FOOD: Your “Go To” Restaurants
BY Kathleen Nixon
September 7, 2012
Falls Church Times Staff
We are very fortunate to have so many food options available to us in and around the City of Falls Church. The entire area is exploding with new options from ethnicity to theme restaurants. Many of us like to be adventuresome; others would prefer to go to the same restaurant time and again. At times I am not sure which is worse, not having the choices or having too many.
My most recent road trip was very restaurant foodie focused, and we actually bypassed many restaurants that we “always” go to in order to explore new spots. There is always some trepidation when going to a new restaurant as I want to be transported into a new experience of sight, sound, smell and of course, taste. These are tall orders for any restaurant and each establishment has their good days and bad.
So upon my return I ended up at visiting many of my standbys; those places where I know that for the most part I will be satisfied with the meal, service and ambience.
Argia’s was the first place my family ever ate at in the City of Falls Church more than 12+ years ago. It was a Sunday lunch after taking an Italian Language class and we were in the mood for cucina italiano! It was also the first few months that Argia’s had opened to a rocky start and we didn’t go back for several months. Every since then, Argia’s has remained the number one go to spot for our family. Lunch, dinner, drinks, take out – you name it, we are there. And so is Bentley on the patio when the weather is good.
La Marche was the answer to a request put out to the universe a number of years ago for a coffee shop we could walk to and a few months later Le Marche opened up. It is a great place for breakfast and lunch, or a quick afternoon café au lait. And yes, Bentley loves it too.
Willow is the other number one, if you can have two number one places to go to. With their very large Nosh menu of smaller plates that lean toward fish, grains and vegetarian dishes, this is a great treat to drop by to enjoy awesome food and wine. Bentley has not made it there – yet!
The fall is a busy time and there are many new restaurants to enjoy. Between Mosaic unleashing many new opportunities on us as well as a fair number of DC restaurants coming into the “neighborhoods”, keeping up with it all and keeping one’s weight down will be a challenge. Hopefully you all will be patient with me!
In the meantime, what are your “good to places”? Or, what places are you looking forward to trying?
By Kathleen Nixon
September 7, 2012
Two of those three restaurants aren’t actually Falls Church City businesses — whatever that’s worth. And only the coffee shop is faintly in budget for regular visits. The list below is going to hew a little closer to home location wise and generally (though not always) a LOT lower down the price scale.
Sfizi, which recently moved to Falls Church from Fairfax has absolutely wonderful Italian food. Argia’s has a more upscale atmosphere (and pricetag a bit) but to my mind Sfizi actually does a better job with the hearty pasta dishes. And deserts. I weep for Sfizi’s fabulous Italian deserts.
Panjsheer is never as crowded as it deserves and has wonderful Afghani food. If you’ve never had Afghani food, try the lamb with apples, lentils and walnuts. (Quorma-e-seib I think). Yum. Quiet enough for a lovely date night where you could hear yourself think.
Sweet Rice for Thai food has both a sense of quiet comfort in its atmosphere, friendlier service (it’s generally the owners there when I go in) and better food than Pilin. I don’t know why it’s not packed. See earlier note about date locations for the quiet.
Not quite a restaurant, but the bakery that went into the old Bread House space… Tio’s, I think it’s called, has real Bolivian saltenas. I’ve not tried the rest of their menu because I can’t stop eating these fabulous little stew-in-a-pastry cheap eats. Six bucks will get you two saltenas and that’s a fragrant spicy meal.
And then there’s Meat in a Box. The kebabs are lovely, the bread is fresh and hot and the owner knows how to dress his greens with basalmic vinegar just right. It’s a tiny little hole in the wall, but if you show up at lunchtime and the owner is there on a cold day there will sometimes be a cup of hot tea on the house. On a warm day, it might be hummus you didn’t ask for. And you have to try their rosewater icecream sandwich for desert. It is unique and delicious.
I list these because they all seem to be less-discovered. No one needs to be told about Clare and Don’s or Argia’s or Mad Fox or Elevation Burger or Natalia’s. All of which, don’t get me wrong, are great. It’s astonishing how hard it is to get a BAD meal in The Little City.
Every business I called out has an owner on premises and a particular warm personal touch that makes you want to go there again as much because you want the owner to do well as because you like their food.
Enjoy the eats.
“cucina italiano!”
It seems as though your Italian lessons didn’t go very well.
Glad to know about the good vegetarian dishes at Willow.
And please pass on this note that Shiloh (dog) dictated for Bentley:
Dear Bentley:
Please post a bow-wow report soon on where you are properly welcome for dining out and the menus offer an abundance of canine delights. I am sick and tired of my two-legged cows leaving the barn to eat out without me and then most often not even bringing back a treat (much less a full meal) for me, their devoted herder and barn guarder. A complete list of restaurants at which all three of us can dine could solve the problem of their forgetfulness about fair cuisine treatment for me (and all of the other wonderful canines in the area). Thanks much for all that you might be able to do for canine dining out rights, Shiloh (Australian cattle dog)
P.S. Is there any possibility of the FC Farmer’s Market upgrading to welcoming us canines?
Jim, for what it’s worth, Clare and Don’s also will let your dog sit on the patio. They will also bring him or her a water bowl and a beef patty with rice for 5 or 6 bucks.
I would swear I’ve seen dogs on the patio at the Dogwood Tavern as well, though I don’t know if they’re as explicitly welcome there as they are at Argia’s and Clare and Don’s.
Thanks for the conversations. True some of the places I go to are not necessarily in the City of Falls Church, and one of the pleasures of dining in the Little City is that most of the places do have owners onsite.
And yes the dog listing is coming out later with Argia’s and Clare and Don’s on there.
And yes I did not continue with the Italian lessons to the part where we discussed grammatically correct written Italian.
As to the Farmers Market, while having dogs might be nice there are health codes, crowding issues and other issues which we all have to take into consideration.
Please, no dogs (other than service dogs) at Farmer’s Market. One “accident” and that will drive me away.
Thanks Kathleen! I love La Marche and sitting on their porch works for dogs too. Haven’t taken Snickers but have seen others. I also love it’s parent La Cote D’Or. Although it is not inexpensive, prices for lunch can be kept reasonable and it’s such a relaxing place to go. No rushing you and superb service. A couple of groups of our long time FC “over-the-hill” friends love to go there in the evening for a catch up and lovely meal. Clare and Don’s is a favorite , especially when we go with our granddaughter. It is perhaps the most family friendly place around. Mentioning another “not in the City” place, the Idylwood Grill and Wine Bar continues to be a great place to go. Don’t forget Ireland’s 4 Provinces. Dependable menu, comfortable service and it’s almost time for the best outside eating as we approach fall and more moderate temperatures. We love to get a take out of Pad Thai from Pilin. Keep a couple of limes on hand to squeeze on top. They don’t include those anymore.
This is what I love about our community – active and helpful conversations! Thanks so much everyone!
Our go-to restaurants were Sweet Rice (loved their Kapow Tofu, and they were an easy carryout stop for my husband on his way home) and Italian Cafe. Argia’s never wanted to prepare the not-on-the-menu spaghetti bolognese for me when I was in the mood for it, but Italian Cafe always came through. Plus, our dog could join us at the outside tables.
With pets in public, it all boils down to personal responsibility. We now have the good fortune to be living in Austria, where dogs are largely well-mannered and almost more regarded than small children. Our Foxhound has most happily shed the confines of his backyard (and the sofa) for the trams and subway as we tour our new city, run our errands, roam the many farmer’s markets, and enjoy meals at restaurants.
Vienna has also placed numerous “doggie doo doo” bag stations all around the city to encourage pet owners to scoop, and it seems to work. There are also canine hitching posts outside the grocery stores; I have to say that it’s rather enjoyable to run to the store for a grocery item knowing that I have a secure place for my dog to wait, not to mention the great exercise I’m getting! Some implementation of this would be nice to see in Falls Church.
Victoria Thanks for chiming in from Vienna!
Dogs in public places is a very heated and passionate issue that involves both personal and governmental regulation issues. While Bentley would love to accompany me everywhere, there are times and places where it does not work due to his behavior, that of other community members and the environment.
We will report on the places that Bentley and I go to by October. Is that soon enough for everyone?
Thanks, Kathleen