Ashburn Reviews

My Thai Place

2008-07-07T07:39:00.011-04:00

My Thai Place
42385 Ryan Road, # 104
Brambleton, VA

Location: Near Nicks. In Brambleton. Close to the movie theater.

In its fanciness, for me My Thai Place is slightly troubling. The best way to describe the decor I think is Industrial Hoity-Toity. The place has gray concrete floors with white walls and exposed pipes painted white with a large padded white bench that covers one wall. The sides of the bar are covered with river rocks lighted in a blue light. And the bar is flanked with large (very clean) mirrors with alcohol bottles sitting in front of the mirrors. Above the seating area, hanging just under the exposed pipes, is a large crystal chandelier. Over all My Thai Place feels a bit sterile. For my husband's and I's visit last week, we found it a bit hard to relax while we were eating there.

That being said, the food was very good and reasonably priced. Probably I would say it was the best Thai food in the area.

My husband and I shared the steamed dumplings. I had the Kaprow (very flavor basil beef) with the Tom Yum chicken soup(spicy chili clear broth with chicken and mushrooms - I always add rice to it and take out the mushrooms). My husband had fried rice and an egg roll. We thought all the food was great.

The service was also good. We got there just before 3 not knowing that they close for an hour and a half between 3 and 4:30 - and the hostess or the waiter said nothing about the time, and sat us anyhow and served us with a smile. I think that is really great. It shows that they want to have customers.

I am excited to try more food here. The dinner menu looks awesome. We weren't too adventurous because it was our first visit and it was lunch. But I'm hoping a 2nd visit will make the atmosphere more comfortable.

I did notice on their web site that they have free delivery. That may be a good option for some. I don't think I live close enough.

~ Reader's Pick ~

2008-07-01T12:24:00.005-04:00

There is a new feature on Ashburn Reviews. On the right side of every page are Restaurant Polls. Here is a chance for you to tell me what YOU think. All you have to do is keep eating and vote.

Vintage 50 Restaurant & Brew Lounge

2008-07-01T08:55:00.007-04:00

Vintage 50
50 Catoctin Circle NE #100
Leesburg VA 20176
Phone: (703) 777-2169

Location: In Leesburg. This is where the Thoroughbreds restaurant was. It is located in an office building, off route 7, behind the shopping center that has the Pier One and the Giant.

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I should start off by saying that I just saw The Next Food Network Star where the judges tested the participants on how descriptive they could be about food. This has made me a bit self-conscious about what I say here. I'm going to try and be more broad in my descriptive terminology. :)
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My husband and I ate her a week or so ago.

If the service wasn't so horrible, I would have given this place 4 stars. The food was overall scrumptious. BUT for appetizers and dessert ONLY, we had a 2 and a half hour meal. The waiter kept coming outside to do things but completely ignored our table. Each time we needed something, we had to call him over; for water, for silverware, for dessert, for the beer, for everything. I don't think our waiter once stopped by to check on us. At one point, when we asked the waiter for more water, he gave us the nastiest stare like he was thinking "cannot you see I'm busy?" It was uncool.

For our visit we sat outside. It was a nice sunny evening. Towards the end of the meal, some live music started. 2 guys and 2 guitars. They played well. The lead one made emotional faces when he sang... he was fun to watch.

Although Vintage 50 has an extensive menu, a lot of the entrees looked complicated and had fancier ingredients then we were ready for that day. Like the short ribs had wild mushrooms on it and the flat iron steak had truffled-mashed potatoes and bitter greens, and the tenderloin has a sesame-chickpea puree. So instead of getting the entrees, we stuck with appetizers. (Now after trying the appetizers and liking them, we will probably dive into trying some of the fancy entrees next time.)

These are the appetizers that we got:
- Chili Pepper Shrimp
- Wings
- Pierogis
- Pretzel Twist
- Grilled Watermelon and Goat Cheese salad

The shrimp was expensive but great. $10. I think there were 4 of them. They straighten and had a crispy outer wrapper. They came with a sweet dipping sauce.

The wings were good. They were breaded and fried - so it was like having mini fried chicken. The wings came with a bbq sauce or a sweet sauce. We got both sauces on the side. Both were tasty but we liked the sweet one better.

Pierogis are half-circle dumplings - sort of like a large ravioli - stuffed with cheese and potatoes. The ones at Vintage 50 came with a very tasty mix of roasted peppers and caramelized onions on top and a sauce that I don't recall what was in it. The pierogis were warm and sweet.

The pretzel twist came out warm in a basket and was served we 3 kinds of mustard. We enjoyed this one a lot and we will probably get this each time we come to Vintage 50.

As a last minute addition, I added the grilled watermelon and goat cheese salad to our order. I'm glad I did. It was very delightful and unexpected. I thought the cheese would have come out crispy... but actually it came out in a small circle disk with a breading on the outside and warm and mushy on the inside. The combination of just a little bit of that cheese though with the slightly warm watermelon was very appetizing. It was served with just a bit of baby green too. It all just went so well together.

Vintage 50, in addition to being a restaurant is also a brewery, so we also shared one of their "Catoctin Kolsh" beers. It was good and light and refreshing. I would like to try their "Devils Due" beer next time. It has some sugar in it.

Since the appetizers were so good, we decided to try for dessert too. Unfortunately, I cannot rave about the dessert as much... because it was just okay. In addition I cannot stress how LONG it took to get the dessert. It could have easily been 30 to 40 minutes after we asked for it that it came. My husband and I shared the spring sundae and the strawberry shortcake.

The spring sundae was not at all what we expected. There were 3 little brownies with a little bit of ice cream on them. We had the chocolate ice cream on top. The sundae was supposed to come with "assorted fruit sauce" but sadly there was no sauce on our ice cream. Maybe there was some chocolate syrup, I don't recall. It was pleasant but nothing to write home about.

The strawberry shortcake was even more disappointing. I think some of the strawberries that came on it were frozen (then thawed). The dessert also came with a flavorless meringue cookie which I'm 90% sure that it came from a box. The whole thing was just not good and too expensive for what we got.

The good news is that Vintage 50 serves Gifford's ice cream - and that is pretty good ice cream. So in the future, I'll just get a big bowl of that for dessert and skip all this fancy stuff.

Also I should mention that we walked inside to give ourselves a tour of the place... and the inside looks very lovely. It reminds me of Cafe Deluxe in Tysons. Kind of fancy, kind of comfortable, a lot of wood tones, white table cloths.

I'm hoping the service drama was just a fluke. It is so nice to have a restaurant like this where the chef really seem to care about what he is serving.

Blackthorne Inn & Restaurant

2008-06-23T08:50:00.008-04:00

The Blackthorne Inn
10087 John S. Mosby Highway
Upperville, Virginia 20184-1742

Location: Upperville

Upperville isn't that close. Down route 50, it is about an hour away. But if you do the drive right - down 606 to 50, it is a very lovely drive. Great for a nice evening or sunny day.

Saturday night, we joined friends for a lovely dinner at Blackthorne. There were 6 of us. We had made a reservation. If you drive all that way - I would suggest you too make a reservation.

Blackthorne is a very nice beautiful restaurant located in an old building with tons of charm.

The land around it is just breathtaking. Trees and land and a lake. Blue Ridge mountains in the distance.

The oddest thing about Blackthorne to me is that once we walked in through the front door, we walked through 2 dinning rooms of people eating (a table in each one) before we met the hostess. It looked as though we were actually walking through people's dinning rooms - in their houses - or like TV sets. It was hard to know if the right thing to do was to look forward and ignore them or glance around normally. I opted to do both.

After that initial oddity, we were sat. And from the moment we were sat till the end, what a lovely experience we had.

Our waitress was amazing and incrediably attentive. What struck me was that each time I dirtied my fork, silverware or break plate, she brought me a new one. It didn't even occur to me that I left my silverware that dirty until I kept getting new pieces. I bet you I went through 8 sets of silverware when I was there. Fascinating.

We were at Blackthorne with our favorite group of foodie friends. Which is always fun because we wind up ordering crazy appetizers - that normally would be too exotic or odd for me to try - but in this setting I give it a go. And they are always good.

We ordered for appetizers:
- Onion Tart with Gorgonzola Cheese
- Sweetbreads
- Paté
- Conch Fritters

My husband and I were married in Key West - so we both know a bit about Conch Fitters. I am happy to report that these were some pretty darn fine conch fitters. Yum. Very good. They were a special though, so I don't know how long they will have them.

The surprise for me were the sweetbreads. I had heard about these prior but had not tried them. Sweetbreads aren't breads. They are glads (I'm not sure what animal) soaked in milk and fried. I wouldn't have expected to like this, but it was really wonderful. Like a very mild sausage. Maybe like a bread pudding also. Wow. You need to try this if you eat here. What a great surprise.

For my tastes the Paté and the Tart were just okay. The Paté was served with a mustard though that was really top notch in my opinion. (I liked the Paté at Tuscarora Mill a bit better.)

For entries, I had the Porter House (a special), three of us had the Prime Rib (another special), one had the Chicken, and another had the Pork Rib Chop. All were good. Although I wasn't wowed by mine - I think mine was a little thin - all others enjoyed their meals. I just ordered poorly.

The vegtables were served family style, in a dish on the side that got passed around. They were amazing. The sugar snap peas that were just sweeter then candy - yum. They were my favorite. But there was also scalloped potatoes and mashed parsnips and carrots. They were all great. We ordered an extra set of the veggies.

A wonderful meal. And a great experience. 5 stars.

The Original Steak House & Sports Bar

2008-06-23T08:37:00.003-04:00

The Original Steak House & Sports Bar
43150 Broadlands Ctr Plz # 103
Ashburn, VA 20148
(571) 223-0100

Location: Broadlands. Near the Bonefish.

I had been hearing mixed review about this place for sometime now. All that I really knew about it was the they had LARGE TVs in the bar. But my husband and I acquired a buy one - get one free coupon, so we decided to try it.

Well first thing is first. It was LOUD. Music and talk level was a bit overwhelming. And then to top things off, a mother was letting her 3 year old child run around the front area playing on the video games there and scream. Now I believe these were screams of joy but wow it was horrible. My husband and I nearly backed out of there when we saw this.

But we hung in there and asked to be seated as far away from the child as possible. At the BACK of the restaurant, we could still hear the screaming. My shoulders kept crawling higher and higher above my ears. I had to go say something.

So I went up front and was as polite as possible and asked the woman to please keep her kid quiet because we could hear her screaming throughout the whole restaurant and it was just out of control. The woman apologized and said "Oh but she gets so excited." But she did - somehow - by leaving or duct tape, got the kid to quiet down. Thank goodness.

Once that screaming ended - and I should note here that I was a little bitter that the manager hadn't handled it - the restaurant was still loud - but we expected this and felt a bit calmer at this point.

Our waitress was friendly and perky and answered lots of questions from us.

We shared wings - which were okay. And then I got the Roasted Half Chicken -which was very good - served with mashed potatoes. And my husband had the prime rib which he also enjoyed. An unexpectedly good meal, we thought. As a plus, the meal was served with yummy warm yeast rolls... which in my opinion on their own were worth the trip.

The Dock

2008-06-23T08:24:00.003-04:00

The Dock
19286 Promenade Drive Suite P101-102
Leesburg, VA 20176
571-333-4747

Location: In the Lansdowne Town Center, across from Joes.

We tried the Dock the other night for a friend's birthday.

I was glad to see that were was outside seating available and a stand heater for chilly nights. I really like that. For this trip however, we ate inside.

Probably the oddest thing about this place for me was that the menu seemed lacking. For a place called "the dock" they had very little sea food. Bonefish definitely exceeds the dock in variety.

Also the food wasn't anything to speak or brag about. I ordered the pork chop (which I think of our 3 entrees was the best). Our birthday friend order the Swordfish. And my husband had the Fish and Chips. Everything was just okay.

We also got the Blue cheese Chips for an appetizer. They were fine but nothing I would crave.

Our waitress was friendly but not amazing. She seemed a bit ditzy. We asked her to check on the price of the market price of "Today’s Fresh Fish" and she just never came back.

All and all I am not sure what this place has to offer that we don'tt already have in the area. I would return if some one wanted to go. But I don't see me ever picking the Dock as my restaurant of choice.

Nicks Corner Grill

2008-06-23T08:11:00.007-04:00

Nicks Corner Grill
42395 Ryan Rd
Ashburn, VA 20148-4863

Location: Brambleton, near the movies.

I forget if I mentioned Nicks to you all before. My husband and I had went here once to see a friend's son perform. They have live entertainment later in the evenings. While we were there for the show, we tried the wings. They were good enough that we knew we had to come back. That was a couple months ago I believe. We came back and tried it a week or so ago.

I am rating this place a 3 because there were parts of the meal that were better then I expected.

My favorite part of my meal was the Roasted Red Peppers and Crab Soup. It was very yummy. I tasted like a really good bowl of vegetable soup. I think it would be wonderful in the winter.

My husband and I split the Catfish Nuggets Appetizer. They were very yummy. What I liked most is that they were very fish like. Had good flavor and were flaky.

For my main entree, I had a Cobb Salad - which was huge! I was a little blown away by the size of the salad. It was tasty and I would get it again. Lots of chicken.

My husband had the Chicken Parm. It had a lot of chicken but not a lot of cheese. And the sauce was not that good. He probably would not get that again.

The main cons... The service was just okay. Our waiter seemed distracted. At one point I asked for water and didn't get it till like 20 minutes later. And there were a number of families their with kids. Which was odd to me because is really seems like a bar to me. Also the music/noise-level was loud. The older I get the less I am liking that. I like a little quiet at my dinner.

But all and all we had an enjoyable experience there. And we will return - particularly if we go to the movies out that way.

Ashburn Farmers Market

2008-06-09T14:56:00.002-04:00

I'm excited to let you know that Ashburn has a farmers market that opened up this last Saturday. It runs from June 7th until October 25, every Saturday 8 am until Noon.

Location: 43480 Yukon Drive, Kaiser Permanente Parking Lot at Ryan Park Shopping Center, just off Exit 6 of the Greenway

I cannot wait to check it out. :)

Java Jones Ice Cream Cafe

2008-06-09T14:44:00.006-04:00

Java Jones Ice Cream Cafe
20937 Ashburn Road
Ashburn, VA 20147
(703) 729-1583

Web Site: javajcafe.com

Location: Near Partlows, farther down past Partlows, in a new shopping center on your right (if Partlows is behind you) that looks a bit like an office part.

Replacing Hawaiian Scoop is a yummy new ice cream place, Java Jones. My husband and I checked it out yesterday and we enjoyed our visit.

It is still a pretty place with a Hawaiian theme. They added new furniture though (including outside seating) and they added a TV too.

The ice cream is the same as what Hawaiian Scoop was offering. But they have added shave ice and coffee as well.

My husband and I stuck with the ice cream when we went to visit. It was yummy. :) I had mint chocolate chip. And he had strawberry. Both were great. Creamy. Tasty. We each got a single scoop. The portions were generous.

Now that is is getting hot - and boy is it - it is 92 right now - why not give your business to this new ice cream shop.

~ Rumors : Fractured Prune ~

2008-06-04T13:45:00.004-04:00

Blog reader Matt - thanks Matt - has clued me in on a new donut chain coming to the area. Fractured Prune is coming to both Leesburg and Dulles.

South King Street Center
818 King Street
Leesburg, VA 20175

Located in the "Dulles Loop"
Route 606 (Old Ox Road)
And Overland Drive
Dulles, VA 20166

Don't let the name fool you, the Fractured Prune is not a health food place. I have not tried their donuts yet but I am excited to. Their donuts are made to order. You pick the toppings, glazes and sugars for your donut, and they top it right there in front of you. And the donuts are served warm. Yum.

Mimi's Cafe (Sterling) - Dinner

2008-06-02T07:54:00.007-04:00

Mimi's Cafe (Sterling) - Dinner
21015 Dulles Town Center
Sterling, VA 20166
(571) 434-0162

Web Site: http://www.mimiscafe.com/

Location: Next to the mall, behind the Chuckie Cheese. Take a left on Atlantic Blvd from Nokes Blvd, and it is right there.

While their breakfast has been nothing but good - so good that I have kept a separate restaurant review for their breakfast - their dinners (and we have tried about 3 there) have been less then desirable. We have had a French dip sandwich, the chicken pot pie, chicken fried steak and a few other items.. and they were really just blah.

While the atmosphere of Mimi's is still pretty cute, the quality of the dinner food - in my humble opinion - is exceeded by IHOP. (And though I like IHOP, that is nothing to be proud of.)

If you haven't eaten at Mimi's, try their breakfasts. Skip the dinners. Good news... most of the breakfasts are served till 4:00 everyday.

Omia's Pub & Grille

2008-06-02T07:24:00.006-04:00

Omia's Pub & Grille
1015 Dranesville Road
Herndon, VA 20170-2004

Location: Omia's Pub seems to be more in Sterling to me then it is in Herndon. It is on the line. Down 7, near the Glory Days. The key here is Dranesville.

Note: This is NOT the Omia's on Church Rd (near 28). I haven't eaten there yet.

In our mail box, we got a coupon for Omia's so one evening last week or the week prior, my husband and I drove out to Omia's. For the type of place it - a local joint - it was a bit of a hike from Ashburn. It is the sort of place that needs to be in Ashburn though. Friendly staff. Good prices. Okay food - i.e. I probably wouldn't crave it but it was a rather easy meal to have.

We sat inside and shared wings. My husband has the lasagna and I had the spaghetti and meatballs. It was all decent food. Our entree's came with salads. The ranch dressing was good.

We sat inside at a both... it was a bit loud. There also was outside seating which looked like it would be enjoyable.

Omia's is what I would have wanted that new Grill place in Ashburn to be. It doesn't try to be more then it is. And it is an easy place to eat at.

Roy Rogers

2008-05-07T09:42:00.005-04:00

Roy Rogers
540 East Market Street,
Leesburg, VA, 20176
Tel: 703-777-6322

Location: There are a couple Roy's in Leesburg. I cannot attest to which is the BEST one. I can say that the one that my husband and I like and go to is the one that is on route 7. Across 7, from the Dunkin' Donuts

I know there will be some of you that give me a hard time for putting good ol' Roy Rogers on the blog. But none of us can eat at the fancy places all the time, and for fast food, in my humble opinion, Roy's is hard to beat.

We were there the other night and the food was tasty and inexpensive, the staff were friendly and accommodating, and the restaurant was clean and comfortable.

I ate a hamburger, fries and a chocolate shake. My husband had fried chicken, fries, a biscuit and a chocolate shake. The shakes were extra good - made with Hersey's ice cream. Everything else was warm and good. What else can you ask for?

Pacific Restaurant

2008-05-07T09:30:00.004-04:00

Pacific Restaurant
46240 Potomac Run Plz
Sterling, VA 20164-6608
703-404-5500

Location: In the shopping center with the Target.

For a slightly exotic night on the town, try Pacific in Sterling. Except on special occasions - like birthdays - I always forget that this place is here.

The food yummy - it is a mix of all many Asian cuisine. Although it can be a bit on the expensive side. Everything I have eaten there I have liked though. The quality is good.

The service tends to be good too. Friendly and quick wait staff.

My favorite thing at Pacific though is the atmosphere. Inside, it is very tropical. The colors are warm and embracing. There is a koi pound with fat happy fish just inside the from door. The outside seating area, it is also tropical; A lighted patio surrounded by a pretty water garden, that includes two totem poles and a wooden alligator.

And if you come on the right night, which I have a couple times, there is a hula dancer and a piano player. Where else can you find that?

The dessert that you cannot miss is the banana's foster. They fire it up right next to your table.

AVFD Pancake Breakfast

2008-05-05T12:19:00.006-04:00

6/02/2008 Update: We ate there again for June's breakfast yesterday and it was pretty great. :) AVFD does a nice job with their breakfasts. And we are glad to help the fire department in addition to having a good meal.

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Pancake Breakfast
Ashburn Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department (AVFD)

When: Usually on the first Sunday of every month. The schedule that I have based on the handout I got at the breakfast is:

June 1 - Theme: Happy Father's Day
July 13 - Theme: Independence Day / Kids Activity Corner: TBA
Aug 3 - Theme: Beach Party Breakfast / Kids Activity Corner: TBA
Sept 7 - Theme: Happy Grandparent's Day **Our FIRST Annual Grandparent's Day Celebration
Oct 5 - Theme: Halloween / Kids Activity Corner: TBA
Nov 2 - Theme: Thanksgiving / Kids Activity Corner: TBA
Dec 7 - Theme: Happy Holidays

Breakfast hours are 8:00 am to 12:00 noon. In case of snow call (703) 729-0006 for breakfast status.

Pricing:
Adults $6.00
Ages 3-8 - $4.00
Under 3 - free
Seniors - $5.00

Location: AVFD Founders Hall

Web site: http://www.ashburnfirerescue.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.events

In the morning, on the first Sunday of every month (approx. See above schedule or look at their web site for details), the Ashburn Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department opens its doors for a reasonably priced community breakfast. In a buffet style, you can fill your plate with all you can eat pancakes and more.

My husband and I were glad to attend this last breakfast last Sunday The fire department is such a wonderful community service... and any financial contribution that we can make to them is I'm sure needed and appreciated.

The food was good (my husband was especially excited that in addition to pancakes, they also featured biscuits and gravy), and the volunteers were very friendly.

After breakfast, we walked over to see the fire trucks. They had an ambulance and a firetruck out for us to look at - with open doors and signs explaining what was what. They also had signs posted around the trucks, to show what all the equipment (trucks and uniform) cost! I had no idea.

Anyhow... I'm glad we went to this breakfast. We hope to go to some others in the future. It felt good to do something community-based, and to support our local fire department. Go Ashburn. :)

Carolina Brothers Pit Barbeque

2008-04-28T14:12:00.005-04:00

Carolina Brothers Pit Barbeque
20702 Ashburn Road
Ashburn, Virginia 20147
703-729-7070

Location: You'll find CBPB in the old Partlow's General Store in Old Ashburn (near the trail).

Website: http://www.carolinabrothers.com/

The old Partlows store has been replaced by Carolina Brothers Pit Barbeque, a bbq joint serving simple delicious smoked bbq.

My husband, a friend of mine, and myself, went to try out this new stop last night. What a charming surprise - good BBQ right here in Ashburn.

To begin our meal, we were greeted with yummy smells coming from the smokers outside.

Within the restaurant - which used to be an old store - the place looks old but it is clean. And there are a bunch of tables, with room to grow if they need to. Nothing is real cramped. And at this stage of their restaurant growth, it just feels like you are eating at a restaurant that has been there for many years. It is really no frills eating. But that is part of its charm.

The menu is small (chicken, pork, beef, ribs, hot dogs, with beans, potato salad and coleslaw as sides). Which means no mac and cheese. No collard greens. No mashed potatoes. No fryer - so no hush puppies or fries. Getting over the lack of options was a little hard - but I am happy to report that everything they do serve, they serve well.

Their barbecue is Carolina-style - which takes a bit of getting used to if you haven't had it before. The meat is slow cooked for a long time at a low temperature, and when it is ready it is pulled from the bone and cut up into chunks. If done right, it is moist and juicy - thankfully for us Ashburnites, Carolina does it right. Their BBQ is served with a spicy clear vinegar sauce. The sauce doesn't flavor the meat, as much as just wet it. Don't expect to find a bottle of bbq sauce here. Don't worry though, you won't need it.

All three of us went for the pork bbq sandwich platters. For my 2 sides, I had potato salad and cole slaw. My husband and my friend both had baked beans and cole slaw. We loved our sandwiches and sides.

And if I recall, the price we very reasonable too. the 3 of us ate, with 3 drinks, for just about $25. It is hard to beat that. Particularly for dinner.

We'll probably add Carolina Brothers to our regular rotation. It was that good. And for a casual non-stress meal, this is a good option.

Tuscarora Mill

2008-04-20T19:23:00.002-04:00

Tuscarora Mill
203 Harrison St. SE
Leesburg, VA 20175
703-771-9300

Web Site: http://www.tuskies.com/

Location: Market Station, in the center of the Historic District of Leesburg, Virginia.

It is hard to believe, but I have a 3 good reviews in a row. This review I'm afraid will start out a bit sour but will get better... I just think it is important to go through the whole experience with you.

My husband and I joined some good friends at Tuscarora Mill for dinner yesterday.

I had made our 6-person reservations at Tuskies one or two weeks in advance online. So imagine our disapoointment when we got there and rather then give us a 6 person table (for our 6-person reservation) they tried to give us a 4 person table and add 2 chairs to it.

Now let me be clear, this was a small 4 person table, so with out the addition chairs added to the table, there was NO elbow room around the table. We are not a small people, so this would not do. We asked to be moved to an actual 6 person table. There were at least 2 or 3 of those tables without people in them. The host said NO - that THOSE tables were reserved specifically. We had a lot of mixed emotions running through our head. What we have to specify that we really want a 6 person table for 6 people? WE MADE RESERVATIONS. How dare they pick other people that aren't here yet (better people?) over us in seating. Like my husband said, "A bird in the hand." The host, suggested that we wait for 20+ minutes for another table to open up that was bigger. At that point some of us were ready to leave... it was insulting. But instead we waited. And yes it was at least 20 minutes till the table they wanted us to sit in was ready. Again let me reiterate here - WE HAD RESERVATIONS. (And to add insult to injury, the whole night long they continued to sit 4-person groups at that tinny table that they had originally tried to put us at.. so it was just us. Maybe they thought we weren't complainers.)

25 or so minutes later though, once we were seated, I am glad to report, the food was good, as was the service, and the atmosphere. The restaurant is set in a restored grain mill - it is a pretty place. The meal we had was top notch. The top best things I think were the appetizers and the desserts.

For appetizers our table shared a meat platter and a cheese platter.

The meat platter had ham, pate, pork confit, mustard and pickles. Although I would have never guessed it, I really liked the pate. I had never had it before and the idea of ground liver kind of grossed me out. But it was really tasty. Like Lipton onion soup mix sort of. A bit oniony and a bit salty. And the pickles were pretty great too. Very sour. The Seranno ham was thinly sliced and great with a bit of that mustard.

On our other appetizer plate we had the cheese plate which included 3 kinds of cheeses with some fruit jelly. All was good. It felt very fancy.

The entries were mostly from the specials menu, the steak all around except one of us got the pasta and another got the salmon. Everyone liked their meal.

Desserts were way good. We had 2 warm berry napoleons on the table and one butterscotch bread pudding. All good. Coffee in my opinion was just okay.

I should also note, that we were served bread at the start of the meal. And it was served it with the very best olive oil that I have ever had. It was almost floral in its taste. Dipping the bread in the oil with a bit of ground pepper was out of this world. Yum.

Mimi's Cafe - Breakfast

2008-04-20T18:55:00.009-04:00

6/2/2008 Update: We have eaten here a few times now and although I think breakfast remains good and a 3 rating, dinner is not so good and does poorly in the rating. See new review here:

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Mimi's Cafe (Sterling) - Breakfast
21015 Dulles Town Center
Sterling, VA 20166
(571) 434-0162

Web Site: http://www.mimiscafe.com/

Location: Next to the mall, behind the Chuckie Cheese. Take a left on Atlantic Blvd from Nokes Blvd, and it is right there.

Yes Ashburn, we now have a good very restaurant for breakfast. I should also note that Mimi serves most breakfast item till 4:00 - hooray - but also serves lunch and dinner. As of today, I have only tried breakfast there.

My husband and I were so pleased to stumble on this great restaurant. It opened up last October. I cannot believe that we just found out about it! We just lucked into driving by it.

Mimi's is a chain. From their site, it looks like there are Mimi's all over. Decoration wise, it sort of feels like an Olive Garden or a Macaroni Grill, except that it has a French vibe to it.

We tried Mimi's on Saturday for breakfast. We ate outside. The coffee was good. Our waitress was friendly. I had a 3 egg omelet with potatoes. My husband ate pot roast and eggs with potatoes. Each of our meals came with fresh squeezed orange juice (yum) and a muffin (the current muffin feature is coffee cake muffin). All the food was good. We had a nice time.

We had such a nice time that when we woke up this morning we decided we would go BACK to Mimi's for breakfast.

This time, today, the place was a bit more crowded. We has to wait about 10 minutes for a table. We ate inside.

On a slightly disappointing note the first table that we were sat at was a bit low-rent. It was small Formica table (that reminded us of the bad one they like to sit us at, at Blue Ridge Grill, little and by the bathrooms) that the waitresses had to squeeze by. Infact after walking aorund the restaurant, we think it was the smallest table they had... like it was added there as an after thought. "Hey we can fit 2 more people there."

It felt cramped and uncomfortable to us. So when some neighboring dinners were done with their meal soon after we got there, we asked to switch to a bigger booth table. And they did - without fuss - move us. And my husband and I were MUCH happier at our new location.

Except for that first tiny table and the fact that about a third of the tables in there are cheap Formica (think old dinner or very cheap office furniture), the place is decorated very nice and we think that it is a fun place to be in.

There are 3 major dinning rooms plus a bar. The one we sat in was decorated like a wine cellar and it's ceiling was bricked and round. The adjoining one (the main one?) is decorated like a French bistro and the other looks like a musical Mardi Gras. It is a very playful place to be.

Our meal today was also good. Our waitress was friendly although a bit flustered by the crowds. I had the French toast with sausage. My husband had the pancakes with bacon. We also ordered coffee. And I had another juice. This juice we had to pay for because some meals don't come with juice.

We are so happy to have found a new breakfast place, other then Ihop, Clyde's and Ashburn Cafe. Yum.

Yen's Cafe

2008-04-15T19:26:00.003-04:00

Yen's Cafe
43490 Yukon Dr,
Ashburn, VA #113

703-723-8811

Location: Shoppes at Ryan Park - In the same shopping center as the new Red Robin. Behind the Panera Bread.

I am thrilled to tell you about this new jewel - they opened just a week ago. My husband and I just got back from eating at Yen's Cafe.

The name of this place doesn't do it justice. While it sounds like a deli or a cafe, it is really quite an elegant Chinese restaurant with a twist. The twist is that they also offer herbal teas, juice and smoothies.

While this place is a tad small (I would say less then 10 tables.. maybe 7), it is decorated just lovely, including a beautiful bar (no alcohol yet) and a crystal chandelier that is hung right by the door.

Our waitress and the woman who made the tea were both top notch. Very friendly and they offered great suggestions on what to eat and drink.

I ordered a beef satay (although I cannot find it on the take out menu.. so it may have been called something else) and my husband ordered the bourbon chicken. Both entrees were flavorful yet light. And their plates were uniquely decorated with turnips, radishes, lemons and cucumbers decoratively carved - nicer then I have ever seen. The white rice served with the meals was also good - extra warm and sticky.

In addition to our entrees, we also ordered the pot stickers. They were tasty as well.

For drinks, we both had water. I had the jasmine hot tea - extra yum - good quality tea leaves. My husband wanted to have coffee but the tea lady suggested that it was too late for coffee and he should have something else for dinner tonight and to instead come back again at lunch time to have the coffee. Not wanting to buck the system and not liking tea, on our tea lady's recommendation, my husband had a strawberry smoothie and asked for it without yogurt (as you recall if you have been reading this, he is rather allergic to yogurt). He throughly enjoyed his drink and said that he will get it every time.

Our waitress ALSO brought over free samples of hot tea and smoothies during our meal. I enjoyed both. The smoothie I drank did have yogurt in it - it was great. Very sweet and yet tart at the same time. The tea that was brought over was I believe a lotus flower tea. It tasted a lot like peach. Very smooth.

We had a good time at Yen's. I hope that they are able to keep up its quality. You could really see the care that they put into picking out the drinks, food, wait staff and decor. We shall return.

-----

On a side note... I struggle with spelling the word entree. It is always used on menus but spell check never thinks it is right. I found this defination on wikipedia... so I know I have it with the two ee's:
An entrée (French, literally meaning entry or entrance) is a smaller course that precedes the main course, except in North America, where it is the main course. (Source: wikipedia.org)

~ Rumors - Bangkok BBQ ~

2008-04-09T15:00:00.007-04:00

Update: 5/6/2008 Good news. Bangkok is back open. :) I haven't tried them since they reopened, but I drove by the other day to confirm. And indeed they were open. Welcome back Bangkok BBQ.
------------------------
43761 Parkhurst Plaza, Unit 124
Ashburn, VA 20147-5470
Phone: 703.726.0972

It doesn't look good for Bangkok BBQ.

It was a few weeks ago - I forget when - when I peeked inside BB when I was visiting Buffalo Wing Factory one evening and on the door was a sign for new Kitchen Renovation. Now this wasn't alarming... people remodel all the time. But next to that was a bright orange sticker that said that their dishwasher or something belonged to this other company - which of course makes me think they aren't paying their bills to this other company.

I didn't mention it earlier because I was trying to give BB the benefit of the doubt - I like the place - but I looked in today, and sadly the signs remained on the door. I would be surprised if they open again.

The Village Grill

2008-04-09T14:24:00.011-04:00

Location: In the same shopping center as the ice rink and the new Anita's - where Beef 'O' Brady's was.

Web Site: http://www.villgrill.com/

I didn't want this blog to focus on negative reviews. I'm afraid though, I have to give another one.

The Village Grill has opened up - where Beef 'O' Brady's was.

My husband and I went there opening night. The place had been open 4 hours, our waiter told us. The wait staff I guess was friendly - it seemed to be a mix of young surfer guys in blue shirts and puka seashell necklaces. One odd thing was our waiter asked if we wanted any appetizers before we had a menu... as if on opening night we would know what appetizers we wanted.

As for decor, It is hard to tell also what this place is trying to be. A sports bar? A family restaurant? A high quality dining experience? It was none of these things.

There are TVs all over and the old BOB furniture, so it sort of feels like a sports bar. Though for a sports bar, the TVs are kind of old; No flat screens. Just big giant boxes hanging over our heads.

As for menu... It is hard to tell what the owner was going for food wise. It sort of felt like their opinion of us as eaters was low. Like they expected if they served anything we would eat anything... like we had no other choices. While there is a bunch on the menu (which you can look at online by the way), there is nothing that you couldn't get anywhere else. There seemed to be no theme. Just here are things easy for us to cook. Now eat it and be quiet.

(Also, there were no wings or chicken fingers which doesn't need to be at all restaurants obviously but if they are trying to be a sports bar, it seems like they would be there. That being said I'm not sure if they had those things why anyone would pick that place over Buffalo wing Factory or Glory Days.)

We looked through the menu and eventually I settled on the Jumbo Cheese Ravioli (which was no better then the "fresh" pasta you get at market with super market canned sauce). My husband had the crisp cod and chips (which was not crisp and lacked flavor). Both entrees were bland and boring.

We will not return. I'm just not sure what this place had to offer that I could make myself at home.

I should note here that the food wasn't "BAD"; i.e. it didn't make us ill or didn't have a bad flavor. It just had no flavor. Boring boring boring. So even though I am giving it a 1 star (because yes I completely believe that you shouldn't bother eating there), I would rank it above the other 1 stars on this site like Vapiano or Fosters Grille.

Cheeburger Cheeburger

2008-02-18T10:44:00.003-05:00

Cheeburger Cheeburger
22000 Dulles Retail Plaza
703-421-2766

I have eaten at Cheeburger Cheeburger again and I must say that I think it is better then I first thought. Yes you can still get a better burger at Five Guys. But it is still better then Fuddruckers (bleh) and the staff is very friendly and they have table service there. Always a bonus I think.

I had the patty melt and an ice tea. My husband had a burger with a chocolate shake. We also split a basket of onion rings and fries. And ordered (again) a variety of dipping sauces to dip the fried foods in.

The burgers were juicer then the first time we ate there. This time we got medium (which is really other people's well) and we were much more pleased then last time.

The rings and fries were good. Cooked well. I liked the fries a bunch.

My husband's shake was good. More ice cream then milk. Yum.

My ice tea was in a mason jar. I always like that even though it practically means you need to use a straw. The ice tea was just okay - maybe a bit old. I'd probably stick with water next time.

This time, the sauce issue was worked out. They knew what was what and the menu images matched what the sauces actually looked like. The sauce that I liked looked like thousand island but I believe it was called Texas Horseradish.

The place was packed when we went this Sunday, but we got a table in under 10 minutes.

I'd go back. We had a good time.

Pei Wei

2008-01-16T11:22:00.001-05:00

Pei Wei Asian Diner
22000 Dulles Retail Plaza
Dulles, VA 20166
Phone: (703) 421-5590

Location: The new shopping center next to Wegmans.

It is pronounced Pay Way, by the way.

Good fast Asian food run by the same folks who run P.F. Chang's. This place is like Panera or Corner Bakery, in that you order your food and pay for it at the register, they give you a number, you sit down, display your number, and your food is brought too you.

I was able to try this place a couple nights ago and I really liked it. First off the staff was extra friendly. My husband and I looked and looked at the menu when we got there. And the guy ringing us up didn't pressure us at all and answered all questions in a calm and friendly manner. I was also pleased when I asked the cashier what his favorite dish was he said without question - Thai Dynamite. I didn't try this one but I liked that I didn't get the "well they are all good" speech from him.

My husband ordered the Teriyaki Bowl with brown rice. And I ordered the kids Teriyaki bowl with white rice and the Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls.

We were asked if we wanted something to drink. And we both ordered water to drink and were glad that we were both given regular cups to get our water - not those we-don't-trust-you-bad-person small cups that most restaurants give you when you order water.

After we sat down, we didn't wait long at all for our food. And while we were waiting it was fun to look around. The kitchen is semi-viewable and it was fun to watch the chefs move around.

All food that we ate was good. In my humble opinion, the bowls were better then the rolls. The chicken was sweet and the rice was sticky and good. The rolls were a bit heavy on the rice noodles.

You get water and sodas at a side bar, that also - we were pleased to see - had to-go containers and sauces as well as napkins and citrus slices.

The silverware given was the real stuff - not plastic. Chop sticks were at the tables, wrapped in plastic. They were the nice bamboo kind that don't splinter when you use them.

We noticed that many people in the restaurant were eating the lettuces wraps - a favorite also at Pei Wei's parent company P.F. Chang's. I want to try that next time. Yum.

Fuddruckers

2008-01-14T11:35:00.000-05:00

Fuddruckers
44036 Pipeline Plaza
Ashburn, VA 20147
(703) 585-4598

Location: In Pipeline Plaza

Web Site: Fudds Ashburn

Fudruckers opened on the 14th. I ate there with my husband last week. I'm giving it a 2 but it is a low two. The food the so salty. My husband had a hot dog (which he liked somewhat) and I had a chicken sandwich. We split onion rings. The chicken and onion rings were loaded with salt.

The very best thing of the meal was that we both got milk shakes and they were so good! They gave us so much extra. We could have easily split one.

The very worst is tied between two things. One the extra slow (dumb?) guy who took our order.. whose most classic line was - when I asked for a fried chicken sandwich - he said "We have grilled and we have crispy, which do you want?" The other bad item was the rice crispy square we got that very large but mushy... it was just horrible. At Fuddruckers they call the square Fuddruckers Famous Crispy Squares. There was nothing crispy about these. Ewww.

Now in all fairness, we didn't try the burgers, and that is what they are known for and their fixin's bar. In the past I haven't liked their burgers. I think they always a funny taste to them. I will eat there again and try the burgers.

You order at Fuddruckers at the counter - for us there was a bit of a wait - and then they give you a buzzer for your food and a number for your shakes. Shakes are delivered to the table. Food you come pick up when your buzzer goes off. they also call your name when the food is ready.

Coffee Bean

2008-01-10T13:06:00.001-05:00

Coffee Bean of Leesburg
110 S King St # A
Leesburg, VA 20175
(703) 777-9556

Location: Go up 7 to Leesburg, take a left on King, just after you pass the pie place. It will be shortly down on your left.

My husband and I were able to try Coffee Bean yesterday evening. On the outside it is a cute blue house on king street.

I should start by saying that I thought the coffee was good. So know that this rating is not a reflexion of the coffee. Is it better then Greenberry's Coffee? Well no, not in my opinion, but if I was walking around Leesburg and happened by the Coffee Bean, I wouldn't hesitate to stop by here and pick up a drink. My husband had the drip coffee (which I think had a bit of that ashy aftertaste but he likes that), while I had a vanilla latte (which was not mixed as well as it could of but was tasty one it was stirred).

I should also mention that the woman behind the counter was nice and friendly.

What I didn't like about this place was the atmosphere. It is made up of two rooms, one where you get the coffee and one with 2 kitchen tables (with chairs) and a couch. And although it has the great potential to feel cozy it didn't feel like way. In fact being in this small coffee house was very uncomfortable. It felt like we were in some one else's grandmother's kitchen. We both had trouble relaxing in there. We sat on the couch (think extra soft thrift store find) first and then when the other people that were there left, we switched to one of the tables. I don't see my self making any extra effort to return. Maybe it just had bad Feng shui?!

The other disappointment - and it is minor but we noticed so I'll mention it - was that it looked like on first glance behind the counter had bins of coffee beans, but actually there were bins that had paper photos of coffee beans in them. Slightly less cool.