Tommy Thai (Franconia-Springfield) [CLOSED]

Tucked away in an anonymous shopping center is Tommy Thai -- a place you pass by, say "Tippy Thai" or "Sada Te", laugh and roll on by.  At least that's what we did dozens of times before M's friend said it's really good. So we go. Are we ever glad we did.

We go in, and it looks good enough. We're seated very quickly and look over the menu -- typical Thai restaurant menu end to end. That's not a bad thing, but something to note. We decide to go with 2 appetizers and 1 meal.

Appetizer 1 - Dumplings
These seafood balls tucked away in a rice-noodle pouch set a good tone for what was to come.  They could be enjoyed with or without the simple, but tasty, sauce. Delicate fishy scent, but without an overpowering "fish" flavor. Yum!

Appetizer 2 - Satay
Fantastic. Simply awesome. The chicken was the juiciest pieces of chicken L thinks he ever had (and being from GA, that's really saying a lot). Well marinaded where you could taste the marinade and the chicken evenly. Nice! The side peanut sauce was very tasty, with a little bit of extra flavor. Get two orders and you could leave happy. There. Said, and believe it. Took M

Main course - Spicy Basil
In some ways, this was the perfect complement to appetizers. The two were so exciting, that a calmer, measured spicy basil pork with rice posed a nice change of pace. Simple and straight forward, the chef knew how to be sensitive to the spiciness. The waiter said 3.5 stars sounded right, and boy, was he on the money.  "It tips on that edge between medium and hot. The spicing is perfectly done." While the pork itself did not have succulence or juiciness, in the context of the dish it still was fine.  Better to be slightly overdone than under.

Portion size was just right.  Otherwise, with two main courses, we should order one each. It's just enough. We should likely go during lunch when possible.


Cost 
$$

Cleanliness 
Very clean.

Service
Great service by Bill. He was a hoot and really seemed to engage with the customers (L listened out for it)

Pluses 
Satay
Well-handled spices (big plus)
Good service (this cannot be underestimated)
Nicely lit (daytime)
Satay

Minuses
Portion could have been a little bigger on the entree
Would be nice if they offered beef, lamb or pork satay and not just chicken
Would have been nice with a cucumber sauce (ask M if uncertain what the heck this means)
No skinny noodles...prevalent issue in NoVA/DC area

Overall value
Better than average value because the food is really good. However, for Thai there are several "nice to haves" that would make this better. On the whole (and especially the DC metro area), there's few that are this good.  Bonus points because they can make sweet tea using simple sugar.

Bacchus (Buffalo, NY)

Fantastic. A go-to place in Buffalo.  A little foo-foo upscale so put on your sweater vest, but relaxing.

Fabulous food (we had a three-course restaurant week special and loved it):
M - Steak and eggs, cheesecake
L - Butternut Squash Risotto, chocolate cake

Both absolutely awesome. M has a nice fitting wine (and given the slip (we'll know what that means)).  If you are there during restaurant week, please treat yourself! If you have the time and money, it's a very nice place to eat without having to suit up.

Price - $$$ (Maybe on restaurant week you can get it below $50 for two, but really, don't short yourselves)
Value - Above par.  Definitely worthwhile.

Rice & Spice Thai (Ft. Belvoir)

After eating noodles at ChinaTown Express, the noodle craving got bigger. We (M and L) remembered that there was a Thai place near Olympians. After seeing good enough ratings on Yelp, we thought, "why not" and went to check it out.

Blah blah...no one in the restaurant...blah blah...not great seats...blah blah...average menu. The point is the food was pretty dang good.

M has the Lard Da w/chicken (stir-fried with rice noodles and Chinese broccoli in gravy). Quite tasty and they'll spice it up to the level you desire. Be warned they put a lot of gravy in this, so it's more like thai chicken with wide noodles in gravy soup. The food is better than it sounds, but it's a little off-putting on first glance.

L has the Rice & Spice Noodles, which we both agree looked and tasted like Pad Thai over lettuce(?!?).  Really good, though. Not spicy, though I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige.

Anyways, the wide noodles. If you've had Thai wide noodles, you think you know what you're in for. But these wide noodles are best described like this: lasagna sized noodles bathed in a tasty broth. They are relatively uncut, so you get this super-large "noodles" mixed with yumminess. The wide noodles are fantastic, and we both know we don't generally prefer/like wide noodles.

Cost
$$

Cleanliness
Clean.

Service
Good, but we were the only ones...

Pluses 
Good noodles, esp. for wide noodles
Large portions (we could split a plate)

Minuses
No music or anything in the restaurant
Little atmosphere

Overall value
Worthwhile.

ChinaTown Express (DC Chinatown)

Fresh noodles. So I'm a sucker for any place that is making something on site like noodles, pasta or even dough fresh/handmade. A colleague suggested this place, as I was craving noodles. The DC area seriously lacks for a good noodle place. This may not be the place, but it wasn't bad.

We ordered noodles (L = noodle soup; friend = fried noodles). Also, we got the steamed pork buns, which were okay. I prefer fried dumplings but whatever. I wouldn't order them but I wouldn't not eat them either.

The noodle soup:  Noodles were thick, which was a little surprising. They were slight overdone, too, but I prefer overdoneness on thicker noodles, so this wasn't an issue.  What was an issue was the bland flavor of the soup. This isn't anything to write home about, but at the same time, the noodles themselves were good enough that I'd come back if I had a craving or someone wanted to come here.

The fried noodles: He said, "The noodles were good; not great."

Cost
$-$$

Cleanliness
Didn't really pay attention and not sure I want to.

Service
Servicable.

Pluses 
Price
Fresh noodles

Minuses
It's overall just an average experience

Overall value
Not bad. Again, would come back in a pinch or if someone else wanted to go. It's not terrible, though.

Carlyle (Shirlington)

A higher-end casual restaurant we somewhat frequent, , especially to celebrate special occasions, located on the marquee corner in Shirlington. This was the first DC-area restaurant we ate at.

Still haven't tried the brunch, but hear it's great.

Cost
$$$

Cleanliness
Clean

Service
Good service (more times than not -- this may be slipping...grrrr)

Pluses 
Filet mignon - some of the best anywhere.
Crab cakes - some of the best anywhere.
And that they occasionally offer the two above together...GOLD!
Outdoor seating
Location

Minuses
Price makes it prohibitive. But for the special nights, this is a nice place because the food is excellent.
No upstair bathroom (minor but annoying)

Overall value
Good for a nice night out. They make the food well and seem to use good ingredients. Service and seating can be tough on the busy nights. Go during non-peak hours.

Clyde's (DC - Gallery Place)

L got sick here. That's really all we need to say.

Cost
$$$

Minuses
Steak didn't seems to be NY strip...

Overall value
L got sick after eating here. What else is there to say.

The Original Pancake House (Falls Church)

Not the one that was on 7, but the new one on 29.  What an improvement.

We went sometime in 2009/10 to the one on 7. Then, the food was good, but the place was tightly packed, poorly lit, with terrible parking. Now the place is bright, well-spaced and plenty of parking.

We've been twice in the past few months and the food is great and the service is pretty good, too.

L - 1st visit - Praline (seasonal) pancakes; 2nd - Pumpkin pancakes
M - 1st - Cinnamon apple pancakes; 2nd - Buckwheat-GA pecan pancakes

Thoroughly enjoyed both visits. We do take our own maple syrup, because no one offers it... (boo!)

Peeking over at other tables, their omelets are obscene. They look to be 8" round and 2 1/2" thick. Packed with whatever its filling is. Eating one on your own may make for happy taste buds but an unhappy heart.

Cost
$$

Cleanliness
Very clean.

Service
Great.

Pluses 
Really good food
Friendly staff
Bright and open tables

Minuses
Distance
Price...maybe?

Overall value
Good value and it's probably lucky that it's not close or we'd be here very often.

Aladdin's Eatery (Shirlington) [CLOSED]

What's for lunch/dinner?  Aladdin's Eatery.

The travesty of frequenting places you enjoy is that you may miss the tastiness right next door.  That's what's been happening for us by going to Shirlington for Carlyle and Capital Brewery. Just a few doors down has been a terrific Mediterranean place: Aladdin's Eatery. We ordered way too much...but it's research, right?

So, we've been twice now and this location is extremely delicious.  They have such a variety of things that this place can easily answer the question of "What do you want to eat?"  Because if you don't want wraps, then just the meat and rice. If you don't want that, get a salad. Not if that? Pita pitza.  Or go for a smoothie. Real  good.  (Almost as good as the ones M makes at home. Both use yogurt. Very tasty.) Or a dessert. The tiramisu is delectable. They use a non-alcohol liqueur substitute. Whatever it is, it is makes theirs even more delicious.

First visit

Appetizer - Vegetarian Combo
A sampling of all your favorites! Hummos, Tabouli, Baba, Falaffel, and Dawali.

Obviously, L has not had GOOD falaffel. Awesome. And the tabouli was delectable. Actually it was all quite delicious. This could be a meal in itself, if you really want to eat all that hummos and baba.

L - Aladdin's Favorite Combo
Beef Kafta, Shish Kabob, and Chicken Tawook served on a bed of seasoned white rice with vermicelli. Served with mixed greens, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and your choice of dressing.

 A LOT of food here.  Each meat was very good and well-seasoned for our tastes. The side salad was fresh, but the one complaint -- didn't like the dressing option. Basically a boatload of oil with seasonings at the bottom and no good way to get it out well-suspended. Nonetheless, the meal is a good value and can be shared.

M - Taza Chicken Salad
A flavorful mix of freshly chopped spinach and romaine, squash, zucchini, grapes, dried cranberries, tomatoes and chopped marinated grilled chicken, tossed with our Honey Dijon dressing and topped with pine nuts and feta cheese.

Again, a BIG salad with very fresh veggies. Can't go wrong and, again, is probably too much for one. Split this and an appetizer and two can eat well.

Second visit, two rolled pitas: the Shishtawook and the Dawali Rolled. Both very good. The turnips in the Shishtawook are an interesting twist, but it works. And they toast the pitas, which we both like.  This place will be frequented.

More visits: Their baklava is tremendous. It is NOT Greek-style, but made with a honey/candied "shredded wheat like" outside with candied pistachios in the center. Absolutely fantastic.

Cost
$$ ($30-35.  The issue is that while the plates and a drink are around $10 each, you'll get a dessert or smoothie or appetizer or something because it's just that good.  All of the sudden, bang! you're at $30+.)
BEWARE THE $6 SIDE OF RICE...

We did finally squeeze out a $25 visit with plenty of food, but that's the best you'll probably do for two.

Cleanliness
Notably clean

Service
Good service. Attentive waiter who was relatively patient with us (both times) -- Wally, you rock!

Pluses 
Fresh food
Big portions
Wide selection
Friendly staff
Nice atmosphere
Outdoor seating
Tasty tiramisu
Fantastic baklava
A good place for a salad (finally!)

Minuses
That dressing - can they do something about that?
$6 side of rice - are you kidding? it's real good, but seriously...

Overall value
For the area and the quality of the food, it is a good value for the price. It is not cheap, but it's less than Carlyle and just as tasty, which makes it easier to have an excuse to go into Shirlington.

Dor-Stop (Pittsburgh - Dormont off W. Liberty)

We love breakfast, and (obviously, given our last few posts) we love diners. This place is just awesome. Very tasty food that it seems the people cooking actually care about what you are putting in your mouth. It's refreshing when you can tell that while dining.

If this place isn't a Pittsburgh institution, it should be, and after 20 years, it should be.

M had their hot meatloaf sandwich. L generally shies away from meatloaf. It was divine ("though, not as good as my Mom's." -M).

L had their apple walnut pancakes. So fresh, so tasty, so apple-y! Everything tasted fresh -- the potatoes, the eggs, everything.

It was packed! The waitress was nice even on a very busy day. And the layout is very tight, so this has to be stressful for the waitresses.

We met a couple their with the family and kids. They said they loved going to eat here as often as they could. With kids, it's pricey. For DC'ers, it seemed regular dining pricing ($20-25 for two with tip). We're reminded: A) How lucky we are we can eat out and try all these new places, and B) How different pricing can be. For me (L), that gets lost in writing these up. While this is for us, we shouldn't take this for granted. They were very nice people, too.

Cost
$$

Cleanliness
Notably clean, but very tightly packed

Service
Good.

Pluses
The food
Nice people

Minuses
Tightly packed seating
Street parking

Overall value
Definitely a bright spot and the positive online ratings are well deserved. We would definitely try to get back next time we're in Pgh.

Eat'n Park (Pittsburgh - Dormont/W. Liberty)

M's favorite Eat'n Park. LOVES the SuperBurger because of their "sauce supreme." While I fully doubt the sauce master cannot recreate this, "the sauce to sandwich ratio cannot be replicated. It simply is not the sum of its parts. It's near magical." (Note: any of you readers really have no idea how spot-on M is in recreating nearly any sauce. -L) Granted, M is right -- there is no place we've eaten at (and that's a LOT of places) that does the "sauce supreme" on their burger and that alone does make it special. And it's a darn tasty burger!

The other nice thing about Eat'n Park -- and I'm speaking to you who miss the "old" Shoney's -- you'll LOVE Eat'n Park. They have a breakfast bar. And it's good. There's history we won't go into. Keep in mind that this blog's for us to remember places... Ah, memories.

Cost 

$$

Cleanliness
Clean-ish. I'm sure some days are better than others.

Service
I'm sure some days are better than others.

Pluses 

The one-and-only SuperBurger.
Breakfast bar.
Nice diner feeling.

Minuses 

Service and cleanliness are spotty.
Can definitely be on the spendy side.

Overall value

Nostalgia, my friends. If it's just another eatery to you, then you likely can find other places, but there's something about this place for us.

Primanti Brothers (Pittsburgh - Strip District)

Don't quite get the fuss. Okay -- so cole slaw and fries are all IN the sandwich... *blink-blink* Curious if they've changed the cole slaw over the years to be less !!cole slaw!! and more cabbage and mayo.

 

The prices are pretty reasonable (approx. $6/sandwich) and the meats were fresh, tasty, and plentiful. So kudos to them for that. But again, what's the fuss? We've tried it, and at the original shop (though HIGHLY renovated to more than double the size and very tourist friendly), so we can now say, "Yeah, we've been there, too". But, we're not going out of our way to go back.

The murals were awesome and framed newsprints from famed sports icons took M back years.  The remodel was beautiful but removes the "old diner" flavor.

Cost 

$-$$

Cleanliness
Pretty clean. It's a diner-style place; hole-in-the-wall. Immaculate in that case. We sat at the bar so we saw first-hand the main cook area.

Service
Uncool. We should have stayed at the bar in the other area. This isn't The South, so expectations shouldn't be high. See sentence 2 in "cleanliness", though surprising for a tourist joint. 

M says back in the day, there was an old man yelling and there was a diner-esque charm to that -- "I'm eating down with the WORKERS." That charms gone -- sterilized.

Pluses 

Large portions of meat.

Fresh and hot off the grill.

Mostly open kitchen.

Quick service.

Minuses 

Cash only.
Sterile feeling despite local color and visual character. Maybe we should have sat on the other side (bar side)...

Overall value

Price-wise, it's average to good. It's an experience. For us, there's nothing calling us back.
MAY go back for the breakfast special, but Lidia's breakfast special (on the Strip near the new Wholey's) looked very intriguing.

Abi II (Huntington)

Salt and cilantro -- two great tastes that taste great...in moderation.  We can't overemphasize the moderation. We started with yuca con chicharones. Yuca! We love it. Fresh. Abi's version...not fresh, but freezer fresh...yum...ugh. Stale, frozen, and (given fried) a slight fishy flavor.  Not what we hoped for by any means. Chicharones! So hit or miss.  Abi's version...eh.  Fatty (go figure), but it was too chewy.

M ordered los gemelos (con pollo y carne).Tasty. Filled with good, slow-cooked (stewed?) meat. Nice, thin (but not too thin, just right!) tortilla. Plentiful portion! If it can be without cilantro, it'd be even better. Served with guac and sour cream. Too much cilantro, and after a while, the saltiness came through.

L ordered chuletas (pork chops). Served with beans and rice and topped with peppers and onions and a sauce that seemed like the juices, which is good in theory.  But the chop was drowning in this mix. It was like a game of find the chuleta.  And when it was found, then there was the challenge of finding the meat in the midst of bone and fat...quite a bit of fat.  Disappointing. Oh, did I mention that the chuleta and sauce were extremely salty? The beans were good as was the rice.

Cost 

$$

Cleanliness
Clean

Service
So-so. Would have liked to have a peek-in a couple more times.

Pluses 

Chips were great. The food is more authentic than many other places. Diverse amount of dishes. Open space in the restaurant. Large portions.

Minuses 

Food quality. Salt. Cilantro.

Overall value

Below average. It's a shame because we really want to like this place, but there are too many drawbacks and several options to settle for poor quality food.

Cafe La Ruche (Georgetown) [CLOSED]

Visited under the advice of a friend.  Pretty much the online reviews are on target.  A little expensive for what it is and definitely for poor service.  The greatest sin though was the thrown-together nature of the food. It's a casual cafe/bistro, so we understand that the presentation may be more...leisurely.  However, there is a line. Putting a Caesar salad on the same gravy-covered plate as the main dish is one way to cross that line.  It brazenly expresses laziness on the part of the preparer. It screams, "We don't think you care about your food. You'll eat anything on your plate, you stupid American. Now, give me your money." Or, "We've only got one waitress, and we're not buying or washing anymore plates than we have to. You'll take it and you'll like it." It's a shame, too, because supposedly the desserts are excellent (we didn't try any), and the food overall was okay (though not a value). The cordon bleu was tasty. The Caesar dressing was tasty (the pieces sans GRAVY, that is). However, the filet mignon seemed more like hanger steak...and likely was. And M would not prefer any respectable place ask how we want the filet mignon. The potatoes were fantastic, though.

Cost 

$$-$$$ (borderline, so read this be at least $45-50 w/tip for two)

Cleanliness
Clean

Service
Not good. Good luck getting refills on something as simple as water. Also, we had to wait to be seated when the place was at most half full outside and almost empty inside. The place was not that busy, but we were definitely not the only ones who had to wait. It's not that the waitress was horrible (she was pleasant enough), but there was only one of her.

Pluses 

Another patron noted the place is almost never packed, so seating is rarely a problem -- though expect a wait nonetheless.

Minuses 

Lack of contentiousness.

Poor service, despite staff.

Overall value

Poor. The theme here is "laziness". The food wasn't bad but seemingly slapped together. We could spend 25-50% less somewhere else and eaten food just as good. Or spent just as much elsewhere and received much better service and a slightly better meal.

Obrycki's (Baltimore - near Fells Point) [CLOSED]

"Longtime crab house Obrycki's will close its Pratt Street doors in [Nov/Dec 2011], ending a six-decade run of serving seafood" - Baltimore Sun, December 7, 2010

Crab houses are not well rated in Baltimore, and this was supposed to be one of the better ones.  Half tourist-trap, half-destination that is was a feature in one of the early Homicide episodes made it a place to at least try.  It's one of the "1000 places to see before you die" according to Patricia Schultz, and "Influential New York Times critic Craig Claiborne was particularly fond of Obrycki's, writing in a 1983 travel piece, 'Olde Obrycki's [is] to my mind one of the greatest crab houses in America, which is to say the world.'"  The world!  And it's closing after this season ("'for quality of life' reasons" says the Sun, and good for them if that's true, especially in the Crime City "Charm City").  So we had to try it...and we were not disappointed.

Tucked in a lot between the row houses and anonymous businesses along the Pratt St stretch south of the Inner Harbor, this place doesn't look like much from the outside.  Parking is in a $10 pay lot (5 w/restaurant validation) catty-corner from the restaurant.  But inside is a more welcoming look in a pretty spacious restaurant with (at least) two rooms split by the waiting area/bar.

The food:

Being with our visiting good friend T,  M suggested we get in-shell crab as an appetizer so that way everyone gets a "crack" at fresh crab before going off into the world of broiled and fried crab cakes.  It was a good idea.

Dungeoness crab (1 lb) – Tasty.  Light on meat (surprisingly) but good nonetheless.  (The blue crab season had not started (April-Nov) and the dungeoness is still in season (Nov-June), though on the tail end of it. Dungeoness was the best choice at this time according to the good people at Monterey Bay - Pittsburgh.)

Crab Imperial – "Jumbo lump and backfin crab meat in a rich sauce accented with sherry and broiled".  Good, almost very good. L did not like the “rich sauce” as much as M did ("it was a nice change of pace [to the broiled crab cake]").  Would have liked bigger lumps instead of a finer shredding.

Crab duet – Two fried crab cakes - one regular and one deviled.  Very good.  M liked that it was lightly fried with just enough breading and egg to hold it together.  Not greasy or heavy and seasoned well.  L preferred these over the imperial because of the nice seasoning to them.

All meals (except the dungeoness) came with asparagus and potatoes.  The asparagus was really good by all eaters.  Firm (not wimpy), clean, fresh, with a slightly detectable marinade that brought out its flavor -- it was a highlight in a meal full of good eats.  Baked potatoes were really good (not Yukon golds, dirty, or overly salted) and not so mushy as to essentially be mashed potatoes in skin.

Except possibly the crab imperial (as noted above), the cakes had a creaminess that was just enough without overdoing it.

And the portions were great.  Each of us (unfortunately) had food left.  It was just too much!

Cost
$$$ (seafood + tourist area + actually being good...what would you expect?)

Cleanliness
Clean

Service
All things considered, it was okay.  It wasn't very welcoming but it wasn't off-putting and we weren't ignored.  We were relatively left alone, given space.  It felt like very "northern", very "Baltimore".  You're not going to be coddled but you're not going to get bad/rude service (it's not Dick's).  Guarded is the best word.

Pluses 

The crab cakes.  The asparagus.

They don't use Old Bay.

They don't feel compelled to overly season EVERYTHING.  Still left everything flavorful.

Minuses
The prices are high, even for seafood.  Add 10% to everything you'd expect to pay.
This location will close by 2012.

Overall value

Good and we'll like go back during blue crab season to make a day of the Inner Harbor and tasty crab.

There's a BWI location and, really, they're going to just relocate to a smaller lot in Arundel Mills.  In addition to likely lower rent, that "quality of life..." statement may be excluding a key part of the thought: "...in the heart of Baltimore".

Oriental Cafe (Rosehill) [CLOSED]

Big Note: Fish flavor everywhere.  Tragic really. We have no Chinese place to go now...


Prior Review
These are the types of postings we may end up hating.  The go-to places that are terrific, but then people catch wind of the best kept secret, and it becomes a shell of what it once was.  But we'll take the risk.

This place has good, cheap Chinese food.  Americanized, yes, but it really hits the spot when we're craving fried rice, especially because of their Thai dishes.  Good for lunch or dinner.  Large portion, as they should be.

Common dishes we like:  Thai basil, Szechuan chicken, veggie fried rice, chicken fried rice
Notable dishes:  Thai fried rice (with lime is unexpectedly good), Jade chicken (fried)
Latest new dish:  Beef tenderloin w/house sauce.  Served on a hot plate.  Ask for half the sauce next time.

Cost -- $$
Service -- Good.  They know us and are always friendly.
Cleanliness -- Clean

Pluses:
1) Wide range of food types - "traditional", thai, and hong-kong style (though we wonder about its authenticity)
2) Fantastic potstickers
3) They always have coupons

Minuses:
1) Generally not spicy enough on non-Szechuan entrees

Overall -- Great!
Expecting many return visits.  However, if we were not so close by, it likely would not be worth driving long distances to eat here.

The Warehouse Bar & Grill (Old Town Alexandria)

Steak and seafood place in the middle of Old Town, white tablecloth, yadayada (pricy).  The tables are tightly packed.  Mostly steak or seafood fare.  Bottom line:  This place is NOT a destination point...

Caesar salad -- bland bland bland.  Leafy, but no tang or zest. Adding table pepper just made it a black pepper salad...
Baby Spinach, Gorgonzola & Spicy Glazed Pecans salad -- probably the highlight of the night.  Slices of Granny Smith apples made nice sweet and sour contrast, though sweeter apples may have been more appropriate (or have both).

Surf-n-turf -- Medium rare filet top sirloin came out medium well, dry, dry, dry.  Crab cakes were good enough, though likely a Cisco special.
New York Strip -- Medium was medium(-ish).  14 oz. "cab" strip with cracked black peppercorn bordelaise and creamy potatoes ---  More like cracked black peppercorn on a bed of steak and hardened potato dome with negligible creaminess (though, the potatoes were a'ight because of their "potatoyness").

To remember:

• Either the cook doesn't know how to cook steaks or else the server does not want to bother with clarifying if the order was "medium rare" or "medium WELL" like confusing the two is not a problem...
• Everything is in a sauce!
• And the sauce was like thickened drippings (to use an actual culinary term would validate it).  The research chefs at Cisco would be proud.

Cost
$$$ > $50 WITH a free entree...

Cleanliness
Not notable...though, the better half said it best: "It felt like there was 'secret dinge'."

Service
** - Notably sub-par
It is unacceptable at a fine dining restaurant like this one that the server who brings water would not only reach over the food while pouring (heaven forbid he use his other hand to pick up the glass...it's not THAT fancy of a place by any means), he didn't care when his pitcher was millimeters from the food. 

That neither steak were cooked "to order" either goes on the server or the cook, but I give the benefit of the doubt to neither.  Both were sub-par.




Pluses 
Crab cakes were edible enough, but there are much options elsewhere.  The pecan salad was very tasty.

Minuses
Nearly everything else.

Overall value
A bargain at twice the price...  Ugh!

The Carlyle is much more consistent, with better service, spacing and much better steak-n-cakes(TM) (<< I've claimed this!).  Old Ebbitt's crab cakes blow these out of the water.  Grace (Ft. Worth, TX) is on a whole 'nother level in terms of...well...everything.  The Carlyle is much better at the same price point.

El Paso (Rt 1 Mt Vernon)

El Paso is a sit-down, chain Mexican restaurant, but this location is our favorite (especially compared to the one in Woodbridge).  Aside from the always friendly service, the food is generally well-seasoned and well-made.  While they do have a slight tendency to over-sauce some of their food, it's generally not an issue.

Notable dishes: Carne Guisada, Chicken Colorado, also they serve arroz con gandules(!)
Dish to avoid:  T-bone (dry and grisly - very disappointing given their other entrees are consistently well prepared)

Cost -- $$
Service -- Very good people.  Andres is always nice, very professional and personable.  Rosa is always says hello and works very diligently.
Cleanliness -- Notably clean.

Pluses
1) Very consistent in terms of preparing the more seasoned foods
2) Good happy hour food specials

Minuses
1) Special steak dish was awful

Overall -- Very good
And worth driving a little out of the way to eat here