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I guess I've been waiting for someone else to start a new one of these but it hasn't happened, so I hope it's OK I'm taking matters into my own hands. First off, if you're in the region and you haven't been to Union Market yet, what are you waiting for?? Lyon Bakery has some of the best bread I've had in DC, and is insanely reasonable. Oh, Pickle does some seriously good brined vegetables, and Trickling Springs Creamery has a stall too. Finally went to Izakaya Seki this weekend and it was astonishingly good. The baby octopus kara age was unbelievable. DGS, the jewish deli in Dupont Circle, was rather dull; the corned beef sandwich I had was utterly tasteless. Anyone else have any good recent finds?
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Jan 23, 2013 19:50
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drgitlin posted:DGS, the jewish deli in Dupont Circle, was rather dull; the corned beef sandwich I had was utterly tasteless. I've never been able to find any decent jewish delis in DC. Whenever I get an urge for a bunch of cured beef piled on some rye bread I go to Parkway Deli in Silver Spring, which honestly has one of if not the best Reubens I've had anywhere, including New York, although that may just be my taste. edit: VVVVV I can only speak about DC because I pretty much never venture into Virginia, but there are a number of good friend chicken places around Petworth/Park View. MaMa's is great, Hitching Post used to be great but people tell me it went downhill after the owners changed. There is a very unique place right at the Georgia Ave. Metro station called EatMore Fried Chicken which you will probably never eat at because it involves being in Petworth in the middle of the day, but is this bizarre mob-front looking place with a crazy yellow sign and an incredibly awesome Korean couple and pretty good fried chicken. OnceIWasAnOstrich fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Jan 25, 2013 |
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Jan 25, 2013 18:40
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There is a little deli in Fairfax, VA called Chutzpah that has the best Rueben I have ever eaten. Their other stuff is amazing too. Does anyone have any good recommendations for southern style fried chicken in DC/VA?
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Jan 25, 2013 21:14
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Restaurant week is coming up... I have no idea where I'm going to eat yet. You guys?
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Jan 26, 2013 00:15
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Just ate at Kabob Palace in Arlington VA. Apparently very authentic Afghan food. Sheeps' brains taste like crab meat, and are rich as all gently caress. You can eat about four or five bites before you just want to take a nap. It's seriously worth going just for their afghan version of tzatziki sauce. The rest of the food varies, but I'm used to Indian levels of spice, so it felt a little flat to me. Especially considering the insane amounts of oil in the food. I recommend the lamb. You get two sides, so try a little of the brain if you're there on a Thursday and either the chicken curry or the spinach. The place is allways hopping so you might have to wait for seating. Go with a couple people so you're not a goon taking up a whole table by yourself.
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Jan 26, 2013 12:54
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Wroughtirony posted:Restaurant week is coming up... I've got reservations for Mintwood Place and Filomena. I've heard Filomena is pretty solid upscale Italian, and I've heard a ton of rave reviews about Mintwood from a bunch of DC food blogs. Has anyone been?
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Jan 28, 2013 19:06
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I love Filomena but I wouldn't describe it as upscale. Its a classic Italian restaurant seemingly ripped directly out of the early 80s. The place has age and character plus and I've never had a bad dish there.
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Jan 30, 2013 15:44
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We went to Graffiato on Monday for the Gems tasting menu as it was my birthday. A couple of the dishes were so-so IMO, but overall it was pretty great. I think my highlight was the scallop abductor. Menu: 
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Jan 30, 2013 22:43
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drgitlin posted:We went to Graffiato on Monday for the Gems tasting menu as it was my birthday. A couple of the dishes were so-so IMO, but overall it was pretty great. I think my highlight was the scallop abductor. God damned Isabella took the Chicken Thighs off the menu 
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Jan 30, 2013 22:49
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Asbestos posted:Just ate at Kabob Palace in Arlington VA. Kabob Palace is pretty great. I like that there are basically 2 storefronts - one for most of us, one for taxi drivers. The number of drivers who go there certainly speaks to something, though (price and deliciousness). I don't currently have a ton to add to the discussion, but I eat out way too much. Mad Fox brewpub out in Falls Church is waybetter than it ought to be, and I've been salivating for it pretty hard recently.
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Jan 31, 2013 01:25
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ChickenArise posted:Kabob Palace is pretty great. I like that there are basically 2 storefronts - one for most of us, one for taxi drivers. The number of drivers who go there certainly speaks to something, though (price and deliciousness). Is that the place in Crystal City? It was pretty good when we tried it out a few months ago.
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Jan 31, 2013 18:05
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My favorite new find in the area has got to be the Ray's restaurants in the Clarendon area. Ray's the Steaks is a great steak place where you pay for a great steak without the fancy atmosphere. Ray's Hell Burger is fantastic too if you are getting sick of nonstop Five Guys burgers.
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Feb 2, 2013 04:04
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Anyone have any nice desert destinations in the area? I always feel a lack of non-cupcakery/froyo options when wanting to go out just for desert. Also, I highly recommend Feugo Cocina y Tequileria in Clarendon, fairly new, good Margaritas, truly delicious mussels and tacos.
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Feb 8, 2013 14:32
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Time Trial posted:Anyone have any nice desert destinations in the area? I always feel a lack of non-cupcakery/froyo options when wanting to go out just for desert. Depending on your definition of "In the Area", Dangerously Delicious Pies has some pretty tasty Pies, but it's on H Street Northeast. Last night, I went to Mintwood Place for restaurant week. Somehow, it EXCEEDED all of the hype. It was amazing.
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Feb 8, 2013 19:02
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Pron on VHS posted:There is a little deli in Fairfax, VA called Chutzpah that has the best Rueben I have ever eaten. Their other stuff is amazing too. I live five minutes away from it in Fair Lakes and the food there is indeed amazing. I forget the name of it but they have a sliced beef, onion, and mozzarella sandwich that is also great. Are there any good mediterranean or italian places in or around Fairfax I should try? All I know of it some fast food place for the first, and there's a small restaurant called Cantina D'Italia that's pretty good, but nowhere near as good as the places I found in Bristol and Abingdon down in the south end of the state (of all places). I wouldn't say no to pizzarias either, I found a place called Tony's which is good, but I'm looking for a place that delivers. RBA Starblade fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Feb 8, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 21:29
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SgtScruffy posted:Depending on your definition of "In the Area", Dangerously Delicious Pies has some pretty tasty Pies, but it's on H Street Northeast. By in the area I mean DC/NOVA/MD, though I hate trekking out to H street. I don't mean various bakeries though, I mean a nice sit down place where you can order a pretty nice desert. Often I resort to Cosi's smores.
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Feb 8, 2013 22:32
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The best kebab around here is Ravi Kebab, which is on Glebe Road. Much like Kebab Palace, there are two of them--one for the taxi drivers, one for everyone else. Thai Square, on Columbia Pike, is by far my favorite Thai place. Do not confuse it with Thai 57 or whatever it's called which is only a few blocks away. Mexican isn't much of a secret since they've both been around forever, but Lauriol (Dupont/Adams Morgan area; kinda douchy) and Cactus Cantina (Embassy Row up Wisconsin) are sister restaurants and fantastic. If you want more "authentic" Mexican food, there's a place out near Bladensburg called "La Sirenita." You'll get a full authentic meal for like $5 there and it's incredibly delicious, but it's a hole in the wall and in a terrible loving neighborhood. Still worth it. Mediterranean I like Vaso's Kitchen in Alexandria. It's in a historic landmark building with a giant neon pig on top, but I assure you it's not a BBQ joint. (It is, however, briefly in S2E2 of The West Wing). Incredible food there, but will take a while to get seated. It's tiny. If you want "there is literally everything on the menu and all of it is good," I'd recommend Founding Farmers (Farragut area) or Fishers, Farmers, and Bakers (Georgetown Waterfront). I haven't found a good pizza joint, and I've lived here for years. Mellow Mushroom in Adams Morgan is good, but it's a chain. There's a pretty good one in Del Rey (the much cooler cousin of Old Town) but I can't remember what it's called. All their pizzas are named after political figures though, if that helps anyone think of the name. There are a ton of great bakeries in Del Rey, though if you want sweets, The Dairy Godmother and its incredible frozen custard are the way to go.
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Feb 9, 2013 00:29
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FairGame posted:Mexican isn't much of a secret since they've both been around forever, but Lauriol (Dupont/Adams Morgan area; kinda douchy) I'm going to have to disagree strongly withe the Lauriol recommendation. Supremely douchy and loud environment, mediocre boring bland tex/mex style food that's passable at best, and the worst margarita I've ever had. And the 'rita was ~$15 for a nasty sour mix concoction with hardly any tequila in it  . As for pizza it took me a while but Pete's Apizza is pretty good and it's the best I've had in the area.
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Feb 9, 2013 08:06
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If you are looking for a chocolate oriented desert, Co Co Sala is a pretty good place to hit up. You can't really go wrong with this restaurant if you like anything chocolate related. However, its starting to become pretty popular so a reservation might be needed on any weekend night. You can find it off of F street NW in DC.
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Feb 9, 2013 17:43
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I don't drive to VA much, but I do for Bangkok Golden in 7 Corners. Ask for the Lao menu. If you want tacos in Montgomery County, head to Tortacos or Taco Bar, both in Gaithersburg.
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Feb 9, 2013 18:05
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rumspringa57 posted:I'm going to have to disagree strongly withe the Lauriol recommendation. Supremely douchy and loud environment, mediocre boring bland tex/mex style food that's passable at best, and the worst margarita I've ever had. And the 'rita was ~$15 for a nasty sour mix concoction with hardly any tequila in it I love Pete's so much. For Tex-Mex, my favorite spot is unfortunately located in Del Ray, just south of Pentagon City and north of Braddock Rd. http://www.lostiosgrill.com The little thing of hot sauce they give you is very serious.
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Feb 9, 2013 19:48
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It's not a recent find or anything, but despite the terrible service if you're not Korean, I still have to recommend the Bonchon chicken in some lovely strip mall in Annandale. Pretty much the only thing I really miss about living in Alexandria.
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Feb 10, 2013 00:01
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I escaped from NoVA a couple years ago, but while we were there, I always liked Natta Thai in Vienna - tiny place, but really friendly service and they do take-out. They had an great dish (Gai Non Rung) with stir-fried chicken in chili-garlic sauce, surrounded by crispy kale, that I keep meaning to try and duplicate sometime. Also there's a good Izakaya place (Blue Ocean) in the Pickett shopping center in Fairfax/Annandale, great sushi and at least an approximation of real ramen, always seemed to be Asian families there. Mons Hubris posted:It's not a recent find or anything, but despite the terrible service if you're not Korean, I still have to recommend the Bonchon chicken in some lovely strip mall in Annandale. Pretty much the only thing I really miss about living in Alexandria. Was it Yechon? My wife and I don't look even vaguely Korean, but we never really had a problem with service there....BBQ was always done well, and they're open 24/7 to boot. I think there's another place called Honey Pig or something, but I always heard that the noise level there was crazy so we never went.
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Feb 10, 2013 02:42
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Deathwing posted:Was it Yechon? My wife and I don't look even vaguely Korean, but we never really had a problem with service there....BBQ was always done well, and they're open 24/7 to boot. I think there's another place called Honey Pig or something, but I always heard that the noise level there was crazy so we never went. Nah, it was this place: http://www.bonchon.com/?page_id=2228 They don't do much but Korean fried chicken. Honey Pig is pretty good too.
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Feb 10, 2013 17:58
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ChickenArise posted:
Los Tios is also very good. I wish I lived in Del Ray. Del Ray is the best neighborhood. There's a rad Ethiopian cafe/bakery like a block from there too, called Caboose Cafe.
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Feb 10, 2013 21:30
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This may be too "been there done that" for this crowd but my favorite place in Chinatown for cheap noodles has always been "Chinatown Express." It's good if you're looking for a hole-in-the-wall noodle place. They have a huge menu but I've only ever ordered either fried noodles or noodle soup. The price is 7 bucks for fried and 8 for the soup. You also get a pot of green tea when you sit down. The noodles are hand-made from a little prep station with a window facing the street so you can watch the guy do it. It used to be this old wizened Chinese guy but I haven't seen him in a while, recently it's been a younger man. The atmosphere of the place is really seedy, but cool. There are what appear to be squid, duck and some unidentifiable seafood hanging from the ceiling around the prep station. Also several large fish tanks with aquatic menu items swimming around in them. The real selling point of the place is that when you get your noodles there are 6 or 7 sauces on the table you can pour over them including chili oil, sriracha, pickled garlic, some sort of green ginger sauce which is incredible and some other stuff I've never tried. http://www.yelp.com/biz/chinatown-express-washington I see the reviews are all over the place but I think that has to do with expectation. The place is a dive. I've been here over 30 times in the past 7 years or so and the experience is always the same. I've never ordered anything other than noodles. They are always fresh, tasty and cheap.
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Feb 10, 2013 23:54
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It's a bit of a hike from downtown DC, but my favorite restaurant in the area is Cuba De Ayer in Burtonsville MD. Great mojitos too.
rumspringa57 fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Feb 11, 2013 |
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Feb 11, 2013 00:33
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Wachepti posted:some sort of green ginger sauce which is incredible and some other stuff I've never tried. Yes this stuff rules beyond all reason. Also you are doing yourself a disservice if you have never tried the dumplings. rumspringa57 posted:It's a bit of a hike from downtown DC, but my favorite restaurant in the area is Cuba De Ayer in Burtonsville MD. Great mojitos too. This is very relevant to my interests. Thanks for posting it.
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Feb 11, 2013 17:15
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Oh man. So glad this thread is here. Some suggestions I've got: Little Ricky's for the only decent Cuban restaurant I know in DC. http://www.littlerickysdc.com/ Then Cafe Mozart is my favorite for heavy German food. It's a fun atmosphere and excellent food. For a little bakery that I like a lotis Le Caprice DC in Columbia Heights. Get a chocolate croissant if you're there. Pete's is good, but I prefer Red Rocks personally. That said, I'm eating Pete's as I type this. Lastly, for interesting sandwiches, Sundevich - their meat is killer and their hummus is great. edit: And I have to agree that I havent gotten the hype behind Luriol - it's okay I guess but its not worth the following it seems to have with the people I know.
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Feb 11, 2013 17:25
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ChickenArise posted:The little thing of hot sauce they give you is very serious. Seriously delicious. I also want to add that for some reason the service at Los Tios is nearly always top notch. The servers are very, very good about refilling water, refilling salsa and chips, being available at just the right times... I've been to plenty of high concept restaurants that cannot maintain the kind of consistent, quality service you'll get at Los Tios. I kind of suspect it's because most of the employees are professional servers as opposed to college students/grads trying to make a buck before they graduate or get a "real" job.
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Feb 11, 2013 23:27
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Random question about Thai X-ing for anyone who's been there a few times. Do they ever, possibly by request, mix up the food options? The three times I've been there it's been the same selection of courses. They're good, but it'd be nice to see something new. Though it's been a long rear end time since I've been there, I agree with Lauriol being overrated. I've been pretty happy with Taquerio el Distrito Federal in Columbia Heights. Cheap, good, sometimes they give me free food. Heard good things about Feugo Cocina so I'll probably hit that up soon. Always on the lookout for good Mexican. And I just have to get this off my chest. Does anyone else agree that Ben's Chili Bowl is terrible? Just absolute trash. Some sort of pigeon meat hot dogs covered in rat feces chili from the leftovers that failed inspection at some coldwar era Chinese factory.
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Feb 14, 2013 01:55
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Kase Im Licht posted:And I just have to get this off my chest. Does anyone else agree that Ben's Chili Bowl is terrible? Just absolute trash. Some sort of pigeon meat hot dogs covered in rat feces chili from the leftovers that failed inspection at some coldwar era Chinese factory. I've only had it once, but it just seemed like they're using Hormel chili or something. Yahoo ranked it as the best chili in America one year too. What a joke. Not that Hard Times is the best chili on earth or anything, but I think it's way better than Ben's.
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Feb 14, 2013 02:51
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Kase Im Licht posted:And I just have to get this off my chest. Does anyone else agree that Ben's Chili Bowl is terrible? Just absolute trash. Some sort of pigeon meat hot dogs covered in rat feces chili from the leftovers that failed inspection at some coldwar era Chinese factory. I have only been there at 2 AM after a show at the 930 Club. After midnight and 6 beers, Ben's is pretty loving awesome.
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Feb 15, 2013 03:10
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Yea it is really ment to be drunk food. It is famous because of civil rights stuff and it's age. It is a pretty great place to be a regular at though. I used to live like a mile up 13th street and Bens was my spot to get some food and sober up before heading home.
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Feb 15, 2013 03:18
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Kase Im Licht posted:
Holy poo poo; this place is less than a block from my apartment and I've never been. It's on my list for the weekend. Thanks. (Yes, Ben's sucks unless youre drunk - and then its okay but Black and Orange is way better drunk food)
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Feb 15, 2013 21:17
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Kase Im Licht posted:Random question about Thai X-ing for anyone who's been there a few times. Do they ever, possibly by request, mix up the food options? The three times I've been there it's been the same selection of courses. They're good, but it'd be nice to see something new. I've been there once, last summer at some point, and the menu was this: Chicken laarb Papaya salad (spicy, somehow!) Cucumber soup with tuna Stir fried eggplant Curried pumpkin Massaman beef Pad see iw Sticky Rice with Mango Was this what you've encountered? As for Ben's, as it's been said, it's drunk food. I've taken friends from out of town there because they've heard so much about it, and their response is always "...OK. That's a decent hot dog." But when I go at 2 AM drunk off my rear end, it's pure bliss. My girlfriend swears that the veggie chili is better - it actually has substance to it, as opposed to brown water with a little ground beef. SgtScruffy fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Feb 18, 2013 |
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Feb 18, 2013 18:41
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Kase Im Licht posted:
Went to Taquerio el Distrito Federal last night. Highly endorsed. For $10 I got fajitas that were very good, and easily 2-3x the size of any other place. The guacamole was handmade fresh. My only complaint is that I wish they served alcohol.
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Feb 20, 2013 13:15
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I might be heading to the Eden Center this weekend, among the twelve banh mi places, does anyone have a favorite?
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Feb 21, 2013 01:08
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Huong Viet is the best although Rice Paper is pretty good. HV is a bit more comfortable and the food is less Americanized but they only take cash. Neither place specializes in Pho though if that's what you're aiming for.
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Feb 21, 2013 05:04
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Anything fast but good for lunch near the Board of Governors? I'm giving a talk there on Friday and I've got plans all day and night. I'm leaving on Saturday but my flight isn't until 2:45 so I have time for lunch on the way out. Food trucks or something along those lines would be great.
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Feb 21, 2013 05:13
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