Thanks Brian!
Sarah, I had no idea you grew up in Falls Church. I did as well! I keep trying to visit Thompson Italian, so I can’t report firsthand (I’ve canceled 3 reservations for various reasons and we’re not in FC often anymore) but my family loves it and everyone I’ve sent here has really enjoyed it. Last I checked, they permit corkage, but that was several months ago, so I’d confirm. The background of the owners and the FC CdC and GM is pretty strong (GM has a background at Rose’s Luxury and Pineapple and Pearls, etc…) and everything I’ve heard is that they’re on point with hospitality and the food is solid. I believe they open at 4:30 on the weekend and they take walk-ins.
Hi Jason. Yep, Lake Barcroft, if you know where that is. Went to Jeb Stuart HS, then graduated from McLean.
Haven’t heard of Thompson Italian. Will check it out! Thanks!
Well, as a local of 30 years (though with a big caveat of being a vegetarian), “not fancy or really serious” places that come to mind are (you probably know at least some of them):
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Lebanese Tavern – my go-to place to take out-of-town friends to (the original location not far from Eden Center, or the one in Tysons Galleria mall or Pentagon City)
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Haandi – a solid, if sometimes uneven, neighborhood Indian in Falls Church (Broad St)
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Celebrity Delly – a NYC-style deli, in Falls Church (Rt. 50)
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Tachibana – a Japanese in downtown McLean – skip over sushi/sashimi and order homey dishes from the “Appetizer” and “Chef’s Special” sections of the menu
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9292 Korean BBQ – I’ve heard Korean ex-pats recommend this place in Annandale (kind of local Korea Town) as authentic and the best. (I haven’t been, though.)
Sorry, don’t know if any of them do BYOB. Good luck!
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Thanks for the reminder of Lebanese Taverna. I haven’t been there since HS. Takeout from there fit the bill perfectly and was nostalgic to boot.
All other suggestions appreciated and going on my list for future visits.
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Sarah, despite Eden Center changing a lot in recent years, Truong Tien is a newer restaurant there that does excellent Hue cuisine. Their bun bo hue is possibly the best in the area, and there are lots of other regional dishes there that you can’t usually get.
No reservations I think, so it should be suitable for a last minute dinner. Sometimes quite busy during prime time though!
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any recs for large groups including 2-3 kids? in the past we’ve liked tail up goat (closed!), red hen and usually am very happy with le diplomate but figured id ask if theres some better (newer) recommendations. some place where i can bring wine would be ideal but with kids, we prefer french, italian, spanish over thai, sushi, middle eastern.
Just noticed this and just posted on a great dinner at the original Jaleo.
Group including 2-3 kids? Get the table with the foosball!
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Another week in DC this week. Will be hitting Lutece, Mastro’s and Old Ebbitts.
Is minibar worth it?
We’re going to Lutece tonight. We wanted to go to barmini, apparently need to reserve 3 months in advance. Never been to minibar.
Headed to barmini Tomorrow. Doing early dinner at Lutece before it.
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Lutece was fantastic! The white asparagus/pickled ramps was legit.
Went to barmini after that, and that was amazing. It is criminal it’s not on the San Pellegrino Top 50 Bars list. I went to Bar Leone, nr1 on that list, and I would place barmini above it.
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Lutece is really doing things right, although a sample size of “been there once” for me!
just came back from 2 nights in DC visiting family. dinner options were limited due to kids and size of party. we had a pretty solid meal at red hen which i visited 10 years ago. $35 corkage, food was quite tasty and not rocket science. my only gripe was our waiter was a bit awkward to talk to.
second dinner was at the new pastis…bad idea. we are regulars at the nyc location but the new dc one was quite out of the way in what felt like a manufactured neighborhood (fine…just felt fake). $45 corkage and service was fine. the chicken paillard was pretty different than the nyc version and not in a good way with very little brine-y olives. the bar steak frites was fine but the fries werent as good. i was surprised that they didnt copy pastis. i much prefer le diplomate but was harder to get a table for 8.
Zaytinya would probably be my first choice, or Jaleo. They’re both solid food quality but with a good, relaxed atmosphere.
As mentioned, Jaleo with the foosball table, eat and play at the same time! Kids are fascinated.
i just went to evelyn rose in vienna just outside of dc, i got the tasting menu and the wine pairing, great value at $89 and $64 respectively.
highly recommend, one of the better qpr wine pairings ive seen, and the owner himself pours them and gives a well educated spiel about each. the food was amazing too.
reservations from june just opened up for albi, looking forward to trying that out too
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i love zaytinya, its a dc classic at this point
We got a reservation at minibar for Labor Day weekend, and I have to say - both of us are pretty excited! I have mostly avoided molecular gastronomic experiences for a number of years, so now it seems new to me again. I have met Chef Andres a couple of times, and have a lot of respect for him. If nothing else, it looks like a cool place to dress up and have a blow out! I think corkage is accepted, too.
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Don’t forget to swing round the corner to barmini for a few drinks afterwards.