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.

Tupelo Honey Cafe - A Taste of North Carolina in Arlington, VA

1616 N. Troy Street
Arlington, VA 22201
Tel: (703) 253-8140

Tucked away on a small newly-constructed block connecting Wilson and Clarendon Blvds in Arlington (Clarendon), Tupelo Honey Cafe is a distinctively unique and cheerful addition to Arlington's vigorously expanding dining scene. Tupelo Honey Cafe began in Ashville, NC about 15 years ago offering a modern twist on traditional Southern cuisine.

According to the restaurant, the name comes from the honey that is used and sold in the restaurants. Tupelo Honey is the best tasting and purest honey known to exist. It doesn’t crystalize like other types of honey and it’s produced only in Southern Georgia and Northwest Florida (where the original owner, Sharon Schott, grew up). Tupelo trees have a very short blossoming season from early April to early May, which makes the supply of pure Tupelo Honey very unique and rare. The mission at Tupelo Honey Cafe is to give customers the same unique, flavorful dining experience by using pure, all natural and fresh ingredients in the food they serve.

Ever since Steve Frabitore took over the Tupelo Honey Cafe in 2008, he expanded its locations around the South, then moved northward and, in the process, proved that Southern cooking with the right added touches can indeed have a universal appeal. Its localness is an added bonus - it has been placed in the Top Ten Farm-To-Table Restaurants in America. We welcome small business owners like Steve, who has already been awarded for leadership, civic responsiveness and for bettering the communities where he works with healthy eating and healthy living.

Tupelo Honey Cafe's outside patio dining area is large, modern and comfortable. At 6pm on a weekday the patio was packed with professional local 20-30-somethings enjoying a popular happy hour. The Cafe opened its doors only on June 1st and the crowd already seemed "regular" - now that's fast!

The Cafe is as welcomingly-outfitted inside as it is outside, in a rustic modern style. Art from local artists adorns every wall of the large dining room as far as the eye can see, from paintings to glass fixtures. We love bright open kitchens where we can see our food being prepared and watch the masterful technique and pleasure the chefs display while preparing our food.  This definitely adds to the fun of the dining experience here.

The food here is exactly what it claims to be - Southern with a twist.  We tasted about a dozen items from the menu section entitled Small Southern Plates. This was really a perfect representation of the restaurant's range of flavors, so we feel comfortable in calling the menu here pleasingly innovative without any pretense or pomp.

We tried about a dozen Southern Small Plates on the Summer Dinner menu. These range from $7 to $14 per plate.  You can see a photo and a description below each photo in this blog of the items we tried. The description reflects the menu as well as our comment, in most cases. A variety of about 5-6 Small Plates can make a great dinner for people like us, who like to eat a lot and walk out full and happy. So, it is a little pricey, but you get value for your bucks.

As Northerners, we often unfairly dismiss Southern cuisine as "everything fried."  Yes, there are some predictably fried items here, such as the classic Fried Green Tomatoes, several versions of Fried Chicken, and Fried Okra. But here they are not the stereotypical boring fatty stuff we Northerners tend to think it is. All the dishes have a flavorful twist that unquestionably set this menu way apart from anything predictable.  One fried surprise in a particular was a first for us - THE FRIED AVOCADO! Go figure, BUT THE FRIED AVOCADO IS DEFINITELY A HIT! It is a perfectly green ripe delicious avocado slice wrapped in a crunchy fried batter served with a house-made tomato sauce and whipped sour cream, and it is delicious.

The Southern Taco Trio platter is available either with beef meatloaf or Cajun fried chicken. Of these two, we definitely preferred the chicken, not only for the curry flavor and the tomato-cuke salsa, but also for quality of the meat. There is nothing wrong with the meatloaf at all, it is quite tasty, though a bit milder than the chicken, but we prefer our meatloaf to be very very lean, which is not easy to get in any restaurant environment. In fact, we are not big beef eaters, just so you have our recommendations within the right context.

We plan to return to Tupelo Honey Cafe to try their Brunch on Saturday or Sunday 9am-3pm. They also serve a Moonrise Brunch on Friday and Saturday night that includes a combination of brunch and happy hour items. The actual HAPPY HOUR is Monday-Thursday 4-7pm, when their signature cocktail "Ode to Eleanor Roosevelt" is only $5 (regularly, $8), all draft pints are $3, all wine bottles are half off and 6 of their small plates are $6.  We definitely recommend Tupelo Honey Cafe and will return here very soon.

View from N. Troy Street

Patio at Happy Hour

An extensive Drink Menu that offers 23 craft beers. The Cocktail menu is interesting, too!

NOTE that the first Cocktail listed "Ode to Eleanor Roosevelt" Sparkling Sangria ($8) is a signature specialty drink of the Arlington Tupelo Honey Cafe, it is on draft, and looks like this:

All Tupelo Honey Cafe's cocktails feature local and regional spirits.

 Meatloaf Tacos with Brussels Slaw and Smoked Jalapeño Sauce

 Fried Avocado with Fresh Tomato Salsa and Whipped Sour Cream
Definitely a hit!

 Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Cajun Blackened Shrimp
THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD at Tupelo Honey Cafe

 Salted Beets with Roasted Pistachio Pesto and Goat Cheese
A great appetizer, side dish or tapas plate that will complement practically any item on the menu.

 Curried Fried Chicken Tacos with Apple Salsa and Cherry Pepper Aioli (Garlic Mayo)
The tomato-cuke-onion salsa with cilantro, fresh jalapenos and a squeeze of lime went great with the hint of curry in the chicken.

 Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese with Baked Apples, Sweet Figs and Crostini Slices

Although the Crostini can get a bit soggy from the juices, this is a great appetizer

 Fried Green Tomatoes with Goat Cheese Grits and Red Pepper Coulis

A feast!

 Lamb Meatballs in a House-made Tomato Curry Sauce with Feta Cheese

 Country Ham Wontons with a Brussels Sprouts Salad

 Fresh Blueberry & Lemon Quinoa w/ Arugula & Feta

Includes thin crunchy Almond Slices, not listed on the menu. Turns out that Blueberries and Feta go great with Quinoa!

 Seared Yellowtail Tuna with a Honey Mustard dressing and a Salad of Edamame, Pine Nuts, Carrots and Golden Raisins

 Southern creamy light warm buscuits with blackberry jam

 Kitchen is bright and open (not shown on photo) so you can watch your food being prepared

Art from local artists is displayed throughout the large dining space wherever the eye can see

Wonderfully-accommodating and convivial Sous Chef Andre (originally from Asheville, NC) and Waiter Nick (from Massachussetts)

 As an after-dinner treat, PICK UP A JAR OF TUPELO HONEY, as well as one of their made-from-scratch dressings, to take home with you!

Romantic patio setting at dusk after a heavy rain

We enjoy RusUz so much, we wanted to show you more pictures of their delicious food!

RusUz Restaurant - Uzbek, Central Asian and Russian Cuisine - Arlington (Ballston), VA

1000 N Randolph St
Arlington, VA 22201
(202) 468-8472

We've written about RusUz on this blog in the past, so we will not repeat ourselves. But we love it so much that we keep going back for more plov, more manty and more borscht. Russian and Central Asian food isn't for everyone, and we are the first to admit this. But for those who are not familiar with this kind of food, this is a great place to be introduced to it.

Food at RusUz has been great every time we have gone (about a dozen times since they opened a few years ago), and the service has gotten better with time.  We are not alone in thinking this. The restaurant is quite busy and often gets booked for private events, so we reservations are highly recommended, particularly on a Friday or Saturday evening, when the wait can be quite long without a reservation. The only drawback is the increasingly rocky chairs at some of the tables, but that's what an ethnic dive is all about! If you mention this to the staff, they will change out your chair....  The staff is very friendly, pleasant, knowledgeable and accommodating.

For those who drive everywhere, note that street parking is at a premium on weekend evenings in this busy area of Ballston, especially if there is a game in one of the surrounding bars, such as the awesome A-Town Bar & Grill. So, unless you're metroing, parking at the nearby Ballston Commons Mall parking lot is always an option, if you don't mind walking 3 short blocks.

By the way, here is a guide to Central Asian dishes http://www.buzzfeed.com/dianabruk/delicious-uzbek-dishes-you-need-to-try-immediately#.yrN4gzvEr and here is a partial list of Russian food that you will find at RusUz also http://www.buzzfeed.com/tashweenali/delicious-russian-foods-for-your-sochi-olympics-party#.rmpvoNJQP.  We've also offered a description of Central Asian food and geography in our previous posts about RusUz, as well as another excellent Central Asian restaurant in Gaithersburg, MD (yes, we crossed the border!) called Choyhona.  While the chef of Chayhona is from Samarkand, the chef at RusUz is from Tashkent.  Try both and see if you can tell the difference in their plov!  Each region and each town has their own recipe for this delicious dish.

Here are some more pictures of wonderful food at RusUz:

Appetizers starting from the far left: 

Bliny (a.k.a. Blinchiki) (Two orders of these here) - Russian traditional thin pancakes (crepes) filled with ground beef, topped with sour cream

Pirozhki - Russian traditional flaky crust pies stuffed with mashed potatoes and mushrooms 

Crab stick salad - Rice, hard-boiled eggs, sweet corn, and diced crab mixed with house mayonnaise

Manty (main course) - A staple in Uzbek cuisine. Large steamed dumplings with marinated dices of lamb and onions

Centered on the tray is a bowl of the beet and cabbage beef-based borscht with a dollop of sour cream, as traditionally served in Russia

Main course dishes starting with the top left:

Two orders of delicious Uzbek plov - Rice-based dish with either beef or lamb, as well as carrots, chickpeas, raisins and regional spices

Goluptsi - a Russian baked dish of seasoned ground beef and rice filling stuffed inside cabbage leaves, traditionally served with sour cream

Siberian pelmeni - Probably the best-known Russian dish of boiled delicate dumplings stuffed with ground beef served traditionally with sour cream (yes, again, sour cream) and dill

Chicken Shashlyk (kabob) served with a medley of green vegetables and topped with onions

 Delicious juicy Lamb Shank

Dolma - Stuffed Grape Leaves

Assortment of rich dessert cakes that are all calorie-free (wink wink)

Priatnovo Appetita! Bon Appetit!

  

Alborz Persian Restaurant - Vienna, VA

8417 Old Courthouse Rd.

Vienna, VA 22162
(703) 288-4500

In the ever-changing scene on the corner of Chain Bridge Road (Rte 123) and Old Courthouse Road in Vienna, near the famed "toilet bowl building," is a welcome addition to the NoVa restaurant scene - Alborz Persian Restaurant. Alborz is situated in the space of the previous Koi Asian Bistro, which we reivewed here back in 2012. Over the last 3 years, Alborz has created quite a following of clientelle.  We were invited here by a devoted fan of the restaurant to join a group of diners and enjoy a deliciously prepared array of dishes.

Alborz did not disappoint both in the selection and the flavors. The added bonus was warm hospitality, excellent service, friendly and attentive staff, willing to acommodate every request with utmost professionalism.

The savory dishes are described in detail in captions below each photograph. 

This was a wonderful dining experience and we recommend to anyone who enjoyes Middle Eastern food in general, and Persian food in particular, to come to Alborz.  We certainly will be back.

There are two notes that you should be aware of.  On the plus side, there is plenty of parking behind the restaurant. On the minus side, there is no alcohol served in this restaurant.  We didn't inquire regarding BYOB. Although this is certainly not a showstopper for the restaurant, but good to know in advance to temper expectations.  

 Wonderfully delicate Persian Ice Cream made with saffron, rose water, cardamom and almonds between two thin wafers - splurge on this dessert, it's worth it!

 Crispy rice from the bottom of the rice pot, not for everyone, but a delicacy for those who enjoy it.

Delicious kabobs served with roasted tomatoes:

Jujeh Kabob - delicious marinated charbroiled Cornish hen

Koobieh kabob - juicy charbroiled seasoned ground beef

Kabobs were accompanied by the Alborz house salad - a mix of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese and Greek calamata olives  

Gheymeh bademjan (beef stew) - sauteed beef and split peas cooked together in tomato sauce 

and topped with eggplant

 A heaping plate of Basmati rice topped with saffron

 In addition to the Alborz house salad, kabobs were served with the Salad-e-shirazi - freshly chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and onions marinated in lime juice

A "must" go-with for any kabobs is the Must-o-khiar - compbination of yogurt, 

chopped cucumbers and mint

Happy Norooz! Persian New Year, a celebration of the arrival of Spring.

Sibarita's Restaurant - Bolivian food in Arlington, VA

2716 Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 276-1050

We are very fortunate to live in Northern Virginia, where there is such a rich variety of wonderful restaurants that offer a sampling of ethnic flavors without the hassle of getting on a plane.  Sibarita's is one of those restaurants that reminds us how lucky we are!

We probably would never have tried Sibarita's if it wasn't for a Groupon. We are happy we did!

Sibarita's is a small unassuming standalone one-story house with a small outdoor patio for warm-weather dining.  It definitely fits into the category of "ethnic dives" with its shabby furniture, cultural decorations and unique menu offerings.

The most fitting description of the food is "Bolivian comfort food" because of its prevalent featuring of grilled meats, fried eggs, rice, large (and we mean LARGE) french fried potatoes and giant (and we mean GIANT) corn kernels.

When you first walk in, you may feel somewhat claustrophobic in the small bar area with a low wood bench covered with animal skins (where people like to pose for photographs).  We were greeted by a cheerful host dressed in simple drab a la Che, who led us upstairs to the cozy dining room with orange walls and vent pipes along the ceiling. The TV screen beamed a football game, but was largely ignored by the full room of diners enjoying their large samplings of beef.

The main draw for Sibarita's clientele is undobtedly meat, meat and more meat!  Looking around at what others were eating, we quickly concluded that if you have friends who love meat as much as you do, your best bet is to get together a group of 4 and come here for the "Pique Macho para 4."  This carnivore's delight is brought out as a heaping plate of grilled meat (looked like flank steak) and chorizo with huge french fries, some fried eggs sunny side up, tomatoes, onions and jalapenos.  You can get one ample portion for yourself for $14.95, or an ampler portion for 4 for $39, which is a great deal.  The other popular options for groups of 4+ seemed to be the Parrillada Familiar ($54), which is grilled beef, chicken and chorizo, also with rice and large french fries.  Anyway you cut it, this is a meat lover's paradise, or rather a meat-and-potato lover's paradise.

We did not take that route, as there we were only two of us and besides, we are not big beef or chorizo eaters.  Instead, we began our meal with an appetizer with the unusual name "K'Ally" Con Pan.  This consists of two large pieces of grilled bread, chimichurri sauce, garlic and olive oil, a tomato and cheese salad and giant corn kernels, which are prevalent on the menu.  One word - bland, but nonetheless it was interesting to try!

As our entrees, we chose the Silpancho and Pollo Saltado.  The Silpancho, very popular here, was a sight to behold.  For one thing, the portion is large enough that it could be shared by two people.  It can best be described as a "sheet of grilled beef" topped with a couple eggs sunny-side-up.  The beef blankets over a bed of rice and several huge french fries, which are present in most other menu selections.  The Silpancho was accompanied by a side plate of Salsa Cruda, which is the Bolivian Pico de Gallo. The Pollo Saltado consisted of small pieces of grilled chicken with onions and jalapeno slices with a side of rice The flavors of both dishes can best described with the same word as the appetizer - bland. Fearing this, we asked for the Pollo Saltado to be prepared "extra spicy," which they did, and only because of this request was it less bland than it would have been otherwise. But again, was fun to try.

If you are not the carnivorous type, you will find two wonderful things about Sibarita's:  One is its wonderfully cheerful and attentive staff.  They are friendly, highly accommodating, are very familiar with the food and most importantly, they look like they really enjoy the interaction with the diners and the food they serve.  Second, and this is really THE BEST THING ABOUT SIBARITA'S - THE LLAJUA (a.k.a. Llajwa) PREPARED PERSONALLY BY BRENDA.  Llajua is a Bolivian salsa (yes, we learned a new word!). It is absolutely, positively, mouthwateringly delicious!

Would we return to Sibarita's? Honestly....probably not, but not because they are not wonderful.  It is just not for us.  Would we recommend that you go?  Yes!!! Go at least once! Don't return, if you don't like it, but do go to check it out!!!  Go either for the large helpings of meat, or for Brenda's llajua, or just to see what Bolivian comfort food is all about.  We are sure you will walk away satisfied.

 Cozy dining room with TV screens

Bottomless peanuts

 

 K'Ally Con Pan appetizer $6.75

Brenda's fantastic llajua (Bolivian salsa)

 

Silpancho beef dish $11.99

 Pollo Saltado chicken dish (prepared extra spicy upon request) $10.95

Pulcinella Italian Restaurant (revisited, even though we said we would never return) - McLean, VA

6852 Old Dominion Dr.
McLean, VA 22101
(703) 893-7777

Based on Trip Advisor reviews back in December 2010, we tried Pulcinella Ristorante in McLean. It was, after all, rated #1 out of the then 62 McLean eateries. Since 2010, restaurants in McLean have nearly doubled to 112 and Pulcinella finds itself now at #22 (according to TripAdvisor.com). We wanted to try the #1 restaurant for ourselves and were disappointed, to say the least. But when we found ourselves in the geographic area near Pulcinella, we threw caution to the wind and decided to give "The Italian Host" (subtitle, per its website) another twirl, hoping that 5 years was enough to address the myriad shortcomings many people pointed out over the years.

Bottom line: Aside from the consistency in the kitchen, there has been not much improvement in the areas they needed to improve.

As we wrote in 2010, “Judging on food alone, this place is exceptional. Too bad dining experiences are not based on this one element.” Back then, we wrote it was nothing short of a disaster; however, while not a disaster during this experience, certainly there is plenty of room for improvement.

The pluses:  Our table, though not the same we sat at 5 years ago, was wobbly, but not wobbly enough enough to knock our glasses off the table as it was previously. Cutlery and napkins were on the table upon arrival and the bread and drinks came out pretty quickly.

The minuses:  After we had read through the menu and ordered our meal, the waiter noticed that we did not receive the night’s dinner specials supplement. Would’ve been nice to know about the specials before studying the menu and selecting our entrees....  While the bread and butter were brought out with the drinks, the olive oil was brought to the table quite a bit later AFTER we already ate our bread...  And there is more.

A salad came out with dressing “on the side,” not how everyone else's salads came out, even though we did not order it that way. We chalked it up to the noisy dining room and the server mistakenly hearing “on the side” instead of something else. We did not return it, as it takes little effort to pour dressing on a salad (about as much as it would have taken the waiter to confirm he heard the order correctly... or not).  

Food delivery and server check-ins were regular this time, and the bill was accurate, in contrast to our last experience.

On to the food. This is Pulcinella's strong point and they do not disappoint.  The Ravioli alla Panna (Spinach Ravioli), usually prepared in a very heavy cream sauce, came in a nice light cream sauce, which was quite good. The Vitello alla Parmiglana (Veal Parmesan), was delicious, moist, tasty, served with perfectly al dente pasta. The Chicken Fettuccine seemed to be the only “miss” of the night. While the pasta and cream sauce were nice, the chicken lacked taste and, while grilled well, needed something—salt? Pepper? Lemon? Not the best effort there. 

Our review from 2010 said, “Needless to say, we do not think we will ever return.” We did. And while there was some improvement five years later, it was not enough to want to come back. But who knows, maybe if we find ourselves in the area again and want to check it out five years from now...  we'll let you know.

Veal Parmigiana

Chicken Fettuccine

Spinach Ravioli