LAZY MIKE'S Homemade Ice Cream and Delicatessen, Falls Church, Virginia

7049 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22046
Telephone: (703) 532-5299

On a hot, sunny, lazy August Sunday, we headed to Lazy Mike's for a lazy brunch. After Long John Silver's closed its doors in this small stand-alone bungalow on the busy corner of Leesburg Pike (Rte 7) and Shreve Road, owners of a well-known Falls Church City establishment, Clare and Don's Beach Shack (where we have yet to visit!), quickly swept up this high traffic location and Lazy Mike's made a move up the street.

We never visited Lazy Mike's at their old location on N. West Street, Falls Church, where they were since 1996, according to their website. They moved their current digs in late 2017 and caught our attention. The bright natural light from windows and the vintage New Jersey and New York license plates decor on their walls, coupled with a low-overhead one-room seating area, including even some counter seating with 50s style stools, gives it an-almost Jersey-Diner-kind-of feel.

Great homemade fare, breakfast served all day, busy lively family atmosphere and great service make Lazy Mike's an all-around neighborhood restaurant where you'll really feel like home.

It's hard to imagine someone who won't find something to their liking on the extensive menu. Even vegans have a diverse menu here from which to choose. One of the new items on the burger menu is the vegan version of a burger - the "Impossible burger," that just saw the very ingredient that makes it taste like more like a real beef approved by the FDA in July of this year.

We ordered a delicious Reuben with a side of fries, which are only $1.50 if ordered with a sandwich.  The Reuben was juicy, flavorful and delicious. Though a far cry from a Reuben you'd get in a New York Deli, for the Northern Virginia area, this was quite good. The fries reminded us of McDonald's fries, which were a little thicker and very good.

The burger menu at Lazy Mike's is quite extensive, and all burgers can be ordered "Impossible," so we went ahead and ordered a Mushroom Swiss Impossible Burger. The waitress suggested that if we're trying a vegan burger, why not top it off with a vegan cheese, which was a great suggestion - if you're going to do vegan, do it all the way, so that's exactly what we tried. In fact, Lazy Mike's must be highly commended for being one of only a handful of restaurants in our area that offers the Impossible Burger. You can find all the locations that serve it up on the website of Impossible Foods. 

The Impossible Burger was somewhat of a disappointment, as it tasted little like meat. Perhaps it was something about how it was prepared (flimsy and soft, not charbroiled in flavor or texture) or maybe it had something to do with its ingredients, but it was not as exciting as it had been built-up to be by its advertising (does anything really live up to its advertisements?). Nonetheless, it was a good meal.

It goes without saying that the homemade Brownie Sundae was absolutely the best possible ending to our Lazy Sunday brunch at Lazy Mike's. Both the Brownie AND the Ice Cream are homemade here, in fact 80% of their desserts are homemade, the rest come from an Arlington bakery. The ice cream at Lazy Mike's was so good, that we soon returned to buy 3 of their pints that are available in a freezer to take home. Though one of our friends noted that their ice cream is a little too sweet for his taste, it is still pretty amazing. 

Lazy Mike's is a one-room low-overhead operation with a small outside seating area, offering a total capacity of just under 100 people. They do not sell alcohol, except for special occasions, but they do offer a warm, welcoming, lively family atmosphere with a true-blue neighborhood vibe. 

We can't wait to return to try all the other options on their menu.

Lazy Mike's is located on a busy intersection across from the Giant Plaza in Falls Church City, VA

Reuben with Fries

Mushroom Swiss "Impossible Burger" with Fries

Impossible Burger Up Close

Brownie Sundae

New Jersey and New York vintage license plates adorn the walls, makes us wonder whether the owners Clare and Don are from our own home state NJ

Homemade Ice Cream lots of flavors available for take-out

So many choices, it's hard to pick just one

Low overhead contributes to the homy feeling

Homemade Apple Fritters

Lazy Mike's well-deserved rating

Fun architecture on the side of the building

Aldeerah Saudi Arabian Restaurant in Vienna, VA

262 Cedar Lane
Vienna, VA 22180
Telephone (703) 992-9994

In a quiet out-of-the-way small shopping plaza in Vienna, VA, Aldeerah shines as a one-of-a-kind restaurant in Northern Virginia. For someone whose familiarity with Middle Eastern cuisine is centered around those common in our area, such as Lebanese, Iranian, Moroccan or Israeli, this is a uniquely new experience. Aldeerah serves up a distinct taste of the Arabian Gulf, offering some dishes that are very different from the familiar flavors.

If you were not aware of Aldeerah's existence, you're not alone: the restaurant notably caters to the Saudi population in the Washington, D.C.'s suburban Northern Virginia area, with no particular penchant for accommodating "American" tastes.  The very friendly staff is happy to provide a small plate to taste an unfamiliar dish to newbies, which is highly welcome, as the menu is quite different from the typical Middle Eastern restaurants that are abundant in Northern Virginia. 

The setting is colorful and traditional. The restaurant is split in half, giving you the option to sit on floor rugs, surrounded by pillows, or, on the other side of the wall, at tables adorned by cultural reminders of Saudi Arabia, down to the salt and pepper shakers depicting a man and woman clad in native traditional Saudi garb.

We arrived with an open mind willing to try new dishes. Not ready to commit to something that could potentially result in diner's remorse, we were offered a taste of two items on the menu that we were considering, namely Jireesh and Qursan with vegetables, both pictured below. We are thankful to have been offered a taste, as neither of these appealed to us. Had we ordered them, we would not have enjoyed them.

Some of the familiar appetizers and salads, like the Samboosa, or the Tabbouleh, are available, as well as Hummus, and a few other items that one can find in other Middle Eastern restaurants. But we chose to forgo those. 

Any chicken dish you order here will come with the same roasted half-chicken served intact, roasted to perfection so that the meat falls right off the bone. We opted for the traditional Chicken Mandi dish, which has two ingredients: RICE and CHICKEN. It was deliciously prepared, though very simple. It did not not disappoint in flavor.

The ambiance was pleasant with soft Arabic music playing the background and quite a few happy patrons in both dining halls. Patrons were both families and same-gender groups, seemingly regulars. The restaurant offers silverware, though the regulars eat with their hands. There is also no alcohol served here.

The all-Indian staff was friendly and knowledgeable. We appreciated their help navigating the menu and learning from them about Saudi cuisine. We had a great dinner and a lovely experience, though unlikely to return for dinner any time soon, as nothing on the menu looked worthwhile to explore for those of us who are not lamb eaters. If do we go back, it will be on a Friday for a $14.99 lunch buffet to try a variety of options that are not typically available on the regular menu.

 Samples of Jeerah (left) and Qursan (right). Both were bland and thick.

 Aldeerah does not skimp on the traditional decor, and offers a 20% student discount Monday - Thursday.

 Groups and families are the norm in Aldeerah.

 Chicken Mandi was delicious, wonderfully complemented by a side order of Yogurt Labneh.

  Delicious Chicken Mandi falls off the bone and the rice cooked and seasoned to perfection.