Sea Pearl @ Mosaic

Photo from Sea Pearl website

K- Last Saturday, C and I met for lunch at Sea Pearl. For whatever reason, I was trying to decide between Sea Pearl and Gypsy Soul – completely forgot about True Food Kitchen, which I really want to try – and ended up making reservations at Sea Pearl as their menu looked quite interesting.  I always make reservations, especially on the weekend as I believe it’s better to be safe than sorry and sometimes, like this time, we are one of the very few people in the restaurant.

Our table was by the window, which was quite nice and our server was quite prompt. I ordered the crab and corn chowder with crisp wontons only to be told that they didn’t have that but they did have a sweet corn soup with crab, bacon and crispy wontons so I ordered that minus the bacon for my first (yes, I hear those of you gasping at my sacrilegious decision of no bacon.)  For my entrée I chose the lobster crepe with shitake mushrooms, green onions, coconut milk, red chili, potatoes hash and sautéed spinach and a cucumber Bloody Mary to sip with my meal.

The cucumber Bloody Mary arrived with a large spear of cucumber rather than a spear of celery thus the cucumber part I’m assuming. It was good, but not very spicy or “tomatoey.” The sweet corn soup wasn’t very sweet, it wasn’t very anything – well, bland. There was a “sprinkling” of crab, which was also bland and of course the crisp wontons, which were nice and crisp.  I was hoping the crepe would add a bit of “zip” to the meal with the red chili but was sadly disappointed. To be honest, I don’t know if and where the red chili part was in my lunch.  The potatoes hash, I did like that – nothing spectacular, but it was good and the spinach was a bit flat.

Overall, for me, the Sea Pearl wasn’t a “pearl” however I had a great time hanging out with C and catching up.

C – These look amazing, don’t they?  Meh. The ricotta fritters with vanilla and lavender honey were just OK. And that was mostly because of the honey. The taste was lacking — like nothing at all, actually — and the rest of my meal was the same. I also had the lobster crepe and, as someone who never salts or peppers, I was looking for the shakers. They weren’t there, or on any table. I didn’t bother to ask. The experience was more about the company anyway.

The atmosphere was nice, though I was surprised to see the dining room so empty at 1:30 on a Saturday. All of the other restaurants at Mosaic are usually packed on the weekends. Perhaps I was served an unusually dull meal, or maybe I made a poor choice, but my instinct tells me lack of flavor may be why we didn’t have to fight for a seat.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Sea Pearl Restaurant & Lounge
8191 Strawberry Lane, #2
Falls Church, VA  22042

 

Mad Fox’s Hoppy Oktoberfest

C – The last Saturday in September saw Mad Fox’s annual Oktoberfest in Falls Church, and this year did not disappoint. The line to get in stretched through the parking lot, but everyone managed to get into the Market Square in good time. It was a family (and pet) friendly event, which made the atmosphere happy and lively.

My favorite pour of the day

There was an impressive selection of the region’s top IPA’s and Oktoberfest beers along with pretzel bites, bratwurst and chili. Admission was technically free, but to eat and drink you had to buy tickets and a souvenir mini-beer stein. $20 for 6, 4 oz. pours worked quite nicely for me, though some in my party opted to mix in some food. The weather was amazing, the music was good and the company was outstanding. I’d recommend it for next year!

Mad Fox Brewing Company
444 West Broad Street, Suite I
Falls Church, VA 22046

Pizzeria Orso

C – Tucked into the Pearson Square complex, behind Elevation Burger and the construction that will be a part of the Falls Church City Center, is a relatively new pizza joint that’s worth a visit. Pizzeria Orso serves authentic Neapolitan pizza as well as a collection of other entrees including small plates and pastas.

I’ve been there twice in the past few weeks and I have to say, while the weather is nice, the outdoor dining experience is not to be missed. There’s a little construction noise in the background, but it’s nice that there’s an option for getting a bit of fresh air while you dine, and the patio is big and comfortable.

The wait staff is pleasant, friendly and attentive. The food is pretty darn good. It’s very much a family place, so if you’re looking for a quiet romantic meal, this isn’t for you. Pizzeria Orso just received a “Best of Falls Church – 2014” award from the Falls Church News Press and Yelp reviews are favorable. Overall, I’d recommend it.

Pizzeria Orso
400 South Maple Avenue
Falls Church City, VA 22046
*closed on Mondays

Flippin’ Pizza – A Healthy Pie?

C – One of my favorite recent discoveries is a small Flippin’ Pizza outlet hidden in the Flower Building on Rt. 7 in Falls Church. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like much. There’s a tiny table out front and a sign that promises 2 slices and a soda for $6.00. Inside, though, is another story. It’s very cool. Think brick wall and old photos.

Two choices here, you can eat in or carry out. I’ve done both. The eat in experience is quite good if it’s not too crowded. Bottled beer is available, which is a great selling point for me.

Everything I’ve had here is mostly good. Very good, in fact. I recommend the Pepperoni Bites while you’re waiting for your pizza. The Brooklyn is one of my favorite pies. Last time I was there, however, I went a bit off piste and ordered The Whitestone.

It looks good, but it just didn’t work for me. No sauce. But, if you’re into that, the nutrition info is to die for if you choose the gluten free option: 1 slice = 1/6th of the pizza, 140 calories.

Flippin’ Pizza
8 outlets across the DMV

At the Car Wash – Where to go When Lines are Long

C – I just bought a new car and, you know how new car owners can be. Over the past few weeks I’ve watched black paint fade into salty grey thanks to all the snow. Three times I went to the car wash, only to watch it go back to grey. With ridiculous lines backing up traffic outside the area soft washes, what’s a girl to do?

My first choice is usually Sonic Soft Car Wash in Falls Church. They are very nice, totally thorough and on normal days, quite fast. Sonic is everyone’s favorite here, which is why last week traffic on Rt. 7 was backed up for half a mile. They place is small and they can only handle so many cars. So, I took the opportunity to try another place.

I found Flagship Car Wash Center of Herndon with a quick Google search for soft car washes. I happened to be in the area and I thought this would be a good alternative to Sonic. On a Tuesday after a snow, during lunch hour, I was in-and-out in 12 minutes. I chose the cheapo, $8, exterior-only wash and was very pleased. It was crazy cold out and I didn’t even have to get out of my car. You pull around back, an attendant takes payment (cash or credit) and off you go into one of the largest car washes I’ve ever seen. On exiting, a crew of 2-3 drys off your car and there’s a box for tips (recommended because, seriously, it was cold and they deserve a little extra).

Over the weekend, same issue with Sonic backing up traffic on Rt. 7. If Facebook posts are to be believed, a 30-40 minute wait. I found another Flagship Car Wash near my destination, Gainesville. Despite what appeared to be long lines, I was again in and out in 12 minutes. This time I went for the slightly more expensive $12 exterior-only wash. Outstanding. And then it rained.

Flagship Car Wash Center

GAINESVILLE
14131 DAVE’S STORE LN

HERNDON
632 GRANT STREET

And other locations across the DMV

Sonic Soft Car Wash – Falls Church
1050 West Broad Street
*still great, just too small for high volume

DC Area Farmer’s Markets

C – I love a good farmer’s market, particularly this time of year. Right now you can get all sorts of autumn goodies from apple cider to pumpkin bread. And the DC area, thankfully, has many markets to choose from. Here are a few of our favorites:

Falls Church Farmer’s Market
**Highlight: Open year round. Also, Black Rock Orchard’s irresistible apple cider.
City Hall Parking Lot
300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA
Every Saturday, Year-Round
April – Dec.: 8 a.m. – Noon
Jan. – March: 9 a.m. – Noon

Old Town Farmer’s Market
**Highlight: The surroundings. The history. It’s Old Town. It’s awesome. The market has been running since 1753.
Market Square, 301 King Street, Alexandria, VA
Saturdays, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. year round.
Free parking in the Market Square garage during Saturday hours of the Farmers’ Market

Columbia Heights Marketplace
**Highlight: provides nutrition assistance by accepting SNAP/Food Stamps, WIC, Senior Get Fresh Checks, and WIC Cash-Value Checks as forms of payment. Healthy food is in reach for everyone.
Columbia Heights Civic Plaza
at 14th Street and Park Road, NW, Washington, DC
Saturdays from May 4 to December 14th
9am-1pm

Takoma Park Farmer’s Market
**Highlight: If you accidentally slept in and missed the Saturday markets, have no fear. This one’s open on Sunday!
Laurel Avenue, Takoma Park, MD
Sundays, year-round from 10am-2pm

Eastern Market
**HIghlight: This is the big mamma-jamma. It is to DC what Borough Market is to London AND, it’s accessible by METRO. It even has it’s own stop.
25 7th Street SE, Washington, DC
Tuesday to Friday – 7am – 7pm, Saturday –  7am – 6pm, Sunday –  9am – 5pm
Monday – CLOSED

Mad for Mad Fox

K – I have passed the Mad Fox on numerous occasions, especially when going back and forth to Pilates class, but have never stopped by. Until now. For a weekday afternoon it was quite crowded and I can understand why. It has a nice gastro-pub, brewery atmosphere, good food and of course, beer.  I had a Kirsche Weissen – a cherry, wheat beer – that tasted very good, not too sweet and not too “wheaty.”  For lunch, I had the black bean burger and for a side onion rings. The black bean burger was quite tasty with a Tilamook cheese, pesto, tomato and lettuce. I will say that I had to remove the bun as it was too much for me and I was more interested in the burger than the bun anyway. The onion rings, wow, they were HUGE. They looked like Cruller doughnuts! That being said, they were good, crunchy and not greasy at all – although there was more crunchy outside than onion but nothing to truly complain about. For dessert I had the root beer float. I hadn’t had one of those since I was a kid and when I saw it on the menu, I thought, yeah, I want one of those. And I’m so glad I ordered it because it was the best root beer float! Yes, I know, how can you ruin something that’s just root beer and ice cream but I’m sure there is bad root beer out there and it’s possible. This one though made me think that I miss having a root beer float and should have them more I often – sigh.

C – I have actually been to Mad Fox Brewing Company more times than I care to admit. On our recent trip, it was a dreary, drizzly Friday at 1:30 and it was still packed. Most local restaurants clear out after the lunch rush, but Mad Fox seems to keep going right into happy hour. The food there is great. There’s nothing I’ve had that wasn’t good. The truffle mac and cheese pizza, available only during dinner hours, is as obscenely awesome as it sounds. I’ve had the frickles while enjoying a drink with a friend. They’re good, but you kind of have to be into the taste of fried pickles. They have excellent burgers and the beers are outstanding. During the winter holiday season, they offer a dark, robust ale called Festivus. (For the rest of us).  I tend to routinely go for the Kölsch — a German-style golden ale. If you can’t decide on a beer, you can get the sampler of 4. And if you know what you like, you can walk out of there with a growler filled with your favorite.

On our recent trip, I skipped the beer and went directly for the nearest high-calorie foods: the fig and balsamic blues pizza and the butterscotch pudding. The latter was so divine I’ve been thinking about it all weekend.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Mad Fox Brewing Company
444 West Broad Street
Falls Church, VA 22046

Elevation Burger vs. Five Guys

C – Huge news! The food press in London are all giddy about the latest thing to hit Covent Garden: Five Guys. The burger market has been strong there for the past two years and as of July 5th, this Arlington, Virginia burger joint is the latest to take on the finicky UK market. Patrons seem most excited about the free soda refills, something Londoners are not accustomed to.

Five Guys expanding into Atlanta airport

I love Five Guys. They have great burgers for decent prices and they are everywhere in the DMV. Their website states they only use fresh ground beef (thanks for that), nothing is ever frozen and they only use peanut oil. A meal at Five Guys means quality. Sounds great, right?

Well, if you live in the DC area, you either lean Five Guys or Elevation Burger. I tend to go for the latter. While Elevation Burger –which opened its first location in Falls Church in 2005 — hasn’t yet made it to the UK, it does seem to have quite a presence in the Middle East. Stores are popping up all over the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and the KSA. They also boast great burgers for decent prices but the difference is in the ingredients. According to their website, their burgers are made with 100% free range, organic, grass fed beef beef and their fries are cooked in olive oil. They also advertise a deep commitment to the environment from the use of environmentally sustainable materials in their buildings to the donation of waste olive oil for conversion into bio-diesel.

So, in this battle of the DC burger joints, who wins? Both are great options, but given a choice, I’d go with Elevation Burger.

Koi Koi Sushi and Roll Falls Church

C – A friend of mine was surprised recently when she opened my utensil drawer and found a take out menu in place of anything that could possibly be used to cook. I tend to order out quite a bit and when it comes to sushi, there are a lot of choices in the DC area. Koi Koi Sushi and Roll is one of the best. Worth a trip from outside the Falls Church City borders, Koi Koi offers a diverse menu and extraordinarily friendly service.

Bonus: it’s really, really good. 

I tend to get takeout, obviously, but I have also eaten in several times. The restaurant is small, but it’s clean, modern, comfortable and casual. On one occasion, a friend of mine brought her toddler. The waitresses were so attentive and genuinely enjoyed teaching the two-year-old how to use chopsticks.

Koi Koi is a neighborhood restaurant that caters to all who enter. Friday and Saturday evenings are packed, so try a weeknight or lunch. I recommend the Rainbow Roll, Alaska Roll, Spicy Tuna Tempura Roll and Gyoza.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Koi Koi Sushi and Roll
450 W. Broad St.
Falls Church, VA 22046
703-237-0101

Six Free Fun Things to Do in DC

Sometimes the budget is a bit tight or maybe even non-existent – but you still want to go out and do something. Fortunately, DC is one of those cities where you can actually get out and do quite a few things for free.

Here we list six things that we like to do and are FREE! And if you have anything add to this list, let us know!

K’s picks:

The Jazz in the Garden Series at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Gallery.
After a long work week what’s better than sitting in the Sculpture Garden drink in hand, or possibly a picnic, and listening to some great music around art sculptures? Every Friday from 5 – 8:30 p.m.

The National Portrait Gallery is a fabulous adventure through history. Here you can see portraits of past U.S. presidents such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. You can also see exhibitions such as “Bound for Freedom’s Light: African Americans and the Civil War,” which is showing until March 2014.  In addition, according to their website, they have new acquisitions including a painting of Amerigo Vespucci, a bronze sculpture of Ethel Waters and a patinated plaster sculpture of Dwight Eisenhower, photographs of Marjorie Merriweather Post, Mary Pickford and Muhammad Ali and prints of George Washington, Charles Willson Peale, Helena Rubinstein and Samuel Adams.  The museum also offers free gallery talks and tours.

The museum is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Eastern Market is just everything.  It’s website says it’s the oldest continually operating fresh food, public market in DC. You can find almost anything here such as antiques, handmade jewelry, arts and crafts, local produce, hats and flowers.  You can easily spend a day here looking around, shopping, having lunch and just enjoying the atmosphere.  It is open every day except Monday.

C’s picks:

Concerts in the park, Falls Church
Feeling disconnected? Grab a chair or blanket and head to the summer Concerts in the Park series at Falls Church’s Cherry Hill Park. Held every Thursday at 7pm from July 20 – August 1, this series attracts families, singles, retirees and a few well-behaved dogs. Bring a picnic or buy snacks there.

Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center
I often hear people say they’ve never been to the Kennedy Center because it’s too expensive. Did you know the Kennedy Center stages at least on free performance every day of the year? Check out the Millennium Stage in the Grand Foyer for free, quality entertainment in a spectacular building.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The FDR Memorial, located on the Tidal Basin, is kind of a hidden gem… in plain sight. It’s no tourist’s first destination, but it’s such a great area to spend a few hours. During Cherry Blossom season, it’s the place to be. A Park Ranger tour of the memorial is free.