Candy from Canadia

After my recent trip to Montreal I wanted to share a little bite of heaven I had during my trip. Despite the popularity of Poutine, a fresh batch of french fries covered in gravy and cheese curds, I found the candy of Canada to be much more tasty. Smarties by Nestle truly are phenomenal. A thick candy coat filled with a rich and sweet chocolate put our American M&Ms to shame. My only regret is that I didn't have the chance to try the Smarties ice cream advertised everywhere. If only America carried these treats!! On second thought....I have to fit into a wedding dress in one year so this is probably for the best.

Avgolemono

Nick is sick so I'm making Greek chicken noodle soup:

6 cups water
chicken breasts
parsley
onion
cucumber
salt & pepper

Boil then simmer together to make a broth
Remove chicken and then strain broth
Whip together 3 egg yolks and then add a cup of hot broth to yolks to temper
Add yolk/broth mixture to rest of broth
Add a cup and a half of orzo/astraki/rice and simmer until tender
Squeeze in the juice of 2 lemons
Serve hot and enjoy!!!

This is a surefire way to cure anything that ails you...feel better!!

The Italian Store

Simply put, if you have not eaten here you must. The sandwiches are divine, loaded with freshly sliced mortadella and prosciutto and topped off with peppers, italian spices and provolone. Beyond all else however is the fresh rolls that house the delightful meats. It is crisp, tasty and absolutely fabulous! Beyond sandwiches, their ravioli is excellent and during Lent nothing works better on a Friday than their pizza pies. If you don't call ahead, prepare for quite a wait. I have yet to go there when it wasn't packed with people, despite the day of the week or time.

Overall I rate them a 4.5...a must-stop for any person visiting or living in NoVa (Arlington, VA)

Blue Ocean

I had heard so much about this little Japanese restaurant in the heart of Fairfax. Clearly however, those who raved about it were not familiar with Japanese food at all. The prices are high, the food quality low and the cleanliness entirely questionable. My fiance ordered the beef teriyaki and it came practically raw with a limp chunk of broccoli and three sweaty crinkled fries drenched in sauce on a cast iron plate. Quite frankly, that combination didn't even make sense. It looked as if they had thrown it together in seconds and was truly inedible. My chirashi was decent enough, pricey however for the type of fish they used and nothing to write home about. Most importantly, do NOT get your drinks refilled here. When Nick asked to have another soda the waitress brought out a new filled glass, reached into his old glass with her hand to pull out the straw and put it into the new one. My stomach turned at the sight and truly that ended our less than mediocre meal.

Overall I rate this place 0.5 stars...who knows where her fingers had been before they touched his straw?!?

Tippy's Tacos

I cannot even begin to explain the horrific 70's throwback that is Tippy's Tacos. Orange benches, a grungy jukebox and the most unpleasant non-so-welcoming frown awaited us inside as we prepared to order our tacos. The Burrito Ole was my choice with some tacos on the side in keeping with the name. The food was unceremoniously plated on foam plates, which are truly only appropriate for backyard barbecues, and it was tasty enough but not nearly so to negate the dredgery around us.

Overall I rate Tippy's 1 star...purely for the fact that if I had eaten the food at a roadside stand it would have been decent enough.

Cafe Tatti

My fiance dragged me to this delightful little bistro one summer evening and am I sure glad he did. Nestled in the heart of McLean, this European inspired restaurant boasts some of the most amazing food and well-known clientele in the political world. Fresh, crisp french bread, begging to be demolished is brought to your table promptly by the always friendly waitstaff, many of whom are family. The caesar salad is truly divine, with the perfect amount of anchovy mixed in to give it that tangy bite we love and is so often lacking in many mainstream caesars. I had the duck...an excellent choice given the tenderness of the meat and the beautiful sauce drizzled on top, and people swear by their simple classic of chicken parmesean (a bit of a departure from the menu francaise...but nonetheless a winner). While it is a classic French restaurant, the portions are rather American, so don't be afraid of leaving hungry, and the price is moderate overall (around $25 per person for a full meal). Plus, if you love the politico world as so many Metroites do, this is the place to run into any number of senators or congressmen.

Overall I rate Cafe Tatti a 4.5....they pack a lot of punch in that small place!

Arigato

Since moving to DC two years ago, finding an acceptable Japanese restaurant to satisfy my palate has been a surprisingly difficult challenge. Fresh, well-made sushi just seems hard to come by in this city. The overwhelming odor of fish would drive me out of the most lauded restaurants....fish smell=NOT FRESH! Ones without the offending odor inevitably would have partially wrapped chunks of fish and rice that would fall apart immediately upon liftoff from my plate. Chopsticks were too much for them to handle evidently. Thus my dilemma, until entering Arigato in Fairfax one day. The pristinely clean restaurant boded well for the raw fish laden meal I was about to undertake, and the air didn't make you smell like a seafood factory when you left. Overall, my meal was fresh, well plated and respectful for a fairly americanized restaurant. The sushi menu had both classic nigiri as well as the popular rolls we've come to love and crave. My personal favorite, the chirashi, is good, but beware of the hot rice they sometimes plate beneath the bed of fish. I now specifically ask for them to make sure the rice is cool before I order that dish lest the delicate fish be spoiled. Above everything else, however, their best dish is their balls. Not cahones, but lightly fried wontons filled with cream cheese and scallions which welcome you as soon as you sit down to your meal. It is the perfect amuse-bouche to a simple Japanese meal and often people order extras to go to satisfy their Arigato ball cravings.

Overall I give Arigato 3.5 stars...it's not the best Japanese I've ever had, but it surely is a contender in the DC market.