Cost - $

Service – A-
The staff here is always friendly and attentive. I tend to drink a great deal of water during meals and with a pitcher readily available at the table I can serve myself without having to bother the staff. As a regular, my favorite appetizers and entrees are now served the moment I sit down and any special requests are taken care of with a smile.

Food – A-
I still believe to this day that no one makes better ghormeh sabzi than the mother of my ex. After the split, I made it my mission to find a restaurant with ghormeh sabzi that rivaled her’s and the closest I have gotten is Shamshiry. The dish is served with a mound of white basmati rice sprinkled with saffron nd topped with pieces of tahdiq. Chunks of tender beef and kidney beans hide among the dark green stew. The mix of savory herbs are highlighted by the citrus notes of the lemon. With each spoonful you can actually taste the time and effort put into this dish.

Although I prefer the mast-o musir at Moby Dick (I love the generous helping of shallots), the mast-o musir at Shamshiry is extremeyl popular. Its yogurty tartness is refreshing and the sweet hint of shallot prepares your taste buds for the entrees to come. No meal can start without the huge plate of tadiq topped with gheymeh; a succulent eggplant stew studded with lentils and small cuts of beef.

In my opinion, the kebab at Shamshiry trumps Moby Dick. Both the jujeh and kubideh are delicious. In my opinion, the only thing lacking here are the desserts. I love to finish off the meal with a few cups of chai. Note: the ghormeh sabzi and the gheymeh are not on the regular menu.

Décor – C+
Like other Eastern restaurants that emphasize the culinary experience, the décor is spartan. Walking through the glass doors, you face a dirty window to the kitchen that displays the heart and soul of this establishment. Flashes of fire catch your eye but the greased glass hides any action going on. The tables and chairs are reminiscent of outdoor cafes that look strangely out of place indoors. A mirror does double duty as a wall giving the impression of a larger space and is also great for people watching in the restaurant.

Feel – B+
This isn’t a restaurant that you would want to venture into alone. Groups of people are the norm with parties ranging from 2 to 20. It’s a restaurant that you come to for two purposes; to enjoy authentic Persian cuisine and to socialize. Shamshiry is a place that pays the same amount of attention to a table of few or many. No matter the occasion, this place still remains as my first choice to a delicious and casual meal that finally rivals the food of Persian homes.

Shamshiry is located at 8607 Westwood Center Drive in Vienna.

Cost - $$

Service - C+
The service is okay.  Vietnamese places aren’t really known for their service in general (unless you can speak fluent Vietnamese) but they were punctual (if not amiable) - that counts for something.

Food - B+
I had the Banh Xeo when I went and it was mouth watering.  The ingredients were fresh and I felt great after the meal.

Decor - C
To be honest I’m still waiting for a hot, trendy Vietnamese place to open up.  You don’t go to a place like Hai Duong for the decor however, you go for the great food.

Feel - B+
I always enjoy going to the restaurants in Eden Center.  For a moment, I honestly feel like I’m totally distanced from Washington, DC.  To top it off, the food is so good it just puts me in a good frame of mind.  Or maybe that is the MSG.  Regardless, it is always a sure fire bet for a laid back evening down in NoVa.

Hai Duong is located at 6795 Wilson Blvd in Falls Church.  They can be reached at (703) 538-8882.

Ownership of most of the hot spots in DC is consolidated by a handful of club owners. One of those is Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld, whose company Latin Concepts is responsible for some of the top clubs and restaurants in DC including Chi-Cha, Mate, and Gazuza. As with the other Latin Concepts venues, Guarapo offers a trendy, sophisticated combination of food, music, and atmosphere and is one of the top venues in the Clarendon / Arlington area (and the only one I have been to in the area in the past several years).

Cost - $$

Service - A-
The general manager is Sevem Al-Hendi and he has done a good job staffing Guarapo with a combination of attractive, friendly bartenders and wait staff. I have always had a positive experience when interacting with the staff at Guarapo.

Food - B+
Ismael Otarola, the executive chef, is responsible for the menu that features a variety of Latin-infused tapas.

Decor - A-
I like the look and feel of Guarapo quite a bit. It offers a little bit of everything including an outdoor patio, upstairs bar, dance floor and dining/lounge area. It is also a versatile space - I have been there for dinner, happy hour and even a variety of events including fashion shows.

Feel - A-
Guarapo offers a sexy, laid-back ambiance that is conducive to socializing as well as a more secluded, romantic dining experience. I don’t venture into Virginia much on the weekends but if I did, it would definitely be to visit a handful of places and one of them would definitely be Guarapo.

Guarapo is located at 2039 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA. They can be reached at (703) 528-6500.

Cost - $

Service - B-
The service here is decent.  Unlike Moby Dick, there is actually a waiter or waitress who comes and serves the food to you.  When I went to eat there recently, I didn’t know if they added a whole lot to the experience however.

Food - B+
The kubideh was pretty good.  I would actually rate it just a shade under the Moby Dick kubideh.  The joojeh kabob however was actually a little more tender than the joojeh I’ve had at Moby Dick and I’d actually grade it a little bit higher.

Decor - C
It’s definitely a little bit dingy in the place.  They might want to seriously consider jazzing it up a bit or at least going with a more industrial sanitary feel.

Feel - B
I enjoyed sitting on their front patio and eating kabob.  It is in a nice spot in Clarendon where you can sort of watch life go buy while burping kubideh/onion breath.  I wouldn’t be as thrilled with the experience had I eaten inside but if you’re in the area and hankering for kabob it is definitely worth the trip.

Kabob Bazaar is located at 3133 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia.  They can be reached at(703) 522-8999.

Cost - $$

Service - B+
The service at Little Saigon was pretty good - despite there being somewhat of a language barrier everything went smoothly and our waitress had an extremely pleasant and cheerful disposition.

Food - A
Just mouth-watering.  I started out with some of the best fried chicken wings I’ve ever had in my entire life that were spiced to perfection.  That was followed up with bo nhung dam (beef dipped in vinegar), which was also delicious (to the point that I didn’t even want to douse it in sriracha because I didn’t want to cover its natural flavor).  For a main course I had bo luc lac (beef cut into cubes and marinated) - again, prepared to perfection.

Decor - C
As I’m sure you can well imagine you don’t come to Little Saigon for the decor or the ambiance.  You come to eat food.  I don’t have to tell you that the decor is really nothing to write home about.

Feel - B
The feel of the place is great because of the quality of the food.  The only reason you would make the trip to Little Saigon is for one of the best Vietnamese culinary experiences in the DC-area - but I can assure you if you are a fan of food in general it is definitely worth the trip.

Little Saigon Restaurant is located at 6218 Wilson Boulevard.  They can be reached at (703) 536-2633.

Cost - $$$

Service - A
The service was actually quite incredible. The waitress knew the menu back-and-forth and seemed to pop her head up at precisely the right time. The manager came over and made a polite (excessively formal) introduction, and even the busboys and valets were friendly and helpful.

Food - B+
I had a well-prepared ribeye steak with a side of creamed corn and my companion had the king crab and shrimp scampi. As the name of the restaurant would suggest, their focus is steaks and it showed. The seafood dish left a bit to be desired however. The waitress recommended a tasty Gewürztraminer but unfortunately the name escapes me right now.

Decor - B+
There is nothing that particularly sticks out about the interior of Fleming’s really. They have ample booth seating, which is nice. They do a good job with the lighting as well, to create a sense of intimacy even though the place is regularly filled up.

Feel - A-
You wouldn’t go there with your buddies but for a nice place to have a good dinner and a great experience in Northern Virginia with someone special, Fleming’s is certainly a good option.

Cost - $

Service - A-
I’ve been to Pho Bistro about ten times and have always been helped by the same server - a middle-aged Vietnamese woman who is literally the friendliest and happiest person I have ever met in my entire life.  I went back a few weeks ago and was helped by someone who explained she was her daughter and she ended up being the second-most friendly and happy person I have ever met in my entire life.

Food - A-
It is probably one of the best places to get pho in Virginia. The ingredients are fresh and high-quality.

Decor - C-
It isn’t really a place you go to enjoy the aesthetics, just the food. That being said, the decor does provide a decent amount of privacy and also a clean, sterile environment.

Feel - B-
It is pretty utilitarian: you go and eat and leave. Basically, the main attraction is the pho but that is sufficient.

Pho Bistro is located at at 44260 Ice Rink Plaza in Asburn, Virginia

Cost - $$ 

Service - A
Both proprietors came to the table to talk with us after we were seated, and the server had a perpetual smile on her face and was extremely helpful and gracious.

Food - A
They have a great menu, a good wine list, and the food delivers. They use fresh ingredients that are prepared to perfection. I’d say they have some of the best Thai food in the DC area.

Decor - B+
It has a modern, charming feel to it. It sort of reminded one of my friends of Rice in DC.

Feel - B
It is a restaurant in Ashburn, so you’re not really going there to socialize or meet other people.

What’s the Buzz:

December 23, 2007 - Bangrak Thai Cuisine (Drift Reality) - Yesterday evening I was down in Ashburn visiting some friends when we decided to search for a good place to eat before heading to watch I am Legend. Full Article…