Thai Flavor - redux

One more post on Thai Flavor (8650 Colesville Rd) - since I can officially say I have eaten at the restaurant. My wife and I made our way over last Saturday for lunch. And we are certainly glad we did. But since we did not eat like gluttons, we were only able to try two of the entrees.

My order was the drunken noodles. And I thought I liked dishes pretty spicy, but I was told this one was just regular spicy and boy, I thought it was hot! It certainly cleared my sinuses. It in no way however stopped me from devouring the whole dish. But I could not eat it in Kobayahsi or Joey Chestnut-time. The noodles were well-cooked and there was plenty of wonderful fried tofu, broccoli, and a couple other veg. While the plate here may not look terribly big, this dish was very filling for lunch. We were almost tempted to get an app, but I'm glad we didn't since we would not have had enough room to eat our lunches.

Since I ordered a noodle dish, my wife opted for something with rice. She hit a home run too with an order of the red curry with tofu and veggies. In our books, it's hard to miss when you have fried tofu in your dish. The curry also had a fair amount of spice, but it seemed a little less hot than mine. The curry sauce was very tasty and the vegetables were not overdone. It was enough where we even had some to take home in a doggy back. I think both dishes were about $7 each.

Accompanying our lunches we ordered the ginger ice tea. And while I liked the tea, I thought the level of ginger in it could have been knocked back some. This was certainly a beverage you could not gulp - and I needed to on a couple forkfuls - given the bite of the ginger in the tea.

The two proprietors of Thai Flavor, Wayne and Wendy, are very nice young folks who I certainly welcome into the hood. Wayne was a bit nervous having to come from behind the counter and serve us - since this appeared to be Wendy's job - but he handled it all fine. Not much to mess up here, we had drinks, napkins and silverware and then... lunch.

I just hope given the bad economy they are able to ride things out a while. I think if they do and more development comes to SoCo, their little restaurant will flourish.

On another note, it appears the Big Greek Cafe (8417 Georgia Ave) has opened its doors. I know this is competition for Thai Flavor, but the food choices themselves couldn't be much different. I think the more places we have in the hood, the more foot traffic we'll get and the number of lunch/dinner patrons will grow. Given the recession, any place where you can be served a good meal and spend less than $10 on it, should be a winner. We'll keep our eyes on TF and the BGC and report back in a few months to measure their success. I'm optimistic for both.

A Fresh Start at Fresh Start?

Well, last summer we reported about the accident that took place at the small restaurant at 8201 Fenton called Fresh Start.

Since that time, the business has been open, but no real repairs have taken place. The broken windows in the front of the restaurant simply had been replaced with plywood. While it did not win any design awards, I don't think the ownership cared too much since their regulars were still making their way in for coffee, breakfast and lunch.

But, over the weekend I spotted what appeared to be real work happening. And I'm thinking it's not just to repair the damage from last summer. The restaurant is shut down for a week (closed till Feb 28th - so hold tight) and maybe, just maybe FS is actually getting a makeover. If you cannot tell from the pic, the whole front of the restaurant has been cordoned off by fencing and at least on Saturday morning, there were workers inside and outside the restaurant making repairs/changes.

My guess is things have not changed at FS too much since its opening. We know the building is from the 1960s, but I'm not sure if FS has been in operation that long. For those not familiar with FS, it's not a true full service restaurant and it's only open in the mornings and afternoons (7AM-3PM) Mondays through Saturdays. Its prices are quite low and seems to have a loyal following among some of our old timers in the 'hood and a lot of local workers who appreciate cheap eats.

While I would like to see some renovations and have FS spruced up a but, I don't want its prices raised dramatically which would likely severely alter its clientele. My fingers are crossed. I'm looking forward to see the changes. Once done, I am committed to finally going and ordering up a toasted egg and cheese sandwich with a cup of Joe. I'm hoping my tab will be in the $3 range.

One last note - if you hadn't noticed, FS lost its neighbor, Douglas Speed Sport Center at 8205 Fenton about a month ago. Another Fenton Village business I had yet to support, but given my lack of knowledge with cars, I'm not sure what I would have bought. I already own some Yosemite Sam mud guards. I didn't need any more. The business, which occupied two store fronts has closed up with no indication it is opening elsewhere. Some new drywall has already been hung to separate the storefronts, so maybe we'll see two new businesses opening some time soon.

We're talking pretty small places, so there's not much room for new proprietors to set up shop. And there already is a braiding shop right next door to 8205, so I think - although not 100% sure - that another hair place was be cropping up.

Adios El Taqueria, Hello...

Two posts in a row about new dining spots! And this one right in the heart of SoCo. A new Greek place is opening up to take the place of our beloved El Taqueria Mexicano at 8417 Georgia, just south of Bombay Gaylord/Quarry House. I did a post on the taqueria a few months back. The place certainly left a lot to be desired, so I must say I am not heartbroken to see a new restaurant takes its place. Although a good, cheap taqueria in the hood would be fab (and I know folks do love La Bamba - I just need to make my way over there).

Patrons won't have to guess too much about the food focus of the new restaurant . It appears the fellow out front cleaning the windows is the new owner or one of the new owners. My wife spotted him on her way to the subway yesterday morning. He did say it was quite a quick turnaround from the taqueria - seems like a world record to me - and his new spot will be opening perhaps next week.

Don't have a clue yet exactly what types of items they'll be serving outside Greek/Mediterranean. I think we can make a few assumptions about some ingredients we'll see on the menu - lamb, pork, feta cheese, olives, and I assume phyllo pastry for baklava.

All that sounds OK to me. I'm hopeful he'll do a few vegetarian dishes as well, like falafel, tabbouleh, and spanakopita. And that the pitas aren't too thin, and nice and soft. Mmmmm, I love good pita, especially accompanying some yummy hummus! He needs that on the menu too.

Given the arcane liquor laws in the County, I'm not expecting alcohol to be served - at least not at the start - but it would be wonderful if this place could fill a void for inexpensive non-Asian ethnic food in the hood. And if you read my blog, you know I have no knocks about all our wonderful Asian places in the hood - I'm just talking variety. And maybe I'm missing something since I haven't been to the kabob place on Ellsworth. I assume this would be direct competition for the BGC? But mostly I like to avoid Ellsworth except for the farmer's market and the movies.

Let's hope the BGC does better than El Taqueria. It seems like a natural spot for a quick lunch for all the Discovery staffers. I'll do a follow up post as soon as I can stuff my face with some falafel. I can't wait!

New dining spot opens

Yes, even with the credit markets still in free fall, I guess there is still some money out there to help out with a new restaurant opening. And while the new place is not in SoCo it is still good news for the area since the owners have previously run a very good restaurant.

I am talking about Gillian Clark and Robin Smith, the former proprietors of Colorado Kitchen in the Brightwood section of DC. If memory serves, CK closed about two years ago and I had read that Clark and Smith were looking at SS for a new place. Well, what I read was correct since they have now opened the General Store at 6 Post Office Rd, just outside the Beltway near the new National Park Seminary development. Please note, they are only doing take-out at the moment waiting on paperwork from the County to open up the Post Office Tavern in the basement.

While not a walk one can easily make from SoCo, I am sure many folks in the new Seminary development are giddy with excitement with the opening of the General Store. Its first write up was in the Post today in the Good to Go column, and it received good marks. And folks have already found it too. The article states that by Sunday night the restaurant had already run out of chicken and had to close its doors early. That level of business must be a welcome relief for Clark and Smith in this economy.

While my wife and I were one-time regulars at CK, I am hopeful that the General Store will have a few more non-meat choices for its entrees and that Clark won't be as offended if patrons ask for substitutions or perhaps hot sauce for their eggs during brunch. I know on several occasions at CK the server appeared worried when I asked for Tabasco to put on my eggs. It seems if it didn't come with the entree then it wasn't supposed to be added to the entree.

This to me was troubling. I will admit I was never denied hot sauce, but still. We were talking about eggs and it's not like the other dishes were Michelin star quality anyway. Quite frankly I had to ask for my eggs over-medium even though in most places I asked for over-easy. When I asked for over-easy at CK it was like the chef cracked a couple eggs on my plate, it was then placed under the heat lamp for a minute and that was it. Hey I like my eggs runny, but I do want them cooked.

But enough ranting out of me. I wish the best for Clark and Smith at their new location. If the first week is any indication, their new place will thrive.

SS Thai Flavor in Trouble

I was recently notified that the folks running SS Thai Flavor at 8650 Colesville - across from the AFI - have run into really hard times due to the recession. I was forwarded a message from a SS list serv that was written by Wayne Christopher, one of the owners.

Wayne says he was recently laid off and that his wife Wendy is expecting. At present, he and Wendy - and their 3-year old - have been living with his mom. They are terribly worried since they already lost their home due to foreclosure and are close to losing his Mom's house. In addition, they are struggling mightily to keep up with the rent at the restaurant.

So if you can, Wayne and Wendy are asking folks to come in and order some great Thai food. While I have yet to make it over to Thai Flavor, I am told they serve terrific food, the prices are cheap, and are super friendly. I hope you can stop by to support one of our new dining spots and help out some good people. I definitely plan on stopping by this weekend!

Deja Vu at Across the Street Cafe

Well, after hearing a lot of good things about the Across the Street Cafe, my wife and I decided to give it another shot. We previously went with some friends last month for Sunday brunch, only to find the restaurant closed. The hours state an 11AM opening on Sunday, but when we arrived - after 11AM - no one was around and it was completely dark inside.

Guess what happened this time? My wife and I make plans to see a 12:05 movie at the Majestic. We arrive at 11AM promptly. We did not want to have to rush through brunch, so we thought an hour would be plenty. You know, to eat, read the paper, I'm not really talking about in depth conversation here. But I digress.

Upon our arrival, what do we find? A restaurant that is locked up tight with no activity inside whatsoever. We did find a forlorn waitress waiting for Stan - the owner - to arrive and open up the restaurant. What is up with that? You open at 11AM and you plan to arrive at 11AM ready for business? That is if Stan could arrive by 11AM.

Either way, I was in the restaurant business long enough to know if you plan to open at a specific time it is best not to show up at that time to open your doors. What about prep? How could a restaurant be taken seriously if its owner doesn't care enough to get there on time and have things prepared? How about ovens warming, vegetables/herbs chopped, sauces ready, the bar fully stocked, no less simply turning your lights on so the place looks welcoming. And this poor server, who by the way was about to log her last shift after only 2 weeks working there. This young woman - who by her own admission was not terribly interested if the restaurant opened on time - was there before Stan. This to me is problematic.

Maybe it's just Sunday brunch. I don't know. The place has served meals; i do know that. And folks seem to like it. But I don't know if I'll try again. Should we? Can someone give me a compelling reason to go back and a time when their doors will be open?

And of course right next door, the Sabroso Grill was ready to go and about to open its doors. The doors were locked when we tried them, but you could see plenty of activity in the kitchen and they were ready for customers.

If my wife and I were bigger meat eaters we would have hung around and tried Sabroso. But instead we bailed and went to Austin Grill. Not a terrible meal, but pretty mediocre. I am not a fan of leaving a restaurant after brunch ready to burst and that's often the feeling I have leaving AG - with the chips, cheese, and general large quantity of food you are served.

But at least they were open, ready and got us out in time to see Frost-Nixon - which I highly recommend. My pick for best picture.

Si, Sabor

At the NE corner of Piney Branch Rd and Flower Ave sits a nondescript strip mall that I bet most of you have driven by dozens of times. There's not a lot to talk about concerning this strip mall, except a wonderful little Latin restaurant called Sabor.

I believe Sabor is still run by Jorge Chicas (from Zatinya) with his brother and mother. Together they have put together a wonderful - and mostly under the radar - dining spot. My wife and I have eaten there several times now. While we have noticed some inconsistencies, on the whole we are both typically very pleased with our orders.

In my opinion, their papusas, taquitos and tostadas are all quite good. And while I have yet to venture into their meat dishes, I have heard from others that their chicken, beef, and pork rival many other establishments which charge a helluva lot more than Sabor.

In addition to their food being very high quality, one of the other great things about Sabor is their prices. You can easily order lunch for two people and stay under $20, maybe even $15 depending on what you get and how hungry you are. But I would recommend going in hungry because you'll want to try a number of dishes.

It is worth noting that no alcohol is served - one of the reasons, at least for me - that you can eat at Sabor so cheaply. One last thing, I would most definitely recommend picking up some of their homemade corn tortillas when you finish eating. If I remember correctly, a package of 30 sell for about $1.50. You're not gonna get tortillas of this quality much cheaper than that. I would caution that they are fresh and with few preservatives, so they don't last in the fridge very long. So have some plans to make enchiladas, tacos or just warm them up and eat them with good salsa. Either way you go, you won't be disappointed.

I hope you get the chance to try them out. You'll be glad you did.