Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Polyface Farms

43 Pure Meadows Ln
Swoope, VA 24479
(540) 885-3590
http://www.polyfacefarms.com/

Visited:
April 3, 2010




Before I start this review (and forget), a few quick tips when visiting/planning your visit to Polyface farm:

1) Bring a HUGE cooler and make space in your vehicle! We took one large and one small cooler and filled them both with assorted cuts of meat, chicken and rabbit. Also used up a lot of space for the various cartons of eggs we bought.

2) NO CREDIT CARDS!! Polyface only accepts cash or check. The folks are SO kind that if you run outta cash and didn't bring your checkbook, you can send them a check via snail mail. SUPER NICE!!

3) Ask questions. As I just mentioned, everyone there is SUPER NICE, very patient and are more than happy to answer any questions you may have. The wife and I bombarded the staff with questions and they were so very helpful and nice to us.

4) Get there early!! If you're going in person, make sure to get there early. We arrived at 9:25am and they were already sold out of some choice cuts of beef. The wife and I whimpered as the couple in front of us bought the last of the beef heart....I should have kicked them in the shins and stolen their beef heart. :-(

5) Hours!! Polyface is only open to the public without an appointment Saturdays from 9am to 4pm. Check the following page for updates and exceptions to these Saturday hours (such as holidays or special events):
http://www.polyfacefarms.com/taste.aspx

So how did the family trip to Polyface begin? Well it started last year after reading some articles about grass fed beef, and understanding the difference in the cow's health versus corn fed beef. In doing some Googling, I found some excerpts from the Omnivore's Dilemma mentioning Polyface and the Salatin family and Polyface was also featured in a film called "Food Inc". Next, I read a convincing review by fellow Yelper Tina R on her visit to Maple Ave restaurant regarding grass fed beef. The idea for the trip was then finalized after finally having a chance to see the movie "Food Inc".

Well after all that, we left our little adobe hut at 6am determined to arrive at Polyface at 9am. The drive out to Swoope, VA was amazing as the weather was perfect, the traffic was light and the two little monkeys slept and were well behaved the entire trip. Three hours and one wrong turn later, we arrived at Polyface around 9:25am.

The parking lot was already full of cars and we were asked to park next to a big truck that dwarfed our mini van. The farm is beautifully surrounded by mountains and the first thing we noticed as we stepped outta the family van is how crisp and clean the air "tasted". The boys instantly ran towards the chickens and happily pointed and exclaimed "kicken! kicken" as their faces illustrated their fascination with all the noise, movement and coming from the chicken coops.

We headed into a tent area where an older couple in front of us had just finished buying the last of the beef heart and added them to their massive collection of meat; all housed in two giant coolers. While they finished up their transaction, one of the Polyface employees walked over to us, politely greeted us and asked if we had any questions or needed help. He handed us a list of all the meat and the prices.

Wow...the prices were friggin amazing!! For the cuts of meat and for all of the organically raised food listed on the sheet, the value was well the long drive! The meat being sold at Polyface is cheaper than the organic meat sold at Whole Foods and even beats the questionable organic meat sold a bigger supermarket chains like Safeway or Giant.

We took our time to decide what we wanted and made things easier by asking the Polyface employees to tell us what was in stock. In the meantime our boys ran around the farm and even sat with one of the Polyface employees as he tallied up our bill. You can tell that the people that live and work on Polyface are very family oriented and smiled and helped us entertain our monkeys as we picked out our choice cuts of meat.

Once we had filled up our two coolers, we were encouraged by the staff to pick our own eggs at the "other" chicken coup. They told us that eggs already packaged and being sold under the tent weren't as big as the eggs laid by the hens at the other coop. We thanked them, took a few empty cartons and headed up a hill to the other coop.

As we approached the coop, I wondered how the boys would react around live hens. They became more and more excited as we got closer and funny enough they were the first ones in the coop after I opened the door. Walking inside there were hens everywhere! One monkeys surprised me after seeing us pick some eggs by walking up to a hen, gently picking her up, setting her aside and then grabbing the egg from her nest.

The other monkey employed the "wave your hand until the hen leaves" technique to get the hen out of her nest before grabbing the laid egg. Both boys had an amazing time picking their own eggs and surprisingly understood how delicate the eggs where and didn't drop or break a single egg. Once we had filled up all the cartons with four dozen eggs, the boys proudly carried their cartons and we headed back down the hill.

We were eager to try out the eggs and meat and decided to come back to Polyface very soon. The drive out to Polyface was nice and very scenic. The last bit of advice is to use the directions listed on the Polyface website. Our GPS, Google Maps and other mapping services had no idea how to get to Polyface. Make sure that when you do use the directions from the Polyface website that you read them before hand.

Also drive slowly as the roads leading up to Polyface (once you leave the main roads) are single lanes and you will have to pull over to the side if a car is coming in the opposite direction.

So what's the verdict after finally tasting the grass fed organic meat and the eggs raised at Polyface? Friggin delicious! Call me crazy but you can actually TASTE the difference between the Polyface beef and the mass supermarket beef. The chicken raised by Polyface does NOT even compare as the flavor of their chicken totally destroys the chicken from supermarkets. Ditto goes for their eggs as you can taste the freshness and that extra bit of flavor that tells you, "Its made of good stuff" in found in regular eggs. I'm totally satisfied with all the Polyface products and have been singing its praises to family, friends and coworkers.

We'll definitely be back to Polyface and I'm so happy that we had a chance to make to their beautiful farm. For more information check out their website and bring plenty of cash or a checkbook!

:-)

Monday, April 26, 2010

Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop

222 Albemarle St
Baltimore, MD 21264
(410) 685-4905
www.vaccarospastry.com

Visited:
April 26, 2010




Okay, so any visit to Baltimore deserves a trip to Little Italy just to visit Vaccaro's. The desserts on their own will willingly have us drive an hour to Baltimore's Little Italy neighborhood for one of their many sweet treats.

Our first trip to Vaccaro's was over 2 years ago when the wife was still preggos with our two monkeys. Unrelated side note: Holy crap, come to think of it we came here the week before the boys were born...wow! We were introduced to this wonderful place and all its tasty treats by two friends Jeff and Colleen who raved about the desserts and cookies.

We had just eaten at Chiapparelli's Restaurant and stuffed our faces with tons of food for Colleen's birthday. The wife and I had zippy room for dessert and we actually considering going home after the Colleen's b-day dinner. Thankfully our friends talked us into visiting Vaccaro's for some after dinner treats...

Since that first visit, we have gone back to Vaccaro's numerous times for everything from coffee to cookies to their tasty and very generous servings of gelato. Yesterday we were surprised to see the new interior of Vaccaro's as it appeared to have been remodeled and updated. The inside now boasts a new interior complete with red walls, neon lights and new tables and chairs. Everything about Vaccaro's looked cleaner and newer as compared just a year ago.

I snapped up a few pix of the G-I-A-N-T cappuccino ordered by the boss lady as well as the Cannoli and ice cream we ordered. As the boys enjoyed the treats, I smiled thinking about how their first experience at Vaccaro's was while they were still inside their Mommy's tummy...and here they were sitting with us at a table enjoying cookies and/or gelato.

We're always satisfied with their desserts and will make sure to visit this place if ever in the Inner Harbor/Little Italy area of Baltimore. It's definitely worth the trip and we gladly make the long drive just for their tasty desserts and a cup of cappuccino or a latte.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Coastal Flats

7860-L Tysons Corner Center
Mclean, VA 22102
(703) 356-1440
http://www.greatamericanrestaurants.com/coastaltysons/


Visited: November 5, 2009


Let me tell you about the "Flats"...whenever I go there, I always leave very very satisfied and with a full fat belly. I try to frequent the Flats whenever possible; with the work crew for lunch, with the family for dinner and anytime I feel the need for something delicious and worth my hard earned $$.

Being part of the "Great American Restaurants" family of fine dining establishments, you can be assured that everything on the menu is of the highest quality and tastes amazing. From my hundreds of trips to the Flats and other Great American restaurants, I know that whatever I order their food is going to be top top top.

My favorite go-to entree at the Flats is the slow cooked "Low Country Beef Back Ribs". As the menu describes them, the beef ribs are Hickory smoked, glazed with a tart, tangy and sweet mustard BBQ sauce and served with a side of shoestring fries and coleslaw. My suggestion if you get this dish, nix the fries and order some cauliflower mash or garlic mashed potatoes. Your order will include a small tin container with some of that extra mustard BBQ sauce perfect for dipping those fall-apart-tender chucks of beef ribs..

Holy crap my mouth is watering right now just thinking of this dish...

*droooooooooool*

The servers are always very attentive and will start off your visit with a basket full of delicious bread. From the donut-hole looking bread to a cheese encrusted slices loaves of goodness, the bread basket starter will definitely have you flicking off both Dr Atkins (R.I.P.) and the South Beach diet as you stuff your face and enjoy some tasty carb goodness.

I would have wholeheartedly given the Flats a full five stars if it weren't for the following two very very minor things that caused me to deduct a 1/2 star per mini-peeve:

1) NO take out at the Flats. You can order a dine-in meal and they'll wrap it up for you if you don't finish it...but they don't and will not do take-out orders. One day I asked a waiter why, and he explained that the reason for this is that "Coastal Flats is committed to ensuring the highest quality of their food. If we did take-out, we just could not guarantee that the food would arrive home and meet that high quality." Sounds like a canned message from corporate (they must get this question a lot), but I can respect that decision...sounds good to me.

2) Unmovable tables. What does this mean? If you have a large group of people, you'll be sitting in separate booths. Not too conducive for large groups or a get together made up of more than 6 people. If your large group doesn't mind sitting separately, then you should be okay.

I also give the Flats major props as they're very very attentive not just to me and the boss lady, but to our two monkeys. Staff here have always been very receptive and caring to the even the littlest customers by making sure they have everything they need and are more than happy to bring out extra plates so we can share our food with the boys. Awesome job and they do this without giving us the "oh damn breeders with kids" type of look.

On the occasions when I've ordered food other than my favorite beef ribs, the food has been very very good. Salads, appetizers and even their amazing assortment of desserts will make your trip to the Flats a good trip. A plus for coming here during lunch is that the food is prepared quickly and the price...man, you just can't beat eating great food for a very reasonable price!

After my horrible food experience at Gordon Biersch, I have decided that I'll never stray from my beloved Flats....my fat stomach growls for you. :-)

Coastal Flats (Tysons Corner) on Urbanspoon

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Chicken Out - McLean

1443-A Chain Bridge Rd
McLean, VA 22101
(703) 917-8646
http://www.chickenout.com/

Visited:
April 17, 2010




This Chicken Out location is the COMPLETE opposite of the Bethesda Avenue chicken out.

The people are kind, courteous, fast and the whole store is clean and welcoming. Honestly, if you could select this store with a magical giant mouse pointer, click CTRL-C I would then paste a copy of this store right on top of the Bethesda Avenue location (see my other review).

The food was fresh and I was treated the way all customers of a service establishment should be treated. Again, this may make me sound like an elitist snob, but if I'm paying for food I want things to be well made and I want to be treated well...like they want my repeat business.

I ordered a BBQ chicken and coleslaw wrap which was friggin' delicious!!! OMG the combination of the pulled BBQ chicken with the sweet crispy coleslaw was sooooooooo delicious! After a spending a stressful day taking care of one of my boys and spending hours at the doctor, I was starvin and we had nothing at home prepared.

Thankfully the wrap was amazing and really made me wish I had bought two. The second item I picked up was a Santa Fe chicken salad. The Romaine lettuce was fresh and they obviously used all of the best parts for this salad. I wasn't too crazy about the chicken they used for the salad as it was dry breast meat that was under seasoned. The salad dressing appeared to be a simple mix of Tabasco and mayonnaise and there were a few bit of tortilla shells, cheese and corn mixed in with the lettuce.

5-stars for the BBQ Chicken and coleslaw wrap
2-stars for the Santa Fe Chicken salad

Although this location is GREAT and everything about the service was amazing...the Santa Fe Chicken salad and memories of the Bethesda location still have me a bit biased. I don't feel that I can give them a rating higher than 3 stars.

But I'll definitely come back to this location again for another tasty BBQ Chicken and Coleslaw wrap. You can bet your money on that mangg!! :-)

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Amsterdam Falafel Shop

2425 18th Street Nw
Washington, DC 20050
(202) 234-1969
www.falafelshop.com

Visited: March 20, 2010



Balls!
Balls!
Balls!

Everywhere you turn all you see are beautiful crunchy balls. Get you mind outta the gutter! I'm talking about those amazingly fried rotund pieces of ground up chickpeas called Falafel balls. :-)

I was first introduced to Amsterdam Falafel by my wifey (while we were still dating) and was reluctant to try out anything that wasn't served with some piece of dead flesh. To me, veggie food was always a "side items" to a piece of chicken, fish, beef or some other freshly cooked piece of animal carcass. Boy was my world turned upside down after my first experience...

The Falafel balls themselves are good, but what makes Amsterdam Falafel sooooooo good are all of the toppings. Fried cauliflower, fried eggplant, hummus, ground jalapenos, yogurt sauce, tomato sauce...holy crap the list of tasty toppings goes on and on.

As the wife taught me, adding toppings to your Falafel requires some thought and planning. First, crush your balls...your Falafel balls until they're flat. Next, start off with the "dry" toppings such as fried cauliflower or fried eggplant. Once you've added all the dry toppings to your heart's content, work on "thick" toppings that aren't wet like hummus. At the end, top off your mountain of stuff with the "wet" toppings like tomato sauce, yogurt sauce and that tasty group up jalapenos.

All the time while adding your toppings, push the toppings waaaaaaaay down into your pita pocket to make sure you use up every inch of free space. The more you can add, the more toppings you can jam into your pita pocket. The more often you work on your topping technique, the better you'll get...

Next, you MUST order the French fries. Oh man, being a hug fan of the French fries...I eat them to my heart's content. I'll get some of their Dutch mayo and mix it with a 'lil bit of Ketchup to make my tasty pink sauce. The wife and I usually order the "combo" meal which consists of a small Falafel, a small order of fries and a beverage. Awesomeness!

The only thing preventing me from giving Amsterdam Falafel shop 5 stars is the fact that it's tiny and we usually have to wait in 3 lines:
- Line 1 to place our order
- Line 2 to pick up our Falafel
- Line 3 to use the toppings bar

All in all its a tasty place for those people like me that aren't used to full veggie entrees. Plus it's the location of the FIRST UYE I organized AND attended and got to meet some great Yelpers.

If you learn anything from this review and take any bit of information with you, takes these points:

1) Crush your balls
2) Topping technique and planning is key
3) Fries are a must
4) Order the combo meal

Now go forth and spread the word of ball crushin' goodness!!

Amsterdam Falafelshop on Urbanspoon

Pan American Bakery & Grill

4113 Columbia Pike
Arlington, VA 22204
(703) 271-1113
www.panamerican-bakery.com

Visited: April 15, 2010



Ummm...Saltenas. So good, so tasty...

First off, Saltenas are NOT empanadas and they are THE signature food creation of Bolivia (don't let those other South American countries tell you any differently). If you know anything about Saltenas, you must come here. If you know nothing about Saltenas, you must come here. They are always fresh and as a native Saltena eater.....nay, Saltena EXPERT, Pan American makes the best in the VA/DC/Md area.

In addition to the area's best Saltenas, they also have amazing homemade Bolivian soups that are delicious and very satisfying. The value for the buck is amazing and I've always left full, satisfied and happy no matter what I order.

Their pasties are not your usual fare but very goooood. Ask for the "budding" (pronounced boo-deen) which is a typical Bolivian bread pudding.

Ever since switching jobs I miss working close enough to escape here for some chicken or beef Saltenas or a bowl of their tasty soup-of-the-day. If I really wanted to treat myself, I'd order up a freshly made plate of Silpancho (pronounced Sill-pon-cho) which is a piece of steak, pounded until very thin, lightly breaded with breadcrumbs and pan fried...all served with two fried eggs, potatoes, diced tomatoes and onions all on a bed of rice. Friggin' the best!!

I sing the praises of Pan American bakery to everyone I know. Hmmmm...wish I got a dollar for all the Pan American fans I've made and all the business I brought to my favorite Bolivian gem.

These folks make me proud as they're true to the quality and authenticity of their food. If you want a taste of Bolivia, hope on over to Arlington, brave the traffic of Colombia Pike and head into Pan American Bakery & Grill. I assure you that you'll be happy you did!

Pan America on Urbanspoon

Blue Fire Grill

7801 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22043
(703) 893-1340

Visited:
April 15, 2010




The Blue Fire Grille is located inside the newly renovated Westin Tysons Corner hotel. My journey to this location was prompted by the office cafeteria being closed until 7:30am. I was starvin' and decided to head up the street to explore my other option; the Westin Hotel.

As I walked in, I was immediately impressed with how beautiful this once old hotel looked on the inside; beautifully modern and well designed. I headed around the corner of the hotel desk and found the Blue Fire Grille and decided to be a bit adventurous by trying out the breakfast buffet.

Yes...AYCE goodness!

After a quick and obligatory quick inspection of the buffet, i was impressed with the food selection. The fruit looked amazingly fresh and they had everything from scrambled eggs to freshly made French toast or pancakes. Making myself a plate of food, I loaded up on the freshly cut pineapple and strawberries before heading over to the eggs and potatoes.

I topped off my plate with two pieces of French toast and headed back to my table. To my surprised (and I was very impressed), a generous glass of orange juice was waiting for me as was a carafe full of coffee. I dove into my food and was happy with the freshness and flavor of the food, juice and coffee.

The wait staff was very attentive and made sure to keep my orange juice filled and my coffee cup was constantly being topped off. Before I finished my plate, the waiter brought the bill and I had a peek inside.

$18.50 for the breakfast buffet. Are you serious?

Stupid me! I should have asked before diving into the food how much they charged for the buffet. Yes the food was tasty, the service was great but not worthy of $18.50 plus tip. Feeling a bit of buyers remorse and thinking, "I need to get my money's worth" I went back to the buffet line and got a bit more eggs, some smoked salmon and more fruit. If I was paying $18.50 for breakfast, I was going to eat enough to fill me up so I didn't have to eat lunch.

So was the Blue Fire Grille (with its way too cool extra "e" at the end of Grill) worth the money? Enh...me thinks it was okay. Will I go back there? Probably not. The lesson I've learned is to be a bit more patient and wait for the local cafeteria to open before plunking down almost $20 for breakfast.

I sure hope my wife doesn't read this 'cause she will kick my ass for dropping an Andrew Jackson for breakfast...

:-)

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Daily Grill - Tysons 2

2001 International Dr
McLean, VA 22102
(703) 288-5100
www.dailygrill.com

Visited:
April 13, 2010




You know that motto "aim high" or "shoot for the stars"? What would you say if someone or a place had a motto of "aim for mediocrity" or "go for average". It may not be their official motto, but that's what it seems like whenever we come to the Daily Grill.

I'm never unhappy with my food, yet I'm never happy or "wowed" but what I just ate. A bit more clarification for my "C" rating of this place which as you'll see has been graded on a curve. The curve I speak of is the fact that the Daily Grill will bombard you with FREE coupons once you sign up for their eClub mailing list.

I hate to admit it but the only time I've ever stepped foot in the Daily Grill to eat is when they mail me a $15 voucher for my birthday courtesy of my eClub mailing list membership. If I had to pay full price for my mediocre meals, I probably wouldn't be too happy...but would still give them 3 stars.

Today's journey to the Daily Grill was courtesy of my boy Steve "Batman" L. He posted a note that the Daily Grill was offering a free burger to all patrons if you brought in a canned food item. Boo-ya free burgers! We headed over to the Daily Grill with our friend Kathy and her lovely little daughter, the boss lady and our two mini-cupcakes.

As soon as we arrived, the host didn't greet us with a hello but gave us an odd look and asked, "How many canned items do you have?"

"Ummm...5 items, but we only want 3 burgers"

"How many people?"

"3 adults and 3 kids".

"This way sir". He grabbed some menus, some crayons and activity paper for the kids ans showed us to a table next to the entrance. Five minutes later we were welcomed by the waitress and put in our order for our free burgers and some brews.

The kids were hungry and were starting to get a little rowdy, which made the unusually long wait for the food seem even longer. As we waited we saw other groups of people arriving at the restaurant carrying canned goods; the word had gotten out!! Almost 45 minutes later our food arrived and everything seemed a bit cool..not cold, but cool. The onion rings that came with our free burgers were scalding hot but crispy.

We dove into our burgers and the boys destroyed the fries that came with the baby burgers we had ordered for them. Our friend Kathy's cutie daughter dined happily on her burger waving hello to me and calling my name in between her tiny little burger bites.

When we finished our food, I had that C-average feeling...wasn't unhappy and wasn't content. Just "okay". I'm not sure what it is about the Daily Grill but they just don't have that it factor that separates them from all the other steak, burger, potato type American food joints.

Don't get me wrong the ambiance is nice, the place is clean and they do try very hard to aim toward the upscale crowd. Just seems a bit silly to pay $44 for 3 mediocre tasting burgers...which thankfully we didn't.

Paying the bill and tipping generously, we left the Daily Grill and told our Kathy that we'll come back the next time there's some free special or if we get another b-day coupon. Yeah, it may sound cheap but why am I going to pay full price for a place that's not worth the full price?

Based on the average rating and the ratings of other Yelpers, I guess the Daily Grill is doing a great job at being that average type of restaurant.

A+ on being a C student! Way to go!!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Mama Lavash Bakery

2190 Pimmit Dr Ste A
Falls Church, VA 22043
(703) 827-7788

Visited:
April 2010




I've given the freshly made bread many tries. Here's a quick summary:

The Mama Lavash bread is:
1) over priced
2) under flavored (missing something...)
3) not always fresh

There is a local bread maker based in Lorton, VA called Kamawi that makes some AMAZING lavash bread (bread is called "World Famous Flat Bread") and sells it at the Shopper's Food Warehouse in Seven Corners.

I'll post the review later for that Shopper's Food Warehouse because that "World Famous Flat Bread" they carry is like crack...something that the Mama Lavash bread just can't touch.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Five Guys Burgers - Falls Church

2960 Gallows Road
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 560-3483
www.fiveguys.com

Visited:
April 9, 2010



I'm biased...let me get that off my chest right now. If you can't accept this, then scroll past my review or click on the "X" in the upper right hand corner of your window.

What do I mean by biased? Well I used to be a fan of Five Guys and their oh-so-bad-for-you-but-sessy-tasty-burgers. I didn't mind making the drive to Alexandria or to this Gallows Road location provided I had my burger with my choice of toppings and those oh-so-good Frenchie fries.

But...ever since my trip to Ray's Hellburger all that has changed. I can't really justify spending money on a burger who's meat quality is not top top top. I can't justify driving all the way to one of their locations just to get my burger fix, when I could easily hop over to Ray's and stuff my face with a great tasting high quality burger.

Before Ray's, I would've given Five Guys four stars...a big part of that "old" rating was due to the friendly staff of this location, the consistent nature of the burgers (they are tasty) and the fries...OMG the fries.

I equate my change to this:

Your entire life you've driven a little 4-cylinder car and only that car. Yeah you drove the sh*t outta that car and had fun with it, but then comes the day when you step inside a 6-cylinder high-performance sports car. You life changes, your outlook on cars is forever altered and you have a hard time thinking your once cool 4-banger is the shizzy. All you can think about is that 6-cylinder machine and all you want is that car...

Five Guys is that 4-banger and Ray's is my new 6-cylinder love...sorry guys, I'm all "grownz up" and I need me a big-boy burger...

Breaux Vineyards

36888 Breaux Vineyards Ln
Purcellville, VA 20132
(540) 668-6299
www.breauxvineyards.com

Visited:
April 2010




Seriously one of THE best VA vineyards.

The views are spectacular, the wine is tasty (still a bit pricey for locally produced VA wine) but the staff are the best.

When you visit Breaux you'll notice that the layout of the customer centric area is beautifully designed. There are strategically placed trees providing shade, gazebos with tables and many staff keeping the area clean and proper.

I'm never disappointed whenever I visit Breaux and love the drive to this majestic vineyard with hundreds of acres. They grow their own grapes and they make all of their own wine. I find it hard to visit any other VA vineyard when this place has everything I'm looking for.

If you're a dog lover or have a furry companion (no, not your hairy husband or wife), you can bring along your favorite doggy friend. The staff does an amazing job at keeping the ground clean and I've never come across any doggy "surprises" despite all the hairy visitors. Plus, our two monkeys love seeing and playing with all the friendly dogs which often entertains them allowing Mommy and Daddy a few minutes of peace as we enjoy our tasty vino.

So if you do visit Breaux, here are a few hints:
1) Bring your own food; cheese, fruits or nuts but DO buy the freshly baked bread from Breaux. Makes for an even better experience.
2) Arrive early, find a nice spot to setup your blanket in a cool shady area.
3) Do do (Ha! I said doo doo) the wine tasting to sample and get an idea of which Breaux wine you'll enjoy.
4) Grab a bottle of Breaux wine and enjoy yourself and the wonderful view.
5) Relax, take a deep breath and just enjoy yourself, the wine and the company of your loved ones or friends. :-)

I'd give them 5-stars if the prices of their VA produced wine was a bit lower. Just seems a bit high to charge anything over $10 for wine produced in this state when I can go to my local Trader Joe's and pick up a great bottle of French wine for under $7. But I don't hold it against them as I still love visiting Breaux Vineyards and will visit them whenever possible.

Pearmund Cellars

6190 Georgetown Rd
Broad Run, VA 20137
(540) 347-9627
www.pearmundcellars.com

Visited:
April 10, 2011




I am SO tempted to give this place 1 star....Frak it...one star.

Lemme explain.

We arrived there before my other Yelp-a-rino amigos and decided to start on the wine tasting. On the plus side they had a little play area for kids with toys, puzzles and all sorts of things to keep the monkeys entertained.

When we arrived a kid was already playing in this area and the toys were spread out all over the small carpet. We were about 6 feet away from out boys who were happy to play in this little area while we began our wine tasting adventures.

As we began tasting the wine, I was disappointed at the flavor of the home brewed vinos and was not surprised when the wine server informed us that only ONE wine was made on premises with the grapes grown on the Pearmund grounds. All of the other wines are made from grapes bought from other growers in different areas.

-1 star for that bit of information....grow your own grapes!!!!!

As we tasted the various wines, I wasn't impressed with the flavor of the Permund offerings. There was something missing from each wine and every single wine left me wanting "more".

-1 for the not-so-impressive Pearmund wines.

Once we finished up the wine tasting, we bought a bottle to enjoy there ($25 for a bottle of white wine; Viognier) which seemed quite steep for Virginia wine. Seriously, I can get some AMAZING 5-star Italian, French or even Napa CA wine at Trader Joe's for under $6...

Anyway...

Once the other Yelpers finished their wine tasting, we decided to head outside, grab a table and enjoy the mountain views while enjoying some cheese, bread and snacks. Before we headed outside I picked up some of the toys in the play area although the toys were already messy before our arrival. We cleaned up as much as we could before our boys ran outside after some of the other Yelp-a-ronis.

We sat outside, enjoyed the view and tried as best as we could to sip some wine and engage our friends and Yelpers in some fun conversation in between chasing after our monkeys. Thankfully 2nd Ben helped me chase after one monkey and the rest of the Yelpers were kind enough to let our boys engage in some frisbee and football throwing fun.

A few hours later we decided to head home and ran inside to use the loo. As I left the restroom, I notice one Pearmund employee (a lady) giving my boys the most EVIL eye ever. When I reached my wife, she informed me that one of the female employees (the same one giving my boys the nasty look) had lectured her about how we "inconvenienced" her by leaving a mess of the toys in the kid's play area. She told my wife that it took her almost 30 minutes to clean up the toys that WE left laying around.

BULLSHIT!!!!

Listen, I hate to be a d*ck but if you're in the service industry it's YOUR JOB to pick up and clean up. We did not create the mess and I'm sorry if we didn't completely pick up all the toys. But how DARE you criticize us...customers with small children for leaving a few toys laying around.

-1000 stars!!!

With the sub-par wine, nasty looks flashed at my boys and for the lecturing of my wife, my friends and I will NEVER return to Pearmund. We are your customers and if I drop trou, take a sh*t in the middle of your lobby I expect you to clean it up with a smile on your face and then THANK me by saying "Please come again sir".

If that makes me a snobby muthaf*cker then yes, I am that... Never EVER insult a customer and never give nasty looks to little innocent toddlers for being children. With your sub-standard wine, bee infested outdoor area and blase vineyard...you better learn to kiss the ass of all your customers if you want repeat business.

Just know that I've told my Yelp friends to abandon all ideas of returning here and head to Breaux vineyards for a truly memorable VA wine experience.

Pearmund, I have already forgotten about you....

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Outback Steakhouse - Vienna

315 Maple Ave E
Vienna, VA 22180
(703) 242-0460
www.outback.com

Visited:
April 10, 2010




Ewwww....

The ONLY reason we came here (the wife and two little cupcakes) was that we had a gift card and were in the area. I know the steak isn't the best and have even heard that its frozen...a "no no" in my book of meat...

But despite these reservations about Outback we still decided to pay this place a visit. Major disappointment.

We started off our dinner with some crab stuffed shrimp:

The crab "stuffing" was primarily made up of bread and there was only the slightest hint of crab flavor. Being so close to Maryland you would think that Outback could splurge a little and make the crab filling a bit more crabby. The shrimp they used had an texture and slight flavor that slapped my taste buds in the face and yelled, "Hey bizznatchez I'm fro-zen!!"

Rubbery textured shrimp, not a good thing....

Our main course was a 6 ounce steak with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. The mashed potatoes were okay, the veggies were "enh" as they were a bit overcooked but the steak was truly forgettable. Nothing disappoints me more than eating red meat (the few times I do eat it) and tasting nothing...

The steak was bland in flavor and it was evident this was not a great cut of meat. I had ordered the steak cooked to a medium temperature and it was more of a medium well. You know, it's probably a good thing it was a medium well as I wasn't sure about the freshness of the steak.

On the positive side of this Outback, the service was friendly and very attentive. I had a nice tall mug of Blue Moon beer and used that tasty brew to wash down the food and clear my taste buds. As we wrapped up our experience, I noticed that Outback was THE Zagat winner of BEST steakhouse of 2009. As I looked at the fine print, it was "Best CHAIN steakhouse of 2009".

Enh...

Well despite this Zagat rating, never again Outback...never again. Or like Edgar Allan Poe's Raven would so ominously quoth, "Nevermore!"

Shoo raven, shoo...

*** Large black flapping wings stir the air as the Raven departs with my last piece of Outback steak ***

Friday, April 9, 2010

Lost Dog Café & Gourmet Pizza Deli

5876 Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA 22205
(703) 237-1552
www.lostdogcafe.com

Visited: April 2010



Wow, what a change! The last time I had been to Lost Dog Café, the place was tiny, the bar was sticky and the food was tasty. This time, the place is much bigger, cleaner but we did have somewhat of a wait for our food. The major plus is that with their new expansion/re-model, you no longer have to wait a long time for a table.

The place is much brighter and just feels much cleaner than it did before. Don't get me wrong, I could care less about how clean a place is...especially if I'm just imbibing on some cold cerveza. Just a plus to have the place really turn around for the better in case I ever decide to take the boss lady and the two monkeys.

Today's outing to Lost Dog Café was last-minute and I was joined by fellow Yelpers Steve L, Fenny L and Ben "1st Ben" M. The only people to give into the cerveza urge was Steve and yours truly which was a welcome lunchtime treat after a brain stewing week at work.

We laugh, we joked and our stomachs grumbled as we waited for our food to come outta the kitchen. I deducted 1.5 stars for the wait as I don't remember ever waiting this long for food to come outta the Lost Dog Café kitchen.

When the food finally arrived I was happy that the Italian Waffle fries were hot, crispy and very tasty. My sandwich (The Cowboy) was a little light on the meat and garlic and had very thin slices of Bree cheese melted on top. Major props to the Lost Dog Café for the baguette bread used for the sammiches; it was so fresh and tasted amazing. There's nothing worse than crumbly old stale baguette bread...ugh.

Thankfully the ingredients in my Cowboy Sandwich (warm roast beef, garlic, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, garlic and melted Bree) were all tasty. Just wish the darn thing had a bit more meat inside, but all together a very tasty meal.

It's still a great place to grab a frosty cold brew and to have a sandwich or pizza combination that will give you a break from the standard "boring" fast food chain places. I just wish we were there on the weekend and had someone else to drive so I could enjoy more than just one tasty brew.

Based on this experience and past experiences, Lost Dog Café will always have a special place in my cold little heart.

**woof**
****woof***
--B*tches!--
******woof******
********woof*****

Oh yeah, best part of today's lunch was seeing Fenny book outta the parking lot doing 40 mph in order to get to her meeting in time. Thanks for putting up with all of us Fenster!! :-)