ERIC
Sweet Ginger @ Vienna, VA – 11/03/17
#ThePlace
Where: Sweet Ginger
When: 11/03/17
Who Picked: Eric
This week we went to Sweet Ginger, a Japanese/Asian restaurant in Vienna. This was definitely made for an interesting combination on the menu. They featured both Thai and Sushi dishes.
#TheFood
We split the Peking Duck Roll appetizer. This duck roll consisted of some crispy duck pieces with a flaky roll. It was delicious and very rich. This was some true comfort food. Perfect size for two people to split.
Nick went with the lunch Bento box special with Sashimi. A small salad and bowl of Miso soup were brought out with the appetizer. The box came two shrimp tempura and three pieces of vegetable tempura, a ball of rice, three pieces of California roll, six pieces of Sashmi, a gyoza, and what I believe to be two pieces of fried tofu.
Eric went with Bento box special with Sushi. This box included the same Miso soup and salad which were nice. The bento box itself included two tempura shrimp and three tempura vegtables, rice, gyoza/tofu w/ dipping sauce, a three piece california roll, and four pieces of sushi. This seemed like a pretty good value for lunch and everything was very good. Eric especially enjoyed the tempura and gyoza.
#NoRegrets
#Decor
The decor was appropriate for a sushi/asian restaurant.
#TotalBill
The bill was ~$15 each before tip.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
Shawarma Gyro Xpress @ Arlington, VA – 9/8/2017
#ThePlace
Where: Shawarma Gyro Xpress
When: 9/8/2017
Who Picked: Eric
This week we had to check out the buzz around the corner from the office. The choice was made purely based on it opening recently and it being owned by the same people that own the kabob places near by.
#TheFood
Eric got the Falafel platter with pickled turnips, pickled cucumber (aka pickles), fattush salad, and a side of fries. This also came with a Tahini sauce and pita. The falafels were tasty but had a super crispy exterior, which made it very challenging to cut through with the plastic cutlery. Eric likes super crunchy so he enjoyed it, Nick tried one and it was too crunchy for his liking. They had good flavor but were a little dry, which kinda comes with the territory of falafels, nothing the tahini sauce couldn’t help with though. The pickled vegtables were fine as was the fattush salad. The pita and tahini were great as were the crispy french fries. This ended up being a little too much food for Eric since he is a lightweight. Overall the food was good, homemade though…
Nick got the chicken shawarma sandwich with french fries and a bit of pickled vegetables. The chicken was wrapped up with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles in a pita bread and toasted on a panini press. The seasoning on the chicken was nice and the fries were fresh and crispy. The side of garlic sauce was great for dipping both the wrap and fries in. The bottom line here is that the food was pretty good, but the service was pretty bad.
#Regrets
As mentioned, the service here was terrible. Our orders took over 20 minutes even though there was no one in the restaurant when we arrived, not a great start for a restaurant going for fast-casual. We watched two people who came in after us get their orders before us. The people working here brought us the wrong food in a to go bag even though we both had buzzers. They seemed very confused when we told them it was not ours. They also forgot Eric’s fries and were also confused when he told them this. On our way out, someone who appeared to work there asked us how it was. He offered up an excuse for the bad service which he seemed to be aware of.
#Decor
The decor in this place was pretty awesome, nice and bright and lots of colors. It was a little confusing that there was a fro-yo in the back, we are not really sure how that works.
#TotalBill
Both orders were $11 after tax. The restaurant accepts credit cards.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
Fava Pot @ Crystal City Food Truck Thursday – 9/7/17
#ThePlace
Where: Fava Pot Food Truck – @FavaPot
When: 9/7/2017
Who Picked: Eric & Nick
#TheFood
Nick went with the Kofta Platter, a combination of ground beef and lamb patties, salad, hummus, roasted potatoes, and a pita. The Kofta was well seasoned, though it was a bit dry, but the included Tahini sauce helped alleviate this. The roasted potatoes were tremendous, especially the pieces that had been “extra roasted” with a darker coloring. It was almost as if they were caramelized, and honestly they were some of the best potatoes I have ever had.
Eric went with the Grilled Chicken platter which was actually half a grilled Cornish hen, marinated in yogurt, olive oil, sumac, garlic & lemon, served with salad, roasted potatoes or rice, hummus, pita topped with za’atar and olive oil, topped with tomya sauce. He went with the roasted potatoes which turned out to be the best decision that was made all day. The Cornish hen was amazingly tender and moist with a crazy amount of flavor going on. The salads and pita were good, as was the hummus. The co-star of this dish with the Cornish hen were definitely the potatoes, OMG, these potatoes were the best potatoes I have ever had out of a food truck. Scratch that, best potatoes ever. Some of the potato pieces got a little extra char which sort of caramelized them and gave them a really good crunchy, chewy, full of flavor goodness. Word must have gotten out about these potatoes, by the time our coworker Kristi went over to get some a little later during lunch, they were out…you’ve been warned, go early if you want potatoes…and trust us, you do.
#Regrets
Not getting more potatoes to go. Not getting the “Jumbo Little Bit of Everything”. These people do some seriously great stuff with food and I can’t wait to visit their restaurant in Falls Church. Fava Pot – Google Maps
#TotalBill
Total was just over $11 for the chicken and just over $13 for the Kofta. The truck accepts credit cards.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
Clare & Don’s Beach Shack @ Falls Church, VA – 8/11/2017
#ThePlace
Where: Clare & Don’s Beach Shack
When: 8/11/2017
Who Picked: Nick
This week Nick chose Clare & Don’s Beach Shack. Nick really enjoyed the smell of the napkins.
We got an order of the hush puppies to split. They came with a melted butter dipping sauce which was awesome.
Since fish & chips was on the menu, Eric had to order it. This was not your typical fish and chips with a thick piece of white fish, this was more like a filet of flounder or fluke beer battered and fried. A little fishier that your regular fish and chips, but still good. The crinkle cut fries were a nice touch and had good flavor and seasoning. The tartar sauce was just OK, it did not have a lot of flavor.
Nick went with the Don’s Don, a burger covered in a shrimp scampi sauce. The shrimp were on the small side and the sauce was a bit runnier than he would have liked, but it had good flavor overall. The crinkle cut fries did a good job of mopping up the sauce that dripped off the burger. The burger was more on the well done side when medium was requested and there was a serious case of tiny bun syndrome.
#Regrets
None
#Decor
The decor was very good and really made you feel like you were on the beach.
#TotalBill
The bill was $12 each before tip. Credit cards are accepted.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
DC SteakHolders Food Truck @ Crystal City Food Truck Thursday – 8/3/2017
#ThePlace
Where: DC SteakHolders Food Truck
When: 8/3/2017
Who Picked: Eric & Nick
This week we wandered down to the food trucks to a poor showing of just three food trucks. The weather was really nice, so it was a shame to see such limited options. Nonetheless, we still had a good lunch as we both decided to try the DC SteakHolders Food Truck. This is a no frills truck that serves legit cheese steaks. The owner seemed pumped that no other trucks showed up and told us he was expecting over 100 customers today.
#TheFood
Nick got a cheesesteak with grilled onions, mushrooms, tomato, pickles, and jalapeño peppers. Everything mixed really well together with the cheese helping to keep everything together. He was expecting a slightly smaller offering so it was a nice surprise. It would have been nice if there was a bit more meat.
Eric ate an entire cheese steak with provolone cheese, mushrooms, grilled onions and a side of fries. The cheese was super melty, which made for a good cheese steak. The crinkle cut fries were the best, we don’t see them often. The fancy ketchup they had was a bit underwhelming. If you are in for a delicious, straightforward cheese steak with a bunch of toppings to choose from, the is a good food truck to visit.
#Regrets
Not trying one of the award winning sauces
#TotalBill
The bill was just under $10 each. The truck accepts credit cards.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
Duck Chang’s @ Annandale, VA – 7/28/2017
#ThePlace
Where: Duck Chang’s
When: 7/28/2017
Who Picked: Eric
Established in 1975, this is the restaurant that made the Peking Duck famous! Duck Chang’s was the first and only Chinese restaurant in the United States that prepared and served Peking Duck without 24hrs advanced notice. This seemed like a Chinese restaurant we just had to visit. The location is in a very unassuming strip mall just off of Little River Turnpike.
#TheFood
Since the Peking Duck was more expensive than a typical lunch and we couldn’t NOT get the Peking Duck since this restaurant is so famous for it, we decided to split a half order of the Peking Duck and an order of the Sha Cha Beef lunch special. The lunch special came with a soup and an egg roll.
The waitress was very friendly and asked if we knew how to eat the Peking Duck which we both did not. She proceeded to show us how to assemble a roll with a thin pancake, plum sauce, scallions, duck breast, and crispy duck skin. The waitress skillfully did all of that with a set of chopsticks.
The Peking duck was amazing. The duck was cooked perfectly and the skin was super crispy. The plum sauce and scallions both gave the rolls a lot of flavor as well. The pancake was very thin, much like a crepe with a neutral flavor.
The Sha Cha beef was good too and had a good mix of vegetables. The egg roll was good, but not the best I have ever had. The brown rice was nothing special. The hot and sour soup was on par with other hot and sour soup and the crispy noodles were a nice touch.
#Regrets
Not getting the whole duck, but that was $43, a bit expensive for lunch. Maybe some other time.
#Decor
The decor was appropriate for a Chinese restaurant but was a bit dated. The interior was suffering a bit and could use a makeover. I fear that the interior is holding back an otherwise good restaurant.
#TotalBill
The bill was about $17.50 each since we split the bill down the middle. The restaurant accepts credit cards with a $10 minimum.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
Arepa Crew Food Truck @ Crystal City Food Truck Thursday – 7/27/2017
#ThePlace
Where: Arepa Crew Food Truck – @ArepaCrew
When: 7/27/2017
Who Picked: Eric & Nick
This week was not as hot and a few office mates decided to join us for Food Truck Thursday in Crystal City. The trucks can usually be found in the parking lot just across from the Metro Station on 18th St. and Crystal Drive. There were 7 or 8 trucks when we arrived, but we both chose to hit up the Arepa Crew food truck.
#TheFood
Nick decided to go with the beef Pabellón arepa, which also includes black beans, shredded white cheese, and sweet plantains. The arepa could barely contain all of the filling and was very filling. The flavors mixed well together, but the plantains didn’t really shine through. It would have been nice if the cheese was a bit more melted. A white sauce was included on the side and it had a nice garlic taste to it.
Eric went with the Perico arepa, which has scrambled eggs, tomato, onions, and cheese. As you can see from the picture, this arepa was overflowing with filling and cheese, they really hooked it up. The filling looked more like meat since it was mixed with onions and tomato, but it tasted like a delicious omelette. Arepa are best, but I haven’t ever seen them offered in a restaurant, only from 2 different food trucks. We also got a side order or Tequeños which tasted like mozzarella wrapped in a crescent roll type dough. Needless to say, they were delicious, especially when dipped in the white garlic sauce.
#Regrets
None
#TotalBill
The bill was just under $10 each. The truck accepts credit cards.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
Loopy’s Eatery Food Truck @ Crystal City Food Truck Thursdays – 5/25/2017
#ThePlace
Where: Loopy’s Eatery Food Truck – @LoopysEatery
When: 5/25/2017
Who Picked: Nick & Eric
This week for food truck Thursday in Crystal City, the rain and clouds cleared just long enough for us to eat lunch. We both brought our rain jackets in case it rained again, but the sun broke through the clouds and blinded both of us as we both forgot our sunglasses. We got there after 11:30 am, it seemed like most of the crowd was scared away by the rain earlier. We quickly narrowed down our options and both ended up choosing Loopy’s Eatery.
#TheFood
Nick had the Bulgogi cheesesteak which wasn’t on the menu, but was a special listed in the window, which you can kind of see in the first picture. Loopy’s packs thinly sliced Bulgogi beef, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and American cheese on a sub roll and tops everything with spicy mayo. The Bulgogi had great flavor and the onions were perfectly cooked. The American cheese tied everything together nicely and the spicy mayo added plenty of flavor, but it didn’t quite meet my definition of spicy.
Eric had the “Bowl (bibim bap)” with beef. This is a traditional mixing bowl with a fried egg, carrots, spinach, bean sprouts, lettuce, white rice and a choice of meat with Korean chili sauce on the side. He really liked that both the carrots and the bean sprouts had been marinated and cooked, they had really great flavor. He also really enjoyed the sauce which seemed like a cross between Sriracha sauce and something sweeter. Upon further research, maybe it is house blend Gochujang Korean chili sauce? Eric added a little bit of the sauce to the top and made some room in the container before mixing everything together and adding the rest of the sauce.
#NoRegrets
#OtherNotes
The man at the window who took our orders was very friendly and attentive, we did not feel rushed placing the order or picking up the food, he even offered a bag for the food while he was putting the lid on the container.
#Decor
The truck design is minimalist and looked very clean on the inside. The green sphere in the logo reminded me of the green sphere on the old Peapod trucks.
#TotalBill
$11 including tax for the Beef Bowl. We both paid by credit card on a tablet.
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot @ Eden Center – 5/19/2017
#ThePlace
Where: Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot
When: 5/19/2017
Who Picked: Nick
This was our first hot pot experience and our waitress took really good care of us. She gave a great introduction to their hot style and gave many good recommendations. The rest of the waitstaff was very attentive, filling our water and our broth.
#TheFood
We got the lamb lunch special with the half and half pot. This came with a pot of half spicy and half regular broth, a plate of lamb, and a plate of sides that included sponge tofu, a fish ball, a fish ball with pork, a meatball, enoki/shiitake mushrooms, crab sticks, a seaweed knot, napa cabbage, and house noodles.
We started with just the 1 lunch special for the two of us, ate that, and then asked for some recommendations on what to try next. Our waitress recommended the beef & lamb combo and bean curd sticks, so we went with that and some daikon and potatoes. The lamb and beef were both good cuts and while the potatoes and daikon took quite a bit longer to cook than the meat, we felt both were worth it. Neither of us have had bean curd sticks before, but in the end they were a good choice and were a great value for how much we got for the price.
#Regrets
We regret not trying the sides. We saw some on the menu that looked really good, but we were very full and also kind of forgot. We meant to try the Mongolian Kimchi. Nick would also order the extra spicy addition to the broth and some more noodles at the end to soak up more of the broth.
#OtherNotes
I believe an all you can eat hot pot offering is available Monday-Thursday, so unfortunately we missed out on that. Little Sheep differs from other hot pot restaurants as they don’t recommend adding any kind of sauce, they let the broth impart all of the flavor you need.
#Decor
They put some effort into the decor, I really liked the mixed wood on the walls and the floating ceiling pieces. They had nice cubbies under the benches for your jacket so they don’t pickup any smells. We also noticed USB charging outlets under most of the tables.
#Bathroom
The bathroom was clean, well-lit, and had nice decor.
#TotalBill
~$40 for two people who left very full
#OurRating
| Nick | |
| Eric |
About Author
ERIC
#Like Bacon, Colesaw, Vietnamese Ice Coffee, Low/Medium Spicy #Dislike Pickled beets #WordsToLiveBy If Fish & Chips is on the menu, I have to try it.
Recent Comments