District Flea, 12Pole Jewelry, Pepe Food Truck, FCC Chamber of Commerce Gala
On Saturday we went to the DC Flea. My sister has an etsy company called 12Pole, and is running a booth. We took an Uber in, and I caught a pic of some early cherry blossoms.
While there, I had a jamon and manchego sandwich from Pepe, the Jose Andres food truck. It was delicious. They also had some guys smoking a whole hog which looked and smelled pretty good.
There was a lot to see, but besides my sister’s table, the only other place that really caught my eye was Brown & Williams. They import vintage clothing from England. Lots of tweed and barbour. I did flip through some records, and left with some vinyl.
Later that night I went to the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce Gala. Any opportunity to break out the black tie is fine by me. I also managed to win a few items at the silent auction. I took home a round of golf, some Kennedy Center tickets, and some Eden Center gift certificates.
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Opening Day, Washington Nationals
My mom’s company has Nats season tickets. I’ve been fortunate enough to go to the Nats’ home opener the past couple years. I went to the DC opener in ’08, and was at RFK before that. Growing up, my dad and I were Orioles fans. My dad grew up a Reds fan, so the Orioles were mostly a product of proximity and convenience. I miss Camden Yards and Boog’s BBQ, but love the new Nats Park. You don’t even have to like baseball to have a good time (which makes season tickets a good buy for a company), but if you do, the seats are perfect for watching the game. If you weren’t out there with us having a half smoke all the way and a bud, get out there before its too late.
On the way in we got a free hat, a beer, and some nachos.
Then it was time for some baseball. The first pitch (a strike):
The president’s race:
Teddy was cheezin after the win. I couldn’t leave without the first dog of the season. An ice cold beer and a hot dog with mustard and onion is my idea of how baseball is supposed to taste. I also stole a few bites of my wife’s pretzel.
It wasn’t the coldest opening day I’ve been to by a long shot, and it was definitely a great day at the ball park.
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Oak Marr Golf, Golf Buddy Voice, Clare and Don’s
I have a golf trip coming up, so every time the weather breaks and work is slow, I try to get out for at least 9. Today, there was a low chance of rain, and temps in the 50s, so I headed to Oak Marr. I actually went to Jefferson first, but it was mobbed. I went to Oak Marr thinking I might just hit the range, but when I arrived, nobody was on the tee box, and the starter said I was free and clear. I payed my $21 bucks, and started my 9. I played pretty poorly, but had fun. I’m pretty sure that this was the first solo round (or half round I suppose) that I’ve ever played. I ran into a pair of older ladies playing a few holes ahead of me, and started playing three balls to pace myself as no one was behind me. I also got to try out my new golf GPS, the golf buddy voice. My dad uses a fully featured GPS, and when I play with him, I often find myself asking him for yardage. Per my skill, I can usually guess close enough, but sometimes I am surprised by the actual distance. The golf buddy interested me because it is very small, affordable, and easy to use. I don’t see myself pulling out a full GPS all the time on a golf course, but the golf buddy is automatic, and yardage is just a glance (I didn’t get a great shot of the screen, but its easily legible) or click (it will read you the yardage) away. Perhaps the best advantage is the size. You can clip it to your belt, hat, or pocket. I’m averaged sized, and it fits in my fingertips (as shown below). So far, I’m impressed.
I got though 9 holes, playing three balls most of the time, in about an hour and a half. Thats a great way to spend a long lunch.
While its nice, y’all should get out to Clare and Don’s. The other night, I had fried pickles, a couple coronas, and some fish tacos. The perfect start to al fresco dining season.
And since I have it handy, heres a pick of an awesome greek salad the wife made the other day:
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Song Que at Eden Center (beginners’ guide to the Eden Center), Dolcezza Gelato, Gibraltar, OHOP
We started the weekend by getting some breakfast at Mike’s Deli. Delicious and filling.
If you live nearby and have not been to the Eden Center, you are really missing out. It is slightly intimidating to the uninitiated, but with a few simple tips, you can find out what all the fuss is about. I wanted to go to Nhu Lan, which was featured in Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, but it was closed. So we went to perhaps the most popular banh mi spot in Eden Center. Song Que is easy to find, as it is outside (the Eden Center has a few mall-like inside areas), and in the main corner under the clock tower. The cashiers generally speak english well, and the sandwiches are numbered. I like the #2 (pork and pork skin). If you get a banh mi, and a bubble tea (all the flavors are good, but I got thai iced tea), you’ve had a great first Eden Center experience.
We went to see a movie at the Angelika, but first stopped at Dolcezza Gelato. We shared some gelato (always particularly good), and I got a gibraltar. If you’re not up on your espresso drinks, a gibraltar is kind of a like a cortado. Essentially, its espresso, hot milk, and no foam. The absence of foam is what differentiates it from a cappuccino. The type of glass in which is is served, its namesake, is what differentiates it form a cortado. Some call it the fools cappuccino, but to me, its just a decent cupa with a hipstery name and following. Not unlike a flat white. At 4.5 oz, its a good size before a movie. We saw the grand budapest hotel, and found it quite enjoyable.
Sunday, the weather was crappy again, canceling my golf plans, and turning this entry into a food-exclusive post. I did nothing this weekend but eat. At least we had some good food. OHOP is about as good as it gets if you want a huge classic breakfast. It doesn’t matter what you order, as long as you get the bacon.
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Sfizi, Falls Church City, Restaurant Week
I’ve been to Sfizi when the service was not great. Today, the service was awesome. We left over 20%. I’ve always found the food to be very good. Tonight, we got the salsicce alla brace (my go-to), and the gnocchi special. The food was excellent, and the wine (half price for restaurant week), was delicious. I hope that the service continues to be as good as it was tonight, and when I go back, I’ll give y’all an update. As it stands, I definitely recommend Sfizi. Except for the insalata frutti del mare, which is better at Argias, I prefer Sfizi overall. Swing by and give it a try.
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Pilin Thai, FCC Restaurant Week
Sweetrice is much closer to our place than Pilin Thai, but during restaurant week, the deal at Pilin Thai cannot be beat. Pilin Thai offers a three course meal for two people for $25 (not per person, total). They also have a half price wine list, essentially house wines. I picked a merlot for $12. So, for $37 dollars, we got three courses each and a bottle of very drinkable wine. Pretty awesome deal. This isn’t my favorite Thai restaurant in the area, but the food is good, and if they say it will be spicy, it will be spicy. If you like Thai, its definitely worth checking out.
As an aside, why don’t American restaurants offer house wine? In Greece, Spain, Italy, etc., you can get an affordable and drinkable carafe of wine at almost any restaurant. There must be some logical reason, but it is beyond me.
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First round of the season, Jefferson Golf Falls Church, Office fire
I decided to take advantage of another short break in the winter weather, and get in the first round of spring (the small flowers are proof of spring). The break came on a work day, so I picked a 9 hole course close to the office. Jefferson District Golf is quite convenient to me, so I like to go when I can’t fit in a full round. The course looked pretty good despite being early in the season and overcast. It was fun to get back in the swing of things anyway. As we were nearing the end of the round, all of our phones started going off, and we heard a lot of sirens. Turns out, one of the office buildings our company occupies was on fire. My wife was in the building shown below. Everyone on her floor was fine, but I don’t know anything beyond that. That last pic is from the company’s other office building, via my wife.
The story is developing on FCNP.
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Falls Church City Restaurant Week
http://fcnp.com/falls-church-restaurant-week-2014/
They finally announced the deals for FCC Restaurant week (March 24-30). Just like last year, it looks like the best deal to be had is at Pilin Thai. I went last year, and the amount of food and wine we got for the price was crazy. I’ll definitely be going back to PT this year. Sfizi has 1/2 wine all week. If you haven’t been to the Eden Center yet, several restaurants are participating, so this is a great excuse. Curry Mantra II is offering 20% off. I love this place, so I’ll definitely take advantage of that. I’ll see y’all out in FCC.
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Skeeters
The first summer after moving into our new place in Falls Church City, I knew I had a serious problem. I was next to a house that had a swimming pool, many tires and other water catching refuse in the backyard, owned by an elderly gentleman that was not able to maintain it and unwilling to let me help. I tried mosquito dunks and all the poison I could buy at Home Depot, but the mosquitos, particularly the tiger mosquitos, were relentless. A big factor in picking our current residence was the large yard. I was just about unable to use it. All of my guests complained, and even covered in deet, they’d still get bit. After suffering for a summer or two, I found out about Mosquito Squad. I was asked to have a friend’s wedding rehearsal dinner in my back yard, and decided to do a one time spray to see how it went. It worked. The next summer, I went in for the whole summer package. I can’t imagine another summer without it. I couldn’t recommend Mosquito Squad more. I get the normal, standard, package. I do not know if the natural, more eco friendly spray works or not. If you have a mosquito problem, check them out.
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Lost Dog Cafe, Westover beer garden
I grew up near Westover, so I’ve been going to the original Lost Dog Cafe for a good while. Later, they opened up McLean location, and now one in Merrifield as well. The original is still the closest, so during the most recent of a winter full of snow days, we ordered from Lost Dog. I had the billy’s philly with jalapenos, and we shared the spinach and artichoke dip.
I heard a rumor some of my contemporaries who worked at Lost Dog in High School, College, and after, were the ones that franchised it. Pretty cool if true.
If you head over to the original Lost Dog, be sure to cross the street and check out the Westover Market. I used to go to the grocery store there as a child, and remember reading the bulletin board (pre interwebs). Its still a grocery store, but it now has an amazing beer selection (1000+ bottles), a butcher, and an outdoor beer garden. While you’re in the neighborhood, stop by Ayers.
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