare two dishes at restaurants with similar fare! I like it, it's basically what's in the kafta kebab (ground beef and lamb, parsley, onion, and spices) but pressed into a patty inside a pita.

The pita was still delicious, as was the labneh. Because J was with us I felt compelled to order more meat dishes, but in reality, the Arayes and the Chicken Shwarma are my favorite. But I could go meat-free there for sure and just eat 5 baskets of pita and order extra labneh.

Me Jana
2300 Clarendon Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

Euro Market

K said, "We love the coffee at Euro Market." Months went by before I decided to have breakfast at EM--a turkey and egg sandwich on whole wheat and fresh squeezed orange juice. As in, I watch the person cut 4 peeled oranges in half and put them into a machine, then BAM! Juice. It's amazing. When I take the first sip I feel transported to a warmer, more exotic place, the sort of locale where gleeful children dive into abundant mountains of fresh produce. The last sip can be a little tart, a heads up for those who want to crinkle your noses in advance.

But don't stop visiting after breakfast.

All wraps come with lettuce, tomato (cut up, not shoved in there), lettuce (shredded), sprouts (!), cucumbers, pesto, special sauce, and a swipe of cream cheese spread used to stick the wrap closed. J noticed that the starch was minimal in my meal, as opposed to the typical wrap these days where I accidentally fill up on the wrapper that's wound around 1/2 inch thick. More turkey for me, please! EM has tons of sandwiches, every which way different types and flavors of breads and wraps, interesting spreads, and overall happiness. They also sell wine and beer (singularly by the bottle, too) and funky imported European candies and chocolates. Looks are deceiving for this tiny gem!

Wow, how could I almost sign off without telling you that they have BREYER'S ICE CREAM! The saddest part of Euro Market is that it's at the base of an apartment building that is not mine.

FYI, Pesach/finals time will bring fewer posts temporarily, but maybe a recipe or two. My Euro Market experience is a pre- (and will be a post-) Passover indulgence.

Euro Market
2201 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

Ray's The Steaks

Ray's is awesome, and it's no secret. Washingtonian named it 43rd in the Top 100 Restaurants in 2008, a letdown from #38 in 2007. The place is known for being reservation-free, which often leaves hungry diners waiting for hours (literally), with only two sparse benches outside to do that waiting. That's why I recommend going early, possibly choosing a weeknight, and avoiding cold or rainy days.

Ray's is by no means any of the following things: softly-lit, quiet, romantic, relaxing, luxurious, pampering. But the food is reliably excellent, the service is prompt, and the prices are extremely reasonable. Thus, it draws a crowd.

On Sundays, Ray's has what they call A Place At The Table--patrons can choose from $25, $30, or $35 options (there are a handful of entrees for each price), and each meal comes with choices for a starter and dessert. A portion of the proceeds go to a different local charity every week.

The French onion soup was just sweet enough without being like candy, and I appreciated the portion-size--after all, it's a starter. it was just the right size. It didn't have the typical layer of sorta melted rubbery cheese on top, thank goodness, and it did have a large happy crouton.

I don't even eat steak, so anyone who knows me would question Ray's as a birthday destination. But Ray's makes the best piece of salmon on Earth. Or at least in Arlington! The blackened salmon is super hot all over, fluffy and moist on the inside, and CRISPY on the outside. CRISPY as in when you put in your fork or bite down you hear a ::CRUNCH::. Oh, it is so good.

Those old reliables, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes, still come in cast iron shareable sides, but I tried to ignore them in a failed effort to save room for dessert.

The dark chocolate mousse with strawberries and fresh whipped cream was so good that I almost wished I'd left some salmon on my plate so I could actually enjoy more mousse. Almost. The mousse has such a great consistency there, it was cold and really thick--if you had a flimsy plastic spoon, it would definitely bend and possibly snap. I can spot a bad mousse a mile away, when it's sort of like chocolate whipped cream, you know? And this was no such mousse!

Ray's the Steaks
1725 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA
Metro: Court House; there is a parking lot, but it is often full--some street parking is around the Rosslyn/CH area, though

Minh's

When it's cold, all I want to do is go to Minh's. Good service, never a wait (although it does get busy on a Friday or Saturday night), super affordable, and most importantly, delicious.

I recommend anything ginger- or lemongrass-related then cooked in a clay pot (it will say it on the menu), the 5-spice chicken, and by golly, the pho! Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup with thin strips of brisket--they offer several variations but in the end they are mostly the same. A "small" in their pho is actually a big bowl, so please, order the large, and take a picture so I can see the results.

Five people each got a "small" pho then shared three entrees and left stuffed for around $65 including tax and tip.

What are you waiting for?!?!?!?

Minh's
2500 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

U Wanna go to Me Jana

Me Jana, a new place in the Court House/Clarendon neighborhood, is a Lebanese family-owned establishment that mostly serves mezza. Mezza are like appetizers or tapas--small plates. I would prefer to eat all of my meals tapas-style, because I never want to order just one thing, and even an appetizer or two and one entree isn't enough variety. But as you know (if you are a faithful reader, at least), I hate buffets. So tapas are the natural best option, but I not only want Spanish food, I want EVERYTHING in tapas form--enter mezza.

The space at Me Jana is colorful and chic, but still has a warm, cozy feeling thanks to the friendly atmosphere. The restaurant is owned and mostly run by a family, and even though it's just a few months old, I see the owner greeting people by name with a kiss on each cheek. The staff is attentive and helpful with decision-making.

As soon as the menu was posted at Me Jana, I knew we had to go--grilled haloumi, people? The only thing better than grilled cheese (as in bread with cheese in the middle, in a pan with butter) is GRILLED CHEESE (no bread, just cheese...with grill lines...it's low carb and delicious, you should try it). We need to do this list-style. J and I had 5 dishes and dessert for two people. It came in at ~$60 including tip.

Throughout the meal our basket of pita was replenished--the pitas were in an interesting 3D cone shape, and arrived puffy and warm throughout the evening. While the 4-section plate of olives and olive oil was fine with the basket, it was the square of labneh that left me yearning for another trip to the Middle East, also known as "the place where I was meant to live because honestly, where else can you eat delicious fruits and cheeses all day long and call it meals?"

Grape Leaves - I had to try this staple, but ever since I had homemade still-warm GLs two years ago I am a changed person, and these didn't quite measure up. Surprisingly there were a lot on the plate, maybe 6? Good value and they were good, but not close to the best.

Lamb Kebob - J says it was "very good and well seasoned, cooked to a reasonable temperature." I don't like the texture of it (too chewy--are you shocked?) so I passed.

Ablama - Hollowed out zucchinis stuffed with ground beef, spices, pine nuts, and onions. This had serious potential to be REALLY good, but it just wasn't hot enough. I should have sent it back to get reheated, but it was just one of many dishes we had going on, and I didn't get to an actual cold spot until a few bites in...I wondered why. With mezza, it's no big deal to bring out the dishes at a different time, in fact it's NECESSARY because they don't have the table space to bring them all out at once at a table for 2. So why the chill, Bill? The components were there, but the temperature was off and I would have liked the zucchini to be a little crunchier--it would have more zazz if it was less mushy.

Chicken Shawarma - This dish was perhaps our favorite. The chicken, slow roasted in lemon and garlic, was extremely flavorful, and the plating was eye-catching: Four little shawarma sandwiches sandwiched in adorable mini round pitas that had been grilled to grill-mark perfection. The chicken was so juicy and flavorful.

Seared Haloumi - I can't say anything bad about this dish, it was deeeeelicious. Strips of seared cheese with warm slices of date and pear? For my last meal as a death row inmate, I'd like to have 5 portions of the Seared Haloumi.

Kanafe - A warm square (or other shape...) of goat cheese and spices nestled between two thin strips of pastry, topped with pistachios at this particular establishment. I generally really enjoy kanafe, and I liked this one, but didn't love it--maybe it was the pistachio topping, or maybe I was just a little too full.

Me Jana was a lot of fun--I got to eat 6 different dishes and transport myself back to vacation in Israel. You can even go here with less adventurous friends--the chicken shawarma is like a juicy mini chicken sandwich. Who doesn't like that?

Me Jana
2300 Clarendon Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

Lib Tav--Major Downer Contained W/In!

BTW folks, I'm sorry to mention that Lib Tav does NOT have a lovely brunch menu that makes you want to frolic over there for a delightful late morning meal.

Besides a few scant a la carte items, the brunch is a buffet. And you know what I say about buffets. Oh wait, maybe you don't!

"We don't need to eat all we can eat. We're not bears." See Ellen at 5:35.

If you like buffet brunches, then I apologize--I feel bad for you, you like your food to be same food everyone else is eating, made in big group bunches and placed under a heat lamp for gosh-only-knows-how-long. You must enjoy using the big serving spoon to hack away a piece of eggs from the 20 egg omelet that sits in the tray.

I want an INDIVIDUAL PLATE with a planned-out, comprehensive dish on it, to be SERVED to me with my COFFEE on a weekend morning. So we went somewhere else. Review pending.

Restaurant 3

Restaurant 3 is named such because it's the 3rd restaurant I'd go to if I was really hungry in the Clarendon area and wasn't allowed to go to Five Guys or Whole Foods. Maybe not, I'm not sure.

There's nothing wrong with Restaurant 3, it just annoys me because it's new and sort of snazzy looking, the food is okay but not fabulous, and it's on the pricier side for the quality of the food. Also, someone should do the owners a favor and steal that awful fluorescent "3" they've got hanging--it's totally out of place, and doesn't match their decor at all.

We started with the lettuce wraps of duck confit and bourbon molasses, which were actually very good--maybe the best part of the meal. The meat was very soft but almost drowning in the sauce, and its accompaniments were also very tasty (a crunchy salad mixture and nuts to wrap in the lettuce). Grilled brie with a side of grapes was pretty good, but the oil-saturated slices of toasted bread that came with it were unnecessary--not quite warm, and with an almost stale-like texture. I ended up just eating the brie with a fork in combo with the grapes, which I wish were colder for a greater contrast with the warm brie.

My dinner was okay, but I probably wouldn't order it again. The menu at Restaurant 3 just didn't call to me, it wasn't my style. I wasn't freaking out about ordering the way I usually do, wondering how in the world I'll be able to choose between choices X Y and Z which are all making my mouth water. I got the vegetarian croquettes, described as grit cakes with salsa verde. They were large, not too dense, yellow mounds of what seemed like cornmeal and some veggies and lots of butter, tasty, but I would have rather had ONE of them on the side of something else than two of them as a meal. I wasn't sure what to expect but went for it figuring I'd try it sooner or later. Plus, nothing else was really floating my boat.

J had better luck. He ordered the cider-brined pork chop, which came with a three-apple relish and deliiiiicious mashed potatoes (three potato mash). I guess that's the three theme going on.

We've already been back to Liberty Tavern for dinner, and will probably go again soon to try their brunch. R3 has yet to have iEat feet walk through the door again. We'll give it another chance eventually, but it just seemed like it wasn't really worth it.

Restaurant 3
2950 Clarendon Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon