FOOD: Asian Imports — That Other Asian Supermarket

By JIMMY SCARANO
Falls Church Times Staff

March 19, 2010

There are so many incredible Asian food markets within a 10 mile radius of the City of Falls Church.

Great Wall off Gallows Rd. in Falls Church may be the craziest of the bunch.  On Saturday mornings the check-out lines are often ten people deep, comprised mostly of Chinese grandmothers stocking up on loads of fresh vegetables and fish straight out of the live tanks that line the back of the store.  The Korean-centric H Mart across the street is similarly chaotic, teeming with people at all hours of the day.

At Duangrats in Falls Church and Bangkok 54 Market in nearby Arlington homesick Thais shuffle in throughout the week for curry pastes, fresh rice noodles, kaffir lime leaves, and other hard-to-find items.  Every time I go to one of them I leave with a new treasure I’ve never tasted in my life.

And there are countless other places that get plenty of well-deserved business—the Grand Mart just outside the city; the Cho Saigon Supermarket at the Eden Center; the Happy Go Supermarket in Annandale.

But there is an overlooked gem amongst these popular Asian grocers — a place that sees far fewer people walk through its doors.  It’s called Asian Imports and it’s right here in the Little City.

Asian Imports (formerly known as Vietnam Imports) isn’t nearly as big or well-stocked as much of its brethren, and some of the products seem to have been untouched for years.  It doesn’t really carry any fresh produce, meats, or fish worth noting either.  Truthfully, the place doesn’t look like much at all on the surface.

Start perusing the shelves, though, and you’ll quickly realize this is no generic Asian market.  Even though you’ll find some of the same Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, and Korean items that other stores carry, Asian Imports specializes in Indonesian and Filipino imported foods, both of which are hard to come by around here.  There are dozens of products and brands at this cramped storefront that you simply can’t find elsewhere.  For that reason alone, this place is worth a trip.

In my recent visits I’ve been drawn to the astonishing selection of sambals, the fiery chili-based relishes loaded with garlic and aromatics that are the backbone of the cuisines of the Philippines, Indonesia, and other neighboring countries. Grab a jar and read the ingredients to get a better idea of what the flavor profile of a given type is, as there are many to choose from.  I generally avoid the shrimp paste-heavy ones because they are a tad funky for my Western palate, but any other choice will give you a versatile, spicy, assertive pantry staple that is a great addition to marinades and dips.

The ubiquitous Filipino and Indonesian table condiment kecap manis is another great find.  Most Asian markets carry one or two brands of this addictive palm sugar-sweetened soy sauce, but Asian Imports has several, including the preservative-free and well-regarded Bango brand that I haven’t seen anywhere else.  When the grilling season comes a bottle of kecap manis is a secret weapon.  Its sweet, salty, smoky, complex, caramel-like flavor is fantastic brushed on just about any meat before it hits the coals.

Those are the two most familiar, most Western friendly Filipino-Indonesian treats.  The vast majority of stuff on the shelves at Asian Imports I know nothing about.  There are bags of rice yeast and powdered purple yam.  There are pickled things and fermented things and canned exotic fruits.  There are frozen Filipino sausages, shrimp chips, and cassava crackers.  Much of it is cheap enough and small enough to justify trying a few mystery items.

The key is to read labels and avoid stuff with preservatives and weird additives, which are generally a sign of poor quality.  It also helps to enlist the help of whoever is working that day (there is usually just one person).  Everyone I have talked to in my visits has been nothing but nice and helpful, in spite of the language barrier.

On my last trip I played it pretty safe with a six-pack of deliciously tropical-tasting soursop juice from Indonesia.  I also splurged on some locally made Filipino cashew candies, a strange cardboard container of pure coconut cream, and needle-thin rice noodles.    Next time I’ll pick up some of the Dutch products, which Asian Imports has a substantial supply of thanks to the long-standing Dutch presence in Indonesia.

Frankly, I’m not sure how much longer this little shop will last.  The competition is fierce, and, in many ways, better.  But Asian Imports has products and family-owned charm that other places don’t.  That’s enough to keep me coming back.

Asian Imports is located on 922 W. Broad St., Falls Church, VA, 22046.  (703)- 534-9441.

MARCH MADNESS: Last Chance to Join Pick’em Tourney

By JIMMY SCARANO
Falls Church Times Staff

March 17, 2010

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament tips off tomorrow, which means time is running out to sign up for the first ever Falls Church Times pick’em pool.

Remember that it’s free to enter a bracket in the tournament and there are prizes available for the top two finishers!  The winner will win a $75 gift certificate to a restaurant in the City of Falls Church of his or her choice and the runner-up will win a hand-picked gift basket of Falls Church Farmers Market goodies.

The tournament is being run through yahoo.com.  If you wish to participate all you have to do is click here and press the “join a group” icon.  The group ID number is 50125 and the password is fallschurchtimes.com (if you are not already a yahoo member you will need to create an account—it takes only a minute and is free).

Let the madness begin.

MARCH MADNESS: Inaugural Pick’em Tournament

By FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF

March 12,  2010

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce our first ever Falls Church Times March Madness Pick’em Tournament.

The annual NCAA Men’s basketball tournament is a whirlwind of an event that never fails to be thrilling and surprising.  Half the fun, of course, is filling out a bracket and following the progress of the teams you have playing into the late rounds.

There is no fee to enter a bracket in the tournament but there will be a first and second place prize!  In keeping with The Little City scope of our paper, we’ve decided on a $75 gift certificate to any restaurant in the City of Falls Church as the grand prize and a Falls Church Farmers Market Gift Basket as the runner-up prize.

The tournament will be run through yahoo.com.  If you wish to participate all you have to do is click here and press the “join a group” icon.  The group ID number is 50125 and the password is fallschurchtimes.com (if you are not already a yahoo member you will need to create an account—it takes only a minute and is free).  Just remember that the tournament field won’t be announced until Sunday, March 14, so you’ll have to wait until then to make your picks.  And you’ll only have until Thursday, March 18, to make your selections, as that is the first day of tournament play.

If you have any questions or concerns contact Falls Church Times staffer Jimmy Scarano at jimmy.scarano@gmail.com.

Once again, to participate:

• Go to this website: http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/register/joingroup
• Enter ID Number:  50125
• Use Password: fallschurchtimes.com

May the best bracket win.

FOOD: Panjshir–A Blast from the Past

By JIMMY SCARANO
Falls Church Times Staff

March 12, 2010                      

There was a time when Panjshir, the city’s long-standing Afghan restaurant, was considered the cream of the crop in the region for its genre.  It was written up in magazines and praised for its traditional, well-prepared dishes. 

In the last five years that’s changed.

Food critics and foodie fanatics have moved on.  A host of newer places, including the nearby Bamian in Falls Church, are the current darlings in a growing Afghan restaurant circuit.  There is a perception out there that Panjshir is stuck in the past—that it caters to an older clientele of regulars with predictable, mildly seasoned food. 

This week I embarked on a mission to the 25 year-old institution to see what the story was.  Even though I’d been to the restaurant once before, it was so long ago that it felt like my first time there.

I walked into a fancy dining room half-filled with white-haired grannies; a scene that did not, in all honesty, fill me with confidence.  I know there are ethnic restaurants that are patronized primarily by Westerners and still have good food, but those are few and far between.   Generally I prefer to eat at a place where there are some people dining there from the same ethnic background as the cuisine being served.  It reassures me that I’m getting something reasonably close to the real McCoy.  Nevertheless, I kept an open mind.  Good food can come from anywhere.

I sat down with a couple of friends with plans to order a range of dishes, a few of which I would be tasting for the first time.  Truth be told, I’ve only eaten Afghan food a handful of times.  There are still a ton of dishes I want to explore from the landlocked Central Asian nation. 

From what I’ve had so far I’d say Afghan food is most similar to Persian food, which I eat often and love.   Both cuisines work wonders with slowly stewed fruits and vegetables, rice, and charcoal-charred meat kabobs.  They’re neighbors, so that makes sense.  But Afghan cooks also employ a more liberal use of Indian spices—especially cardamom, black pepper and coriander—and incorporate some Turkish-influenced dumpling-like dishes, most notably the meat-filled pillows called mantu  (Panjshir calls them muntoo).  Like most surrounding countries, bread and yogurt also play integral roles at the table.  

I’ve always wanted to try aushak, the scallion-filled cousin of the aforementioned mantu, so we started off with a small order of those.  The little dumplings were drowned in yogurt and a mild tomato-meat sauce and served tepid.  Not good.  A bigger problem was the pasta itself, which was some of the chewiest and toughest I’ve ever had.  The only highlight was the generous sprinkling of dried mint over top of it all, which contributed a unique and welcome savory flavor.  I’m pretty convinced this was a poor rendition of what could be a wonderful dish.

The bulanee kachalu, a beef-and-potato stuffed fried pastry, was a little better.  I especially liked its accompanying cilantro and chili chutney, which had a potent kick of vinegar.  But the filling was skimpy and the flavor pretty bland without the sauce.  Order it and you’re likely to be satisfied but not impressed.

After the appetizers we were all given a complimentary salad of iceberg lettuce with a tart, mustardy dressing—a gesture I remember from the last time I ate there.  Honestly, I’d prefer a big basket of bread with some of that chutney to start the meal, but the salad was pretty tasty and free, so I can’t complain.

For the main meal we split a veggie combo and a meat combo.  Thankfully, there was a lot of good eatin’ on these two plates. 

Both the boneless chicken cubes and lamb chops on the mixed skewers were excellent.  The former were succulent and charred; the latter smoky, well-seasoned, and a joy to gnaw on.  Only the cubes of beef left a little to be desired, as they were overcooked.  I’d go so far as to say that the lamb and chicken rank number one and two on the hierarchy of kabobs in the City of Falls Church.  They were that good.

Unfortunately, the “saffron rice” that shared the plate with the kabobs couldn’t stand up to them.  It was dry, bland, and a poor excuse for a starchy side.  This was particularly disappointing because I know Afghan cooks, much like their Persian neighbors, pride themselves in making some of the most fragrant, delicious long-grain rice dishes around.  It is the countries’ staple grain.  If I went again I’d order the lamb chops or chicken and try to talk the waiter into subbing out my rice for something else—perhaps some bread or a vegetable side dish. 

The so-called “spinach rice” that came with the veggie combo was even worse than the “saffron rice,” but everything else on the plate was tasty and refreshingly different.  We opted for slow-cooked pumpkin, stewed apples with split peas, and sautéed eggplant, all three of which were smothered in typical Afghan fashion with tangy yogurt and a sweet tomato sauce.  Both the pumpkin and the apples had an almost dessert-like sweetness that could turn off people without a sweet tooth, but I liked them, especially with the slightly tart yogurt.  The eggplant was tender as can be and savory.

When all the food was cleared we agreed that some of it was downright delicious and definitely worthy of a return trip.  Aside from the so-so appetizers and inexcusably bad rice the only other downside was the price.  We spent 20 bucks a person but could have ordered twice as much food.  In fact, we were so hungry after we left that we went down the street and had a second, smaller dinner at La Caraquena.  I understand that Panjshir is locally owned and probably barely turns a profit with all the competition in the area.  But I’d love it if the prices were a tad cheaper and the portions a tad bigger.  That sort of generosity is what keeps me coming back.  For now, I think I’ll only be coming back for lunch (when many dishes are a few bucks cheaper) or when someone else is paying the bill. 

So is Panjshir the stale, stuck-in-the-90s restaurant that food folks “in the know” make it out to be?  Perhaps.  There are clearly some dishes that aren’t what they could or should be.  And there’s that free bowl of iceberg lettuce that is “so ten years ago.”  But after my recent trip it’s clear to me that there are a few things this restaurant does very well—and probably a number of other good standbys I didn’t get a chance to try. 

All in all, Panjshir isn’t as affordable or well-rounded as I wish it was, but I like it.  Once you take a bite of those lamb chops it’s pretty hard not to. 

Panjshir is located on 924 W Broad St, Falls Church City, VA, 22046. (703)-536-4566.  (Its sister restaurant, Panjshir II, is on 224 Maple Ave E., Vienna, VA, 22180.  (703) 281-4183.)

FOOD: Pie-Tanza, Flippin’, and the Pizza Situation

By JIMMY SCARANO
Falls Church Times Staff

March 5, 2010

What do you look for in a great slice of pizza?

It’s a simple question that often gets a complicated answer.  Pizza is a unique culinary invention, one that for whatever reason has created fierce loyalists that praise particular styles and cooking methods.

Should the crust be crackling crisp, chewy like bread, or a mixture of the two?  Should the cheese be sprinkled liberally, seeping over the sides and oozing everywhere, or should it be applied with restraint, like in the classic Neapolitan Margherita?  Should the sauce be oregano-heavy or nothing but sweet, tangy tomatoes?  Are toppings pleasant additions or unnecessary add-ons?  Is a little grease desirable or disgusting?

The food blog seriouseats.com identifies at least 21 regional styles of pizza, ranging from the well-known New York and Chicago variations to more obscure styles like Old Forge, a Pennsylvania-based, cheddar-heavy pie. Clearly, everybody has their own idea of what constitutes the perfect pizza.

What do I look for in a pie?  Well, I like mine minimally-topped with a bright tomato sauce, a little cheese, and a crispy-chewy, heavily charred crust.  I suppose that puts me in the Neapolitan camp.  But I like floppy New York pies and coal-fired New Haven ones too—and other styles as well.  Pizza can only be judged on a case by case basis in my opinion.

When I set out to write a story about pizza in the City of Falls Church I wanted to do an all-out pizza war, but the logistics were a little daunting, so I settled on a showdown between the city’s two newest pizza peddlers: Pie-Tanza and Flippin’.  I dragged my mom and brother along with me as we sampled both places, back-to-back, on the same night.

We began at Pie-Tanza, which replaced the Pizza Hut in Falls Plaza almost two years ago.  The sit down restaurant bills itself as a wood-fired pizza joint, but it has a full menu of pastas, salads, and other Italian-American favorites as well.  It’s also a quasi-chain, with locations in nearby Arlington and in Columbia, South Carolina.

At 6 p.m. Pie-Tanza could’ve easily been mistaken for a day care center if not for the giant wood-burning pizza oven.  Little kids were everywhere—and they weren’t just sitting down.  They were running around like they owned the place, playing with pizza dough and screaming at their parents about the pictures they just drew.  That might bother some people, but it didn’t bother us.  We were a focused group that night.

The plan was to get a plain cheese pizza at both places to do a basic assessment of the crust, cheese, and sauce.  But when we saw how small the pies were at Pie-Tanza (they are painfully tiny and somehow 12 bucks a pop) we decided on a classic cheese pie, which at Pie-Tanza includes both mozzarella and fontina cheeses, in addition to a sauce-less white pizza.

My brother, who went to college near New Haven, Connecticut, and lived off the legendary pies at Pepe’s, declared the pizza horrible, shaking his head with every bite.  My mom and I were a little more positive. Being the food-obsessed family that we are, we discussed the pizza at length.

The crust was the biggest problem.  Pie-Tanza rolls its dough paper thin, and it simply can’t hold up to the cheese.  The edges of the pies were nice and crisp, but most of the middle was soggy.  There was a thicker layer of cheese than crust.  It just didn’t work.

I did, however, love the sauce.  It was bright, fresh, and simple, with a great tomato flavor.  The edge of the plain pizza, with just a little cheese, a good amount of sauce, and a nice crispness, was a great bite.  If I returned I’d be inclined to get the Margherita pie, which usually has a just a few slices of fresh mozzarella, not a blanketing of cheese. I certainly wouldn’t get the white pizza again, which everyone agreed was a little heavy on the herbs and cheese and suffered from the same super-thin crust.

My brother and mom said they wouldn’t come back.  My personal verdict: Pie-Tanza makes a pie from good ingredients but it falls short in terms of structure and balance.  Go at your own risk.

Moving on to Flippin’, we all commented on the polar opposite vibe of the place.  Instead of a glorious wood-burning oven as the centerpiece, the small, mostly empty restaurant had a window of stale slices waiting to be re-heated in a lifeless gas oven.  There were also no kids.

A blossoming California chain with a New York theme, Flippin’ has gained many fans because of its by-the-slice offerings.  Abandoning my cheese-pizza-only premise once again, we ordered four different slices, taking advantage of the signature “two slices and a drink for $5” deal.

After a trip to the oven the pre-cooked pizza slices only partially came back to life.  They were crisp and hot, but still a little old tasting.  Next time I’d order a fresh, whole pie.  Nevertheless, the chewy, sturdy crust blew Pie-Tanza’s out of the water in terms of texture.  Flavor-wise it fell flat though.  Both the crust and the slices in general were woefully under-seasoned, causing me to make a mad dash for the parmesan cheese shaker and hot pepper flakes.  Much of the blandness stemmed from the fact that there was literally no sauce on the pizza to speak of—nothing to counteract the oiliness of the cheese or bring any freshness into the equation.

Because of that inherent tastelessness the cheese pie was the worst one.  At least the pepperoni, many-meat-topped Brooklyn and Tomato Basil slices had some flavors going on.  If I was itching for two big honking slices of pizza and I was in the immediate area I’d return for some of the topping-heavy options.  My brother vowed never to return and my mom said she would take it over Pie-Tanza, but only because it was a better bargain.

The bottom line: After one visit to each, I can’t recommend either of the newest kids on the block without some serious reservations.

And the rest of the current pizza landscape doesn’t fill me with confidence.  Aside from four chains—Papa John’s, Domino’s, Zpizza, and Jerry’s—there’s only Anthony’s and Argia’s in the City of Falls Church.  Perhaps a showdown between the two locally owned spots is in order.  One of them could hold the key to pizza greatness in the city.

But my money is on a restaurant that hasn’t even opened yet: Pizzeria Orso.  Perhaps you’ve heard the rumblings online about this pizza project, which has been in the works for several years but is constantly getting delayed.

Pizzeria Orso is a joint venture between the owners of 2941, the ritzy Falls Church restaurant with a fantastic bread-baking reputation, and Edan MacQuaid, the former pizzaiolo (that’s pizza-maker in layman’s terms) at 2 Amys and RedRocks in Washington D.C—two of the leaders in the artisan pizza revolution that has swept the district in the past decade.  By the grace of the pizza Gods, the restaurant is slated to open on the ground floor of Pearson Square’s Tax Analysts building on Maple Avenue.

I walked by the construction site the other day and several burly men were there telling me I couldn’t take any pictures.  One man said he had “no idea” when the restaurant would open, but I saw a huge Naples-imported pizza oven, so that’s a start.  There are rumors that the doors will open as early as May of this year, but given how long it’s taken to get to this point, I’d expect to wait a little longer.

I was able to get a hold of Amber Pfau, a publicist for 2941, and she indicated that a formal press release with all the details is still in the works.  Much seems to still be up in the air, but she assured me that MacQuaid will be the man flinging the pies, and given his track record that’s all that really matters.

If Orso is as good as it sounds on paper, the Little City will be the Lucky City.

Pie-Tanza is located at 1216 W. Broad St., Falls Church, VA, 22046.  703-237-0977.

Flippin’ Pizza is located at 800 W. Broad St. Suite 103, Falls Church, VA, 22046.  703-752-8672.

Pizzeria Orso will be located at 410 S. Maple Ave, Falls Church, VA, 22046.

FOOD: New Farmers Market Vendors Are Worth a Visit

By JIMMY SCARANO
Falls Church Times Staff

February 26, 2010

If you haven’t braved the cold weather on Saturday mornings to check out the Falls Church Farmers Market, you’ve been missing out. This winter the city’s food wonderland has bolstered its already stellar vendor line-up with two excellent additions.

In December, Oh! Pickles set up shop, offering a range of classic barrel-cured pickles.  A month later sausage and charcuterie maker Jamie Stachowski, who has developed a cult following among area meat-eaters, snagged a spot and started selling homemade bacon, kielbasa, and a number of other European-style fatty treats.

I’ve been a frequent customer at both.

In a perfect world, the pickles at Oh! Pickles would be locally made from locally grown cucumbers.  Alas, they are imported from the New Jersey-based Patriot Pickle Co., which sells wholesale to many restaurants.  They also contain preservatives, which is a turn-off for many people.  But they sure taste good.

Usually the stall is setup with samples of every kind of pickle, but sometimes they don’t get around to it.  If there are samples the day you happen by, I say just eat them all and decide for yourself which one you like best.  If not, I’d zero in on the classic kosher dills, which add a springy tang to any sandwich.   For a zippier pickle, go for the spicy red hot variety.  The crinkle cut bread-and-butter pickles are a tad on the sweet side but also good.

Stachowski’s stand at the other end of the market has been drawing huge crowds.  The wafting aroma of pork fat sizzling away on a hot plate inside of his jeep is surely a factor in his success.  He doesn’t have a sign yet and he doesn’t need one—market-goers just tilt their noses up and start walking.

After years toiling in restaurant kitchens (where his homemade charcuterie was often featured on menus), the wonderfully eccentric Buffalo native shifted to meat crafting full-time a little over a year ago when he launched Stachowski Brand Charcuterie.  Since then he’s slowly built up a customer base, selling mostly to restaurants and local specialty food shops, including Red, White, and Bleu, the city’s wine and cheese specialist.  He’s also organized several pick-ups at random spots in the Northern Virginia area through the online foodie forum DonRockwell.com.

Bringing his product to a Farmers Market was a logical next step and we’re lucky to have landed him.  He’s got some seriously good stuff.

Seemingly every person I’ve come across at his stand at the market has walked away with some fresh kielbasa.  The sausage is mildly spiced, a little sweet, and supremely juicy.  The veal bratwurst, laced with cream, is just as succulent and pleasantly subtle.  Both are a far cry away from many of the off-tasting and overly spiced supermarket sausages.  There’s no doubt that they are made with care and calculation.

Some of the smoked products are a little more assertive.  Sometimes it’s just the right amount of smoky goodness, like with the smoked kielbasa, which is a great foil for crusty bread, good mustard, and pickles.  But the Portuguese linguica I brought home a few weeks ago was a little too smoky to enjoy.

Other misses have been the painfully salty Irish bacon, the strangely spiced venison pate and the too-lamby merguez sausage.  But perhaps those are a matter of personal taste.  European-style charcuterie can be quite bold—some people like that and others don’t.  The beauty is that there are always a handful of cooked samples at Stachowski’s stand so you can make the decision for yourself.

Stachowski’s prices aren’t bad either, although they are frustratingly uneven.  Somehow a single piece of Irish bacon (which cooks down to essentially nothing) and a huge link of smoked kielbasa both sell for seven bucks.  I suspect such discrepancies won’t remain for long.  His business is still evolving (take a look at the Web site here) and considering its small scale is doing incredibly well.

A winter time market will never measure up to the bounty of spring, summer, and fall.  But the Falls Church Farmers Market is thriving in these cold months.  Its two newest vendors are chief examples why.

FOOD: Dogwood Tavern — Two Takes

By JIMMY SCARANO
Falls Church Times Staff

February 19, 2010

My brother and I are on our way to the City of Falls Church for a late lunch, and I’m throwing out as many ideas as I can.  He keeps shooting them down.

“How about Luzmila’s?” I say.  “I’ve never actually had a sit down meal there.”

“I don’t want Bolivian food,” he says.  “I want French fries.”

I ignore his plea for fries.  He always says that.

“Okay, what about the Lebanese Butcher?” I say.  “I want to try a 10 appetizer deal they have.”

“Nope,” he says.  “Lebanese food is too salty.”

Too tired to launch into argument about how ridiculous it is to call an entire cuisine “too salty,” I suggest a place I know he’ll like, even though I’m not thrilled about it.

“We can go to Dogwood Tavern; I haven’t been there and I know they’ll have French fries.” 

“Hmm, that could be good,” he says.

My brother is more adventurous than most people when it comes to eating out.  He likes Thai, Indian, Chinese, and plenty of other ethnic cuisines.  But he also fiercely defends American food any chance he can, especially when he’s around people that always want to eat something “weird and ethnic” like me.  Macaroni and cheese, steak and cheese, a burger with cheese, grilled cheese—these are some of his favorite things to eat.  And there’s nothing wrong with that.  Well-executed American food can be delicious.  I just don’t think you find a whole lot of inventive, top-notch American cooking around here.

I’ve avoided Dogwood Tavern for that reason, along with the fact that I don’t really drink beer (which, let’s be honest, is what most people go there for).

Before I have a chance to offer up another suggestion he turns into Dogwood’s parking lot.

“All right, we’re going here,” he says. 

Dogwood Tavern opened in April 2008, the third venture from the same group of owners behind Ragtime and Rhodeside Grill, two Arlington sports bars that draw steady happy hour crowds.   All three places have some overlap in their menus, but each also has unique items that go along with whatever “theme” the place is supposed to be driven by.  Dogwood is meant to be a celebration of Virginia.

That’s evident right as we walk in. The place is tastefully decorated with Virginia memorabilia, and, in general terms, is about as nice a sports bar as I’ve seen.  It’s clean and spacious.  The televisions are plentiful and not obnoxiously loud.  There are even some Mardi Gras decorations peppered throughout the place. I like the vibe.

When we sit down to look at the menus I’m a little discouraged.  The supposedly Virginia-centric menu appears to be pretty basic bar fare, with the occasional dish including Virginia ham and a few items involving quasi-regional foods like oysters and catfish.  Other than that there are gimmicky names for regular foods, like the “Shenandoah Slider” or “Potomac Pesto Chicken Wrap.”  I scan the entire menu and can’t find a single item that really peaks my interest.

“Ohhh, they have waffle fries,” my brother says, giddily flipping through the menu.

“You’re unbelievable,” I say.

“Oh man, look at this,” he says, pointing to the Sandwich section.  “I want to order everything on this page.”

Yawn.    

But there is hope.  A one-day Mardi Gras menu, which includes a sampler of gumbo, red beans and rice, and jambalaya, is intriguing.  The food reviewer in me says that I should order something off the regular menu because it makes more sense to critique that.  But I convince myself that a sampler will be a good barometer for the type of cooking the restaurant is capable of, even if it includes items not regularly offered.  I order it.

My brother opts for the Hot Turkey and Cheddar sandwich (with waffle fries, of course) and we decide on the Honey Pepper wings as a starter.  I prepare myself for a mediocre meal.

The wings arrive in no time, flanked by the ubiquitous blue cheese dip and celery sticks.  Expecting some sort of sweet heat from a honey-pepper glaze, I don’t get much of anything after one bite.  They are faintly sweet, not at all peppery, and actually a little dry.

“These are good,” my brother says, morphing into his food critic mode.  “The first bite is really sweet, and it’s just a nice salty finish.”

“No, they need more heat,” I say.  “They are fine, but they are a little bland.”

“I knew you would say that,” he says.  “All you ever eat is spicy ethnic food.”

Hmmm.  That’s true.  Then I ask him a question I often ask myself when I ponder a dish.

“Would you tell someone to come here and order these?”

“Yeah, I would,” he says.

He doesn’t say it with conviction, though.  I don’t believe him.

Our main dishes come out just as we finish off the wings.  I snag a waffle fry before my brother drowns his plate in ketchup.  Like the wings, they aren’t bad, but they’re certainly not a talking point.  Surprisingly, my brother agrees.

I already regret getting the Mardi Gras special because I haven’t eaten a ton of Creole food to compare it against.  I can count on one hand the number of time I’ve had red beans and rice, jambalaya, and gumbo.

Nevertheless, I dive into the red beans and rice, which are teeming with smoky andouille sausage.  The dish is mildly seasoned, but I like it for its rib-sticking heartiness and creamy-textured beans.  The jambalaya is not quite as good but I clean the bowl out because I’m hungry.  It lacks the punch I expected.

After one spoonful of the gumbo I almost gag it’s so bad.  I take a second taste just to confirm that it really is that bad and it’s somehow worse the second time around.  The stew is slimy (I think from improperly cooked okra) and off-putting in a way that’s hard to describe.  Something just isn’t right about it. 

A slow-cooked dish that tastes this bad is a problem at a restaurant.  It’s not an overcooked burger or a dried out piece of grilled chicken, which are merely execution issues that can happen from time to time.  It’s a flat-out nasty dish that the kitchen cooked ahead of time, tasted, and deemed good enough to serve at lunch and dinner.  Not good.

When I force my brother to have a taste he shudders after swallowing it down.

“That’s gross,” he says.

My brother’s sandwich is better, he says. 

“This is solid, man.”

I’m so fed up with my gumbo that I don’t even sneak a taste of his sandwich in, which I had planned to do.  Ah well.

For some reason we decide to order a five-layer chocolate cake, which our waitress assures us is “really good.”  It is good, especially if you like fudgy, not-too-sweet, chocolate-packed desserts.  Too bad it comes surrounded with cool whip—an unfortunate sign that a restaurant is content to take shortcuts (fresh whipped cream is embarrassingly easy to make).

I leave indifferent towards the meal and the restaurant.  My brother is more optimistic.

“Its solid bar food; there’s nothing wrong with that,” he says.  “I’d come here again.”

Yes, I see where my brother is coming from.  I get the appeal of decent food in a relaxing atmosphere with a good beer selection and plenty of HD TVs.  I get 50 cent wing nights and half price raw bar specials.  I get live music three times a week.  Dogwood fills a niche that I completely understand. 

I just don’t happen to fall into it.    

Dogwood Tavern is located at 132 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA, 22046-4201.  Phone: (703) 237-8333 

FOOD: My Column Philosophy

By JIMMY SCARANO
Falls Church Times Staff

February 12, 2010

A few months ago I wrote about an Armenian coffee shop called Arax Café in Arlington, prompting a commenter to question why I would talk about an Arlington establishment in an online newspaper about the City of Falls Church.  I emailed him an explanation and it was later posted in the comments section of that story by the commenter.  In essence that response was a hurried version of my “column philosophy.”  Since then, I’ve still occasionally gotten comments that suggest a level of irritation when I feature a place outside of the City boundaries.

A snowed-in week is as good a time as any to give a more well-thought-out version of that philosophy, which I feel Falls Church Times readers have long been entitled to.  I think it is important for you to know where I am coming from, how I go about choosing a place to review, and why there are certain places that I tend to avoid writing about.

My food column is unique and challenging to write when you consider the circumstances.  I am attempting to write relevant, timely stories every single week about a relatively small area with a relatively small population and only so many restaurants and markets.  To think that I could keep my column fresh by focusing only on City establishments is absurd.  And, honestly, I think it would make for a pretty boring column.  Just going a few miles outside of the City boundaries every once in awhile allows me to talk about so many more places and cover so many more cuisines.

Also—and this is crucial—I want to write about places that have memorable food.  Finding great meals trumps geography ten times out of ten for me (within reason of course—I’m not about to venture into Maryland or anything).  I would much rather write a column about a place two miles outside of the City with fantastic food than a place in the City that has average food.  I am not a promoter of City of Falls Church restaurants.  I promote places that I think are worthy of a visit for a City of Falls Church resident.  Many of those places are in the City.  Some are not.

Many of those places are also ethnic restaurants.  I choose to write about ethnic places often because this area has great examples of many cuisines and because I want to broaden people’s horizons.  It seems silly to me to write reviews of beloved City restaurants like Argia’s, Clare and Don’s, and Anthony’s.   I’d much rather profile a gem like Rabieng, tucked away off Route 7 and not far from the City at all, or a place in the City like Indian Spices, which sees little business but has some great imported stuff.  I want City residents to think outside the box a little, to step outside of their comfort zone and try some new things right in their backyard and right in their neighbors’ backyard.

The Falls Church Times is an online newspaper dedicated to the City of Falls Church and its readers want to read about all things City-related.  I understand that.  But when it comes to eating out I believe a little flexibility is in order.  That’s why I write every single story through the lens of the City of Falls Church, but not necessarily about a City-based establishment.

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