Favorite Local Restaurants

Where you'll see me eating out in DC/MD/VA.  Each one special for its own reason.
 
Komi - I need to mortgage my house to eat here, but my first trip here was paid for so I can't complain.  Simply the best restaurant in DC.  Hope I make it there in 2012.

Ozzie's - Fairfax, VA - Great American Restaurants are simply AWESOME.  You get reliably great service and almost everything on the menu is going to come out perfect.  They are dedicated to getting your meal right and will normally correct any mistakes they make with a free dessert or a comp'd meal without you having to ask for it.  Ozzie's happens to be the newest of their local chain and has an Italian influence on their dishes.  Get the Brick Chicken if you aren't feeling super adventurous.  Otherwise, see if the Grilled Fish of the Day or the Veal Chop catch your fancy.  Oh, and be sure to grab a Mulberry Street Cocktail.  Definitely my favorite drink of 2011.  The most overshadowed food item of the year goes to the Salt-crusted Bread at Ozzie's.  Of course you are going to eat Ozzie Rolls at the restaurant named for the creator of this delicious bread donut appetizer.  However, right next to the Ozzie Rolls in the bread basket is an even more incredible salt-crusted slice of bread.  Add herbed butter and enjoy.

MokoMandy - Sterling, VA - More to be reported on this newish northern Virginia establishment.  I've been only once and it blew me away.  Korean and Cajun dishes as well as many modern dishes, as well.  Great food, great service and in a strip mall that you can actually find parking in.  Winner!

Rasika - Washington DC - Indian food has been a passion of mine the past several years.  Rasika is modern Indian set in one of the sexier restaurants in DC.  Try the Palak Chaat - Fried spinach.  It doesn't sound incredible but this is one of my favorite appetizers EVER.  Order two if you have more than 3 people because it goes fast.  And the friends who claim they don't like spinach that much will be the ones downing it.

Sweetwater Tavern - Northern Virginia - Ah Sweetwater.  SWT probably earns the spot for most money I drop in a single restaurant chain each year.  There isn't anything on the menu that I don't like.  They have two of my favorite salads in the world, the Roast Chicken Salad along with the Short-smoked Salmon salad.  If you have never tried their crab cakes, they are in the top THREE crabcakes I've ever had.  They even upset my stepmother when she tried them after I reluctantly told her they might be better than hers.  She didn't even try to pretend hers were still the world's best and she grew up in Baltimore City :)  Service is always excellent at any Great American Restaurant Chain location so don't hesitate to let them know something isn't perfect.  Oh, and if you are a root beer fan, try their homemade root beer.  Free refills, too!

Jaleo - Bethesda, Crystal City, DC - Jaleo is home to my all-time #1 favorite version of my favorite dessert in the world, the FLAN.  Beyond that, the gambas (garlic shrimp) and patatas bravas (crisp potato chunks in a red and white sauce) are superb.  And is there a better way to eat food than Tapas-style?  Pour some sangria (red, not white, please) and enjoy a great meal. 

HoneyPig - Annandale/Centreville, VA - Is the food great?  No.  Is the ambience great?  The walls are made of aluminum siding... Is the service out-of-this-world?  No, they actually don't like you if you aren't Korean, I'm pretty sure, and which I'm not... So how did HoneyPig make the list?  Because every time you go, it's a great time.  The greasy pork meat, the random, unidentifiable condiments, the shots of sojoo and the 24 hour availability are why HoneyPig is going to be tough to oust from my top 10.

Ariake - I've been visiting Ariake since they opened up years ago down the street from my old house in Reston. The cuts of fish are the correct size (not monstrous) and the prices and atmosphere are modest.  If you go, order the spicy tuna salad and the yellowtail.  Their yellowtail is as tender as any sushi restaurant I've eaten at.

Makoto - Probably the only place in DC except perhaps Sushi Taro that can make me swoon just days after returning back from eating 10 days in Japan.  Makoto is a truly special Japanese dining experience and is unlike any other restaurant in DC in terms of freshness, service and great food.

Nostos - Great Greek food in the heart of Tysons Corner