Feb 5thLuzmary / Luz&Mary Falls Church Review

We live pretty close to Luzmila’s, so when we heard the owners sold, and then opened up a new place on 29, we decided to stop by for lunch.  We started with chicken and beef Salteñas, which were spectacular.  Then we shared the mixed fajitas.  It came with shrimp, beef, and chicken.  I have to say that generally I find chicken pretty bland, but it was the standout here.  It was well-seasoned and incredibly juicy.  We can’t wait to go back.

And as a bonus, I’ll include a picture of choripán, recently voted best international sandwich by bon appetite.  Very easy to make and delicious.

Dec 1stYayla Bistro Review

For lunch today, HB and I went to Yayla Bistro.  Some of the girls at work had been talking about it, and we finally thought to go.  I haven’t done a restaurant review in a while on here.  I have been busy with the little one, haven’t been out as much as we used to, and haven’t been passionate about a restaurant in a while.  Yayla Bistro has broken the slump.  When I think of Mediterranean food, I think of Greek.  I’ve been to Greece, and I can name my top three Greek restaurants.  Turkish food on the other hand, is more unknown to me.  I can, however, now saw that I have a favorite Turkish restaurant.  It was cold and rainy today.  The Turkish coffee, sweetened to you liking, definitely warmed me up and hit the spot.  My glass of Turkish wine was different, a bit thin perhaps, but delicious and infinitely drinkable.  HB’s glass was even better (though she liked mine more).  The Yayla soup, a special and recommended by our waiter, was amazing.  Words literally fail me; I don’t know how to describe it.  The complimentary bread and olive tapenade were great.  The mezzes are when I started to get blown away.  The grilled calamari was perfectly cooked, charred, and well-seasoned.  The Halloumi cheese was surprisingly good.  The orange marmalade was a better than expected accompaniment, and the cheese had a curd-like squeakiness.  The Lahmacun (flatbread) was excellent as well.  Next time, I’ll be hard pressed not to order the calamari and halloumi, but I’m excited to try a new entree.  As good as the food was, I think the service was even better.  I’m kicking myself for not getting our waiter’s name.  He was very knowledgable and passionate about the wine list, had great suggestions on the menu, and answered our questions about the food and customs without judgement.  He even brought me a new coffee dish (mine had some coffee spilled on it) when he saw me taking pictures.  We’ll definitely be back.  Probably for half-priced wine Monday, or live entertainment on Thursday.

Aug 10thPeter Chang Arlington

The other day HB and I needed to do a little grociery shopping at the teeter, so we grabbed some lunch at Peter Chang.  This place has been all over the social media, washingtonpost, etc., so we thought it was time to check it out.

The fried pork belly was very good.  I also thought the hot and sour soup really stood out.  They really do seem to go the extra mile here.  Eggs rolls come with orders of soup.  The portions are large, and the menu is much more interesting than your typical Chinese joint.  I agree that this place is upscale, and fortunately, the price doesn’t match.  Check it out.

Jul 2ndPita Pouch Falls Church Review

My mom lives in FCC and is on the chamber of commerce.  While watching my daughter, she went to the grand opening of Pita Pouch a couple weeks ago and told me about it.  I decided to check it out and got a couple pitas to take home one day after work.  They were good, but not mind-blowingly so.  The decor is cool and its not another pizza place or froyo joint, so  I thought I might mention them in a catch-up post or something.  Then I went back with my wife and got the bowl.  OMG the bowl.  The cool thing about pita pouch is all the toppings, and with the bowl, you can really load them up and try a lot/all of the options.

With the pouch, you can really only fit maybe 5 or so toppings.  My bowl was fully loaded and exploding with different flavors.  They even give you have a pita with the bowl, so you’re not missing a thing by not getting the pouch.  I’ve had the chicken and the beef, but I haven’t tried the falafel yet.  The chicken and beef are both good options; you can’t go wrong.  For the toppings, I think I passed on about three, but got at least a little of everything else.  Once you load up your bowl, get a mint lemonade.  I honestly can’t think of the last time I had such a flavorful meal.  Definitely check out the Pita Pouch, and definitely go for the bowl.