Baltimore's Pratt Street Ale House

A few weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure to attend Baltimore Comic-Con. While we had an absolute blast, we don't really frequent Baltimore much despite its relative proximity to where we live. We ended up driving both days of the con, due to our inability to procure a reasonably priced hotel room, which at around an hour wasn't too bad. Our first day we ended up "dining" on convention "food" which for her were what were generously called chicken tenders and for me was a cold Italian sandwich. I do not recommend either. Our second day we were meeting up with a good friend and former coworker of mine and his son (both of whom are nerd inclined - awesome). So we decided to try and venture out into a local eatery to find something more edible. We ended up at the Pratt Street Ale House, which was packed and fantastic.

A Delicious Return to Nam-Viet

On our last visit to Nam-Viet we learned that they would be closing down for a week for renovations. Of course knowing that we wouldn't be able to go for a WHOLE WEEK meant we were super eager to get back in when the reopened.

Honey Pig - My Adventure with Korean Barbeque

I've always been curious about Korean cuisine but never adventurous enough to try and penetrate it by myself. I've had great authentic home-cooked Korean food before and enjoyed it thoroughly. But without knowing what anything was called, its tough to go to a restaurant and order blindly. I've also had a few bad experiences with Kimchi, a staple condiment of the cuisine, so was not eager to repeat that. Luckily a co-worker and friend who happens to be of Korean descent knew of a great place called Honey Pig in Annandale (7220 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 21003) that she has taken friends before. A small group of us went, a mix of experienced Korean food eaters and novices, and it was truly a great eating experience. 

Nam-Viet - Raising the Bar on Vietnamese Cuisine

I eat at the next place I want to talk about fairly regularly with co-workers. When I first came to the Courthouse area, I had already taken my first steps into the world of Vietnamese cuisine while I was in college at a restaurant in Fredericksburg that has since closed. A co-worker who was a big fan of international cuisine told me he had a great place to try and I was totally hooked. It's one of the all-time best kept secrets of Clarendon (1127 North Hudson Street, Arlington VA), and a fantastic treat whether you are new to Vietnamese or a Siracha-seasoned veteran. I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal here, and that comfort has allowed me to branch out and try several choices on the menu that I may not otherwise have tried.

A Different Burger Choice This Time

Now that I'm back to talking about food in Arlington, I thought I'd do a short post on a burger I've been meaning to try at Ri Ra, and finally decided to take the plunge on. In one of my previous posts on Ri Ra, I mentioned that Wednesday is half-price burger day, so I decided to forego my usual (the delicious Guinness BBQ burger) and try the chili cheese burger.

Barney's Beanery - A Study in Contrasts

My last post about a place we visited in Santa Monica. For our final night we just wanted to chill, drink some beer, grab a little food, watch some Olympics on the TV and enjoy a place with good atmosphere. Barney's Beanery was recommended to us so we decided to check it out. The place is in the 3rd Street Promenade, which was a pretty cool place to just hang out and people watch. There were street performers and other goings-on, the weather was great, it wasn't a bad cap to a cool vacation. They apparently have a few other locations in the greater Los Angeles area.

Rosti Tuscan Kitchen

Continuing our trek through the Santa Monica area, we made plans to meet up with some local friends at another area eatery by the name of Rosti Tuscan Kitchen. I was immediately excited about this place because I checked them out online before we went and found a ton a great stuff on the menu. It worked out great as both our friends are vegan, and this place has special vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free menus. This may have been the most anticipated restaurant of our trip for me.

Tony P's Dockside Grill - Excellent Views, Great Brews

While continuing our trip to Santa Monica, we met up with some local friends in Marina del Rey. There we dined at the interesting Tony P's Dockside Grill. Far and away the best thing about this place is the location and its view. Being right on the water and overlooking the marina and the boats has its advantages and the large covered patio is certainly the choice spot here. It was a great spot to meet and catch up with friends.

Santa Monica's True Food Kitchen - Not a Judgement Free Zone

So I'm on vacation with my favorite wife out in Santa Monica, CA and we hit the local food joints about as soon as I got off the plane and got to the hotel. She's been out here for a few days already for a business conference, so a friend recommended True Food Kitchen a few blocks from our hotel. Its a neat place that has a lot of natural food, veggie, vegan, and gluten-free offerings. For this east coaster, it was a bit of a culture shock, but we dove right in.

The Best Thai Food. Period.

So when I first got my job in the Courthouse area of Arlington, a few of my coworkers took me to Sawatdee in Courthouse Plaza (2250 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA). I fell in love. Its the single best Thai restaurant I've ever had. I eat here close to once a week and in my years coming I have yet to have a disappointing meal. If they do a dish, they do it well. Period. I could order anything on the menu, and have never had it, and would expect it to be perfect. It encouraged me to try some new things I maybe wouldn't have tried, because I knew they never half-ass anything. But I've also developed my favorites that I love, so expect to hear me talk about this place multiple times.

Ocean Prime in Downtown Denver

Continuing my short trip in Denver, I went to the local Ocean Prime, a cool place in the historic Larimer Square block of downtown Denver (1465 Larimer St. Denver, CO). Dubbing themselves the "Modern American Supper Club," this is one of nine locations this successful restaurant group boasts, having started in Columbus, OH.

Denver's DiCicco's

This will be my first post while traveling. I'm in Denver, CO for a business trip over two nights, so I had a chance to visit a place that was highly recommended both by the internet and the hotel staff (helps that its probably the only non-chain in walking distance. The place is called DiCicco's and its a family-owned Italian restaurant out here near the airport. The have another location in Arvada, CO as well. I brought a party of around 10 and a good time was had by all.

Fire Works in Courthouse

Fire Works is a relatively new edition to my section of the Courthouse neighborhood from the owners of the Tuscarora Mill out in Leesburg (which I've heard good things about but have not had the pleasure of sampling yet). When they built the new Courtyard hotel on that end of Courthouse Plaza, they included a big space for restaurant on the first floor (2350 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA). When we got word that a wood-fired grill pizza place was opening up there, I got really excited. As it turns out, the place makes some dynamite pizza, and their varieties are as fantastic as they are unique & innovative.

Return to Ri Ra - Fried Pickles and the Best Corned Beef in the DC Area

My first return post. I plan to do several of these to tell folks about different stuff on the menus of my favorite places. Last time I talked about half-price burger day, and while it was again Wednesday, I did not partake in the burgers this time. Instead I was craving two of my other favorites to help enjoy the absolutely fabulous weather we enjoyed here on Wednesday during a wonderful lull in the oppressive heat this summer.

Clarendon's Faccia Luna

The Clarendon location of Faccia Luna (2909 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA) is a heavy feature of my lunch rotation. They have some of the best lunch specials in the area and they rotate them often. And yet, they manage to hit that sweet spot in between variety of choice and consistency of quality that eludes many places. I mentioned in my previous post on the Boulevard Woodgrill that Faccia Luna is brought to us from the same folks who brought us Overwood - a great place in Oldtown Alexandria. Faccia Luna also has a location in Oldtown Alexandria on S. Washington St. The food and service is just as good there as in my location, but out of geographic habit I frequent the Arlington location much more. Oddly enough they also have a location in State College, PA.

This charming description appears in their "Story of Faccia Luna" section buried in their website:

"The setting, although casual, has an air of understated sophistication. As a result, Faccia Luna is a "first date" destination and a sentimental favorite. A number of its customers (at least five that we know of) who had their first date at Faccia Luna have returned to the restaurant to pop the question. Two have had their wedding receptions at Faccia Luna."

Indeed. What is an upscale dinner spot doubles as a casual lunch spot with food that I fall over myself recommending on a consistent basis.

The Dogwood Tavern - For Old Virginia

Falls Church is a cool place that's getting cooler. One of the better places in the "Little City" is the Dogwood Tavern on W. Broad Street (132 West Broad St. Falls Church, VA). It's one of my wife and I's favorite weekend spots, particularly for brunch (which is served on both Saturday and Sunday). It comes to us from the same team that brought you Ragtime and the Rhodeside Grill, both in the Courthouse neighborhood of North Arlington.

This placed is Virginia themed, from the name (the flowering dogwood is the state tree of VA) to the decor (lots of pictures of native VA flora/fauna and maps) and even some of the menu items. Its a great place to take out of town guests, and its gotten good marks from my parents, grandparents, and college friends.

Me Jana - Like Family

When you first arrive at Me Jana on the corner of Clarendon Blvd. and N. Adams St (2300 Wilson Blvd Arlington, VA) and they put the menu down in front of you this is what appears at the top:

"Mejana" or "Ya Mejana" is an old Lebanese Folk Ballad that is sung to "welcome" friends, family members, and to share happy times, as well as to reminisce about the "good old days."

And boy is it ever true. I've been to Me Jana dozens of times and every single time I've walked in, be it alone or in a large group, I've been warmly greeted and everything but embraced. They treat you like family and are always pleased to see you - that alone is worth giving it a try. Of course it also helps that every single meal I've ever had here has been outstanding.

Rí Rá - My Favorite Irish Pub

Today's lunch outing brought me to my favorite DC-Area Irish pub, Rí Rá. Really my favorite Irish pub anywhere. I was only recently informed that this place is part of a chain, and further research yields that there are in fact 12 locations, including the Arlington one on Wilson Blvd. (2951 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA - on the block between N. Garfield and N. Fillmore). I would never have guessed. The look and feel of this place seems very neighborhood to me. The food is excellent and the service is usually pretty good. This is one of the unsung heroes of my lunch rotation. 

Delicious Smoothies!

I'd be remiss if I didn't at least give a small consideration to my favorite (read: only) smoothie place. I was never one for smoothies, I always thought they were too chalky or full of nonsense for hippies. Then I discovered the Robeks location in the Courthouse neighborhood where I work one summer. It was awesome. They have a whole sub-menu of tropical smoothies, which is really what drew me in. I've tried a whole host of their others over the years that I've found are not really my thing. No fault of theirs, just the flavors didn't jive for me. Plus  needing to pronounce Brazilian stuff like Açaí and Cupuaçu just isn't my thing. My favorite that they do is the Passionfruit Cove - which is made with passionfruit-mango juice, strawberries, bananas, pineapple sherbet, and ice (obviously). Delightful.

Capitol Hill's Tortilla Coast

Just behind the House office buildings and near RNC headquarters lies one of my favorite places to eat on Capitol Hill, the delicious Tortilla Coast. I try and grab a bite there often as it's one of the only places that serves latin food that is a) consistent, b) delicious and c) has good service.

One of the things I love about the place is that they always start you off with their homemade tortilla chips and salsa, both of which are fantastic. I could seriously eat these chips for a meal and be pretty content. They are thinner than most tortilla chips which makes them crispier, and you can tell they always just came out of the fryer but somehow they don't really ever taste greasy. Its a winning combo.

The Boulevard Woodgrill

For the inaugural post on this food blog (at least the first one actually about food), I plan to go back to last week, mostly because that's what I have pictures of on hand. My friend and colleague Jimmy turned 30 so a group of co-workers and I took him out to lunch to a place of his choice. His selection was The Boulevard Woodgrill on the corner of N. Fillmore and Wilson Blvd. (2901 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA) I don't usually frequent this place as I prefer other selections in the area and because I've never really had an outstanding meal there. For me its a rare miss from the same team that brought us some of my favorite other restaurants in Northern Virginia, like Faccia Luna (definitely more on them in later posts) and Overwood. 

...Why?

So I decided to start a food blog because I've discovered that as my friends and colleagues at work have asked me more and more about my opinions on food-related things, I've discovered that I really enjoy sharing my experiences with different foods and different restaurants that I frequent.

Most of my food adventures happen during lunchtime. I try to make it a priority to leave the office for lunch, it doesn't always happen but it happens far more often than not. So what I post here will be sharing some of my opinions on what I like and what I don't like about where and what I eat. I work in the Courthouse area of Arlington, Virginia so a lot of what I talk about will be focused in the Courthouse-Clarendon neighborhood. But my job also has me out and about for lunch engagements in DC and traveling frequently  around the U.S. and my wife and I frequent establishments in Falls Church and DC, as well as the occasional foray to Williamsburg or Connecticut. So despite the blog's name, I don't plan to limit myself just to lunch. I also will probably talk about multiple places multiple times. I make no apologies for talking about my favorites and why they are my favorites and for frequenting places I like.

I chose the name Brazen Lunch because I have no plans to do anything with this blog other than to share what I think, so if you're reading it, chances are you want my opinion so I'm not afraid to give it to you straight up. I have no delusions of being some crazy food or restaurant critic. But I do like helping people to enjoy what I've enjoyed. So....enjoy! Or not.