Virginia Senate Bill 604 passed this March, allowing breweries to sell their own beer—for drinking—on site. Just like wineries. ¶ It’s an important step for breweries, catapulting beer drinking to the same coveted status as wine. And it’s about time. ¶ Last year, breweries opened up from Alexandria to Waterford. Bars and retail shops now serve locally produced craft beer, relegating Bud to 7-Eleven status. It’s a great time to be a beer drinker. And it’s only getting better.

Best Bars
Reader-selected NoVA craft beer bars.

Beer Basics
A little cheat sheet to get you through the story.

Best Retail
Finding beers awesome enough to bring home.

Be a Beer Geek
Buzz words explained by area beer experts.

Miller Lite Bars
Sometimes, you just want a Miller.

How Local Can You Go
A pictorial on Port City Brewing Company’s locally sourced oyster stout.

Local Brewpubs
A pint and a bite always go together.

Best Breweries
The makings of a beer town start here.

Virginia Beer History
George Washington liked fruit beer?!

(May 2012)

Styled by Eva Burns • Photography by Kate Bohler

Salt & Pepper Ripple Dark Gray, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $32/pair; • Olive Wood Spoons, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $7 and $7.50; • 9” Small Resin Paperwhite Bulb, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $6.50; • Slate Cheese Board, Red Barn Mercantile, redbarnmercanile.com, $50; • Glass bottle, Peacock Road, peacockroad. com; $8.95; • Large Ruled Pitcher, Red Barn Mercantile, redbarnmercanile.com, $28; • 1970s Green Ice Bucket, The Hour, thehourshop.com, $80; • Mini Copper Tongs (part of a bucket set), The Hour, thehourshop.com, $90; • Linden Ecru 60” x 90” Tablecloth, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, • $54.95; Honey Dipper, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, $2.95; • Small Slate Board, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, $9.95

Food Bar Setting - This look is all about layers. Start with the back and work your way forward. Bring in some height by using taller flower arrangements, terrariums and potted plants that will also tie in with your centerpiece elements. Layer in food items that have height themselves. The last layer in the front is all the shorter items (jars of honey, salt and pepper shaker, a bowl of strawberries, and a platter with asparagus and prosciutto).

Linden Slate 60” x 90” Tablecloth, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, $54.95; • Bubble Vase, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $6.50; • Nasturium Pick, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $4; • Mushroom Cluster of Four, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $32; • Pink Swirled Glass Coupes, The Hour, thehourshop.com, $200/set of 9; • Green Tico Glass, The Hour, thehourshop.com, $200/set of 8; • Soda-lime Mugs, Anthropologie, anthropologie.com, $10/each; • Natural World Dessert Plates, Anthropologie, anthropologie.com, $18/ each; • Sissinghurst Castle Dinnerware, Anthropologie, anthropologie.com, $24/each; • Heather Lins Numbered Linen Napkins, designpublic.com, $120/set of 6

Centerpiece – Since there were so many elements contributing to the centerpieces, I stuck with one type of flower, the yellow daffodil. The bright yellow works great with the greens in the terrariums and the place se ings. All the terrariums have the same chartreuse reindeer moss. Try increasing visual interest by incorporating unexpected objects (rocks, antlers, mushrooms). Keep centerpieces low so guests can easily converse, but don’t be afraid to fill up the table—zig-zag each piece in one continuous line.

Table Setting – The most important thing when mixing tableware and patt erns is to keep it in the same color family. I chose greens and blues paired with bits of pink. The linens stayed neutral so the colors could really pop.

 Terrarium 101

Making and maintaining a terrarium is easy, as long as you have the proper layers. The most important ingredient (besides your plant!) is charcoal. This helps collect water runoff after you’ve misted your terrarium.

1 Mix a handful of charcoal with a handful of small pebbles.

2 Fill the bottom of your vessel about an inch with this mixture.

3 Layer in about an inch of potting soil and make a well for your plant. 

4 Remove the plant from its container, break up the roots, and place it in the well.

5 Gently pour in more po ing soil to cover all the roots and lightly pat down.

6 Add moss or other little found objects for a personal touch.

Grey Terracotta Saucer, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $4; • Glass-Domed Willow Serving (2 piece), Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $45; • Flocked Green Nest, Peacock Road, peacockroad.com, $8.95; • White Egg Cup, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, $1.95/each; • Acacia Wedge Server, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, $14.95; • Mini Glass Creamer, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel. com, $2.95; • Glass-Domed Cheese Board, Crate and Barrel, crateandbarrel.com, $34.95

 The Recipes

Onion “Pop Tarts”

Turn a kid favorite into a savory breakfast treat. Flaky pastry dough fi lled with caramelized onions and bacon is the perfect complement to any brunch.

1/3 lb. bacon 1 sweet onion

1 T olive oil

1 T sugar

1 T balsamic vinegar salt & pepper, to taste puff pastry (thawed if frozen)

1 egg

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 Cut bacon into small pieces, and sauté bacon in a pan over medium heat until browned and crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.

3 Thinly slice the onion, and place in a pan with olive oil over mediumlow heat, stirring occasionally. After five minutes, add the sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until onions are caramelized and tender, about 25-30 minutes. During the last five minutes, add the balsamic vinegar.

4 Add the bacon to the cooked onions, and set aside to cool.

5 Cut 24 discs out of the puff pastry (this will make 12 tarts, top and bottom). Place 12 discs down on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place 1-2 tablespoons of the cooled onion-bacon mixture onto each disc.

6 Whisk an eg with a tablespoon of water to make an eg wash. Brush the perimeter of each disc with the egg wash.

7 Place a top disc on each of the tarts, and pinch edges together with your fingers or with the tines of a fork. Cut a small slit in the top of each tart, and brush the tops with a light coating of egg wash.

8 Bake until tarts are golden brown and pastry has puffed, about 30-40 minutes.

Afternoon Mimosa

A new take on the classic.

2 tsp finely grated orange zest (about one orange)

2 tsp sugar bitters Champagne

1 With a mortar and pestle, muddle orange zest and sugar into a paste.

2 Place about ½ teaspoon of the paste into each Champagne flute.

3 Add 5 drops of bitters to each glass.

4 Fill the glasses with Champagne. Makes four.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus

1 lb. prosciutto, halved lengthwise

2 bunches asparagus Parmesan cheese

1 Wash the asparagus, and trim the ends.

2 Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and season with a handful of salt. Once it reaches a boil, place the asparagus in the water for one minute. After one minute, remove the asparagus, and place them immediately into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the asparagus once cooled.

3 Wrap each stalk of asparagus with a halved piece of prosciutto, starting an inch above the base and wrapping it in a corkscrew up the stalk, leaving the tip exposed.

4 Arrange on platter in bunches, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese shavings and salt and pepper. – Recipe provided by Dinner Matters; www.dinnermatters.net

by Stefanie Gans

Sally Traynham

¼ c. red wine (we used pinot noir)
¼ c. red wine vinegar
1 c. water
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. whole peppercorns
½ tsp. allspice
3-inch piece orange peel
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper fl ake s
1 pint strawberries, stems removed

1 Combine all of the ingredients, except the strawberries, in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2 Let the vinegar solution cool to room temperature.
3 Place strawberries in a jar and pour the cooled vinegar solution over strawberries.
4 Seal the jar with an air-tight lid and place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
5 Enjoy within two weeks.

By Stefanie Gans / Photos by Kate Bohler

A Prohibition-themed mural; an exquisite shrimp tapa.

Sam Adkins lived right next to the cut in the Capitol Hill section of Washington, D.C. “The cut being the bad part of town,” the chef clarifies. But late last year Adkins moved two blocks away from William Jeffery’s Tavern, where he now runs the kitchen on Columbia Pike.

After working in fine dining across the region (Cashion’s Eat Place and New Heights in the District, and Jackie’s in Silver Spring, Md.), Adkins bounced around kitchens for a year before learning about this opportunity from a fellow chef, from whom he rented an apartment.

The move from the city to the suburbs haunted Adkins at first. “It was tough,” he admits. “There’s just like this thing; It’s Virginia, you can’t do it.” Now—with William Jeffrey’s first insane few months over—Adkins embraces his new neighborhood of South Arlington, and he’s not alone.

All the hungry diners ... put an egg on it.

The second iteration of Eamonn’s A Dublin Chipper will open on Columbia Pike, and by the end of April, Del Ray favorite Taqueria Poblano will debut its third restaurant across from William Jeffrey’s.

“When we saw the Columbia Pike location,” says Taqueria Poblano owner Lindsay Michel, “we thought it would just be great because it’s a neighborhood that’s exciting, and it’s trying to become more of a community.”

Chris Lefbomb, Adam Lubar and Wilson Whitney, (also owners of Dogwood Tavern, Rhodeside Grill and Ragtime), thought about the location in the same way. In deciding to open William Jeffrey’s, they chose Columbia Pike because, as Lefbomb predicts, “It’s going to be a lot bigger, a lot trendier.”

With its new destination label, the team built its biggest and most ambitious restaurant on the pike.

“This is our first time working with a chef,” Lefbomb admits. It’s hard to understand a restaurant operating without a trained culinary talent; instead the owners implemented a system of kitchen managers lacking creative control of the menu. “We heard stories on what can happen,” Lefbomb says of chef-driven concepts, but quickly adds that their choice of Adkins has been positive.

Lefbomb, Lubar and Whitney insisted on a few bar classics, such as burgers (order it topped with pimento cheese and egg), nachos and a buffalo chicken wrap to ground the menu, but let Adkins bring his fine dining flair to a stunning Spanish tapa.

Browned garlic and chile de arbol flavor an addictive sauce, left chunky with broiled tomatoes and a ton of parsley. Tail-on shrimp float atop, but leave their essence behind in a brandy-spiked oil perfect for a bread-dunking session. Another starter from the sea, fried calamari, bests the average bar snack with a light breading and tender texture juxtaposed to a kicky and creamy aioli.

Lamb shoulder—studded with garlic and rubbed with oregano—slow roasts on a bed of onions for a tender filling playing against crusty ciabatta. As the high-ponytailed waitress promised, the roasted shallot dressing played nicely with the accompanying side salad, but also worked overtime as the sandwich’s spread.

A light touch of breading on calamari

The waitress also sported black chunky glasses—a signal of urban décor shifting down 395. The large restaurant also takes a few cues from the city: dropped lighting, with wire cages holding a slim, dim bulb, over communal tables. The bar displays its inventory of on-trend cocktail ingredients: fresh herbs, bizarre bitters.

But what city dining lacks in space (Room 11, Little Serow), this restaurant—designed to order—fits in roomy booths, a stage for live performances (pending permit) and a large back dining room.

All three together, William Jeffrey’s, Eamonn’s and Taqueria Poblano, constitute more movement than the pike has seen in decades. “For 30 years we have seen practically no new development,” says Takis Karantonis, executive director of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization. He blames the lack of public transportation. “What didn’t happen?” he asks in response to the lame-duck living of Columbia Pike. “Metro didn’t happen.”

A garlicky lamb sandwich

Instead, stations graced North Arlington, allowing for Ballston and Clarendon to shine with an enviable dining scene (Lyon Hall, Tallula) and city-sized cost-of-living. But for Columbia Pike, Karantonis says, “The consequence of that was stagnant economic development, or relative disinvestment.”

In 2000, zoning standards moved to a form-based code that supports mixed-retail, helping swing the area into a more urban enclave. Changes brought construction projects, one of which is Siena Park. The luxury building now houses apartments, XSport Fitness and William Jeffery’s.

Opened just this past December, William Jeffery’s is still figuring out what works and what doesn’t.

Adkins plans on, rightly, removing a lackluster breaded flounder and a half-assed “harvest vegetable plate.” Picking five sides does not an entrée make. Especially for $18. Instead, Adkins will introduce an Asian-inspired stir-fry of carrots, cabbage, soybeans and shiitake mushrooms with a quinoa-sushi rice cake.

With additional restaurants not joining William Jeffrey’s until later this spring, the tavern can take its time adjusting the menu. South Arlington is still a few-dozen restaurants away from the density of the Metro-enhanced North Arlington neighborhoods. And that’s fine with Adkins.

“Verse North Arlington,” jokes the chef, “I like it a lot more. North Arlington has so many shops and stuff, and I feel like I’m in a mall.”

Adkins though, already feels the movement. “Even in the past four months I’ve been here, I’ve noticed people are out on the streets more. I think there are a lot more people here who are willing to start a quote, unquote, scene, like a community.”

The former city boy’s voice rises. “I’m getting a South Arlington T-shirt,” says Adkins. “I’m just like, f#&% it. I’m happy where I am.”

William Jeffrey’s Tavern

2301 Columbia Pike, Suite 101, Arlington; 703-746-6333; williamjeffreystavern.com

Hours: Open for lunch, dinner and late-night dining daily.
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$)

(April 2012)

By Stefanie Gans / Photos by Katie Bohler

Stone’s Cove Kitbar

Warm red walls set a homey mood. Dropped lighting, with every few bulbs sporting different fixtures, bring camaraderie to the crowded bar.

The bar—a large oval overtaking the entire room—represents almost all of the seating in the rectangular space. Sitting at the front of a shopping complex on Centerville Road in Herndon, Stone’s Cove Kitbar® is a restaurant. No wait, a kitchen. No, a bar.

Servers/chefs/busboys, dubbed Chef-Tenders, mingle in the middle of the oval, with seats dotting the perimeter. The bar jets out in some spots, creating half-circles as mock tables for parties of four or five.

Owner B.J. Stone thought of the idea many years ago, back when he ran numerous chain restaurants. Stone wanted to turn the common host anecdote—the party always ends up in the kitchen—into a restaurant concept. Let people gather, drink and eat in the restaurant kitchen.

Bacon-and-guac-loaded flatbread.

Just like Stone’s background, the place feels corporate. It’s as if Guy Fieri, the Food Network star with bleach-blond spiky hair and faux bad boy attitude, became the essence of this restaurant.

The menu combines bold flavor combinations, but in a suburban-friendly way. Where Fieri would use something like exotic ponzu (a Japanese sauce) and douse it over beloved chicken wings, Stone’s Cove slathers a flatbread with the party classic spinach and artichoke dip and tops it with, among other items, chipotle lime cream for a more-is-more snack.

Just as Fieri invents words, a Food Network signature for sure, Stone’s Cove spent years trademarking the blending of nouns. While the restaurant is interesting enough to lure customers away from The Cheesecake Factory, it stays familiar enough to appeal to safe eaters.

This all unfolds, of course, in the Kitbar, a smushed word conveying the show that is Stone’s Cove: the kitchen is the bar is the kitchen.

As amalgamated words dominate the menu, Chef-Tenders merge dual responsibilities as well, their attire working double-time. Virginia law requires food handlers to restrain their hair from contacting food or equipment; therefore, Chef-Tenders wear hats. But at Kitbar®, it’s a hat fashion show inspired by Don Draper, as the staff neglects ball caps for fedoras.

The one-sheet menu, printed landscape style, starts with Appetapas®. Another word unlisted by the Merriam Webster dictionary. Context clues suggest appetizer and tapas fasten together for this hybrid.

While this name may sound focus group-tested, it stemmed from a slip up. “I tried to pronounce appetizers and tapas independent of one another and combined the words by accident,” says Stone. “It came out appatapas. It wasn’t some think tank deal.”

Surprise! These cones are filled with lobster.

Fieri enjoys doctoring first-course terminology too. His 2011 cookbook, “Guy Fieri Food,” starts with appe-tapas, a word first gleaned from appe-teasers. Fortunately, Stone started the trademark process four years earlier, preferring his new word dash-less.

A Chef-Tender explains each dish on the fairly priced menu (the majority of items ranging from $8 to $12) can either be shared or eaten individually as a meal.

A flatbread thrown into the wood stone fire-breathing oven, flames on view from either side of the bar, bring a char to the heavily decorated Mackinac. Large bacon crumbles top guacamole, cheese, lettuce and (winter mealy) tomatoes for a crowded bite.

Straight from 1960s television, pre-rationed dishes of cheesy spinach dip enter a vault-like machine. A Chef-Tender whizzes over a multitude of buttons, pre-programmed for this exact dish (the dip warms in less than two minutes).

Blue crab salad in a paw-print plate.

Steak also cooks in what’s called “SOTA,” for State of the Art, the proper name of this convection oven. While the oven allows for precise temperature and time, the steak (four minutes for medium-rare) lacks a proper sear, leaving the meat rather ordinary in texture and flavor: a “house seasoning” that tastes of salt and soy sauce. But damn if it isn’t cooked to the pinkness of perfection.

My dining companion, who has worked in the industry and whose fiance is a chef, wondered about the multi-skill levels demanded on one human. “Chefs don’t want to talk to people,” she whispered to me. We couldn’t have imagined a once-gruff, 20-something Anthony Bourdain, the one represented in his Les Halles dairy, “Kitchen Confidential,” both sautéing garlic and taking orders from the public.

Stone Cove’s workers aren’t hired for experience mixing a cocktail or filleting a fish. “We figured that we can teach nice people to tend bar, to prepare your food,” says Stone. “Our criterion is we want to hire nice people.”

And that makes sense. The cooking taking place is actually not cooking at all. It’s composing. It’s plating. It’s pushing buttons on a machine. It’s Chipotle. (Like Chipotle, expect more Kitbars in the next few years.)

Sitting in refrigerated storage bins, pre-dressed crab salad is scooped onto a paw print-shaped plate. The largest circle holds flattened lettuce leaves and a mound of crab, specked with almonds, avocado, mango and red onion. Mini-saucers, arranged like baby toes, hold the accompaniments: shreds of cilantro, citrus salt and a creamy dressing.

The dish arrives too cold, but as it warms with flavor, makes a fun, hands-on project. Many items arrive similarly cold, such as the lobster salad: Scooped into black sesame-seeded mini-cones, propped upright in a metal holder, it is quite darling save the taste, which resembles coleslaw instead of the diamond of all sea creatures.

Diced shrimp, nestled in a flat, wide spoon and bathed in a sauce of lime, horseradish, Old Bay and a bucket of vodka become the Bloody Mary Shrimp Edibation®. Another Stove Cone original, this blended word connotes an “edible” matched with a “libation.” Unfortunately, the liquor overtakes the subtle shellfish.

Aggressively creamy and cheesy grits is a standout indulgence. And when one of the four flatbreads is left in for the right amount of time, it offers a pleasant fire-induced crunch. The meal’s final act ends sweetly as well. A set of four tangy key lime and chocolatey espresso dessert cones are both fun to eat and easy to share.

You’re leaving me already?” a Chef-Tender replies when we ask for the check. “You’re breaking my heart.”

As we depart, we wonder if we just finished dinner or an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

Stone’s Cove Kitbar
2403 Centreville Road, Herndon; 703-434-3615; stonescove.com

Hours: Open for lunch and dinner daily.
Average entree: under $12 ($)

(April 2012)

Cheap Eats on foursquare

Cheap Eats: The Game

Cheap Eats on Twitter

31 of our favorite dishes $12 and under

By Stefanie Gans and Warren Rojas / Photography by Jonathan Timmes

Flipping a quick U-ie, tires teetering on a gravel lot, we enter a shack on a lonely strip of asphalt to find tender pupusas. We stomp through strip malls, click a blinker for ominous side streets, creep through office parks and wrap our mouths around dishes so cheap it’s worth the journey. Thirty-one tastes for a hungry traveler.

TAVERN AT GREAT FALLS
Atomic Tavern Burger

The glowing gas-fed fireplace, polished hardwood booths and vintage horse riding equipment sprinkled about the Tavern’s interior convey an air of closely guarded sophistication. The food, however, keeps it light with playful protein stacking. Exhibit A: the strategically composed Atomic Tavern Burger, a monument to grilling splendor composed of a ½-pound patty of cooked-to-order ground beef assembled with buffalo-sauced onion rings, crumbled blue cheese and three strips of bacon. Mind you, it’s not the biggest, fanciest or most inventive burger in the game today, but it’s still a heckuva player. In fact, it was the rare burger not needing a doctoring of condiments. • 9835 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls; 703-757-4770; www.greatfallstavern.com. —WR

CARIBBEAN CORNER
Beef Patty and Jerk Pork

Downtown Fairfax is about as far removed from an island paradise as they come. But those wily souls who wander into the alley, then duck down the stairs into this subterranean den are rewarded with delicious Jamaican standbys. The Spartan restaurant hosts just three bare tables and a kitchen that is largely unseen but not unheard; a symphony of sizzling proteins, friendly banter and upbeat reggae/ska/dancehall serenade those awaiting meals. Do not resist house-made beef patties wrapping a fiery paste of seasoned beef and beans beneath slightly buttery and eminently flaky pastry dough. But save room for jerk pork, a weekend special pairing unctuous swine slow-cooked in a mess of stinging spices, with rice, beans and pickled slaw. • 4008-A University Drive, Fairfax; 703-246-9040. —WR

Bengun Bartha Quesadillas

CHAKRA CAFÉ
Begun Bartha Quesadilla

On the ground level of a mixed-use retail and office space more than five blocks from Old Town’s King Street, Chakra Café combines traditional Indian cooking within a Tex-Mex framework. Owner Monisha Chakrobortty uses her mother’s Bengali recipe for begun bartha, roasted eggplant stir-fried with green mango and fresh serrano, for a quesadilla filling. Swapping out a tortilla for the Indian bread roti, Chakrobortty sources from another part of the globe as creamy Fontina cheese and pine nuts contribute an Italian presence to the worldly affair. The quesadilla receives slashings from a turn on the grill and pairs with a side of tangy black beans. • 600 Franklin St., Alexandria; 703-299-6600; chakracafe.com. —SG

HARRY’S SMOKEHOUSE BURGERS & BBQ
Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Good food in a mall? Maybe. Organic chicken in a mall? No way. And if this was “Wayne’s World,” the next line would be, “Way,” because Harry’s Smokehouse delivers a fine fried fowl. Past the buttery pretzels of Auntie Anne’s in the Pentagon City Mall food court, Harry’s opens to a full restaurant, eliminating that mall feel, save for the uniformed employees frequenting the bar.

Crazy-crispy, crazy-moist chicken (get the leg and thigh combo), hailing from the organic farmland of Bell & Evans satisfies the craving only fried chicken can fill while massive wedges of sweet potato, tinged with brown spots and cooked until soft, alleviate any lingering guilt. • 1100 S. Hayes St., Arlington; 703-416-7070; www.harrysmokehouse.com. —SG

NO. 9 LOUNGE
Buttermilk Marinated Fried Chicken Sandwich

Taking a cue from the McGriddle, this Southern creation mixes sweet with savory, but for a decidedly luxe treatment. After climbing a dimly lit staircase through the back of Evening Star Cafe’s main dining room, cushy couches and sprawling chandeliers set a relaxed yet chic scene. The menu nods to the South, with the fried chicken sandwich as its classic example. Take one part buttermilk-drenched fried chicken and one part redeye gravy (created with sausage roux and coffee) and sandwich the components with a cinnamon and brown sugar-sweetened sweet potato biscuit. Enter a balanced sandwich, hitting notes all over the taste board. • No. 9 Lounge, 2000 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-549-5051; www.eveningstarcafe.net. —SG

DANK’S DELI
California Cruiser

Blake Lively’s carefree waves may look effortless, but that blond glamorousness actually requires the dedication of a professional. The same applies to sandwiches; only the correct balance of textures and flavors leads to a well-assembled sandwich. The California Cruiser at Dank’s (quick, peek off the main drag of Washington Street or you’ll miss this tiny house of a deli) combines generous spoonfuls of creamy and cooling avocado with crunchy sweet peppers and pungent red onion slices. Pesto mayo and melted Swiss create a buffer between the (perfectly proportioned) fillings and a soft hoagie roll. • 2 N. Liberty St., Middleburg; 540-687-3456. —SG

CERRITOS FOOD
Cheese and Bean Pupusa

With grilled cheeses recently sporting fancy French varieties and pickled heirloom vegetables, pupusas now reign as reliable comfort food. This tiny shack-like joint, on a sparsely inhabited stretch of South Riding’s Route 50, offers standard El Salvadoran fare and caters to hungry teens during after-school hours. The gem here is the simple pupusa, dotted with beans, surrounded by melted cheese, encased in a thick and doughy corn-based tortilla. When taking the order to go, the slaw lands in a plastic baggy. But do not judge: Cabbage and carrots remain crunchy with a pleasing kick, not at all reminiscent of the Kraft mayo concoctions of yore. • 43137 John Mosby Highway, Chantilly; 703-327-0052. —SG

SEA SIDE CRAB HOUSE
Crab Fried Rice

Those who enjoy retreating into the bowels of the labyrinth-like Eden Center in search of authentic Vietnamese cooking have most likely passed right by the unassuming Sea Side Crab House. The modest carry-out-centric operation is not part of the sprawling main shopping structure, residing instead in a satellite strip. It’s further camouflaged by the covered patio—replete with portable space heaters, picnic tables and twin plasma TVs—that serves as the de facto main dining room. After finding the shop, rewards unfurl with provactively spiced seafood, including the intoxicating crab fried rice. Each bite of steaming rice loads scallions, garlic, scrambled egg and prominent nuggets of sweet delicious crab meat; incorporating the must-try shot of hot pepper-spiked soy sauce ignites every subsequent forkful. • 6799 Wilson Blvd., Suite 5, Falls Church; 703-241-2722; www.seaside-crabhouse.com. —WR

GYE NYAME
Curry Chicken

Food lovers often turn to the heavens to describe a fine meal. (Food lovers also turn to bedroom metaphors, but let’s not go there.) Dropped in the crux of a strip mall in Dale City, Gye Nyame, translating to the African saying “Except God” draws the comparison for the diner. Tender chicken drumsticks, slicked with Jamican curry, bake for a slow 45 minutes. The saucy fowl, served with extra sauce, mixes tomatoes, curry seasonings and chicken stock to form a thick, brown gravy. A mound of allspice-scented jasmine rice, almost as tall as the drumstick itself, joins with oil and tomato paste forming the African dish jollof, proving chicken and rice combos outnumber people on earth. • 4331 Dale Blvd., Dale City; 703-982-3371. —SG

Eggs Italiano

OSTERIA 1909
Eggs Italiano

English muffins will never satisfy eggs Benedict lovers again once runny yolks hit Osteria 1909’s chewy, slightly sour and all-around superior rustic bread. For Eggs Italiano, a weekend-only special at the Del Ray restaurant, the thinly sliced, Italian dry-cured prosciutto substitutes for the more standard Canadian bacon. Strands of the exquisite, expensive saffron provide further luxury to a thick hollandaise sauce, for this simple, but filling, savory morning dish. • 1909 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-836-1212; www.lastrada-ontheave.com/site/osteria1909 —SG

OLIVE EXPRESS
Falafel Platter

Through a corporate office park, past an unmarked door and down the hall to the left, Olive Express punches out fresh Middle Eastern food. Bright orange walls, with a springy green-painted chair rail, host just a few benches and tables for the office crowd. Cumin and curry powder combine with freshly ground chickpeas for a mild rendition of falafel. But instead of tender balls (think: cult hit L’As du Falafel in Paris) the chickpea orbs sport a thick, crunchy crust, due to a “secret ingredient” the restaurant refuses to reveal, only admitting it’s based on a Palestinian recipe. Grape leaves kick it up as crushed red pepper, sumac and lemon juice flavor softened and creamy basmati rice. A chunky hummus, minty yogurt sauce, panini-grilled pita and an olive and feta salad complete the generous platter. • 11490 Commerce Park Drive, Suite 150, Reston; 703-476-2569; www.oliveexpress.org. —SG

POMODORO PASTA PIZZA & MORE
Fettuccine Alfredo

Like on Passover, this fettuccine Alfredo dish forces the question: What makes this fettuccine Alfredo different from all other fettuccine Alfredo? For Passover, the answer is explained through Moses and plagues and parting of the Red Sea. For determining the uniqueness of this Italian-American classic, the answer can be found through Pomodoro’s unusual use of egg yolk. More traditionally found in a carbonara (raw yolk dresses pancetta and hot noodles), the egg adds body, and a heavy hand with heavy cream elevates the sauce to ungodly richness. • 12152 Fairfax Towne Center, Fairfax; 703-273-7405; www.pomodoropastapizza.com. —SG

Fish and Chips

BLUE RIDGE SEAFOOD
Fish and Chips

After 34 years, Blue Ridge Seafood still brings Chesapeake Bay living to inland Virginia. The house-shaped restaurant suited for picnic table crab pickings offers a relaxed vibe usually reserved for on-the-water locales. But winter eating in Gainesville is better suited for fish and chips; this time of year imitation crab mixes with the real thing for ‘cakes and sandwiches. Swai, what Blue Ridge describes as Japan’s catfish, submerges in an egg and milk wash, letting a light bread crumb coating surround the white fish. Crisp skin-on fries, a trio of hushpuppies and a cup of (too-sweet, too-creamy) coleslaw round out the basket-o-plenty. • 15704 Lee Highway, Gainesville; 703-754-9852; www.blueridgeseafood.com. —SG

SWAGATH VEGETARIAN INDIAN CUISINE
Gobi Manchurian

Not all fusion cuisine derives from over-ambitious, new-wave, wanna-be chef rock stars. Some hybrids stem from authenticity. Enter Indian Chinese. When a Chinese community migrated to India, they brought with them Chinese technique and Chinese flavors but married it with ingredients from the subcontinent. Swagath offers a few explanatory dishes, including wonderfully greasy hakka noodles (reminiscent of lo mein) and the Indian cubed cheese, paneer, floating in a spicy chili sauce. The star, though, introduces cauliflower fritters, wide swaths of onion and green bell pepper strips submerged in a searing-hot bath. Swagath’s Manchurian gravy, while traditionally balanced with sweet, leans heavily on Indian chilies for a fiery treat. • 43761 Parkhurst Plaza, Suite 132, Ashburn; 703-723-0108; www.swagathusa.com. —SG

TURCUISINE
Hellimi Pide

With sleek black tables, geometric white seats and Mondrian-esque black wire wall decorations interlacing horizontal and vertical rectangles, TurCuisine refuses to fit the stereotype of strip mall dining (neighbors Cold Stone Creamery and Qdoba be damned). However, dishes still lean toward unfussy Mediterranean preparation. A simple pide, the Turkish equivalent of a pizza—canoe-shaped rather than circular—fills the hull with halloumi, a heat-defying cheese that can resist melting in a hot oven. A touch of whipped egg holds the diced cheese in place and accentuates the uniqueness of the salty cheese, miraculously retaining its shape. • 13029 Worldgate Drive, Herndon; 571-323-3330; www.turcuisine.com. —SG

LOS TOLTECOS
Huevos & Chilaquiles

This burgeoning chainlet specializes in Tex-Mex standards with a twist, but we hit the motherlode with the homespun chilaquiles, a fried tortilla-meat medley akin to the breakfast nachos you’ve only dreamed of. Los Toltecos frames its version with a handful of tortilla chips, piles on pulled chicken stewed in zesty tomato sauce, tops that with two fried eggs then flanks everything with a supporting cast of seasoned rice, shredded lettuce and buttery guacamole. Piercing the eggs rains thick yolk onto the underlying foodstuffs and also starts the clock, as the assembled chips battle to hold fast while the succulent chicken, dribbling cholesterol and piquant salsa race to reduce everything to delicious mush. • Multiple NoVA locations; www.lostoltecosrestaurant.com. —WR

Mak's special

GRASS ROOTS STATION
Mak’s Special

The menu at Grass Roots Station ranges from pub fare (mozzarella sticks) to Italian kitchen (caprese salad) to Tex-Mex (veggie quesadilla), so it’s not surprising to find an Ethiopian dish disguised under “Mak’s Special.” (Actually, the dish snagged a permanent spot on the special’s menu from its opening.) Named after owner Mak Kibour, a native of Ethiopia, the special offers a non-spicy version of her home country’s food. In a dish divided like a child’s, (“I don’t like my food touching, Moooom!”) dark lentils in a mild tomato-based sauce sit in one compartment. To the right, a juicy stew of soft potatoes and carrots emits ginger and a touch of heat. Barely wilted spinach, massaged with garlic, stands in the center section and turns out to be the best addition to the colorful plate. For those in the food-can-touch camp, pull together the three components with the provided rolls of injera, an Ethiopian bread. • 535 Braddock Road, Alexandria; 703-888-2865; www.grassrootsstation.com. —SG

Moujadarah

NORA TASTE OF LEBANON
Moujadarah

A gratis plate of labneh (strained yogurt) snakes across the plate like whipped cream. House-made za’atar-crusted baked pita chips scoop up cream cheese’s Middle Eastern kin. But don’t fill up: A soulful plate of rice and green lentils, soaked to a gentle touch, should take priority. The ancient Arabic dish, Moujadarah, gains snap from slithers of fried onions and zing from the accompanying yogurt, accented with dried mint. The result is a comforting and filling arrangement, topped with a scoop of fresh mixed greens and chunks of crisp cucumber. Gotta get those vegetables in, dear. • 14674 Lee Highway, Gainesville; 703-753-0233; www.norarestaurant.com. —SG

SOCIETY FAIR
My Turkish Cousin

House-made Nutella! Jamon de Iberico! Todd Thrasher’s Dirty Martini Mix! Old Town’s new food wonderland, capturing a restaurant, bar, market, butcher and take-out shop, overwhelms upon first sight. Relax and head to Society Fair’s sandwich counter. My Turkish Cousin, thinly sliced rosy lamb shoulder, wrapped with garlicky sautéed spinach and sweet nuggets of preserved grapes (fancy raisins) smash together within a doughy flatbread, ripe for absorbing any drippings. The bold concoction of flavors combines for plenty of sparks. • 277 S. Washington St., Alexandria; 703-683-3247; www.societyfair.net. —SG

SIAM BISTRO
Pad See Ew

Thin, long, flat noodles slathered in a sweet peanut sauce glow with popularity. Retire pad Thai. Cast an order instead of pad see ew. Choppy, wide and chewy rice noodles in this dish bring heft and respond well to char marks after a two-minute stint in a blaringly hot wok. Black soy sauce brings saltiness without heat, and for those with delicate taste buds, a sprinkle of sugar helps too. Crisp vegetables—broccoli, carrots, green beans—contrast to bits of soft, stir-fried egg and lightly crusted tofu. • 4129 Merchant Plaza, Woodbridge; 703-878-8988; www.siambistrothai.com. —SG

BUSBOYS AND POETS
Pesto Lasagna

Scene: The lone NoVA outpost of owner Andy Shallal’s District-based hospitality empire remains loyal to the advancement of civil disobedience and aesthetic appreciation that informs his personal philosophy, uniting free expressions of poetry, music and epicurean indulgence beneath the banner of refined counterculture. The pesto lasagna, for instance, allows the kitchen to buck tradition by eschewing animal flesh, but cedes nothing in terms of dairy-derived deliciousness, sealing together strata after strata of spinach-flavored noodles, sultry sauteed Swiss chard and meaty bits of sliced mushroom layered with chunky-style ricotta and molten mozzarella. The garden-minded meal is then finished with a pesto-cream reduction powered by fragrant basil, grated Parmesan, pulverized pine nuts, striking black pepper and nutty olive oil. Toast points of garlic bread facilitate swiping up every last drop. • 4251 S. Campbell Ave., Arlington; 703-379-9757; www.busboysandpoets.com. —WR

SOUTH STREET UNDER
Rare Roast Beef

Can a roast beef sandwich be eaten without the requisite au jus? Slather on enough horseradish mayo, and the answer turns to “yes.” Thin slices of rare beef pile on house-made bread, dotted with chopped black olives and rosemary. Swiss cheese sneaks in between the two and melts within a few minutes of landing in the oven. While enjoying this sandwich is easy, finding it can be tricky. Weaving through—and then down the stairs—of sister restaurant Tuscarora Mill is one option; the other, navigating through a mini-land of retail stores with wooden walkways, multiple staircases and two sets of parking lots. • 203 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg; 703-771-9610; www.southstreetunder.com. —SG

THE NATURAL MARKETPLACE
Raw Vegan Delight

The woman behind the counter and the man who just ordered an antioxidant-rich, flax seed-powered organic fruit smoothie discuss the unfortunate negative energy from a recent massage. This is not a simple ham-and-cheese deli. After walking through a natural medicine health store, the stairs in the back lead to a take-out sandwich shop with a juice bar on the top floor. Vegetables dominate the menu. Tomato, cucumber, red pepper, carrots and lettuce lay the base of a large wrap, enhanced with multiple types of sprouts and generous chunks of ripe avocado. Two creamy spreads—hummus and tahini-miso dressing—serve as reminders that eating healthy proves to be quite enjoyable. (P.S. The spreads, however, prevent this “raw” labeled sandwich from actually being a raw meal.) • 5 Diagonal St., Warrenton; 540-349-4111; www.thenaturalmarketplace.com. —SG

THAIBOX
Red Curry Jerk Chicken

Like a good workout, painful eating can feel pleasurable, and can also become addicting. In this case, scorching heat takes the place of Jillian Michaels-induced burning muscles. But the sunny-hued sauce covering tender, barely battered chicken is more than just hot. Sweetness plays a part, as does the lushness of heavy cream. Thai curry, Indian curry and bird’s eye chili contribute to the dynamic flavor and intense heat. Jerk seasoning in the traditional sense wasn’t included, but the owners named it as such on purpose; they’re creating a new cuisine: Thai Jerk. • 7200 Telegraph Square Drive, Lorton, 703-550-1235; thaiboxcarryout.com. —SG

Risotto ai Gamberi

DOLCE VELOCCE
Risotto ai Gamberi

Over the past two decades, Chef/restaurateur Giuseppe Ricciardi has, on the same narrow slice of pavement, succesfully nurtured: a family-style restaurant (Dolce Vita, still there), an Italian deli/market (Sfizi Cafe, which has since relocated to Falls Church), a satellite dining hall (Cantina, still there), and now, an easygoing wine bar Dolce Veloce. His formula for success: K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid.) DV does just that, enticing patrons with modestly proportioned but carefully executed Italian cichetti (think: tapas). Cheese-stuffed zucchini rolls and truffled orecchiette were tasty, but we’ll return for risotto laced with sauteed onion, crisp pancetta and melted fontina, all flanked by bronzed and butteflied jumbo shrimp. Mangia! • 10826 Fairfax Blvd., Fairfax; 703-385-1226; www.dolceveloce.com. —WR

PUBLIC HOUSE NO. 7
Steak and Stout Pie

Chef/restaurateur Mark English has successfully transformed the once-suspect “lounge” and greasy spoon known as Brinkley’s into a proper British pub. All remnants of the dank, depressing watering hole that lingered for so long—English readily admitted to being a regular—have been removed, giving way to a subdued main dining room (comfy booths, Daily Mail clippings chronicling the lives of the reigning monarchs dominate the lower level) and lively pub (a temple to vintage British rock and televised sports). Assorted buttys (chip, fish), Scotch egg salads and savory crepes are worthy exploits. But we’re most taken with steak and stout pie, a misnomer of sorts revealing tender steak, mushrooms, onions and carrots swimming in a beer-bolstered stew. Each crock is crowned with a golden round of flaky pastry, which, when plunged into the herb-enriched depths below, immediately sops up the savory brew, adding serious heft to each heartwarming spoonful. • 6315 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church; 703-942-6383; www.publichouseno7.com. —WR

BERNIE’S DELICATESSEN
Super Double

Seasoned sandwich artist Bernie Socha, he of Wagshal’s deli fame, is not one to skimp on his sliced meat-laden creations. Most of his hot, cold and specialty sandwiches weigh in at about a half-pound a pop—though truly ravenous souls can blow right through that artificial barrier by “N.Y.-sizing” their orders (for a $3.50 up charge) to double meat. Or, one could go right for dining gold and wrestle the ominous Super Double, an engineering marvel forged from savory corned beef, salty pastrami, aged Swiss, robust sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard, all sandwiched between multiple slices of seeded rye. “Wrapping it actually kind of messes with it,” a deli aide warned as he passed over the fully exposed sandwich. He wasn’t lying. The mixture of meat juice and zesty mustard bled through four sheets of deli wrap. • 4328 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax; 703-691-1269; www.berniesonline.com. —WR

Tiradito de pescado

AGUAYMANTO
Tiradito de Pescado

While others halt their appreciation for Peruvian gastronomy at the now ubiquitous pollo a la brasa, Aguaymanto delves deeper into the culture, celebrating dishes reflecting the marriage of South American spoils with Asian-influenced preparations. While we are usually suckers for zesty aji de gallina (shredded chicken in a spicy cheese sauce) and mouthwatering antichuchos (marinated and grilled beef heart), the tiradito de pescado reminded us how invigorating uncooked seafood can be. Each order summons a sashimi-style ceviche highlighting the intermingling of transpacific cuisines, a happy marriage yielding strips of raw tilapia swimming in a semi-sweet mixture of lime juice, aji amarillo and olive oil (close your eyes, you’ll swear there’s orange juice in there somewhere). Bonus kernels of raw choclo add crispness to the dish, while a side of the scorching rocoto sauce flash cooks the taste buds. • 5005 Westone Plaza, Suite D, Chantilly; 703-657-3240; www.aguaymantogrill. —WR

FAIRFAX INN
Tocino

“Filipino or American?” the server asked rather gruffly when entering through Fairfax Inn’s door. Are guests being rudely or wrongly (or both) ethnically profiled? In this politically correct area, no; staff simply wanted to know which menu to hand over. You see, co-owner Solita Adler presents both cuisines at this mash-up between old-school lunch counter and private living room, a passion project non-chalantly shoehorned into the ground floor of an aging medical complex. For the love of sweet and savory, tocino is a dish that should definitely resonate with those who religiously deluge their sausage with maple syrup. The exotic eye opener features cooked-to-order eggs, a mound of fried rice that’s preternaturally garlicky, chunks of juicy pork tenderloin showered in tantalizing soy-based marinade and zesty slaw composed of white onions, golden raisins and pickled papaya.• 2946 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church: 703-532-0616; www.fairfaxinnrestaurant.com. —WR

EARL’S
Turkey and Sweet Potato Fries

Fact: Fries make everything better. Fact: Eating sweet potato fries alleviates any guilt from first statement. So throw some beta-carotene into that soft and chewy ciabatta roll. Add freshly roasted turkey, both light and dark meat. Pour on homemade gravy. And don’t be shy; ask for an extra side for dipping. Now pretend it’s the day after Thanksgiving, without the headache (and stomach ache) of actually throwing a food-filled family get-together. Enter the turkey and sweet potato fry sandwich. • 2605 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-248-0150; www.earlsinarlington.com. —SG

AFGHAN KABOB RESTAURANT
Vegetarian Rice Dish

Eggplant should no longer hide under a cloak of melted mozzarella and marinara; instead, eggplant needs the attention of an Afghani cook. Thin, long slices of aubergine fry until just brown, then sit in a low oven for a half-hour, soaking up juices from a mix of onions, peppers, tomatoes and jalepenos. The result: bouranne baujan, a tender, silky creature that melts on the tongue. A side of spinach, slow cooked for hours with black pepper and ginger, brings a kick to the meatless platter. But the butternut squash (listed as pumpkin on the menu) takes on a rather grainy texture from a boil. (Take a lesson from the eggplant: Roasting is your friend.) Afghan Kabob offers the same vegetable trio with either rice or naan (a no-butter equivalent to Indian-style naan); a suggestion: Get the rice dish and order the naan as a side, $1.95 for more than a foot of bread. • 6357 Rolling Road, Springfield; 703-913-7008; www.afghankabobrestaurant.com. —SG

(March 2012)

By Warren Rojas / Photography by Kate Bohler

Crab Tower

Clyde’s Restaurant Group, a regional hospitality powerhouse perhaps best known for their riotuous oysterfests, late-night bar specials and seasonally inspired seafood deals, has made wooing hungry Northern Virginians their business for over 30 years. Each new spot they open helps remind us of just how lucky we are to have a friend in the neighborhood.

The original Clyde’s popped up in Georgetown in the early ‘60s. But the budding chainlet first made its way across the river in 1980, carving out a place for itself in the still developing corner of Fairfax County known as Tysons Corner. From their place on the hill, Clyde’s watched the commercial hub crawl, walk, run and now crawl again, thanks to the one-two punch of a sluggish housing market and road-wrecking, massive incursion by Metro.

“People can see us, but they don’t know how to get to us,” a Clyde’s spokeswoman says of the conundrum caused by their hidden side-street access and widespread construction. (Thank you, Tysons Corner and Metro planners.)

A temporary setback, we’re sure. As Clyde’s has proven itself to be amazingly resilient each time they’ve grown.

Northern Virginia is home to four of the group’s dozen-plus properties, including: Clyde’s–Tysons, Clyde’s–Reston Town Center (established 1991), Clyde’s –Mark Center (established 1995), and Willow Creek Farm (2006). Each location clings to the group’s saloon-influenced roots, but typically embraces some sporting theme or another (equestrian, crew and hunting memorabilia figure prominently throughout; I like to think of it as dining in a Britches Great Outdoors catalog). Staff are very much cut from the same cloth at each location, strutting their stuff in functional uniforms (creased slacks, starched dress shirts, ties, white aprons) and spoiling patrons with personable, truly team-oriented service.

Clyde's

The Clyde’s aide confirms that corporate hands down roughly 60 percent of the core menu, which means the head chef at each restaurant has the ability to color in the rest with personal preferences.

Universal items include: an array of evergreen specialty burgers that keeps the group’s grills busy with up to 5,500 pounds of groud beef per week (the grass-fed meat is currently sourced from a Maryland farm, with companion Virginia sources set to contribute to the cause beginning this year), their signature chili, the chameleon-like crab cakes (the jumbo lump crab is deployed as appetizer, sandwich, entree and even bonus topping, depending on the location) and cheese plate (sourced from boutique farmers and specialty retailers like D.C’s Cowgirl Creamery). Seafood scores include: Chespeake Bay rockfish (typically available January through February), wild-caught Alsakan salmon (May throuh June) and Maine lobster (September to October).

The Fat Kid, a smoked beef brisket sandwich with chipotle aioli, barbecue sauce and avocado puree

The remainder of the menu at each outpost runs the gamut, bouncing from crispy chicken flautas to well-traveled raw oysters (flown in from Massachusetts, Maine, New York and Prince Edward Island) to bread bowls brimming with “American onion” soup to spicy, curried lamb spooned over basmati rice. Drinks tap into everything from well-respected craft brews to worldly cocktails (pisco sour martinis infused with everything, cointreau-spiked ice teas) to regionally reflective wine lists (Willow Creek *hearts* LoCo vinters) to “adult” milkshakes (root beer, caramel Dutchman, bananas Foster).

Not everything works all the time. But there appears to be some thing for everyone at any given moment.

Surf and turf gnocchi seduced us with butter-poached lobster and wine-braised oxtail, the competing proteins laid to rest among supple dumplings, tender leeks and ravishing cream sauce.

Short ribs permeated by an Asian-style rub (excellent star anise) are in good company with fried-till-crispy Brussels sprouts and soothing celery root puree.

Peach tart with vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of caramel

Bacon-wrapped oysters are battered and fried beyond recognition; salty swine swallows the oyster flavor entirely, though the tongue-teasing Tabasco-lime sauce works wonders here (playfully hot).

Chicken livers sauteed in sherry-butter sauce melt with each swipe of the knife—making it absolutely critical that you properly ration out the accompanying crostinis so you don’t miss a single bite of garlicky organ meat and tangy pickled eggs.

The signature trout Parmesan— which the company pokeswoman says then-corporate chef cum company president Thomas Meyer introduced at the Old Ebbitt Grill in 1983 “and it’s never really left”—was a mixed bag. Roast potatoes and string beans appear to be salted for long-term storage rather than human consumption, while the broad, well-breaded filet resides comfortably beneath a blanket of meticulously browned dairy.

The Hamilton, which debuted in downtown D.C. this past December, marks the next chapter in the Clyde’s continuum. The cavernous, two-tiered establishment boasts the chain’s first full-service sushi bar (headed up by Zentan vet Jason Zheng), first round-the-clock venture (“Nobody knows where to eat … in the middle of the night,” the spokeswoman suggests) and their first dedicated live music venue.

“It’s not fine dining, but it’s more upscale than Clyde’s,” the aide says of Hamilton’s still-evolving carte.

Here’s to new beginnings.

Clyde’s Restaurant
Multiple NoVA locations; www.clydes.com

Hours: Check locations for times.
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$).

(February 2012)

By Warren Rojas / Photography by Kate Bohler

White chocolate bread pudding

Maintaining an air of mystery can be advantageous in the hospitality trade. Keeping paying customers guessing as to whether you will actually be open—the case during a handful of fruitless visits to Open Kitchen—not so much.

Newish restaurants often undergo identity changes as they try to find their professional way. Chefs pop in and out. Menu formats submit to retooling. Suppliers are systematically and constantly reevaluated. And theme nights and dining specials routinely get tweaked to better reflect that which is working (or not).

Open Kitchen, a for-rent kitchen space, a recreational cooking school—and a bistro—officially came online in late September 2009. OK co-founder Hue-Chan Karels makes no bones about the fact that her nascent, multi-use organization is still actively trying to figure everything out.

“There have been fundamental changes … but we’ve stayed somewhat true to our beliefs,” Karels says of her fluid dining operation.

When they first opened the doors, the plan was to ease into the dining game. “It was not in my original business model to have a restaurant,” Karels states. The haphazard scheduling of dining service proves her point.

All of which were, unfortunately, subject to unscheduled change if a corporate client or private party cut a big enough check.

vegetarian risotto

Karels offers a few explanations. The ill-fated attempt at all-day Sunday breakfast, Karels admits, was “to appease some of our neighborhood friends.” Karels calls the experiment “too-avant garde,” which seems just the opposite, as diners have been pushing 24-hour egg and pancake dishes since New Jersey became a state.

Weekday lunch was abruptly shelved last May, a casualty, according to Karels, of their hidden-in-plain-sight locale and the massive disruptions caused by surrounding transportation initiatives (e.g., Interstate 66 widening, Metro’s Silver Line construction).

Crippling congestion aside, the most frustrating thing about evaluating Open Kitchen proved to be their wildly arbitrary schedule. Granted, the bistro touts its availability as a venue for corporate team building and recreational cooking demonstrations, but several lunch and dinner outings never materialized after we arrived at the restaurant and locked doors greeted us with unannounced private bookings.

Regulars, of course, knew the best times to attend: Thursday night’s half-price bottles of wine promotion.

“You can always cork it and take it home with you later,” one sly server suggested as we mulled the conservative carte. The master wine list, roughly two-dozen selections, is easily digestible: individual glasses skew just under $10, while most bottles can be had for under $50. California gets some major play (about a third of the list), but there are plenty of boutique productions from across the globe, including: sparkling pinot noir from Austria, fruity malbec from Argentina, robust garnacha from Spain and dry but fresh primitivo-negro amaro blends from Southern Italy.

Executive chef Kenneth C. Hughes took command of the fledgling bistro in August 2010. A Northern Virginia native (his family hails from Falls Church), Hughes learned his craft on the West Coast, collecting wisdom from classically trained, as what he calls, “European types” and holistic-minded, raw food enthusiasts.

Duck confit with white bean cassoulet

After logging untold hours in kitchens from Napa Valley to Casanova (he had nothing but good things to say about his time at Poplar Springs’ Manor House) the chef helped launch a few local ventures (The Wine House in Fairfax and the now-defunt Blue Gin in Georgetown).

Though no stranger to fine dining, Hughes is most interested in “a little more of a slow-food approach” to cooking. He touted his roast chicken. “I have folks coming in at least once a week to eat that chicken,” Hughes says of the succulent bird’s cult-like following. Seared sea scallops draped in charred red pepper reduction, and their signature white chocolate bread pudding hold as the cornerstones of his epicurean philosophy.

“I don’t have a brigade of people making this stuff. It’s made by just a few bodies. It’s very approachable,” Hughes asserts.

While the gravelley voiced toque—Hughes perpetually sounds like he just finished chomping on a pack of Marlboro Reds—claims to enjoy total autonomy from the companion cooking school, at least a few of his most popular perparations have thus far been co-opted. Karels acknowledges that the culinary side does delve into the Bistro’s revered roast chicken; a prosciutto-wrapped pork tenderloin featured this winter also recently migrated to the restaurant’s course catalog.

Hughes and his crew excel at embellishment, but sometimes lack finesse, electing to follow the more-is-more route when less would most likely have worked.

New Mexico-style chili gets a shot in the arm from stewed-until-drippingly tender lamb. But the lackluster chocolate braise left us all longing for a fully realized mole.

Puff pastry succumbs to a cornucopia of grilled squash, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, sliced mushrooms and captivating cambozola. Shift this garden medley to a crackery flatbread, and we would be the first in line for another gustatory go around.

Squishy Yukon Gold gnocchi were overwhelmed by rosemary cream sauce, the aromatic reduction totally drowning out the companion prosciutto, sundried tomatoes and borderline-pasty potato dumplings.

Hughes may not be on the vanguard of the gourmet baked noodle movement, but his adult mac-and-cheese was the real deal. No shredded or runny cheese sauce here; the long, thin, spice- and bread crumb-encrusted noodles are tossed with buttons of nutty gouda and robust gruyere. It’s plenty big to share, but just as easy for solo pasta fans to dispatch with abandon.

An unabashedly French cassoulet is masterful, weaving together duck leg confit (crispy, herb-crusted skin; juicy dark meat), creamy white beans, yielding root vegetables with a bonus wedge of lusty Explorateur, letting the velvety, triple cream cheese inject a little decadence into the countrified feast.

Karels hopes to turn around what she admits is a “struggling” kitchen rental business by courting culinary professionals and visiting media to use the space as a staging area. Improving the restaurant side of the business, she suggests, is less worrisome.

“We will just hone in on what we do really well: cooking and serving our public,” Karels reckons.

Open Kitchen
7115 Leesburg Pike, #107, Falls Church; 703-942-8148; www.openkitchen-dcmetro.com

Average entree: $21 to $30 ($$$).
Hours: Open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, brunch Sunday.

(February 2012)

By Warren Rojas

The Hero, a briny affair with anchovies, black olives, feta

In the year and a half since it came into existence, Del Ray Pizzeria has evolved from a low-key, neighborhood sports bar into a headline-grabbing political landmark. And the kudos for that epic transformation must be showered upon its uncompromising and unrelenting chef, Eric Reid.

The once-proud proprietor of the now-defunct Del Merei Grille had barely packed away his knives before being snatched up in October 2010 by the struggling DRP brain trust. Reid’s mission: Rescue the gourmet pie- and craft suds-slinging operation from sliding into total obscurity on the heels of a protracted and critically panned opening.

“The owners are good family friends,” Reid explained of the forced retirement about-face that thrust him back into the Del Ray culinary scene shortly after the obligatory shuttering of his cherished DMG.

The mandated fine-tuning at DRP provided Reid with the rare opportunity to both salvage that which he loved most about DMG (well-seasoned staff, carefully developed signature dishes) and shepherd forth an entirely new restaurant concept. And exploit this incredibly redemptive twist of fate to the absolute fullest.

Reid spruced up the dual-themed pizza menu—they specialize in crispy thin crust and spongy deep-dish productions—with more artful ingredients (meaty porcinis, smoked chicken, chipotle-spiked marinara sauce) and imaginative combinations (17 specialty pizzas and counting). He restored various DMG favorites, including: hearty bacon-crab-artichoke dip, zesty jambalaya pasta and mouthwatering “frickles.”

The signature pickle chips—vinegary cukes, battered, deep-fried, sprinkled with cheese and flanked by ultra tangy, house-made remoulade—aren’t for everyone. Then again, only Reid’s longstanding regulars even know they exist.

“I think it’s fun not having the frickles on the menu,” Reid said of the unadvertised house specialty. “It lets us know our people from DMG are here.”

“I’ve Had That” burger, DRP’s ode to the Big Mac

It doesn’t take much to warm up to the place. The interior features an l-shaped, tile-studded bar that serves as the sports watching HQ and chitchat central, while a handful of hightops and glowing fireplace flesh out the adjoining lounge. The main dining room is decked out with a few comfy booths, one long table befitting large groups and a smattering of smaller setups ideal for lovey-dovey date-nighters. Our visits were spent mingling with a mélange of Del Ray’s most faithful, including extended families (inverting high chairs to accommodate car seat-bound infants), exuberant sports fans chasing the dream with a cold one in hand, and single parents splitting well-dressed pies with their cherubic charges.

One hardworking dad in particular—I believe folks refer to him as “President Obama”—swung by while still in the throes of the caustic payroll tax cut extension stand-off with House Republicans, pausing from all the political posturing just long enough to haul away three freshly made pies: the signature Supreme Clientele (built around tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, peppers, red onions, olives and mushrooms); a custom sausage, green peppers and onion construct and a traditional pepperoni pizza.

We tore into a number of thin- and thick-crust pies, ultimately coming down in favor of the less dense product. Sales seem to reflect that most people have come to the same conclusion. “Thick is like eating a loaf of bread with sauce and cheese,” Reid readily admits of the inches-tall rounds that are plucked from his deep-dish pans.

Our favorite pies include: the Hero, with red sauce, feta and whole anchovies, the smokin’ hot chick, outfitted with zesty grilled chicken, smoked gouda and chipotle-powered sauce, and the dairy-rich gringo, layered with rich alfredo sauce, melted mozzarella, milky ricotta and salty Parmesan.

Sandwich lovers are well tended to by the I’ve Had That—Reid’s riff on the Big Mac puts Ronald to shame with twin patties of cooked-to-order beef, melted American cheese, breathtaking fried shallots (totally awesome) and tangy 100 Island dressing—and an enviable turkey melt that pairs the tender bird with punchy chipotle mayo and slices of buttery avocado.

Grilled wings were just OK (“They’re the second most favorite after the spicy ones,” one waitress assured us). Pepperoni-laced butcher rolls deserved better accompaniments than bland ranch dressing.

Heartier appetites should keep a lookout for daily specials (the smoked duck scattered about one salad left our tablemates green with envy) and other DMG carryovers (the protein-packed jambalaya is a top seller for a reason).

And Reid’s not done retooling. He recently acquired a dedicated meat grinder and oven for desserts, committing to upping the ante with even boozier monthly beer dinners.

“I’m incorporating new ideas at DRP to continue to challenge myself,” he asserts.

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Del Ray Pizzeria
2218 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-549-2999; www.delraypizzeria.com

Hours: Open for lunch Monday through Friday, dinner daily, brunch Saturday and Sunday.
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$).

(February 2012)

By Warren Rojas / Photography by Kate Bohler

Pork chops and eggs with onion-topped hash browns

By all indications the smoking ban Virginia Governor Tim Kaine signed into law in 2009 has done nothing to extinguish the appetite for smoldering tobacco shared by those who religiously inhabit Moe’s Peyton Place.

The unapologetically smoking-friendly sanctum caters to those who favor a puff (or 20) as part of their dining experience, relegating the protected class (non-smokers) to an adjoining dining room while preserving the authenticity of the cloudy bar and lounge for those who have made the neighborhood restaurant their second home since current owner Mohammad Traish took it over in May 1971.

It’s unclear who/when someone slapped the American Cancer Society “Relay for Life” supporter static cling in their front window, but kudos to staff for successfully playing both sides of the field this long.

If you’ve never stepped foot in Moe’s, it’s perfectly understandable. The off-the-beaten path eatery operates in the shadow of the never-ending Mixing Bowl expansion, its pot hole-riddled parking lot an orphan of the regional roadway repair wars.

Geographic hurdles aside, Traish’s wife and business partner, Mina, claims there are a number of dedicated patrons who slide into the well-worn booths like clockwork.

Chicken-fried steak

“We have the same customers come in seven days a week,” she says of a carefully cultivated clientele that is now extending into the third generation of some families. “We have their drinks at the table when they walk in, and we know what they like,” she asserts. On any given day, Mohammad estimates he can count on recognizing roughly eight familiar faces for every 10 people that wander into the unassuming watering hole.

The décor is clearly nostalgic but hardly entrenched in days gone by. A dusty Redskins clock, gallery of framed Marilyn Monroe stills and a wall-sized flag inscribed with the names of the thousands who perished in the 9/11 attacks commemorate historical greatness which we’ll unlikely never relive again (sorry ‘Skins, fans), while a trio of high-definition, flatscreen TVs intermittently blasting local news or conservative commentators remind those seemingly wedded to the rarely vacant bar stools that the future is now.

House-made signs advertising their biker friendliness—Mina brushes aside all the stereotypes of thuggish, brute motorcyclists, noting that they serve doctors and lawyers who simply prefer to view the world from their two-wheeled, four-stroke engine-powered perches rather than from other self-enclosed, commercial conveyances—are littered throughout. And it, in fact, takes no time for a dyed-in-the-wool biker (clad from head to toe in faded denim, a well-broken-in leather baseball cap parked atop his dome) to saunter past us as we settled in for a mid-day repast.

Mohammad Traish’s signature broasted chicken

But we also spotted all types of other incredibly neighborly folks, including: a Boomer-aged single woman who popped by for a late-morning breakfast; the suit-clad business exec who drained multiple cups of bottomless coffee, one eye trained firmly on the daily schedule taking shape on his flickering laptop while the other stole glances at the constantly updating breaking news ticker crawling across the Fox News broadcast; or the elderly couple who planted themselves in what they obviously consider their booth, tossed dueling packs of Basics and Salems on the table and commenced to chain-smoke (these two were intuitively synchronized better than most Olympic duos) their way through dinner. Conversely, early risers made no bones about chasing formidable stacks of flapjacks or bowls of butter-soaked grits with frosty mugs of frothy draft beer.

Staff makes their own fun as well.

“Too much to eat? I just gave you a little plate,” one devilish waitress teased a customer who attempted to push back before clearing her plate. Another razzed a gaggle of bleary-eyed outdoorsmen, barking, “We’re closed for you guys—no hunters allowed!” when the coffee-deprived bunch tried to belly up to the bar. More often than not staff greet every single customer by name, preemptively fetching favorite drinks and teeing up standing food orders while peppering their conversation with miscellaneous updates about fellow regulars who’ve dropped out of sight (“Oh, he moved back to … ”) and general goings-on.

The menu is a grab bag of diner favorites, floating from traditional bar bites (burgers, wings, fried flotsam) to a rotating selection of slightly more elegant fare (grilled salmon, chicken Marsala, baked ziti with meatballs). Traish may claim sole proprietorship for the menu development, but the shelves buckling beneath piles of pre-packaged cooking aids—everything from pre-mixed Gold Medal flour to an industrial-sized crate of Stove Top stuffing mix—suggest Sysco has as much a hand in the daily breaking of bread as anyone else.

Mina says she retooled the menu about six months ago but continues to sprinkle daily specials and experimental theme nights as opportunities present themselves. Her monthly “Greek” night, which actually extends through the entire first weekend of each month, allows Mina to celebrate her culinary heritage, a showcase predicated upon flaky spanakopita, zesty tzatziki sauce, protein-packed stuffed grape leaves and generous slabs of oven-baked pastitsio. She conceded that Mohammad’s signature broasted chicken, however, remains the universal favorite.

The bird—which Mina maintains is gobbled up with reckless abandon by rowdy, tail-gating football fans and reserved restaurant-goers alike—is quite tasty. The skin is, by design, less crunchy than traditional fried chicken. But the marinated meat, particularly the succulent breast, makes a convincing argument for pressure cooking more foods. The house seasoning is perhaps less novel than more modern poultry preparations (artisan brining, double- and triple-frying, truffle oiling/stuffing/infusing) yet firmly places its stamp on the chicken enjoying experience. Traish even rewards those who seek out the fabled fowl by offering up all-you-can-eat broasted chicken on Monday nights at the unbelievably price of just $7.50 per person (about as much as one might shell out for a skimpy three-piece meal at one of the commercial chicken chains).

Breakfast offerings are available at any time. Our favorite eye-opener: the country-fried steak and eggs. The battered and breaded beef is so tender, it’s easily cut with the side of the fork. Of course, you still have to find the steak beneath the pool of thick, rich country gravy liberally poured onto the plate by what we safely assume to be a non-calorie counter.

An eponymous burger returns a smallish patty crowned with juicy tomatoes, zesty onions, melted American cheese, mayo, lettuce, ho-hum bacon (neither exceptionally crispy, smoky or fatty; just average bacon) and a glorious fried egg. The toppings trumped the generic beef. Still, it was refreshing to find a reasonably priced burger devoid of the pretension exhibited by the rising tide of would-be gourmet burgermeisters determined to flood the market with trendy takes on true comfort food.

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Moe’s Peyton Place
6516 Backlick Road, Springfield; 703-451-6620; www.moespeytonplace.com

Hours: Open for lunch and dinner daily.
Prices: Average entree: under $12 ($). Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

(January 2012)