I don't know how many other metropolitan areas have Peruvian chicken, but I first encountered it here in Northern Virginia. Peruvian chicken joints roast beautiful little chickens slathered with spices (heavy on the cumin) rotisserie style. Two sauces accompany the chicken, one hot green pepper sauce and one mayonnaise based sauce. They are often hole-in-the-wall places and each has it's unique attributes. I hope to enlighten you on a few here.
In general, I've found that the best Peruvian chicken joints tend to be in the Arlington/Falls Church area. When I was living south of Alexandria, I tried a number of them down there and found nothing that compared to the Arlington/Falls Church places. There's only so much area I've been able to cover, so please comment if you have your own favorite.
Edy's Chicken and Steak: Bailey's Crossroads, Arlington. This place is pretty big and always busy. You'll wait the longest at this place too for your order, but it's still only a matter of 5-10 minutes until you get your food. They have one of the biggest menus, featuring chicken and steak items. The green sauce is generally milder here. I usually get the sandwich here because it's not available at many of the other places. Sometimes the lettuce and tomato are good, and sometime they are disgusting. The salads are not worth bothering with. The other sides are simply ok--yucca, rice and fries.
Chicken and Steak: Seven Corners, Falls Church. The interior isn't much, but I've consistently had good chicken and chicken sandwiches here. Again, the sides aren't much to speak of.
El Pollo Rico: Kenmore St between Wilson and Fairfax in Arlington. This is probably the most highly acclaimed place, featured on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" show on the Travel Channel. It's good and consistent, but I don't find it a heck of a lot better than the other places in this list. They have super fast service, but they also have very little on the menu--no sandwich and the only sides are fries and the ubiquitous iceberg salad in a styrofoam cup that's probably sat for a week before you buy it. Cash only. Some of the spiciest green sauce here.
Crispy and Juicy: Lee Hwy and N Glebe Rd, Arlington. Also highly acclaimed. Great chicken, no sandwiches, few sides that are again undistinguished.
Super Pollo: Wilson Blvd and George Mason Rd, Arlington. Just tried this tonight on the recommendation of a friend and it was well worth it! I had the 1/2 chicken which comes with two sides. Here's where this place rises above the competition: not only is their chicken great (I prefer their seasoning to all others) but they have many, many sides, some of which are delicious! My friend had recommended the chick peas and hallelujah! finally a side worth getting excited about! I chose plantains as my second side. These are not the best plantains ever, but I really enjoy plantains and having them on the menu at all is a big plus. This place has sandwiches and steak items as well. I will go back and try the sandwich for sure! Even with the bigger menu, it took a mere minutes to get my food and be out the door. The green sauce was not as spicy as some places, but I really enjoyed the flavor. It may have been tomatillo mixed with green chiles. Still spicy, but with a fuller tang. I'll definitely be back here to try out all the options!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The burger run-down
The burger; an iconic American food stuff. Most are adequate nourishment for not much dough. The good ones are dreamt of and sometimes realized. Here's my idea of the perfect burger: Medium rare to medium, juicy, some char on the outside or at least a hint of grill flavor, a bit of seasoning, but mostly good beefy taste. I like loading it up with toppings. Bun quality is also a make or break element. Too substantial and it weighs the burger down, too light and your burger's structural integrity is compromised leading to a big mess in your plate. So, here's the run-down on burgers in my neighborhood--Arlington, VA.
Basically, you can get a good sampling of burgers driving down Wilson Blvd.
Five Guys: Most people now know this place as it is a pretty rapidly expanding chain. Yes, the burgers are good. Not outstanding, but good. What makes them appealing is the size and toppings. I usually get the "Little" hamburger, load it up with toppings, add some fries and I have a meal I can almost never finish. The beef is good and fresh. It is fried, so no grill flavor or any seasonings and the bun is a bit doughy. The toppings are plentiful and fairly fresh and flavorful, so they really make the sandwich. I have to say a word about Five Guys' fries. When I first tried them I didn't like them at all. They are a boardwalk style cooked in peanut oil, available regular or cajun style. Then I got them at the Five Guys on Wilson Blvd. Much better! I don't know if they change the oil more often or what, but they taste fresh and light, not soggy and greasy like some of the other locations.
Ray's Hellburger: Owned and operated by the same people as Ray's the Steaks, you know this is likely to be a serious burger...and it is. The meat is exceptional, the toppings are gourmet and the price is great considering the quality of what you are getting. I would actually suggest steering away from the fancy toppings as they compete with the burger rather than adding to it. The simple burger is the way to go. This place is new and still inventing itself. I hope they keep looking for the perfect bun to complement their beautiful burgers. The current one is too heavy.
Whitlow's on Wilson: Went here on half-price burger night which is every Monday. It's a giant place that fills with young people, old people and families coming for the half-price burgers. They are pretty basic, average, remarkable only for being half-price on Monday nights.
Ri-Ra Irish Pub: They have half-price burgers on Wednesday nights. This too is an average hamburger, so half-price is the way to get it! This is a beautiful place which is good for drinking and entertainment with live bands and comedy.
Spider Kelly's: Just tried this place tonight and I can still smell the pork fat on me! The Spider Kelly Burger is made with fresh ground beef and pork fat. It's a combo that sounded good, but didn't work for me. Yes, it was juicy. It also fell apart. It had creative topping choices. I went with balsamic/honey onion marmalade thinking it would be similar to the wonderfulness that comes on the Eat Bar baby burger (see below). It was fine, but not wonderful. All burgers come with a spicy, garlicky "Fridge Sauce" and spicy pickled vegetables. These were interesting and unique items, but not things I left craving. We went for their half-price burger night (Tuesdays) and it is totally worth that, but I will try something else if I go there again on another night.
Eleventh Street Lounge: This is just off of Wilson at 11th St and Highland. The first time I had their One-One Burger, I thought it was the best in town. It has tempura onions, arugula and pickle aioli which gave a great flavor and texture combination. It's a big juicy burger with great beefy flavor. They have half-price burger nights on Wednesdays and on those nights they add other burgers to the menu--some outrageously loaded down with indulgent toppings. One sinfully decadent special burger is the Bratwurst Burger. Yes, it is a brat and a burger together and it is a great idea! When I had the One-One Burger on half-price burger night, I thought it was not as good. There was probably a lot more burger crud on the grill, so it didn't taste as fresh. They also have mini burgers which are totally tasteless. Skip 'em. Oh yeah, this is also a good place to drink!
Rock Bottom Brewery: In the Ballston Mall. This is a chain, and it is not totally consistent, but when it's good, it is among the best burgers. Dripping with juices and full of flavor. A nice big broad burger and bun with plenty of surface space to place toppings.
Off the Wilson corridor
Astor Mediterrenean: Pershing Drive and Rt. 50. There are a lot of appetizing things here and the kabobs probably draw most people in, but the burger is worth checking out. It is the best value on the menu at $4.50. It is spiced nicely with a mediterrenean flavor and topped with lettuce, tomato, feta and tzatsiki.
Elevation Burger: Lee Hwy in Falls Church. This place sells organic, free-range, grass-fed beef patty burgers. The burgers are fairly simple and straight forward. It is an alternative to fast food places offering the same sort of fare, but at a much higher quality--and higher prices. Nothing spectacular, but you feel a little better about yourself. It is also nice to get some good milk shakes to go with your burgers!
Eat Bar: Washington Blvd at Danville St. The Eat Bar Burger is a biggun! Lots of great toppings and butter! While the Eat Bar Burger is good, the baby burgers are the stuff of dreams! A tiny, perfectly cooked little chunk of beef on a shiny, buttery bun topped with black truffle butter and red onion marmalade. These are not the cheapest burgers, but I believe they are the best. Baby Burgers run $3.50 each, so to fill up on them will take you over 10 bucks in no time. I've had them several times now and they are consistently delicious. They keep me coming back.
Basically, you can get a good sampling of burgers driving down Wilson Blvd.
Five Guys: Most people now know this place as it is a pretty rapidly expanding chain. Yes, the burgers are good. Not outstanding, but good. What makes them appealing is the size and toppings. I usually get the "Little" hamburger, load it up with toppings, add some fries and I have a meal I can almost never finish. The beef is good and fresh. It is fried, so no grill flavor or any seasonings and the bun is a bit doughy. The toppings are plentiful and fairly fresh and flavorful, so they really make the sandwich. I have to say a word about Five Guys' fries. When I first tried them I didn't like them at all. They are a boardwalk style cooked in peanut oil, available regular or cajun style. Then I got them at the Five Guys on Wilson Blvd. Much better! I don't know if they change the oil more often or what, but they taste fresh and light, not soggy and greasy like some of the other locations.
Ray's Hellburger: Owned and operated by the same people as Ray's the Steaks, you know this is likely to be a serious burger...and it is. The meat is exceptional, the toppings are gourmet and the price is great considering the quality of what you are getting. I would actually suggest steering away from the fancy toppings as they compete with the burger rather than adding to it. The simple burger is the way to go. This place is new and still inventing itself. I hope they keep looking for the perfect bun to complement their beautiful burgers. The current one is too heavy.
Whitlow's on Wilson: Went here on half-price burger night which is every Monday. It's a giant place that fills with young people, old people and families coming for the half-price burgers. They are pretty basic, average, remarkable only for being half-price on Monday nights.
Ri-Ra Irish Pub: They have half-price burgers on Wednesday nights. This too is an average hamburger, so half-price is the way to get it! This is a beautiful place which is good for drinking and entertainment with live bands and comedy.
Spider Kelly's: Just tried this place tonight and I can still smell the pork fat on me! The Spider Kelly Burger is made with fresh ground beef and pork fat. It's a combo that sounded good, but didn't work for me. Yes, it was juicy. It also fell apart. It had creative topping choices. I went with balsamic/honey onion marmalade thinking it would be similar to the wonderfulness that comes on the Eat Bar baby burger (see below). It was fine, but not wonderful. All burgers come with a spicy, garlicky "Fridge Sauce" and spicy pickled vegetables. These were interesting and unique items, but not things I left craving. We went for their half-price burger night (Tuesdays) and it is totally worth that, but I will try something else if I go there again on another night.
Eleventh Street Lounge: This is just off of Wilson at 11th St and Highland. The first time I had their One-One Burger, I thought it was the best in town. It has tempura onions, arugula and pickle aioli which gave a great flavor and texture combination. It's a big juicy burger with great beefy flavor. They have half-price burger nights on Wednesdays and on those nights they add other burgers to the menu--some outrageously loaded down with indulgent toppings. One sinfully decadent special burger is the Bratwurst Burger. Yes, it is a brat and a burger together and it is a great idea! When I had the One-One Burger on half-price burger night, I thought it was not as good. There was probably a lot more burger crud on the grill, so it didn't taste as fresh. They also have mini burgers which are totally tasteless. Skip 'em. Oh yeah, this is also a good place to drink!
Rock Bottom Brewery: In the Ballston Mall. This is a chain, and it is not totally consistent, but when it's good, it is among the best burgers. Dripping with juices and full of flavor. A nice big broad burger and bun with plenty of surface space to place toppings.
Off the Wilson corridor
Astor Mediterrenean: Pershing Drive and Rt. 50. There are a lot of appetizing things here and the kabobs probably draw most people in, but the burger is worth checking out. It is the best value on the menu at $4.50. It is spiced nicely with a mediterrenean flavor and topped with lettuce, tomato, feta and tzatsiki.
Elevation Burger: Lee Hwy in Falls Church. This place sells organic, free-range, grass-fed beef patty burgers. The burgers are fairly simple and straight forward. It is an alternative to fast food places offering the same sort of fare, but at a much higher quality--and higher prices. Nothing spectacular, but you feel a little better about yourself. It is also nice to get some good milk shakes to go with your burgers!
Eat Bar: Washington Blvd at Danville St. The Eat Bar Burger is a biggun! Lots of great toppings and butter! While the Eat Bar Burger is good, the baby burgers are the stuff of dreams! A tiny, perfectly cooked little chunk of beef on a shiny, buttery bun topped with black truffle butter and red onion marmalade. These are not the cheapest burgers, but I believe they are the best. Baby Burgers run $3.50 each, so to fill up on them will take you over 10 bucks in no time. I've had them several times now and they are consistently delicious. They keep me coming back.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Liberty Tavern
In an effort to recover from the Teatro Goldoni disappointment we decided to try someplace closer to home, Clarendon's Liberty Tavern. K was out and about, and let's face it, it's cold outside, so she picked up takeout (that's right, I don't need to leave the house). I called in the order (kudo's to the telephone guy, very polite).
The online menus are confusing as hell (it's unclear what items are offered when and where), so random choice it was. We had the mussel pizza (crushed tomato, garlic, oregano, grilled scallion, chiles, pecorino, provolone). Really nice sauce and crust, but a bit too salty on the cheeses. We added a cubano panino (roasted pork, Edward’s country ham, Tom’s swiss, smoked pepper aioli). This was perfectly ok, but the cubano at Eatbar is better. This came with a side order of split pea soup: a nice touch on a cold day, good flavor, but a bit thin (soup seems to be a problem in the area, the only truly great one I've had is the black bean at Oyamel).
The online menus are confusing as hell (it's unclear what items are offered when and where), so random choice it was. We had the mussel pizza (crushed tomato, garlic, oregano, grilled scallion, chiles, pecorino, provolone). Really nice sauce and crust, but a bit too salty on the cheeses. We added a cubano panino (roasted pork, Edward’s country ham, Tom’s swiss, smoked pepper aioli). This was perfectly ok, but the cubano at Eatbar is better. This came with a side order of split pea soup: a nice touch on a cold day, good flavor, but a bit thin (soup seems to be a problem in the area, the only truly great one I've had is the black bean at Oyamel).
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Teatro Goldoni
Restaurant week always seems like a great idea (three courses for $35.09), but it disappoints every time. The Teatro Goldoni, a swank, upscale Italian place on K St. near the George Washington University, is known for its lobster risotto and apple wood smoked Branzino. But instead of placing smaller portions of these on the shortened menu, we were subjected to Fazoli’s-style Italian and some pretty embarrassing service. We will not be back.
The restaurant is conveniently located just a few blocks from the Foggy Bottom metro station. We had reservations for 7:30 and arrived a few minutes early. Things were off to a good start when a valet opened the door, our coats were whisked away, and we found ourselves comfortably seated at the bar to wait for our table.
Never one to pass up a drink, K ordered the Old-Fashioned (I was drugged up on Theraflu, so stuck with water). Now I know this classic cocktail comes in many varieties, but I like mine as a fruity, sweetened bourbon. This tasted like Scotch with ice (at least they didn’t skimp on the booze). I also understand that the Italians have a different sense of time than we hurried Washingtonians, but you’ve got to be kidding me. We finally got our table at 8:00 and it was another fifteen minutes before our waiter (let’s call him Mario) managed to take our order. As much as I’ve enjoyed holding the menu tomes, all we want are the restaurant-week items (big mistake).
Starving, we devour the bread. In the basket were three varieties, the best of which was a focaccia that tasted like a wonderful, fat-infused crust from Pizza Hut (yes, that’s a compliment). The others, a light rye and an even lighter rosemary, helped soak up the Old-Fashioned. The clean, unflavored olive oil was lovely, but a little boring. So far, so good.
Appetizers: K had the “Sushi style Caesar salad roulade with olive oil soaked bread crumbs dust and chive mustard sauce and roasted cubes of parmesan cheese.” Despite all the syllables, this was basically lettuce with Caesar salad dressing wrapped in a tortilla (it looked like something Wendy’s would serve). My appetizer was smaller, but better, “Warm baby spinach foam square over a fondue of soft Tuscan pecorino cheese sauce, crispy sweet onions, a ragu` of caponata style eggplants with tomato filets and black olives.” The spinach foam was a bit creepy, sort of like something that might be clogging your bathroom drain, but it tasted pretty good. The eggplant was bitter. Excellent fried onions!
Three main courses were offered. While I’ll eat almost anything, when others are looking veal seems unethical, so we passed on the “Roasted stuffed veal with mushrooms potatoes and rosemary, port wine reduction sauce sautéed spinach.” K had the “Roasted filet of salmon served with a stew of leeks, basil, green olives, capers and crispy red beet chips.” This was quite good. Salmon seems to be a restaurant week favorite (go figure). this one was cooked perfectly with a nice crust of char. I had the “Giant round ravioli pasta filled with porcini mushrooms, potatoes and thyme and served over a ragu` of roasted shrimp and warm broccoli mayonnaise.” Maybe I don’t know good Italian, but the ravioli shell was paper thin and still managed to be chewy. The mushroom/potato filling was flavorless. The shrimp were quite good, if overcooked, but they had been brutally hacked into “shrimp nuggets,” perfect for Long John Silver’s.
Dessert redeemed the place. K had “Vanilla/orange pannacotta sunny side up.” This was outstanding, a pannacotta with two little egg yoke-shaped pools of orange sauce. I had “Almond cake with caramel sauce and a cappuccino of mascarpone rum custard.” Again, excellent, especially the light carmel sauce.
We had to flag Mario down for a check.
So here it is:
Service: C (Clearly the reservation hostess doesn’t know how slow the service is)
Food: C+ (At least the desserts weren’t an embarrassment)
Bathroom: B+ (floor to ceiling stall doors in DC, nice)
The restaurant is conveniently located just a few blocks from the Foggy Bottom metro station. We had reservations for 7:30 and arrived a few minutes early. Things were off to a good start when a valet opened the door, our coats were whisked away, and we found ourselves comfortably seated at the bar to wait for our table.
Never one to pass up a drink, K ordered the Old-Fashioned (I was drugged up on Theraflu, so stuck with water). Now I know this classic cocktail comes in many varieties, but I like mine as a fruity, sweetened bourbon. This tasted like Scotch with ice (at least they didn’t skimp on the booze). I also understand that the Italians have a different sense of time than we hurried Washingtonians, but you’ve got to be kidding me. We finally got our table at 8:00 and it was another fifteen minutes before our waiter (let’s call him Mario) managed to take our order. As much as I’ve enjoyed holding the menu tomes, all we want are the restaurant-week items (big mistake).
Starving, we devour the bread. In the basket were three varieties, the best of which was a focaccia that tasted like a wonderful, fat-infused crust from Pizza Hut (yes, that’s a compliment). The others, a light rye and an even lighter rosemary, helped soak up the Old-Fashioned. The clean, unflavored olive oil was lovely, but a little boring. So far, so good.
Appetizers: K had the “Sushi style Caesar salad roulade with olive oil soaked bread crumbs dust and chive mustard sauce and roasted cubes of parmesan cheese.” Despite all the syllables, this was basically lettuce with Caesar salad dressing wrapped in a tortilla (it looked like something Wendy’s would serve). My appetizer was smaller, but better, “Warm baby spinach foam square over a fondue of soft Tuscan pecorino cheese sauce, crispy sweet onions, a ragu` of caponata style eggplants with tomato filets and black olives.” The spinach foam was a bit creepy, sort of like something that might be clogging your bathroom drain, but it tasted pretty good. The eggplant was bitter. Excellent fried onions!
Three main courses were offered. While I’ll eat almost anything, when others are looking veal seems unethical, so we passed on the “Roasted stuffed veal with mushrooms potatoes and rosemary, port wine reduction sauce sautéed spinach.” K had the “Roasted filet of salmon served with a stew of leeks, basil, green olives, capers and crispy red beet chips.” This was quite good. Salmon seems to be a restaurant week favorite (go figure). this one was cooked perfectly with a nice crust of char. I had the “Giant round ravioli pasta filled with porcini mushrooms, potatoes and thyme and served over a ragu` of roasted shrimp and warm broccoli mayonnaise.” Maybe I don’t know good Italian, but the ravioli shell was paper thin and still managed to be chewy. The mushroom/potato filling was flavorless. The shrimp were quite good, if overcooked, but they had been brutally hacked into “shrimp nuggets,” perfect for Long John Silver’s.
Dessert redeemed the place. K had “Vanilla/orange pannacotta sunny side up.” This was outstanding, a pannacotta with two little egg yoke-shaped pools of orange sauce. I had “Almond cake with caramel sauce and a cappuccino of mascarpone rum custard.” Again, excellent, especially the light carmel sauce.
We had to flag Mario down for a check.
So here it is:
Service: C (Clearly the reservation hostess doesn’t know how slow the service is)
Food: C+ (At least the desserts weren’t an embarrassment)
Bathroom: B+ (floor to ceiling stall doors in DC, nice)
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