White Card Rocks at Legal

I am fortunate to have someone "on the inside" of Legal Sea Foods, and therefore I am in possession of a coveted and highly secret weapon, a "white card." When friends were in town a couple of weeks ago, we put it to the test. Upon arrival at the Crystal City location, we were told there would be a 30-40 minute wait for our party of 3. I flashed the white card, and everything changed. We were seated immediately.

My friend and I remembered ordering wine flights on a previous visit, but we couldn't find them on the menu. I asked the waitress if they still did them, and she said no. But a couple of minutes later, she came back to the table to inform us that she had spoken to the manager, and he said that even though it was no longer a menu item, we could choose 3 wines (offered by the glass) and they would create a flight for us. We were very excited.

We shared the shrimp cocktail as an appetizer, which as a shrimp lover I could have easily eaten by myself. The cocktail sauce is delicious, just the right amount of horseradish. The shrimp were very good and fresh, but served atop the crushed ice, they were almost too cold to taste. My friend ordered their famous clam chowder, and loved it (as usual).

Since it was like 3 weeks ago, I can't exactly remember what we ordered. For my entree I ordered a special off the menu, which I think was haddock covered with crab, with rice pilaf and snap peas in oyster sauce. My friend ordered the Signature Crabcakes that are served with greens sauteed with fall fruits and nuts. My other friend ordered what I think was the yellowtail flounder stuffed with crabmeat. I actually have pictures so maybe you can discern better than I what it was we ordered. In the picture of my entree, you can see the flight of 3 white wines behind the plate.

Another cool thing about Legal is that they offer a Celiac menu - a menu for people who suffer from Celiac disease, or in plain words, who can't eat gluten.

The bathroom was clean, had nice soap, and an automatic paper towel dispenser (love that). There could be a trash can closer to the door because when I open the door with the paper towel, it's always a toss-up whether I'll make the shot into the wastebasket. No pun intended. Ok maybe a little...

If you have never eaten here, it is worth the trip just for the clam chowder. Be sure to ask for extra oyster crackers, and just dump them in your bowl. Yum!

Also, they have delicious cranberry puree martini - I think it's a seasonal item, so hurry up and try it if you're thinking it sounds good.

Silver Diner - Always Fun

Last night I ended my evening at the Silver Diner on Wilson Blvd in Arlington. A favorite place of mine, it was the perfect spot for late-night eats. On Friday and Saturday nights it gets so packed in there - the later it gets, the more people come in (and the drunker they are).

I wasn't that hungry so I ordered the Greek Salad. I'd never had it before, but I enjoyed it, and I would get it again. Then for dessert, I got the Health Shake. Sucking it up through that fat straw made me think of fun times that I miss. Sometimes you get big chunks of banana or strawberry that pop up out of the straw. It's a real treat.

SS and SD - 2 classics that I'm always thinking of.

J'ai perdu mon appetit...

So I've lost my appetite, and I'm not sure when it might come back. Does this mean that I have lost my interest in food, restaurants, exciting combinations of flavors, and innovative cuisine? No. I just don't want to try any of it myself.

Oh la tristesse...

Don't worry, though. If I taste anything worth writing about, I will still mention it here, so all of my readers (is there even one?) can read all about it.

And bathrooms - well, I'll still be filling you in on any noteworthy ones that I encounter. Like the one in the Cosi' sandwich shop/bar in Courthouse (Arlington, VA) that just does not want to flush. I think the little handle would actually turn 360 degrees around if you really tried, and it just never got to the "flush" point. Hmm. It's tricky to flush a toilet with your foot anyway, but try it when the handle just keeps turning!

Trattoria Bebo: OK food, bad service

I'm back from my travels in Italy, and ready to start a new season of gourmandiaries!

Last night I ate at Bebo in Crystal City (Arlington), Roberto Donna's relatively new venture that he opened while Galileo is being renovated. It was probably the 4th time I've been there, and sorry to say, but I was disappointed. On every visit the service has been slow, to say the least, and not very attentive. And last night was no exception. They were quick to seat me in my party of 2 without a reservation, and they were quick to bring the bill. But everything in between took ages.

We started with insalata mista, or mixed salad, a very fresh green salad with a delicious and not overpowering vinaigrette. Highly recommended. We also shared mozzarella in carrozza, a large piece of mozzarella dipped in egg batter and fried, served with a tomato sauce and an anchovy sauce. It was ok. I actually preferred the anchovy sauce to the tomato sauce, but I felt like the mozzarella itself could have had more flavor. It is hard to find good mozzarella in the US.

Then, about 40 minutes later...

My linguine with clams arrived. It was al dente, but it was so spicy! There were so many hot pepper flakes that my mouth was on fire, and it was hard to taste anything else. It also seemed to be about 250 grams of pasta (a normal serving could be between 70-100 grams), and for that much pasta there were not enough clams. I would have preferred half the pasta with the same amount of clams. The clams were delicious and served in the shells, and the waiter brought a plate for the shells - a nice and necessary touch.

My co-diner ordered a trio of side dishes, and they arrived with my linguine. Polenta (with some cheese mixed in), broccoli di rape (rapini) and grilled vegetables. The polenta was very tasty, although a little buttery for my taste. The rapini were undercooked, but had potential, and were a nice accompaniment to the polenta. The grilled veggie plate had asparagus, onion, eggplant, and tomato. The asparagus and tomato were tasty, but the eggplant was left on the plate, soaked like a sponge in olive oil.

I was looking forward to dessert (the little fried doughnuts with the bicerin - a delicious chocolate coffee mixture) but got too chilly by the open window and decided to leave instead.

Bebo has great decor and a lively atmosphere. I didn't visit the bathrooms last night but don't remember them at all from previous visits, which must mean that they are fine. Chef Donna was nowhere to be seen last night, and I can't help but wonder if that made a difference in the food.

Pretty good food in general (stick to heartier dishes like meats and baked pasta), and fairly bad service.

Va Piano needs some aiuto!

After reading an enthusiastic review online, I was eager to try Va Piano, an international chain of German-owned Italian fast food restaurants that recently opened its doors at a few DC area locations. I visited the new Ballston locale. Sadly, I was disappointed with my visit last Saturday night. The fact is, the place is confusing. Even after reading all about the process online, and then having it explained to me by a friendly hostess, it still took me several minutes to figure it out. It's clearly easier for a repeat visitor, but with the first trip causing so much confusion, I could see how people would not make a second attempt.

Here's how it works: upon entering, you are handed a menu and a credit-card like card. When you order your dish(es) at the different stations (pasta, salad, pizza and antipasti, dessert) you or the cook swipe the card and it records your order. At the end of the meal, you take your card up to the register, they scan it and see what you ordered, and you pay. There is no table service, although someone came by more than once just to see if everything was ok.

I think the main draw here is pizza, and if it's not, then it should be. They offer several pasta options. You can choose from about 12 types of pasta, made fresh on the premises, and there are probably about 15-20 different sauces you can choose for your pasta. I made the mistake of ordering pappardelle with a gorgonzola and walnut sauce, while my boyfriend ordered fusilli with fresh cherry tomatoes and basil. Probably any pasta dish will be a mistake until they make a few adjustments, so stick with the pizza.

The good (or bad) part is that you can watch them cook the food right in front of you. The sauces are cooked behind glass in what appears to be a wok. The guy had the heat so high that he immediately burned the garlic and onion in the pasta dish with tomatoes and basil. It was boiling! The "gorgonzola" sauce, a flavorless creamy mixture, was poured into another incredibly hot wok and left to boil away with some chopped walnuts thrown in. They take the fresh pasta (already portioned out in containers along the back wall) and drop it into the boiling water when the sauce is almost ready. They then mix it all together and my guess is that they offer parmesan cheese on top no matter what. My pasta was flavorless, except for the fresh parsley sprinkled on the top as a garnish, what's more, it was so stretchy that I could stretch one of my noodles to about twice its original length before it snapped.

Some thoughts:
- Garlic should be dorato, or "golden," not charred brown and black
- Onion with tomato and basil, garlic with tomato and oregano or parsley
- Parmesan (or hopefully parmigiano) cheese does not belong on all types of pasta sauces. I read a great article highlighting some of the rules, and if I find it, I will post its link here
- When pasta is too stretchy or elastic, it means the dough was worked too much

Some plusses: I tasted a pizza with ham and mushrooms which was pretty good. The crust was ok and if I ever do decide to go back to Va Piano, I will definitely get a pizza. (Careful on translations: on the menu, prosciutto means regular ham, and prosciutto crudo means prosciutto - these are correct since the word prosciutto by itself in Italian just means ham, and crudo means raw, or in this case, cured). I also tasted 2 desserts: the tiramisu', which was not bad although the savoiardi (lady fingers) could have soaked a little more in espresso because they were dry; and panna cotta with a strawberry syrup on top. I love the way the panna cotta was served - in a mason jar with a bail-wire clamp. They just pop the top open and serve it in the jar on a plate. The panna cotta was good, and the strawberry provided a fresh sweetness to each bite. The restaurant has a modern look, a very open layout, and many seating options, from lounge chairs and low tables on the bar side, to hightop tables and stools on the kitchen side, to picnic tables and benches outside. Fresh herbs abound in tiny pots on the tables and in the restaurant's very own (indoor) greenhouse.

I hope that Va Piano can make some improvements in the kitchen, because with the great location, great decor, and interesting menu, it could become a neighborhood hotspot.

N.B. The bathrooms were great - very modern and quite clean. Only downside: they're tricky to find because the door that leads to them looks like an exit.

Save the lost dogs!

I visited The Lost Dog Cafe last night in Arlington, VA. The original plan was to go to The Stray Cat Cafe (just a few doors down) but they were closed. So Lost Dog it was! And yes, you probably guessed that both places are owned by the same people. They help lost animals by helping them find homes. (See websites for details). When you enter the Lost Dog, the first room is full of beer and wine that you can purchase on the go, as well as a counter for party platters. Lost Dog is definitely more casual than its feline sister, but sometimes aren't you just in the mood for pizza or a sandwich? The "pizza-deli" serves basically just that - pizzas and sandwiches, and the menu is huge. There are many pre-designed pizzas and sandwiches, or of course you can design your own using their extensive list of ingredients. The beer selection is also HUGE, but they have other homemade drinks worth trying, like milkshakes, malts, root beer, and the delicious Clemson Tiger Tea (aka an Arnold Palmer). I had a Coke and we shared a basket of Dog Collars (tabasco onion rings) which were tasty but not as crispy as I would have liked. I did not order a pizza - OK I have to be honest, the pizzas did not look that good - but instead the San Diego sandwich: chicken salad (you can also get tuna salad) on a sub roll with guacamole, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Now why you would need mayo on a sandwich with chicken salad (aka chicken with mayo) and guacamole is beyond me, but they held the mayo, no questions asked. It was ok - too much chicken salad, and way too many (red) onions in it, not enough guacamole for the guac lover that I am, but the bacon was crispy and the lettuce and tomatoes fresh. I tasted their banana fudge milkshake for dessert, yummy, full of bananas, but described by the bf as "an upscale Frosty from Wendy's" - it wasn't that banana-ey even with all the banana.
My overall impression: The service was fast and friendly, they do great work helping dogs (I am a dog lover), and the sandwiches are fresh. I would go elsewhere for pizza since the crust reminded me of bisquick crusts from yesteryear (see my post on 2 Amys for good pizza!) and the floors could have been cleaner, although in their defense, it was the very end of the night. Prices are reasonable, however, and for a quick bite in the neighborhood, especially with kids, it seems like a fun place to go.

N.B. One bathroom for men, one for women; women's was clean, had soap, towels (in the wonderful motion-sensor dispenser,) a step-on garbage can, and you could push your way out of the door, although it's hard to open the door with a paper towel and then reach with your foot to step on the can to throw it away while holding the door open :) I prefer garbage cans with no lid, which are much easier to toss the towel into as you ease out the door.

http://www.lostdogcafe.com/ and http://www.thestraycatcafe.com/

Late-night sushi

So last night I went to Cafe Asia in Rosslyn (Arlington, VA) for a late bite to eat. I used to love that place, but maybe I'm getting too old for it. It is ridiculously loud in there, with music and TV blasting from the bar out to the dining room area. We were seated smack dab next to someone (I was actually sharing the bench with them) which would be understandable if they were busy, but it was 11pm and there were many empty tables... I had the sushi dinner which comes with 8 pieces of nigiri sushi (fish on top of rice) plus one roll (tuna) and a bowl of miso soup. I had to remind the waiter to bring the soup, and he almost seemed upset, as though he was hoping I would have forgotten about it and he could be done faster. Who knows? It might have just been my imagination. The soup was delicious when it arrived, however, and I loved the fresh scallions. The sushi plate was also very good and fresh. I made a special request (no crab because I'm allergic) and it wasn't a problem. I did not have dessert last night, but their mango with sticky rice is to die for. Plusses: big outdoor seating area, really delicious mango dessert, good martinis.

N.B. I did not visit the restroom last night either, but it can be a little scary, because it's right near the bar, and sometimes there is a faint reminder in the air of prayers to the porcelain god, if you know what I mean.

www.cafeasia.com