Monday, November 23, 2009

Shamshiry

8607 Westwood Center Drive
Vienna, VA 22182
(703) 448-8883
www.shamshiry.com

Visited: November 21, 2009


Shamshiry, the name means...Shamshiry. Actually I have no idea what the name means, but I wouldn't be surprised if it translates to "Place that serves deliciously tasty kabobs in a busy crowded restaurant".Hmmm ...probably no chance that would be the actual translation, then again I'm not Iranian...errr...Persian. :-) The first thing that hits you as you walk into Shamshiry is not just the line and always crowded restaurant (call ahead if you can), but the delicious smell of the meats being grilled in the kitchen.

Whatever Shamshiry means or whomever the place was named after, it's a bustling gem in the heart of the Tysons Corner industrial district. The food is always delicious, the service may leave a little bit to be desired but you'll always leave with a full stomach and happy images of oversized plates of with welcoming mountains of rice and large pieces of chicken, beef or ground beef kabobs. The food never disappoints and you'll find yourself breaking all promises of being carb healthy by devouring the mammoth mound of rice set before you.

For me, Shamshiry is not only an international experience because of the Iranian cuisine, but because of the simple fact that every time I've come to dine at this remarkable establishment it's been with a variable United Nations of friends: Filipinos, Americans, Iranians (a.k.a. Persians as they'll remind you), Chinese, Moroccan or Lebanese. All of us sharing the common bond of being friends, but mainly all being people who love delicious food.

I was won over during my first visit as I ordered the Jujeh Kabob; chunks of Cornish hen grilled over the charcoal fires of the Shamshiry kitchen. The flavors of the grilled Cornish hen wowed me and I was truly won over by the Shamshiry chefs after I tried cuts of my friend's Kubideh (ground beef kabob) and delicate cuts of the Chelo (fillet Mignon) kabob. The Persian chefs are obvious masters of marinating, spicing and most importantly grilling all cuts of meat to perfection.

Quick note to all beer and wine connoisseurs; enjoy your tasty beverages at home as Shamshiry does not serve Alcohol. The only drinks available are yogurt drinks, hot/cold tea and soft drinks. My advice is to enjoy the hot tea with your meal and grab a drink with friends/loved ones after your visit to Shamshiry. Plus, with all the rice you'll be eating, it's probably a good thing Shamshiry doesn't serve alcohol; you won't overload on carbs....Dr. Atkins would be proud!

To me, Shamshiry would easily be a 5-star establishment if it didn't suffer from shabby service. Reservations or call ahead seatings do not always guarantee you a table, and there may be nights when they have been known to all together abandon the whole notion of reservations. Depending on your waiter, you may be treated like a king of Kings with every need being met. Other nights just grabbing the waiter's attention can be a feat in itself. The only thing that makes up for such inconsistent service is the food. You'll never go hungry and you'll never leave disappointed. If you have the patience to wait for a table and the conviction to find Shamshiry camouflaged among unremarkable office buildings, you will definitely enjoy your visit and will already be mentally planning your next return before being halfway done with your mountain of rice.

Shamshiry on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Pho 75

1721 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22209
(703) 525-7355

Visited: November 18, 2009


If you're reading this and are wondering, "What the pho is Pho?" allow me to enlighten you. It's Vietnamese slurpy sipping soupy noodle goodness decorated with your choice of meat(s), bean sprouts, green onions and that oh so lovely basil. It's the kind of soup that you'll know not only from the sight, but from the taste that it has cure-all magical powers able to heal whatever ails ya while leaving you with a full tummy and warm all-over feeling. In one word, it's deeeeeeeeeeelishusss.

I hadn't been to Pho 75 in ages and took a break from work today to call the wife. "Wanna grab some Pho for early dinner tonight? We can pack up the two monkeys and head over to Pho 75 after work." Thankfully the wife loved the idea and promised to have our twin monkeys ready by the time I arrived home from work.

3pm arrived and I flew outta the office as quickly as Fred Flintstone sliding down that dinosaur's back hopping into his foot pedaled car. Yabba Dabba Doo I had Pho 75 on the brain and I flew home to pick up the family. Thankfully there was no traffic to delay our Pho-fix and we arrived in Arlington in a mere 10 minutes (Disclaimer: Fat Daddy abides by all posted speed limits and in no way endangered any member of his family during this Pho fixated auto-pilot driving).

Luck smacked our ass with a great parking spot right in front of Pho 75!! My wife and I eagerly hopped outta our seats and unstrapped the monkeys from their restraints. "Set the monkeys free!!" I thought as their little feet waddled their bodies toward the entrance of this hallowed establishment. Entering Pho 75 the smell of the place reminded me of an old childhood Vietnamese friend's house. This friend's mother used to cook up food that always left a faint trace of spices similar to the smell of Pho 75 which momentarily made me nostalgic as I wondered, "What ever happened to Quoc?"

I was brought back to the present day by one of my boys asking, "Dooooown Daddy, down." Eagerly sitting at a table, we ordered two Vietnamese Iced Coffees and two large bowls of Pho. My Pho order was #4 which consisted of round steak, bible tripe, tendon and brisket. My wife feeling a bit adventurous ordered a #10 which had well done brisket and fatty beef. What a wild woman! Not even two minutes later our coffee arrived which was soon followed by two steaming bowls of Pho goodness.

The delicious smell of meat, green onions and all the Pho goodness wrapped itself around my face in a blanket of steam. I closed my eyes and secretly whispered to today's food mistress, "Oh darling how I've missed you...I promise not to neglect you ever again." After paying homage to my Pho goddess, I separated some broth and noodles for my boys. As the small mini-bowls of Pho cooled for my boys, I sprinkled basil, bean sprouts and a splash of lime into my own big bowl. Next (and some of my old Vietnamese friends used to make fun of me for doing this), I drizzled plum sauce and a good helping of Sriracha hot sauce into my Pho. By the way, if you ever find during any of your Pho adventure that your table does not have a bottle of Sriracha, make sure to ask the waiter or waitress for a bottle of the big red cock sauce. Funny enough, they'll know to bring you a fresh bottle of Sriracha. :-)

The blend of Sriracha, basil, plum sauce and all the other ingredients blended together into something magical. I dipped in my spoon, took a huge sip of the hot spicy broth and closed my eyes to savor the moment. Delicious. Dipping my chopsticks into my bowl I came up with a magical blend of bean sprouts, meat, noodles and basil. I wasted no time shoving all of that food into my mouth and sucking in the last bit of noodles with a loud, "sluuuuuuuuuuuurp!"

By this time the boys' mini-Pho bowls had cooled and my wife and I handed them their own spoons. We were both ASTONISHED to see our two monkeys tear into the noodles and slurp up all of their broth. Our boys LOVED the Pho and even asked for more with chants of "Mo! Mo! MO!!" It was great being able to share this Pho dinner with my little family and I knew my wife was happy as she didn't talk as she devoured her noodles and broth.

We ended our Pho 75 dinner with our iced coffees (none for the monkeys) who's strong coffee flavor and condensed milk sweetness was a welcome after Pho treat that capped an end to a wonderful dinner. I love Pho 75 and truly can't remember why I waited more than a year to return. Oh yeah, fatherhood and work....that's probably why. :-)

Thankfully the boys are now able to sit down and enjoy their food without too much hassle or fuss. Watching them enjoy their mini bowls of Pho really made me happy to be able to share with them a food that I love and enjoy. Looking at them enjoy the flavor of the Pho made me eager to share new foods that I never had the chance to taste until I was a young adult. Hopefully my boys will learn to appreciate a wide variety of foods just like their Fat Daddy.

Pho 75 (Arlington) on Urbanspoon

minibar by josé andrés

405 8th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-0812
cafeatlantico.com/miniBar/miniBar.htm


Visited: May 9, 2009


My journey to minibar started with me huddled in my bathroom, sitting on a cold porcelain toilet with the door closed tightly and me whispering on my cell phone to a lady named Bonji. Yes, an odd beginning to any restaurant review but rest easy knowing that I was hiding in my bathroom not battling Montezuma's revenge, but secretly calling to make my one-month-ahead dinner reservation. The kind voice on the other end of the receiver belonged to Bonji Beard who took some key information and explained how the whole minibar reservation process worked. Hiding in the bathroom I felt like some sort of secret agent out of some 80's movie making plans to smuggle nuclear scientists across the West Berlin lines. The reason for the secrecy; to surprise my wife with a great Mother's Day dinner.

The wife (being a perceptive lass) soon wondered where I was and came searching for me. She knocked on the bathroom door and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah babe, just using the bathroom. I'll be out in a few" I said using my best bathroom voice. When I heard her step away I continued my conversation with Bonji who informed me that she would email me an application form that needed to be completed within 48 hours of the phone call. I had my mission, fill out the form, fax/email it back to Bonji and pretend (for an entire month) that I wasn't planning anything special for my wife's 2nd mother's day. How could I hide my excitement? Would I let plan for the surprise dinner slip out? How could I hold back my childlike enthusiasm and excitement for a whole friggin' month?!?!

Well, I successfully managed NOT to spoil the surprise. It took a lot of restraint and discipline, but I managed to do it.

Fast forward to a month later....

The wife and I left our two sleeping monkeys at home under the care and supervision of their two loving and most trusted babysitters; a.k.a. the Grandparents. We rolled outta the house all decked out in our best clothes, the wife looking stunning and me doing the best to hide the fat stomach with some cool neatly pressed shirt. Entering DC the wife's curiosity was going crazy as she tried to guess where we were going for her Mother's Day dinner. "Nope. Uh-uh. No. That's not it. Try again" were my only replies. I could see the excitement in her eyes as she was DYING to know where we were going.

Arriving at our location, she jumped for joy and said, "Cafe Atlantico! CAFE ATLANTICO!! That's where we're going. I knew it!"

Pulling into the underground garage, I turned to her slyly and replied, "That's not it babes...but nice guess"

Heading out the wrong garage exit, we came out right in front of Jaleo and she turned to me again in a very eager voice, "Jaleo! We're going to Jaleo!". I shook my head and just giggled a bit as I pulled her by the hand past Jaleo. Arriving at the entrance of Cafe Atlantico, she had a puzzled look on her face and said, "You said we weren't going to Cafe Atlantico? Wha..."

"Let's go inside and check in with the hostess." Walking inside I stood in front of the hostess and let the surprise outta the bag at the right time, "Reservation for two for minibar under **** ****"."

No sooner had I finished my sentence, I turned to my wife and saw a huge smile on her beautiful face.

"I knew it! minibar!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down like a young child pretending to have guessed my surprise.

It was her day so I let her have her victory and simply replied, "Yep, minibar."

We walked over to the Cafe Atlantico bar which was buzzing with a multitude of people enjoying drinks and watching the Caps during the Stanley Cup playoffs. We sat at the bar, eagerly talked about what we would be eating and enjoyed some tasty beverages. Soon a tall slender brunette dressed in black stopped in front of us and introduced herself, "Hi my name is Rhym and I'll be your server for minibar." Rhym began explaining the whole minibar setup to us and encouraged us to look through a special wine list to choose a wine that would go perfectly with the variety of food we would be experiencing that evening.

Wine was my wife's area of expertise so I let her pick out the wine for the night. She picked out a nice champagne that was slightly fruity and per Rhym's suggestion helped to cleanse the palate in preparation for the next course. By the time we polished off our starter beverages (a beer for me and a glass of white wine by my bride), Rhym stopped by and led us to our seats at the minibar bar. There was a ton of ingredients before us protected by a glass case. The chefs introduced themselves to us and proceeded to get things started.

Delicious treat upon treat was sent our way. From the hands of our chefs directly the artsy plates before us, we enjoyed every single morsel. The experience was definitely worth the wait and the money as we enjoyed ourselves and fulfilled every aspiring foodie's fantasy of tasting food with magnificent flavors combined with artistic flair and presentation.

Amazing, amazing, amazing are the three words I would use to describe minibar. This review cannot do it justice as it must be experienced first hand. But for those of you thinking of visiting minibar, here are a few tips/important things to remember when planning your first:
  1. Reservation must be made a month in advance (to the day) over the phone. There are only six seats at minibar and two services per night, so call early!
  2. The application form must be filled out and faxed back within 48 hours of making your phone reservation.
  3. Show up on-time or a little early and check in the the hostess. Enjoy a drink at the Cafe Atlantico bar and relaaaaaaaaaaaaaax until you're called.
  4. Savor the food, enjoy the experience and ask as many questions as possible. The chefs and staff are all amazing, very nice and eager to share any information.
  5. Crack the egg (see last picture), pay your bill, thank the staff and promise to come back soon. :-)
Here are a few pictures to make you folks salivate with jealousy over our 27 course experience. Enjoy!


One last word of advice.... After you crack the egg and pay the bill (which in my opinion is worth every single dollar!), don't forget to bring home a copy of your personalized menu. We were soooo stuffed and dazzled by our experience that we forgot to bring our menus home with us. Don't be like, us...remember your menus!!

If you do visit minibar, I truly hope you enjoy your experience and have as much fun as the wife and I. After the meal, the best reward was the wife's millions of accolades and compliments for such a wonderful surprise. Yes, for that single night the wife agreed that I was THE man. :-)

Viva minibar!!

Minibar By Jose Andres on Urbanspoon

    Monday, November 16, 2009

    Don Churro Cafe

    13905-B Metrotech Drive
    Chantilly, VA 20151
    (703) 378-1211
    http://www.donchurrocafe.com/


    Visited: November 8, 2009


    I must first start off this entry by confessing that I did not have any of the entrees at Don Churro cafe. Then what the freak am I doing writing this review? Well my eager little friends, I did sample the dessert that makes up this joint's name; churros.

    So what qualifies me to write a review soley based on my sampling of Don Churro Cafe's churros? Well if my fat stomach isn't my best qualification, then allow me to take you down memory lane and tell you about Fat Daddy's lifelong experience and appreciation for churros. Churros are very near and dear to my heart as I grew up eating them at what's new the Churreria Madrid in Adams Morgan. I can remember those cold days when my Mom would surprise me with a trip to the Churreria where she's order a large cup of hot chocolate and a plate of freshly fried Churros. I can still remember the smell and taste of those churros and the sight of granulated sugar falling all over the table and my pants. For many years, this was my only exposure to churros until I took my first trip to Spain.

    By the time I visited Spain for the first time, I was a young stupid (and still fat) adult exploring the many shops and restaurants of Madrid. On my first night in this Spanish capital, I found a small little Churreria that served freshly fried churros and molten melted dipping chocolate. The taste of these churros far exceeded the Adams Morgan churreria and instantly made me appreciate the importance of having a treat in the originating country. That experience and others forced me to change my plans of staying in Spain for only a few days to exploring the country for over two week.

    I tasted churros in Barcelona, San Sebastian and found my favorite churreria in Seville that was run by a fiesty little old lady...whom I made sure to visit on future visits to Seville.

    All my lifelong experiences with churros have ingrained a sort of criteria for what makes a churro a churro. I know I can't do it justice by making a list, but here's my best approximation of what makes a great churro:

    - Temperature: The churro must be piping hot, just out of the fryer.
    - Dough: D'oh! The dough must be light and not too dense.
    - Flavor: Not too much sugar sprinkled on, but enough to compliment the subtle flavor of the fried dough.
    - Chocolate: Molten dark chocolate dipping sauce made of fine chocolate. If that's not available, a good cup of REAL hot chocolate (not that powdered chocolate mix nonsense).

    Now using the above criteria, how did Don Churro fare? Not too good. The dough was very heavy and unusually dense, the flavor of the dough was not too churro-like and tasted like a heavy fried pancake while the temperature was almost room temperature. The dipping sauce given to my wife was some "squeeze out of a tube" chocolate coiled up in a small plastic dish while my hot chocolate was okay and definitely not from a mix.

    I was very very disappointed in the flavor of the churro and found the only saving grace of this experience was the hot chocolate and the excellent service (the host and waitress were very very nice and courteous). The friendly service along with the full restaurant (and tasty looking dishes) may entice me to return. I'd love to try out their version of my favorite Bolivian dish called Silpancho as well as some other tasty Latin American entrees...but I'll definitely refrain from getting the churros.


    Don Churro Cafe on Urbanspoon

    Wednesday, November 11, 2009

    The Dairy Godmother

    2310 Mount Vernon Avenue
    Alexandria, VA 22301
    (703) 683-7767
    www.thedairygodmother.com


    Visited: November 8, 2009


    If there was ever a time that I felt ANY sort of incestuous love for a family member...it would be for my Godmother, my Dairy Godmother. Oh how I love my Godmother. How my mind goes wild thinking...nay craving all the flavors that she has to offer. I can only think of one thing while I'm in her embrace; how soon until I can return. That return visit, and the many thereafter where I'll willingly let myself fall into the sweet temptation of her delicate dairy treats just. Yes, my Dairy Godmother is not that innocent pixie waving a wand, she is a temptress that is...deliciously naughty...

    Hahahaha

    The first time I learned about the Dairy Godmother (and learned to believe in magical beings) was coming back from a fulfilling lunch with fellow coworker Boris the Bullet. Hitting some traffic on Route 1, the Bullet used his savy know-how (and Blackberry GPS) to take us around the congestion which put us smack dab in the middle of the Del Ray neighborhood. Growing up in the Northern VA area, I hadn't seen Del Ray in years. The neighborhood had flourished and a once forgotten area had blossomed into a very cool/hip "Main Street" like neighborhood. As we drove down Mount Vernon Avenue, the Bullet pointed out many of the restaurants and shops that lined this main street, suddenly pointing with much enthusiasm towards The Dairy Godmother.

    "Have you ever been to the Dairy Godmother?" asked the Bullet.

    Still in awe and not thinking much of his question I calmly responded, "Nope, is it good?"

    "Is it good?! IS IT GOOD?! It's REALLY GOOD! You MUST try it! They have the BEST frozen custard with unique flavors made every few days!!" he was obviously passionate about the Dairy Godmother and I made the following mental notes:

    Frozen Custard = Yum.
    Custom Flavors = Yum-yum
    Boris the Bullet's boisterous recommendation + Frozen Custard + Custom Flavors = MUST VISIT!

    A week later during a day off from work, I decided to bring the wife and two monkeys for a tour of the Del Ray area. We wanted to walk around the neighborhood as it was a nice summer day but I really had an ulterior motive; to try the Dairy Godmother's frozen custard and to try the flavor of the day. Before we left the house, I jumped on www.thedairygodmother.com and saw that today's flavor was Chocolate Eclair.

    Chocolate Eclair?!?! Holy friggin bananas!! I love eclairs, I love ice cream....the thought of combining the two treats into a single dessert definitely enticed me. Thankfully the wife approved of the trip and we eagerly headed to the Del Ray area to enjoy the day. As we drove towards Del Ray, I confessed my motive for going to Del Ray and shared with my wife the idea and beauty of the daily Frozen custard flavor concept. I then shared with her that today's flavor of the day was Chocolate Eclair. Being a dessert lover too, I saw the spark of interest light up her eyes and she too was now under the Dairy Godmother's spell.

    Arriving at Del Ray, luck smiled upon our little family as we found a parking space right in front of the Dairy Godmother. We popped out the twin monkeys, put them in their strollers and immediately entered the frozen dairy paradise eagerly surveying the area and all the tasty treats decorating the inside of the shop. Written in chalk the flavor of the day danced before our eyes, "Chocolate Eclair" and the anticipation of trying this flavor only made the queue move even slower.

    Finally we were at the front of the line and I eagerly asked for two cups of Chocolate Eclair custard. I knew my eagerness and love for frozen dairy treats would not allow me to share with the wife and she being a dessert lover herself would have a hard time sharing a single serving. The two cups of chocolate eclair frozen custard was placed before me and I went into a trance. I don't remember handing over my money or sitting down at the table with two cups in hand, I only remember my first taste....and it was amazing.

    There were pieces of delicate eclair pastry mixed into a creamy frozen custard with sprinkles of dark chocolate that actually tasted like a frozen version of the most wonderful chocolate eclair. I looked across the table at my wife and I could see satisfaction on her face as she closed her eyes and merely responded with a "Ummmm...so good". From that moment on we were bewitched and under the spell of the Dairy Godmother.

    We've gone back many times and each time I can't help but be amazed at the creativity of making such wonderful frozen custard flavors. Our most recent trip surprised me yet again by trying the Cannoli frozen custard flavor. The frozen custard itself tasted like the creamy Ricotta filling of the best tasting Cannoli. The frozen custard then had small pieces of dark chocolate chips mixed in along with crunchy bits of Cannoli pastry. To eat this frozen custard flavor was to enjoy a traditional Cannoli, deconstructed and re-created in a decadent dairy dessert.

    I have become a fan that I often find myself acting like a voyeur by secretly visiting my Godmother's Twitter page to read her latest "Tweets" and to get a glimpse of any new flavor ideas or thoughts that she may have. I sing her praises, I'm in love and yes I think about her all the time. My Dairy Godmother will entice and amaze you with her flavors. Be warned that you too will fall to her charms and will be part of her willing army singing her dairy praises and spreading the gospel that is her frozen custard creations.

    Dairy Godmother on Urbanspoon

    Thursday, November 5, 2009

    I'll be baaaaaaaaaaaack....

    Yes, my readers....I promise that new posts will come very soon.

    I see that this website has been getting many many hits from all over the world.

    Now that things are starting to settle down, I promise to some new reviews.

    I have many restaurants to review in my own diarrhea of the mouth style. :-)

    Check back soon...