RoobiFood

La Bettola
558 23rd St S
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 486-9816

Few Northern Virginians frequent Pentagon City for its cheap eats, but tucked away just off the beaten path is a little strip of restaurants on 23rd street full of bars, Thai cuisine and Italian restaurants, including “La Bettola” (photo shown is of the restaurant before it recently changed hands) which is absolutely phenomenal.

Located between S. Fern and S. Eads st., La Bettola’s unassuming facade is the perfect cover for one of Arlington’s hidden gems. Although there are at least 4 other Italian restaurants located on this one block, La Bettola stood out to me at first because of its quaint atmosphere and menu of true Southern Italian specialties (at a great price too!) The average meal includes a small side salad, bread and pasta along with the main course, and at an average of around $14 a plate – you can’t beat it.

I come from a large extended Italian family and have even been to Italy to visit relatives a couple times, and I can tell you La Bettola’s sauce is the closest I have found to my mother’s family recipe. After a delicious appetizer called “Taste of Italy” which included fried Calamari, zucchini, and mushrooms I stuck with the old standby, spaghetti with spicy Italian sausage. The generous portions and friendly, prompt service made for an all around wonderful experience. I highly recommend giving it a try, especially on a weeknight when the area isn’t as busy.

901 N Glebe Rd
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 527-0955

…the result is often delicious. Though I typically try to shy away from chain restaurants, once in a while someone manages to break the mold. I have consistently found my meals at PF Changs both enjoyable, and satisfying (from a cost perspective).

Now, I know what you are thinking — and if you’ve never been of a PF Changs, you simply wont understand. But, I assure you, the recipes used are actually somewhat authentic! Having dated someone who was born and raised until the age of 17 in China, I can assure you that this is true. Having said that, there are some traditionally dishes that are presented with PF Changs unique flare — and the result is quite tasty.

On this particular outing we started with the Harvest Spring Rolls & a bowl of Hot & Sour soup. The spring rolls were disappointing in size only — they were probably half the size of a cigar, but slightly plumper. You have the choice of two or four, and not knowing their size, we mistakenly chose 2. They were crispy on the outside, without being laden with grease. The filling was standard sliced vegetables, but the dipping sauce was the real hero. Sweet, tangy & somewhat spicy, the dipping sauce was a trip down taste bud lane. The soup was comprised of “chicken, bean curd, bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms, sparked with hot white pepper and vinegar” — and was blended surprisingly well. No one ingredient overpowered the other. And for once, it was NOT too salty!

I chose an entree that I have had before, the Double Pan Fried Noodles. Essentially, they take thin egg noodles and fry them twice with some vegetables and your choice of meats. I chose the combo, which came with chicken, pork, beef and shrimp. The size of the shrimp was disappointing, but I was impressed with how well the meats were cooked. Too often in a stir fried dish, the meat ends up entirely too dry. As for taste, the most noticeable sensation was sweetness. Honestly, I could have done without so much flavor — it was too much.

The other entree I had the pleasure of consuming was the Chengdu Spiced Lamb. This dish is “Richly spiced marinated lamb, wok-caramelized then tossed with cumin, mint, tomatoes and yellow onions.” The lamb was well seasoned, but was relatively lackluster in terms of supporting cast. Some might consider this a good thing, but I felt that there was almost too much lamb, and not enough of everything else. Also, the meat was cooked OK — it wasn’t incredibly tender, but it wasn’t completely overdone.

No dessert this time, but I will leave you with some final thoughts on the service. The DC metro area (as well as many others) are absolutely notorious for terrible service. However, my service last night was as impeccable as any I have ever received at a chain restaurant. Drinks were refilled without needing to be asked, plates were cleared with lightning like quickness, the check wasn’t delivered until we were completely done, and so forth. It was a very refreshing change of pace, and to think, it was at a chain restaurant that serves the type of food pandered by corner variety fast-food type places all across America!

So, in closing, I suppose the moral of the story is that you should never count trying a restaurant just because its a ‘chain.’ You never know, you might be pleasantly surprised!

827 Slaters Ln
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 224-5051
www.rusticorestaurant.com

Situated just outside old towne Alexandria, VA Rustico is known for their fresh, seasonal menus and their incredible beer selection. This particular outing, I found myself drinking at lunch, and sharing food with my companions (two things that I assure you do not happen often)…and yes, I am aware that often is a relative term.

One thing that I will decry immediately was the service. Generally speaking, I have found Rustico’s service to be somewhat unpleasant. The wait staff is usually very slow, not very attentive, and sometimes isnt even friendly. I realize that lunch doesnt exactly bring out all of the star players, but I felt rather short-changed given the experience not counting the service. Our waitress took forever to even acknowledge our existence (despite the fact that she had all of two tables situated outside), and when she brought out our plates and utensils, she merely plopped them in the middle of the table for me to distribute accordingly. To cap things off, when she was gathering our food at the end of the meal, she tipped a bowl filled with muscle remnants & sauce such that it spilled on my shirt. Oh, and I SWEAR that she gave me the evil eye when I ordered and English beer that came in a can. Forgive me!

Anyway, on to the food. Rustico is known for their wood fired pizzas, so we ordered the Basil and Fresh Mozzarella. As is usually the case in the D.C. metro area, it hardly lived up to a ‘real’ Italian pizza (something I practically grew up eating & making myself). The crust was paper thin, barely cooked to a palatable crispiness and the basil was sparse. However, the sauce itself was not your garden variety canned creation — it was actually pretty good. We also decided to share a salad (whos ingredients were forgettable but was topped with a dressing to die for) and muscles. The muscles were bathed in a light, tangy (if not a bit too garlic-y) sauce that was the highlight of the meal. They were also quite large, and there were plenty of them.

Perhaps it was the fact that I was forced to eat outside (against my will) with all of the strange flying annoyances that accompany the changing of the seasons, possibly the fact that my food was invaded by the hands and utensils of my partners in crime (most likely a combination of the two), but Rustico failed to live up to its usually glowing standards. The sub-par service certainly did little brighten my demeanor, and neither will the dry cleaning bill for my favorite green shirt.

Restaurant Eve
110 S Pitt St
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 706-0450

Last week I took my fiancé to Restaurant Eve, in Old Town Alexandria, to celebrate his 28th birthday. With the Chef and owner, Cathal Armstrong, being an Irish native, I was certain that Restaurant Eve would prove pleasing to my Irish fiancé’s pallet.

Restaurant Eve offers 2 dining options: 1.) The Chef’s Tasting Room 2.) The Bistro. The tasting menu entails a choice between five or nine courses, each paired with wine that compliments your dish. The price ranges from $95.00-$125.00 per person. Subsequently, the Bistro provides a less formal and less expensive ($26.00-$45.00) dining experience, which guests may choose among a variety of appetizers, entrées, wines and desserts.

For my first visit to Restaurant Eve, I wined and dined in the Bistro. For an appetizer, my fiancé and I shared poached mussels. These mussels were honestly the biggest mussels I have ever seen, not quite as big as my fiancé’s mussels of course, but I’m talking double the normal size big, and delicious as ever with their wine and butter sauce. For dinner I ordered seared scallops, which were tender inside and seared for a slight crunch on the outside. The presentation was marvelous, a real masterpiece. For dessert, I had caramelized banana and brownie with, what tasted like, French toast squares with a dusting of confectioner sugar. It was like having an “it’s your birthday so you get to have anything you want for breakfast” kind of dessert.

Consequently, however, the meal wasn’t what I remember most about the evening. Rather, it was how impressed I was with the waiter and his knowledge about each dish. Before ordering anything, my fiancé and I asked questions about almost every appetizer and entrée. I was pleasantly surprised by how our waiter was able to describe each dish in such detail, including the taste, special ingredients used, how they prepare the fish, meat, cheeses, breads, and where they buy (ship) their foods from. Furthermore, our waiter provided us with wine and champagne recommendations for our appetizer and entrees, including dessert wines. Quite an education for us that night. I gave a generous tip and left happy…..birthday dinner accomplished.

A couple days later, I purchased a gift certificate from the restaurant, which I gave to my sister and brother-in-law for their anniversary. They’re in for a nice treat.

Some additional notes:

If you want to check out the Chef’s Tasting Room, make your reservation two weeks in advance. However, you have more flexibility with the Bistro….you can make those reservation a couple days out.

They have a great lunch menu, which I plan to try out in the near future. You can have a three course meal (choose among any 3 items on the menu from a cocktail, appetizer, and entree to a salad, cheese platter and dessert. All at a cost of $15.00.

Slanche!

6 King St
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 548-0600

Although I have reviewed Mai Thai before, I am of the camp that if I frequent there often enough, I should take the time to review it again. Who knows? Perhaps this time around will dramatically alter my perception?

Unfortunately for me, I suppose my title gave things away: though there were a few surprises, Mai Thai remains one of my favorite places to get Thai food (and eat in general).

Quick re-cap: Mai Thai occupies an excellent location at the very end of King street in Old Towne Alexandria, VA. It is perfectly situated right near the Potomac river/Old Towne dock, and the upstairs dining room offers great views of, not only the river, but the myriad of people sauntering through the heart of Old Towne. In additional to food that goes above and beyond satisfaction, the prices rival any other restaurant in the area (with regard to quantity as well as quality).

On to what was different: recipes, prices & service. On this particular occasion, I was able to sample the Drunken Noodle w/ chicken, the Pad See Ew, and the Basil Muscles. The Muscles were unchanged; a heaping mound of medium to medium large muscles perfectly seasoned with the right mix of thai spices and prominently fresh basil. Magnifico!

If I am not mistaken, the Drunken Noodle has a bit of a different recipe. Ive had this dish a number of times, and was always impressed with the perfect balance of spice, heat & flavor. Today, there was less heat, the same amount of spice, but a bit too much flavor (in the form of sweetness). I will have to return to double check, but there was definitely something different. Basil still played a large role in the taste composition, but the jury is still out as to whether or not this is an improvement. Im leaning towards no. One final note — I believe the price for things like Mai Thai fried rice and the Drunken Noodle have gone up. Not terribly, but noticeably. However, 90% of the menu is still an incredible value.

Nothing much to report on the Pad See Ew — standard dish, cooked to perfection. However, I would like to comment on the service. Typically, the front of the house is very amicable, and rarely gets flustered even when extremely busy. Today was no exception. Regular service is usually less friendly, but always incredibly prompt. Orders are taken quickly, place settings are swapped appropriately, drinks arrive in a timely fashion, and server “check-ins” occur, even as the meal progresses. With a heavy heart, I report that much of this did not hold true today. Service took forever despite the fact that the restaurant was 70% empty. None of the drinks or waters were refilled, and I daresay a smile never once crossed our waitresses face.

Ah well, I suppose that after having so many wonderful experiences at Mai Thai, it was somewhat inevitable that along would come a bad one. I hope it was just a fluke, and look forward to telling you about my next visit!