Puente De Oro - Salvadorian and Mexican food, Fairfax, VA

10312 Willard Way

Fairfax, VA 22030
Tel: (703) 691-3232

Puente De Oro recently moved down the street from a different Fairfax location, presenting itself as more of a family restaurant, rather than the sports bar it used to be. We've never been to the previous location of Puente De Oro, but were encouraged to visit this new location by the Yelp reviews... ok, there were only seven of them, but they were all five-stars, and it's been a while since we ventured out for Central American cuisine, so we headed out here.

As everything is relative, some of the Yelp reviews pointed to the fact that the previous restaurant in this same location was pretty bad. We've never visited the previous restaurant in this location, but can definitely see how there are at least a few aspects of the New Puente De Oro that are quite appealing.

The Pros: There is ample parking in this Safeway/CVS plaza. The restaurant is large... with two equal-size rooms separated by a clear glass wall. Television sets line the walls to keep diners updated on everything from news to sports. All-wood dining booths and long bar tables are all roomy and comfortable. Happy hour specials abound and the prices are very reasonable. Portions are large, more than enough to share or for doggie bags.

The biggest Pro is the greeting and wait Staff, which is clearly the best asset of Puente De Oro - they are all friendly with bright shining smiles, making you feel like the most wanted guest in the restaurant.

All those things are great and almost sufficient reason to dine here, if you're in the area.

The Cons: Food is "not bad," but to those of us who prefer more bolder stronger flavors, this is definitely not the place to go. Salsa that accompanies chips is EXTREMELY BLAND... Without a sizeable dose of hot sauce that is on the table, it is a warm, tasteless tomatoey mush.

Admittedly, good ceviche is difficult to find, so we had to try it here, especially since one of the Yelp reviewers recommended it. In conclusion, we'd have to say, keep moving.... nothing to see here on the ceviche front. We asked for the ceviche to be served without shrimp, and told by our waitress that this was no problem, sure enough the ceviche came out with shrimp, but it was hidden on the bottom....

Chicken tacos were the blandest thing that probably ever existed in the universe of Latin American food.....

We came here with a group of friends, so while we have photographs of various dishes, we did not taste all of them. Most of the feedback on the food was that it was good or ok, not sure if it was out of politeness or because the meat seasoning on the Mixed Grill entrees was better than on anything that we ordered....

The worst thing on our table was the Fried Yucca dessert with molasses syrup. You'd think that anything fried and served with syrup could never disappoint... yes it could! There was not a single person in our group who liked it and we ended up leaving most of it on the table....

Since Puente De Oro has no website and no menu online, we can't even tell you the names of all the dishes, but at least we can show you what the look like. 

Also, Yelp lists this restaurant as serving Salvadoran and Spanish food, but their menu clearly says they serve Salvadorian and Mexican food....

It is a shame that the restaurant does not take its online absence or its consistency in marketing seriously.

Our server Ileana was very sweet, efficient and helpful in recommending various dishes. She was really the highlight of the visit here.

Even though our experience was - not bad - it is unlikely that we'd ever return.

 Ample seating in bar area

Ample seating in dining area

Ceviche ($10.95) with a Happy Hour Dos Equis Beer ($1.50)

 Chips and Salsa

 Front Cover of Menu

 Wide selection of food either a la carte or as larger entrees

 Mixed Grill

 Salvadorian Fish Dish recommended by the server

 Charcoal Mixed Grill

 Stew

 Corn Tamale with Crema ($2.50)

Chicken Tacos ($8.95)

Fried Yucca Dessert

Full Kee Restaurant - Authentic Chinese Cuisine - Falls Church, VA

5830 Columbia Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041
(703) 575-8232

If you don’t know it’s there, it’s easy to miss Full Kee Restaurant at the Bailey’s Crossroads Shopping Center, home to Best Buy, Trader Joe’s and Moe’s Southwestern Grill. But miss it you should not. That is if you really enjoy delicious authentic Chinese food with no fanfare, lousy service, second- (or third-) rate ambience, and a variety of dishes that can keep you coming back for years. Yes, Full Kee is a gem of an ethnic dive.

Our friends recommended that we eat at Full Kee on Christmas Day. Good thing we made reservations! Even though we had a relatively large group, the restaurant was packed with people waiting for a table even at an unusual meal time in-between lunch and dinner, we went at 2pm. Had it been only several of us in a party, considering the slow inefficient service, it would still have made sense to reserve ahead. Yelp says that they do not take reservations, so perhaps Christmas Day was an exception to this policy, we just are not sure how flexible they are, especially if there is a language barrier with whoever picks up the phone. (Note that they have a new feature on their website where you can reserve a table online.)

If you are looking for an immaculate setting, service with a smile (or even with good English), personalized explanations of the extensive menu with literally hundreds of choices consisting of items that are for the most part unfamiliar to the American Chinese diner (although a whole section that is familiar), then this is not the place for you.

If you enjoy trying a variety of flavors, you will not be disappointed if you eat here! We ordered just under 20 different dishes of appetizers and entrees to share among the 8 people in our party. There was not a single dish that was bland or unsatisfying, all were wonderful. From the dumplings to the lo mein to the variety of their popular meal-portioned soups to the beef, shrimp, pork and poultry dishes, all were delightfully savory with just the right amounts of sauces, flavors, and variations. With prices so affordable, if we had bottomless stomachs, we could have easily stayed in Full Kee until they close (at 2am!) to try as many of their choices as possible. 

To us the quality and flavors of food are worth coming back to Full Kee and recommending it to our friends, the same way we found out about it. Thanks, Joe!

Restaurant hygiene study across 10 U.S. states - frightening results

This is scary.  Although testing was not done in the DC metro area, the results of this 10-state study are reason enough to think twice about eating out...  62% of Restaurant Workers Don't Wash Their Hands After Handling Raw Beef.... and vegetarians aren't safe either.  As frequent restaurant patrons, we know that most restaurants take excellent precautions to ensure food is healthy and handling is safe, but nonetheless as a consumer it's important to be vigilant.  The restaurant industry as a whole is highly responsible, it's the few offenders that "spoil the soup."

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/12/restaurant-food-poisoning-bacteria

iThai (Revisited), Vienna, VA

8607 Westwood Center Dr.
Vienna, VA 22182
(703) 975-8785

Still a pleasant surprise! We LOVED it then and we still LOVE it now. iThai remains a simple, affordable, no-nonsense, convenient, and most of all great tasting Thai restaurant. Can't beat their savory Num Tok and delicious Drunken Noodles.

With great happy hour offerings, cozy atmosphere, and convenient location (just behind the new Wal-Mart in Tysons, if you have not tried iThai yet, what are you waiting for?

Sweet Rice - Thai Cuisine - Falls Church, VA

1113 W Broad St
Falls Church, VA

(703) 241-8582

Don’t blink when you’re driving down Rt 7 on the east side of Falls Church City or you’ll miss Sweet Rice.  Hidden in a small 2-store building on Main St in Falls Church City next to a bakery and across from the Giant/Staples strip mall is a bit of a hidden gem.  A small, clean, and comfortable restaurant which was not too busy the night we visited.  An added benefit is that Sweet Rice is a very local place for us and we’ve eaten there before.  The décor is borderline sparse, but it’s the food that drew us back, not the orient-themed vases, prints, and plants.  This was our second time dining there, and Sweet Rice did not disappoint.  The staff was friendly and courteous and the food was tasty.

Have a favorite Thai dish that’s not on the menu?  No worries.  If Sweet Rice chefs know the recipe they’ll make it for you.  Elena loves Num-Tuk and did not see on the menu.  Not only did they make it for her, but made it with non-traditional ingredients like chicken instead of the traditional beef.  Needless to say, it is TREMENDOUS!

Our favorites at Sweet Rice start with a few appetizers including the unique Blanky Shrimp, 5 large shrimp wrapped in an egg noodle and deep fried served with sweet sour sauce.  Entrees included the Nua Ka Ta, a sizzling platter of marinated beef flank stir-fried in sesame oil and served with pickled vegetables and the stand-by Chicken with Cashews.

We’ve never had a bad experience at Sweet Rice.  One time we had a wonderful evening with friends, other times as a couple.  Each time it’s a new experience in eating some great Thai food. Bottom line, if a good close location adds to the overall appreciation of a restaurant, then this place gets a few extra notches.  Since its close, we are excited about returning there for more great meals and wonderful service.   

We recently heard that Sweet Rice has updated their wine list, so definitely worth going back for a visit.

The Ultimate Chicken Bistro, Falls Church, VA

7263 Arlington Blvd (Rt 50)
 Falls Church VA 22042

We went to the Ultimate Chicken Bistro (or the more trendy “UCB”) with friends on a Saturday night, prompted by a Groupon and a recommendation. UCB is a small, basic storefront in the Loehmann's plaza strip mall. In a nutshell, the food selection was limited (hence the appropriate name), the food itself was not bad, and the service was ok.

The chicken gumbo (soup of the day) was spicy, flavorful and good. Great appetizer portion.

The popcorn chicken with garlic glaze (option to have it with or without garlic glaze) was pretty good, as good as popcorn chicken can be...., and the two tomato sauces (one spicy one mild) that accompanied it in small plastic containers were relatively tasty.

The chicken parmesan was ok, not great.

The teriyaki / tempaniaki and the bulgogi bento box were plentiful, but not great.

Our friends seemed to like the chicken wings.

We can't remember everything that we and our friends had. The best part about this dinner, like with any dinner, was the company of friends!

Oh, and the wine selection was relatively decent.

The place was ok for what it is, but not worth returning to.