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.