Best Ever Neighborhood Restaurant

Every neighborhood should have one, but they are hard to find.  A place to go when you don't feel like cooking, but it feels like home.  It's a place where they know you, your likes and dislikes, and as a result, a menu isn't necessary because they'll do the ordering for you.  For us, that place used to be a former gas station converted into a French/Italian restaurant by a husband and wife team with a shared passion for food.  

What:  Jennifer and I just took the kids to Tempo Restaurant.  Our neighborhood restaurant for close to 10 years before a move.  It had been a dozen years since we had been back and thankfully everything was the same as we remembered, especially the food.

Where: 4231 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304

Why It's the Best:  It's been 12 years and we've not been able to find another place like it.  The restaurant is small, the staff professional and friendly and the menu contains some of the "Best Ever" dishes.  The prices are fair and the kitchen is always dependable.  We have three favorites that no restaurant has been able to top. You can't go wrong ordering; the Oyster Rockfeller (not a oyster fan, get the Two Beans and Pasta, the Agnolotti (if it's not on the menu ask and they'll make it) and the Tiramasu.    

How We Know:  As Anthony Bourdain points out, 8 out of 10 restaurants fail.  Tempo has been around for 25 years and it's because it consistently delivers quality food and service for a fair price. What makes it special is that it's the kind of place that is always busy, but you rarely need a reservation. The kind of place that is so good you're afraid the word will get out and you want be able to get a seat when you decide to go out at the last minute rather than cook.  

Craving level: Every time we don't feel like cooking!  


Reviews:  Google,  Yelp

Best Ever Book on the Restaurant Business

When I was younger I used to think that it might be nice to have a restaurant some day.  I now longer have that dream. The reason, I read a book that gave me a cold hard slap in the face about the reality of the restaurant buiness. The book, a New York Times Best Seller in 2000, has been reissued with new updates.  

What:  Kitchen Confidential, Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, by Anthony Bourdain.  The book that launched the chef to stardom.  Unlike other celebrity chiefs who gained fame because of their culinary skills, Anthony made his name because of his ability to tell stories.  As a result, his book is very entertaining and a quick read. It's a honest and somewhat crude (make that very crude, adults only) look at the restaurant business and himself, warts and all. 

Who: Anthony Bourdain, former Execute Chief of Les Halles, Host of No Reservations on the Travel Channel, Monday at 9 pm.

Where:  It's Bourdain's life story so it follows his travels around the world, but most of it takes place in New York City.

Why It's the Best: you'll learn things that any foodie needs to know such as; what day of the week is best to dine out (Tuesday) and why.  Why you never order fish on a Monday, and the real purpose of brunches.  I especially liked the section that disusses the difference between a chef's kitchen and your kitchen.  It lead to the purchase of a new knife and the reality that working in the restaurant business takes a special bred. 

How We Know:  If you like his TV show, you'll love his book. 

Reviews:  Amazon reviews

Best Ever Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary's were created in 1921 at Harry's New York Bar in Paris.   Over the years, bartenders have taken liberties with the original recipe.   We've grown accustomed to Bloodies being served with celery, a wedge of lemon, lime, or both, and in the DC area, they often come with Old Bay on the rim of the glass. But the original contained none of those accessories.

What:  Best Ever Bloody Mary, a proper one that comes with a spicy dill pickle, not celery.  

Where: Columbia Firehouse, in Old Town Alexandria.  Columbia's drink menu includes Historic Cocktails, favorites like Margaritas, Daiquiris, as well as, obscure drinks like The Avenue (circa 1938), and the Moscow Mule (Cock'n Bull Bar, California).  One thing is apparent from the menu...the roaring 20's were clearly the heyday of the highball.

Why It's the Best: It's the original recipe...and it's damn good.  Plenty of real horseradish, not hot sauce for the zip, and Tito's Vodka, not some overly marketed fad.  Also, try their onion rings.  The best we've had this side of Bermuda.

How We Know:  If you like the modern day version, you'll love the original.  Sometimes new isn't better, and less is more...this is one of those occasions.

Craving Level:  at least once a weekend.

Directions & Reviews:  Yelp, Open Table, Directions

Best Ever Dinner Value in NYC

The family went to the "Big Apple" last weekend to see, and taste, the sights and sounds.   Somehow NYC has become the candy capital of the US, we came back with bags filled with M&M's (compliments of the new M&M store in Times Square), gummy's of all varieties (thanks to Dylan's Candy Bar on 59th and Lexington).   And oh, we did hit the new Pop Tart store as well, and pimp'd out some Pop Tarts.

In between our sugar sessions, we did manage to see some attractions, and eat at a few good restaurants.  One in particular is worth writing about.

What:  Three of Cups Restaurant

Where:  Lower East Side, 83 1st Street @ Fifth Ave, New York, NY  10003.  We were in this part of town to see Stomp, which is playing nearby at the Orpheum theatre.  A great show, we highly recommend it, but go on a Friday and Sunday to get discounted tickets.  

Why It's the Best: Sometimes finding a good meal for the money can be just as exciting as a great dining experience.   In this case, we found great food and a great deal.   Dinner for four for just over $115 (not including tip), a good value in any town, but in Manhattan, this is a real winner.   

A few things made this such a find.  Let's start with the drinks, a martini was $9, a vodka tonic an amazing $6 and a good glass of chardonnay for $7.  Take advantage of the specials and the deals are even better.  Happy hour offers $4 wine, beer and rail drinks during 5-8pm, and 8-10 pm in the lounge.  The early bird special (5-6:30 pm) on Sun-Thursday nets you 20% off your meal.   Additionally, our server and the rest of the staff, was very friendly and attentive.

They have a wood-burning oven and offer a daily special calzone.  The menu also contained a couple of traditional Italian favorites (at least around our house) not commonly found in Italian restaurants, including Arancia (rice balls) and Penne alla Cuccuzzi (sauteed zucchini in olive oil). 

How We Know:  Martinis at our hotel (and most hotels/restaurants in NYC) ranged from $14-17.   Jen's family is Italian, and are very good cooks, making many authentic recipes not always found in local Italian restaurants -- the two I mentioned above.  We were both surprised to see them on the menu, and even more surprised at how delicious they tasted.   

Review and Directions: Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor

DC Restaurant Week August 16-22

Tomorrow is the start of the annual DC Restaurant Week, your opportunity to dine at some of the area's best restaurants on the cheap.  A three course, fixed menu lunch for $20.10, and $35.10 for a three course, fixed menu dinner at participating restaurants.   Visit the website below to see which restaurants will participate in this event so you can make your reservations.

What: DC Restaurant Week 

How to Make it the Best: Although $35.10 for a three course dinner sounds like a good deal, there is a better way to make it pay off.   The trick is the "fixed course" lunch or dinner.   What we learned over the years is that some of the restaurants participating aren't really offering you much of a discount.   They pick the courses you have to choose from, which limits your savings.   

To get the most out the promotion, pick restaurants that are premium priced, like steakhouses, and avoid lower priced restaurants like tapas.  Also, pick a night of the the week that's typically slow like a Monday or Tuesday.   Restaurants typically feature other promotions on those nights that you can also take advantage of, like half price bottles of wine.

Enjoy the week!

Best Ever Hamburger

Even though Ray's Hell Burger has been showing up on "Best of" lists for a number of years, it wasn't until President Obama's most recent trip that I decided it was worth a visit.  Sure, Biden and Obama have been regular patrons at the place, but if it was good enough to take a visiting head of state like the President of Russia, then I had to check it out.

What: 100% premium steak cuts, aged, hand trimmed, ground fresh daily, hand-formed, 10 oz Burgers...it's big and juicy.

Where: Ray's Hell Burger, Arlington, VA 

Why It's the Best: sure it has a Presidential endorsement, but it's also a great burger.  We've eaten at gourmet burger joints before, the thing I like about Ray's are the options for customizing your burger (see the menu).

I went with the B.I.G. POPPA, and it was tremendous.  The burger had a au poivre crust with blue cheese, cognac and sherry mushrooms and grilled onions.  The burgers are also perfectly formed, they say it's done by hand, but I'm skeptical.  

How We Know: the place constantly has a line out the door.  A line in which the President was willing to wait.   If you go, know that you will be on line for at least 10 minutes.   Go early, before noon, for the best chance to move quickly.  Oh, and bring cash, they don't take credit cards. 

Craving Level: Weekly

Reviews & Maps: Washingtonian, Trip Advisor, Yelp

Best Ever Mexican Restaurant

What kind of Mexican restaurant warns you ahead of time that there are no burritos or tacos on the menu?  Probably the best Mexican restaurant in the country.   It's only the first of many surprises that await you.   Located in a strip mall in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, this small non-descript restaurant presents an incredibly surprising (pleasantly) dining experience. 

From the wine based margaritas to the knowledgable and enthusiastic staff, it's a consistently impressive evening.  Normally we review dishes, and not restaurants, but this is an exception, with so many incredible dishes we just can't pick one.

What: Eduardo de San Angel Restaurant

Why it's the Best:  From the moment you enter and see the walls endlessly covered with awards, you know that you are in for something special.   It's a paradigm shift, it takes a while for your mind to register what's going on, because it probably nothing like you'd expect, and/or have experienced previously.

If you read the reviews on Eduardo's, you'll hear a consistent theme that it's not the "typical" Mexican restaurant.  Some folks refer to it as international cuisine with a Mexican influence, or high-end Mexican cuisine.  Whatever you call it, it's awesome!   

Some of our favorites;

• Appetizers -  Grilled Sliced Eggplant Roulade Au Gratin, Gulf Shrimp Ceviche, Roasted Poblano Peppers Filled with Florida Blue Crab and the Black Bean soup.

• Entrees - Ancho Chile Flavored Crepe filled with Cuitlachoche (blue corn fungus), Serano Chiles and onions with melted Asadero cheese and a Squash blossom sauce,  Trio of Colorado Lamb Chops and Key Lime Oil Brushed Loin of Yellow Fin Tuna are all amazing.

Make sure to start with a margarita or house special sangria.

Equally impressive is the staff and the service.  They are as knowledgable about the food, the preparation and why all the ingredients work, as any you'll ever meet.  The staff are professionals.  It is clear that this is, and has been, their passion and occupation.  Similar to high performance cars requiring highly skilled mechanics, they are essential to the experience. 

How We Know:  Well, it could be all the awards (Zagat gave it two "extraordinay to perfection" ratings), or the raves of hundreds of diners, but the thing we think says it best, is a comment that a server mentioned to us during our last visit with friends.  

As we were raving about the food (again) we asked if chef/owner Eduardo Pria ever considered opening other restaurants in other cities (as in please come to DC) and the waiter said he had many offers to do so, but didn't, because he believes it is necessary and important that he be physically present in the kitchen. 

In a time when celebrity chefs are opening multiple locations within a city and/or cities, here's one chef who still believes he has to be in the kitchen.   So for now, you have to go to Eduardo's place because he's not coming to you.

Craving Level:  Weekly

Direction and reviews:  Tripadvisor, Zagats, Google

Best Ever Place to Eat Wild Game

Ok, this one might not be the most popular topic on the blog but there is a reason that we're posting it.  One of the challenges with trying to create the "foodies of the future" is getting kids to experiment.  It's so easy for them to get stuck in a routine, we've got one that would eat pancakes every morning if we let him.  

So how do you get them to experiment?  Well, in our family it's trying exotic dishes.  One thing the pancake eater will try is wild game...go figure.  His list of exotic dishes ranges from antelope to salmon roe. If fact, he keeps a running list in his head.  The best place to take the future foodies for experimenting...a little French-Russia restaurant in Great Falls, VA.

What: The Serbian Crown restaurant.

Why it's the Best:  the menu is like noting you've ever seen, here's a sample: 

• Emu w/ Green Peppercorn Sauce  (I had this during our most recent visit - outstanding)
• Antelope w/ Wild Mushrooms & Port Wine Sauce (the Pancake eater enjoyed this dish)
• Boneless Rabbit 'Russian Style', Marinated in Sour Cream
• Venison St. Hubert w/ Marsala Sauce
• Marinated Wild Boar
• Molard Duck, Braised in Sauerkraut
• Roast Suckling Pig ( Winter Season )
• Scaloppini of Lion w/ Wild Mushrooms ( Winter Season ) (no idea what this is...)

Also on the menu during our most recent visit...Kangaroo.  That one might be pushing it a little too far.  The menu also includes various types of caviars.  For the adults, perhaps the best reason to visit is the Volka/Piano bar...the quality of the music definitely improves the more you drink. 

How We Know:  The restaurant is dated (unless you're a fan of red velvet), and the crowd can be on the sparse, and on the grey side, but for something "out of the ordinary" this is the place.  Besides after "kissing" a few volkas you may not care where you are or what you're eating.    

Craving Level:  Once a year, usually duing winter. 

Direction and reviews:  Tripadvisor

Best Ever Foie Gras

Last year we vacationed in Jackson, WY (a Best Ever Family Vacation…if we were writing that blog), and stayed at the Snake River Lodge in the Grand Teton village (the ski resort area of Jackson Hole, which is what the valley is called).

Nestled into the side of the Grand Teton Mountain range at 9000 feet is the restaurant Couloir. To get you have to reserve a ride on the resorts gondola after hours, which requires a reservation (an important pont to remember).  The gondola ride, the view, the food combine to make it a memorable dining experience.

What: pan-seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with pearl onion confit, cinnamon toast and anise syrup

Why It’s the Best:  True confession, I’ll admit that I not a big fan of Fois Gras.  In fact, the reason I’m voting this as a “best ever” is because the dish… didn’t taste Fois Gras.  I know this is blasphemous to hard core Foie Gras connoisseurs but what makes it a best ever is the creativity of the Couloir Chef, Wes Hamilton.

How We Know:  Ordering Fois Gras, for me, is like ordering the occasional Ruben sandwich.  I'm not crazy about it, but it breaks up the monotomy of ham and turkey sandwiches.   The same thing applies to why I ordre Fois Gras.  I do it to "shake things up" every once and while, and this time it turned out to be one of the most interesting tasting dishes that I’ve ever had.  The combination of the different flavors and textures really created a truly unique and favorable sensation.

Craving Level – Yearly

Reviews & Location - Open Table, Trip Advisor

Best Onion Rings Ever!

We recently spent a long weekend in Bermuda and discovered this winner at the Hog Penny Pub...who's claim to fame is that it's the inspiration for the Cheers pub. Not sure I’m buying it, but I’ll tell you what I am buying….their onion rings, Best Ever!

What: Bermuda onions fried in a beer batter, served with chipotle dipping sauce.

Why It's the Best: Real sliced onions not minced, light, homemade batter (bet you'd find some Hog Penny Ale in it), not a pre-made ring dumped out of a bag into a fryer. You can actually taste the onion...without the grease. Also, we really liked the clever presentation of this dish, and think it contributes to greaseless flavor. Onion rings are stacked on the mast of a tiny sailboat. Chipotle dipping sauce is a nice compliment.

How We Know: It’s the Bermuda Onion…sweet and meaty.

Craving Level: WEEKLY, bordering on DAILY, had them 2 out of the 4 days in Bermuda.

Reviews: Trip Advisor, other reviews are listed on the Hog Penny website.

BTW - great deals on vacation packages to Bermuda during their 400th celebration. If you're looking for a weekend getaway for the fall this is it. A quick 2 hour direct flight from DC, Philly or NY.

Best Ever Mussels!

By Scott

This is the dish that inspired the blog. I was traveling this week on business and dined at Aurora Restaurant in Rye, NY. Although I've been there several times I never had this dish until this week. The restaurant is Tuscan themed and prides itself on its pasta dishes. But the real prize is the Mussel appetizer...it's simply the BEST EVER. I couldn't sleep that night thinking about this dish (yes, I know I have some issues...I like to think of it as passion).

What: Prince Edward Island Mussels, Red Curry, Fava Beans, Cream and Cilantro

Why It's the best: I've had better quality mussels, but I've never had a better broth. In fact, I skipped the last two mussels just to start dipping the bread. I wasn't sure how the spiceness of the Red Curry would work in the dish but it was a HOME RUN.

How I know: Work takes me to Brussels (The Mecca of Moules) often and this year I happened to be there during the offical season for wild Mussels (September - April, similar to Oyster months with an "R"). I will say that the mussels themselves were better (much better) but they were served in the traditional white wine sauce (butter, shallots, etc.). Very good, but for me eating mussels is ALL about the broth...advantage Aurora.

Craving Level - WEEKLY

Reviews: Zagats, NY Times