We're Famous!

Local restaurant critic Warren Rojas, who writes for Northern Virginia Magazine, interviewed me about my blog on 4 December 2009, in an online article entitled, "No Stove Left Unturned". Warren writes a variety of online content under the "Food & Wine" section (including "Gut Check" where my interview is), hosts a weekly live food chat called "Grill Warren", posts to Twitter, and also writes for the print version of the magazine. Warren did a great job of capturing the spirit of this blog, and left me with a challenge to do something similar when I've finally eaten at Every Restaurant in Leesburg!

#83: James Cafe

Date Visited: 25 November 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Out of nowhere, sometime in the last month, the James Cafe popped up next door to Moe's in the Marketplace at Potomac Station shopping center. Leesburg already has lots of choices for Chinese food: Jasmine, China King, Golden China, Tai Pei Cafe, and Mandarin Express (not reviewed yet). Additionally, we have many Asian-style restaurants that offer some Chinese dishes: Pei Wei, J&W Asian Bistro, Thai Pan, Aiyara Thai, Xuan Saigon, and Red Apple Buffet. So how will James Cafe fit in?

The James Cafe menu is full and has all the expected Chinese favorites; they also offer some items that are not common, such as Mei Fun and Ho Fun. For this visit, we both ordered from the "Chef Special" section of the menu, for takeout. I got the "Kung Pao Triple Delight", which consisted of chicken, beef, and shrimp. It had a mild spiciness that was enjoyable. Wendy got the "Orange Chicken" but didn't notice the little "spicy" icon next to the name on the menu. It was very good but a little too spicy for her; I loved it! It was maybe the best Orange Chicken I've ever had! One thing I noticed is that they used jalapeno peppers instead of the usual red chili peppers. We also got a couple of egg rolls and a complimentary Hot and Sour soup. All good!

James Cafe also has an interesting web site, in that it consists of one page with four JPG images of the printed menu, and that's all. I'm sure they'll add some more interesting content soon.

Next time you're in the Potomac Station area, stop in and try the James Cafe, a local business!

Location: 671 Potomac Station Dr. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://linjamescafe.com/

Total bill: $26.80 + $5.00 tip = $31.80

#82: Galletta's Pasta & Italian Specialties

Date Visited: 23 October 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Andy

Experience: According to their web site, Galletta's has been in Leesburg since 2005, but somehow I never noticed them. Recently, my friend Micah enthusiastically recommended Galletta's after reading this blog, so I had to check them out.

Micah highly recommended the di Parma sandwich, so I went to Galletta's on this Saturday afternoon and got one. The di Parma is described on the menu as "Thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma, roasted red peppers, basil pesto, fresh mozzarella di bufala, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil." It's served on ciabatta from South Street Under. Wow - it was great! The combination of flavors was superb, with the prosciutto and basil pesto dominating. Yum!

Galletta's is open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch, but only Friday and Saturday for dinner. The dinners are Trattoria-style, and the menu changes every week. Since I'd had such a good experience for lunch, I went home and brought Wendy and Andy back for dinner!

When you show up for dinner on a Friday or Saturday night, you are immediately greeted with "choose your wine." The wines are mostly all Italian and all are on display in the first-floor shop. They don't serve any wine by the glass, so you have to buy a whole bottle, but there are plenty at very reasonable prices (some under $10), and you get to take the bottle home, so it's no big deal. I selected a 2006 Aia Vecchia Lagone (about $20). As for my teetotalling companions, Wendy got a San Benedetto Peach Ice Tea, and Andy got a San Benedetto bottled water. Once you've selected your beverages, you head upstairs to the small dining room. With our beverages came some bread (also from South Street Under) with olive oil, which was a perfect starter.

For appetizers, Wendy got the Antipasto plate ("a selection of cheeses, cured meats, marinated vegetables, etc."); ours came with prosciutto, salami, 4 kinds of olives, Romano Peccorino cheese, artichokes, and roasted red peppers. We all shared - Andy said "It's good", and Wendy said "Delicious" and liked the artichokes the best. Andy and I got the Spring Mix Salad, which was an unusual mix of arugula, radiccio, carrots, celery, mozzarella, tomato, house vinagrette. It was good.

We all got different entrees so we could share. I got Galletta's Homemade Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce, which turned out to be everyone's favorite. Wendy got the Penne All' Amatriciana ("a tomato based sauce with pancetta, crushed red pepper, and Peccorino Romano cheese"), and Andy got the Cotto Pizza ("Marinara sauce, Italian Fontina cheese, & thin slices of Italian Prosciutto Cotto"). He didn't like it very much, not being used to fancy, real Italian pizzas.

Overall, we enjoyed everything and can heartily recommend Galletta's for lunch or dinner - and they have a great and informative web site! Support this Leesburg treasure!

Location: 211 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://gallettas.com/

Total bill: $88.40 + $16.00 tip = $93.74

#81: Aiyara Thai Restaurant

Date Visited: 16 October 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Aiyara Thai is Leesburg's newest restaurant, open for about a week as of our visit. It's great to have another Thai restaurant in Leesburg, especially since Tup Tim Thai closed a couple of years ago. We also have Thai Pan, but this story is about Aiyara Thai...

We went on a Friday night at about 7:30 PM, and the place was packed - a good sign!

We began with the Thai Sampler appetizer plate ("Combination of Satay, Crispy Rolls, Fried Tofu, Steamed Dumplings, and Fried Calamari.") The rolls were very delicate and crispy, the calamari good, and the satay had a great grilled taste. I also got a Thai Ice Tea and Wendy got a pot of the premium Jasmine tea, which came in the coolest elephant teapot!



For our entrees, we ordered from the Chef's Special section of the menu (we'll have to come back again to try the standards, like Pad Thai). I got the Four Buddies ("A combination of shrimp, chicken, beef and pork sauteed with carrot, baby corn, mushroom, snow pea tomato and cashew nuts in chef's special sauce.") The veggies were nice and crisp, and the meats were perfectly seasoned with the tangy sauce. Wendy got the Crispy Duck ("Roasted crispy duck (boneless) served with crispy noodles and Thai sweet soy sauce.") This dish consisted of a HUGE portion of duck that was very tender and made unique with the crispy coating and wonderful, slightly spicy sauce. Happy tummies ensued!

A refreshing part of the experience was the very pleasant, courteous, and friendly service we received from our server, Goy, and the rest of the wait staff. She really made our visit a memorable one.

Support our newest Leesburg restaurant and enjoy Aiyara Thai soon!

History lesson: Aiyara Thai is located in the building that formerly hosted Peppermill Grill (lasted about a year); before that it was Zeffirelli's (lasted a couple years), and before that it was Waffle King's Virginia Kitchen (lasted many years).

Location: 5 Catoctin Cir. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://aiyarathairestaurant.com/

Total bill: $64.89 + $15.00 tip = $79.89

UPDATE, 11 December 2009:
We visited again on a Friday night and tried some other selections. We first tried a couple of soups - Wendy had the Coconut soup with chicken, and I got the Lemongrass soup with shrimp (spicy heat just right). For entrees, Wendy had the "Valcano Chicken" (nicely flavored through, with sticky rice and extra spicy sauce). I had the Panang Curry with pork (very generous portion). For dessert, we were offered the Mango Sticky Rice - nice treat! Everything was delicious, and the service superb. We can highly recommend you visit Aiyara Thai!

#80: The Coffee Bean

Date Visited: 3 October 2009

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: The Coffee Bean is one of those original Leesburg landmarks. It is the original coffee shop in Leesburg, located in Historic Downtown Leesburg, and a must-see tourist attraction if you're visiting. The Coffee Bean is small inside, but is instantly warm, cozy, and inviting.

The Coffee Bean used to have it's own old time roaster (named "Plutonius") running inside the place, but it's gone now. I can't find any trace of it online except for this comment on fairtradecoffee.org: "The Coffee Bean Of Leesburg is famous for its rich dark brew, Using Plutonius, one of the first dual drum roasters designed in the 1800's, the slow roasting over a gas fire extracts the fullest."

I usually go to the Coffee Bean on Saturday mornings and get the flavored coffee of the day. On this visit, I got Chocolate Macadamia Nut - yum!

Support our local businesses and get yourself a great cup of coffee at The Coffee Bean!

Location: 110 S. King St., Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: none

Total bill: $1.79

#79: Angeethi

Date Visited: 26 September 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, & friends Jim & Teresa

Experience: Leesburg now has two Indian restaurants: Angeethi, and the Indian Restaurant and Grocery (reviewed on 8 February 2009). Angeethi actually has three locations, the new one here in Leesburg, one in Herndon, and one in Bethesda. We've visited Leesburg's Angeethi just a few times since they opened, and for this official blog visit invited our friends Jim and Teresa. We all agreed to order different items so we could share and try them all.

Wendy, not wanting anything too spicy, got the Sheesh Kabob Tandoori ("Succulent rolls of minced lamb blended with herbs and spices then shaped on a skewer and barbecued.") She said it was "tasty."

Teresa, also not wanting anything too spicy, got the Murg Makhini ("Barbecued chunks of boneless chicken breast cooked in a fresh tomato-based curry sauce with a touch of butter.") Commonly known as "Butter Chicken", it had a creamy orange/red sauce. She liked it a lot. This was also Wendy's personal favorite!

Jim got the Lamb Chop Masala ("Tender rack of Imported Australian Lamb half done in Tandoori then sautéed with onions, ginger, and garlic in creamy curry sauce.") The meat was perfectly falling off the bones. It had a little spiciness to it, and the sauce was great.

I got the Rogan Josh ("Chunks of leg of lamb simmered to perfection in a creamy yogurt curry sauce with a hint of basil.") This dish was the spiciest of the ones we ordered (only mild, really), and therefore was my favorite!

We also sampled two kinds of Naan: Garlic ("Leavened bread stuffed with garlic flat bread"), and Cheese ("Leavened white flour flat bread stuffed with cheese and spices.") They were both good additions to the meal, but the Garlic was my favorite.

Everyone did try everything, and it was all wonderful! We enjoyed outstanding service; our server very patiently answered all of our questions, made recommendations when we couldn't make up our minds, and did so with such style (and great humor). Angeethi provided us with a very enjoyable experience, and we will certainly be visiting again soon - try it yourself!

Location: 17 Catoctin Cir., Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://angeethiva.com/

Total bill: $72.80 + $20.00 tip = $92.80

#78: La Villa Roma Restaurant & Pizzeria

Date Visited: 26 August 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Andy

Experience:

La Villa Roma has been in Leesburg for as long as we have lived here (about 21 years now), the only restaurant in the Tollhouse Shopping Center. It's your basic casual family-style restaurant and pizza place, offering both dine-in and takeout. It's a very popular place for after-Soccer game celebrations and such, and it's normally a busy, noisy place! We've eaten there many times over the years, and now it's time for the official blog report.

On this visit, we decided to get a variety of items to sample and discuss. Here's what we got:

* Large pizza with pepperoni, bacon, and green bell pepper. Andy (our pizza maker) said it was OK.
* Steak Philly Cheese sub, with onion rings. I ate most of this myself; it was good, and the onion rings were not bad either.
* Order of 10 wings with Garlic sauce. Good.
* Free Garlic Bread with melted Mozzarella. Via a coupon. It was OK too; we couldn't finish much of it before our entrees arrived.

Overall, La Villa Roma is a fine place to go for a relaxing time, a good (but not outstanding) meal, at a good value.

Location: 305G E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://lavillaroma.net/

Total bill: $43.93 + $8.00 tip = $51.93

#77: Cold Stone Creamery

Date Visited: 13 August 2009

Meal: Dessert

Diners: 5 - Me, Wendy, Andy, Eric, & Alicia

Experience: As I've written before, I not much of an ice cream man, but it seems everybody I know loves the stuff. Wendy had a $15.00 gift card for Cold Stone Creamery, and the whole family was home, so off we went in search of ice cream adventure. Besides Cold Stone Creamery, the other primary ice cream places in Leesburg are Milwaukee Frozen Custard (reviewed 21 February 2009), Razzle Dairy Bar (reviewed 13 June 2009), and Baskin-Robbins (colocated with Dunkin' Donuts - not yet reviewed). Cold Stone Creamery is situated in between Starbucks and Quiznos in a building in the middle of Battlefield Shopping Center, and aims for the high end of the ice cream spectrum.

I got a "small" (i.e., big) scoop of Coffee Lovers Only ("Coffee Ice Cream, Roasted Almonds, Heath Bar, Caramel") in a cup. This flavor is part of their Signature Creations, which are hand-mixed to order; from the web site: "By mixing nuts, fruits and candy into our smooth and creamy ice cream on a frozen granite stone (around here, we call it “the stone”) we're actually more like ice cream artists." Well, it was extremely good!

Wendy got a medium-size Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip ("Mint Ice Cream, Chocolate Chips, Brownie, and Fudge"). In her words, it was "delish", but so sad, it was more than she could finish - boo hoo!

Alicia got a scoop of Strawberry Banana Rendezvous ("Strawberry Ice Cream, Graham Cracker Pie Crust, White Chocolate Chips, Strawberries, and Banana") in a waffle cone. In her words, it was "utterly amazing". Now that's high praise, coming from a very discerning ice cream palate.

I don't remember what the boys got, but they were equally amazing selections.

Our experience seems to prove that Cold Stone Creamery is in fact "the place to indulge your ice cream dreams."

Location: 1013 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/

Total bill: $32.46 - $15.00 gift card = $17.46

#76: Pizza Hut

Date Visited: 26 July 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Finally we come to Pizza Hut's "mother ship". I've already written about Pizza Hut Express (reviewed 9 November 2008) and Pizza Hut WingStreet (reviewed 26 June 2009), so now I'll finish with the original Pizza Hut in Leesburg. There's not that much to say; it's a national chain restaurant, and the quality is pretty consistent wherever you go. But I have to visit EVERY restaurant in Leesburg, so here we go...

I got an order of 10 Medium Buffalo Wings, bone-in style. They're not bad at all, in fact, I'm starting to really like them when I'm in the mood for wings. Wendy got a Medium Super Supreme, which is sort of our favorite kind of pizza anyway. It was all good.

The only thing that bugged me was that they were offering a $14.99 + $2.00 delivery online special for the combination that we ordered, but I really wanted to go pick it up instead of have it delivered (too often there are problems). I was frustrated to find that there was no way to choose pickup instead of delivery when ordering online. So I abandoned the online order and just called it in. I was surprised to find it was so much more without the special; I could have paid $9.00 less by going ahead with delivery and giving the same amount of tip. Oh well.

Pizza Hut - for when you want, um, pizza.

Location: 505A E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://pizzahut.com/

Total bill: $26.01 + $5.00 tip = $31.01

#75: Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Date Visited: 26 July 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: I was on my own for lunch on this Sunday afternoon, and tired from getting up early to play bass with our church's worship team. I was pretty hungry too. I had been meaning to give the Tropical Smoothie Cafe a try, so I went for it. It's one of the newer restaurants in Leesburg and shares a building with Pei Wei Asian Diner (reviewed on 25 April). It turns out that Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a national chain, and according to their web site (very Flash-y), they currently have 275 restaurants open and 80 more in development in 34 states.

On this visit i got a Buffalo Chicken Wrap ("Chicken Breast Strips, Romaine Lettuce, Diced Tomatoes, Low-Fat Mozzarella Cheese, Hot Buffalo Sauce & Light Ranch Dressing. Wrapped in a White Tortilla.") It was good but not great. Of course I had to try a smoothie, so I got a Blimey Limey ("Strawberries, Pineapples, Orange, & Lime"). It was very good; I could really appreciate and taste all the fresh fruit, freshly prepared. All this came as a combo, which included some chips (Nachos Doritos).

Tropical Smoothie Cafe's food is OK, but if you've got a hankerin' for a big fruity smoothie, give they're the place to go.

Location: 505A E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://tropicalsmoothiecafe.com/

Total bill: $10.84

#74: Puccio's New York Deli

Date Visited: 25 July 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: Puccio's opened in 2003, and its popularity has grown mainly by word of mouth rather than massive advertising. Because of this, I think Puccio's is another one of the hidden gems in Leesburg's collection of restaurants. Their web site says that their motto is "Big city taste without the traffic," and their mission is to "Serve Quality Food for Great Prices." My experience confirms that they are hitting the mark on both counts. Puccio's is located on south Loudoun Street, across from another recently reviewed gem, The Cajun Experience.

All of the Puccio's Special sandwiches have interesting names in line with the New York/Italian deli theme. On this visit I ordered the Hambino ("Maple Honey Ham, Bacon & American cheese, topped with lettuce, tomatoes & Ranch dressing, served hot on a sub roll.") The ham and bacon combination was very tasty, and overall the sandwich was great. I also ordered a side of Homemade Cole Slaw, which was fresh, crispy, and just right.

Puccio's also has a great web site, chock-full of delicious menu items and other information. Stop by and support this great local restaurant!

Location: 15 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://puccios-deli.com/

Total bill: $9.22

#73: South Street Under

Date Visited: 3 July 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: South Street Under was born about ten years ago, originally intended as just a place to bake great breads and make specialty desserts, an extension of the kitchen for the Tuscarora Mill ("Tuskie's") restaurant. On the Tuskie's web site, South Street Under is simply referred to as the "Bakery". South Street Under gets its name from the fact that they are physically located under Tuskie's, in Leesburg's Market Station shopping center. On Sout Street Under's own web site, it is self-described as a "Perfect Blend of Bakery, Deli, Custom Cakes Design, Coffee House, and Take Out." Taking advantage of the Independence Day holiday (July 3 this year), we decided to go out to lunch on this beautiful Summer afternoon; the weather was perfect, making the experience all the more enjoyable in the outdoor seating.



I ordered a New England Clam Chowder appetizer, which was nice and chunky. Wendy got a bowl of Chilled Tomato Gazpacho, which was crisp, chunky in its own way, and in her words, "wonderful!" We both got the Special sandwich of the day, which was Grilled Chicken, bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato on ciabatta bread. The sandwich was quite delicious, the bacon being good and salty, the avocado perfect, and the chicken just right. We didn't know it at the time, but the web site says that South Street Under is "famous for our great Italian flat bread 'Ciabatta'" - and it was great. Everything we had was fresh and delicious.

Go out and support this great local restaurant!

Location: 203 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://southstreetunder.com/

Total bill: $27.02 + $5.00 tip = $32.02

#72: Pizza Hut - WingStreet

Date Visited: 26 June 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: Ubiquitous Pizza Hut has three locations in Leesburg: the original one on Market Street (not reviewed here yet), Pizza Hut Express (inside Target), and the newest one, Pizza Hut - WingStreet. This location is a small, take-out only operation, but offers pretty much the full Pizza Hut menu, featuring the new chicken wing offerings. Pizza Hut stores that serve the wings now have the "WingStreet" logo/sign outside. Pizza Hut is owned by Yum! Brands, Inc., that also operates or licenses Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silver's and A&W restaurants.



On this visit, we only needed a light dinner, so I got a ten piece order of medium-hot Buffalo wings (crispy, bone-in), Wendy got a ten piece order of Garlic Parmesan wings (crispy, bone-in), and Alicia got a personal-size "PANormous" pizza with cheese and chicken. We took it home and ate it all while watching "Raising Arizona" (highly recommended). It was all good.

So, for all your pizza and wing needs... whatever.

Location: 300 Fort Evans Rd. NE, Suite 101, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://pizzahut.com/

Total bill: $20.59 + $5.00 tip = $25.59

#71: Red Kabob

Date Visited: 19 June 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: I just discovered yet another new restaurant in Leesburg as I was leaving Starbucks last night. Tucked away in a corner of Bellewood Commons, Red Kabob had their Grand Opening on May 30th, and was attended by the mayor! Somehow I missed it. Red Kabob specializes in Mediterranean food, and is a family-run business. Husband and wife team Jon and Rana Younes, who are from Jordan, run the place and provide the most friendly service and welcoming atmosphere that you will find in this town!

We ordered the #4 Lamb Kabob ("Fresh tender chunks of lean Lamb Fillet which have been marinated in our own special sauces") and the #5 Ground Beef and Chicken Kabobs combo ("We grind our own beef then mix it with onion, salt, pepper, turmeric, and koobiden seasoning then marinate in our own special sauces; Fresh chunks of Chicken which have been marinated in our own special sauces").

We were "mmm"-ing and "ahh"-ing throughout the meal, just savoring the delicious and unique flavors of the three meats that we tried. It was pure pleasure. Both dishes came with a couple a dipping sauces; a spicy green one with mint, and a white yogurt-based one. They also come with a large pita bread (fresh from a local bakery), perfect Basmati rice (with a bit of nutmeg sprinkled on top), and a generous side salad.

For dessert we had a yummy kind-of-like-baklava-but-not-as-sweet pastry thing with a nice flaky crust and a pistachio filling. Hard to describe, but easy to enjoy.

To top off the experience, they have free WiFi, and a great web site with a friendly video greeting/introduction.

Red Kabob is another great locally owned and operated restaurant that we hope you'll visit. We hope to see you there sometime!

Location: 521A E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://redkabob.com/

Total bill: $33.37 + $5.00 tip (cash) = $38.37

#70: La Lou Bistro Restaurant & Lounge

Date Visited: 14 June 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: La Lou is another new Leesburg restaurant, open for about a month now, and occupying the former location of Market Street Coffee (next door to the Tally Ho Theater). La Lou is self-described as offering "a wide variety of modern American and Mediterranean cuisine such as: pizzas, pasta, seafood, lamb, steaks, burgers, paninis and much more…" I'll say right here at the start that our experience was so good, I hardly know where to start - we were quite impressed! From the minute we walked in, we were warmly greeted and welcomed by owner and head chef Driss Lahlou. The weather was perfect on this Sunday afternoon, so we took the offer of outside seating, which overlooks the Leesburg Town Hall Green, where they hold the Acoustic on the Green concerts.

We started off with some refreshing iced tea to drink. Driss then brought out some bread - not just any kind of bread - this was a pizza-style fried flat bread with a light topping of herbed cheese, along with an absolutely delicious olive tapenade. We suspected that the tapenade was homemade too, and this was confirmed when Lahlou's business partner Mohamed Touzani came out to our table for a visit. An incredibly delicious way to begin our meal!



The La Lou lunch menu included not only the regular lunch items, but also a special Saturday and Sunday brunch menu. I ordered from the brunch menu and got the Steak & Egg ("Strip steak with two eggs any style & home fries"). The steak was surprisingly tender, and a very generous portion. Wendy was more adventurous and ordered one of the specials of the day, called the Bistro Trio - and what a special it was! It featured chicken stuffed with sausage on a bed of pasta with a slightly spicy tomato sauce, a filet mignon on a bed of home fries, a small kebab with shrimp and grape tomatoes, and a side of green beans. Every bit of it was amazingly tasty! The stuffed chicken was a real treat, expertly prepared. Every detail seemed perfect, even the green beans - cooked just right.

Overall, we had a completely satisfying and pleasant dining experience in every dimension - the food was great, the service superb, the weather wonderful, and the company lovely (my honey!) Driss invited us to come back anytime! If you want to have this unique dining experience for yourself, visit La Lou as soon as possible. Support this truly great local Leesburg restaurant!

Plus, they have a great web site, unusual for many new restaurants.

Location: 19 W. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://laloubistro.com/

Total bill: $43.29 + $12.00 tip = $55.29

#69: Razzle Dairy Bar

Date Visited: 13 June 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 2 - Me & Alicia

Experience: Razzle is a great little local business, located in the Virginia Village shopping center since about 2006. Although it's primarily about ice cream, we checked out their lunch menu on this visit. The name Razzle supposedly comes from the Razzle machine, like the McDonald's McFlurry.

I had a Chili Cheese Dog, which was filled to overflowing with chili and cheese so you have to eat it with a knife and fork, just the way it should be. Alicia had the Chicken and Fries, which turned out to be chicken chunks. We got a couple of classic sodas in glass bottles: I had a Stewarts Classic Cream Soda, and Alicia had an 8 oz. Classic Coke. Yum!

We've been to Razzle plenty of times before for ice cream, and they have pretty much anything you want. Razzle is a very popular place for soccer and little league baseball after-game treats, as evidenced by the hoardes of little kids we saw running around the place.

Support another local Leesburg restaurant, and give Razzle a try!

Location: 13 Fairfax St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: none

Total bill: $13.04

#68: Leshers

Date Visited: 30 May 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Andy & Alicia

Experience: Leshers Coney Island Style Dogs & Burgers has been open in the heart of downtown Leesburg for about a month. According to the Washington Post, "Owner and Brambleton resident Dennis Martz said he mirrored Leshers after a similar hot dog eatery in his hometown of Reading, Penn. In fact, even the Berks hot dogs and many of the sodas he serves are manufactured in Reading, he said." Their hours are somewhat limited at this time (11:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday - Saturday), but perhaps they'll be open later for special events this summer.



Leshers is all about simplicity; there are only four food items on the menu (see photo):
#1: Mustard, chili sauce, & onions, $2.20
#2: Mustard & sauerkraut, $2.20
#3: Plain, $2.00
#4: Hamburger with mustard, chili sauce, & onions, $2.80

Leshers also offers several kinds of canned sodas, plus the specialty bottled Reading Soda in various flavors.

I had a #1, Andy had a #2, and Alicia had two #3s (unusually big appetite that day!) We forgot to try the Reading Soda, but will certainly do so on our next visit. And yes, there will certainly be a next visit.

The best thing about Leshers is that the food is good and cheap! Visit today and support this locally-owned and operated restaurant!

Location: 28 S. King St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: none (yet)

Total bill: $10.95

#67: Fractured Prune

Date Visited: 30 May 2009

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 2 - Me & Alicia

Experience: Another new addition to Leesburg's restaurant lineup, the Fractured Prune is a unique type of donut shop. Their main uniqueness is that donuts are made to order while you wait, so they're always fresh and warm - no donuts sitting on shelves. The donuts are hand-made and dipped in various toppings. There are many standard combinations with crazy names like "Creamsicle", "Morning Buzz", "Ms. Prunella", and "Myrna Medley". You can also create your own custom combinations. The Fractured Prune also serves a small variety of sandwiches and hot dogs.

Alicia had one of the specialty donuts called the "OC Sand". They were also handing out small samples of this one the day we visited. It was pretty good.



Not being a hard core donut man, I ordered the Breakfast Club (ham, egg, cheese, and bacon on a bagel), and a coffee. The sandwich was also hot and made fresh, but kind of bland. I asked for salt and pepper and they seemed kind of surprised, and an employee went off in search of some, eventually finding a couple of small packets. The bagel tasted like it was bought next door at Bloom.

I guess I'll have to come back again with some donut-loving people and give the Fractured Prune another chance. Visit their web site and discover where their unusual name comes from! I also learned from their site that Fractured Prune is a chain, with restaurants in several eastern states.

Location: 828 S. King St., Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://fracturedprune.com/

Total bill: $9.65

#66: The Cajun Experience

Date Visited: 29 May 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: It's always fun to check out a brand-new restaurant, so we were really looking forward to visiting one of Leesburg's newest, The Cajun Experience. Especially after fellow blogger Tara commented on her experience there (pardon the pun), we were eager to try it ourselves. The Cajun Experience bills itself as a "taste of South Louisiana". The interior is simple, unadorned, and unpretentious, yet there is just a hint of Louisiana atmosphere inside.

We began with an appetizer of Boudin Balls (two), which are deep-fried crunchy round balls of ground pork and onion, served with a dipping sauce - delicious!

For the main course, I had the Seafood Gumbo ("Mixture of crab, shrimp and crawfish, cooked in a dark roux with a mixture of the “trinity” (bell pepper, onion, celery) with hints of garlic"). Nice and hot, with perfectly balanced flavors. Wendy had the Shrimp Maque Choux ("A flavorful, spicy shrimp dish with corn, tomatoes, and peppers; presented over a bed of rice that's signature of the Lafayette Parish Bayous"). I didn't really get to try much of it, as she liked it a lot and there were no leftovers! It wasn't too spicy either.

For dessert, we ordered the highly-recommended Beignets ("Fritter-like doughnuts paired with bold coffee with chicory that's reminiscently familiar to mornings in the French Quarter") and cafe au lait. The Beignets were marvelously warm and yummy!

The experience (pun again, sorry) was completed by the excellent attention of our server, Schuyler. We also got a visit from the Chef as he made the rounds, greeting the diners; we found out he is actually from Louisiana, which accounts for the authentic, flavorful dishes we tried. Unlike many smaller, family-run restaurants, The Cajun Experience has a good web site too, with the current lunch and dinner menus to salivate over!

Support local restaurants and experience (sorry) The Cajun Experience today!

Location: 14 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://cajunexperience.biz/

Total bill: $43.86 + $ 10.00 tip = $53.86

#65: Dunkin' Donuts

Date Visited: 6 May 2009

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: Dunkin' Donuts is, of course, everywhere, so Leesburg has one too. The current slogan is "America runs on Dunkin'". Ours is colocated with a Baskin-Robbins; Dunkin' Brands is the parent company for both.

On this visit I got a combo with an everything bagel, cream cheese, and a coffee (I don't need the extra sugar of a donut right now). It was a nice breakfast snack on the drive to work. I've also had their iced coffee (which I learned to love while in Japan), and it's pretty good on a hot day.

For donuts, bagels, and great coffee, Dunkin' is the place!

Location: 521 J E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://dunkindonuts.com/

Total bill: $4.00

#64: McDonalds (Edwards Ferry Rd.)

Date Visited: 5 May 2009

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: For completeness' sake, I have to visit every restaurant in Leesburg, and that includes McDonalds. I last visited our other McDonalds (Market St.) back on 24 April 2008. This time I got the same thing: the McSkillet Burrito with Steak, and an upgrade to a large coffee.

For purposes of my quest, McDonalds is all done!

Location: 965 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://mcdonalds.com/

Total bill: $4.86

#63: Spanky's Shenanigans

Date Visited: 3 May 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: Spanky's Shenanigan's is another Leesburg establishment that's been here as long as we've lived here. On their web site, Spanky's claims to be "Leesburg's Oldest Pub". Spanky's has undergone a significant makeover in recent times, recasting itself as a more family-friendly restaurant rather than just a neighborhood bar. Their current slogan is "Good Food - Good Music - Good Times", and their new Mission Statement(!) is "Get Relaxed, Get Your Belly Full, Have Fun, Try our Variety of Beverages & Let Spanky's Take Care of Business." Not normally frequenting this kind of place, with much fear and trepidation I took my family here for lunch on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the first thing to greet us upon entering the place was the strong smell of cigarette smoke, even though the dining area is advertised as smoke-free from 11 AM to 9 PM. However, we braved this first obstacle and decided to give them a try. Spanky's menu has a relatively good selection of appetizers, sandwiches, soups, salads, pasta, and seafood specials.

We got "Spanky's Onion Ring Thang" for an appetizer (although I couldn't bring myself to say "thang" to our server, and substituted "thing"). It's basically a plate of oversized onion rings (about eight), and it was all the greasy goodness you'd expect. For my lunch, I got the "Spanky's Steak & Cheese Sub"; good, but kind of average. Wendy got a bowl of Irish Potato Chowder, with big chunks of potato and toppings of bacon, cheddar cheese, and scallions. Her comment: "I like all the stuff"; I had a small taste and it was good. She also got the "General Jubilee" (ham, turkey, and bacon sandwich). Her comment: "nice fat sandwich!" Andy got the "Pub Burger" (8 oz. burger with bacon and cheddar cheese extras), which he judged as "average". Alicia got adventurous and ordered a Caesar salad (dressing a bit bland), and a bowl of Spanky's Chili ("flavorful").

Overall, a few of the food items were pretty good, but most were average. As non-smokers, the atmosphere was a bit hard to take, but hey, it's a bar! In warmer weather, there is seating out in the back, and there are other seafood specials from time to time. If any of this sounds interesting, check it out for yourself!

Location: 538 E. Market St., Leesburg, 20176

Web site: http://spankyspub.net/

Total bill: $49.91 + $10.00 tip = $59.91

#62: Kobe Japanese Steak & Seafood

Date Visited: 25 April 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy (plus a number of other friends)

Experience: We were invited to go to Kobe to celebrate our good friend Perry's birthday, so I took the opportunity to do a review. Kobe is a Japanese steakhouse that serves teppanyaki-style cuisine and sushi.

Teppanyaki is always fun, and our chef, "Bubba", was skillful, entertaining, and most importantly, a good chef who delivered excellent food. We started off with Miso soup, which was very clear and fine. Then we all had a small salad with a wonderful ginger-soy dressing.

Next, the teppanyaki performance really began. Bubba started by cutting up some zucchini, carrots, broccoli, mushroom, and onion on the grill. As these were cooking, he began the fried rice, adding rice, peas, egg, and sesame seeds on the grill. A batch of noodles was also cooked up. Once the fried rice was ready, we all got served our portions, and then some of the vegetables and noodles. Throughout the performance, we were thrilled by his utensil juggling, egg spinning, and of course, an onion ring volcano. Delicious!

Bubba then began to prepare the individual entrees. I ordered the Filet Mignon, Shrimp, and Scallops. Wendy got the Steak and Shrimp. We were all given two small bowls of dipping sauces; "Yum Yum Sauce" (white and creamy) for the seafood, and a brown ginger sauce for the vegetables. The shrimp were done first, and we got them while our rice, vegetables, and noodles were still hot. The shrimp was very good, with a delightful slight crispiness from the grill, plus the seasonings added (soy sauce plus ?). My scallops were ready next, and they were some of the best I've had. Well done, perfectly chewy but not rubbery, seasoned with soy sauce and another brown sauce I couldn't quite identify. Finally, our steaks were grilled. Bubba first filleted mine into the shape of a lobster while it cooked! Before serving, all the steaks were cut into small pieces for easy eating with chopsticks.

Kobe is a great place to go for traditional teppanyaki cooking and fun for a group of friends. Try it!

Location: 514 E. Market St., Leesburg, 20176

Web site: http://kobejs.com/

Total bill: $62.42 + $12.00 tip = $74.42

#61: Pei Wei Asian Diner

Date Visited: 18 April 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Pei Wei is one of the newer Leesburg restaurants, self-described as "a limited service quick-casual restaurant. The menu features classic Asian favorites cooked to order using contemporary recipes." And from the parent company's web site: "P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Inc. owns and operates two restaurant concepts in the Asian niche. P.F. Chang's China Bistro is our full service upscale casual dining concept and Pei Wei Asian Diner is our quick casual concept." I'd describe Pei Wei more as upscale Asian fast food. One of the unusual things is that your order and pay up front (with no way include a tip), but your food is delivered to your table by a waiter; very similar in that way to Tenderjacks, which is next door.

On this visit, we started with the Crab Wontons appetizer ("You can taste the freshness and quality of our crab wontons in every bite. We fill our crisp golden wontons with a mix of delicately seasoned rock crab and and cream cheese and serve it with a side of sweet chili sauce. The perfect balance of flavors and textures!"). They were indeed nice and crispy, with a great slightly-spicy sauce (which we used to dip rice in later).

I had the Thai Dynamite with chicken ("Sriracha chile [sic] sauce gives this dish its kick! Fresh lime, soy sauce, scallions, red bell peppers, carrots and Thai basil balance out this delicious stir fry dish"). It had an overpowering lemongrass taste. It also came with brown rice done just right. It wasn't really very spicy, given the Sriracha chili sauce.

Wendy had the Pad Thai ("This satisfying Thai noodle stir fry brings together the balance of salty, sour, and sweet with 5 spice tofu, bean sprouts, scallions, egg, crushed peanuts, fresh lime, cilantro and rice noodles"). The mushrooms were big, firm & fresh, beansprouts too. The chicken was very tender, and the overall impression of the dish was that it was authentic.



Later I realized that we both ordered Thai dishes, so we'll have to come back and try some of the other styles. All of our food was delivered with a nice presentation. The only complaint would be that our entrees were served a little too fast; we had hardly started on our appetizer when they arrived - but hey, this is basically a fast food restaurant. The cold Chai Tea was surprisingly good, a nice change from run-of-the-mill iced tea.

Overall, Pei Wei was good but not great. If I want great Thai food, I'll go to Thai Pan (formerly Thai Royal); if I want great Chinese food, I'll go to either China King or Jasmine. If I want great Vietnamese food, I'll to to Xuan Saigon.

Location: 528A E. Market St., Leesburg, 20176

Web site: http://peiwei.com/

Total bill: $26.63

#60: Golden China

Date Visited: 5 April 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Golden China is another long-time Leesburg restaurant that's been here since we moved here in 1987. For most of that time, Golden China has remained the same, serving up a good variety of favorite Chinese items. Originally, they featured Mongolian Barbeque too, but that ended a few years ago with the loss of the main chef. Just recently, they added a new sushi bar and sushi chef, and is the focus of their current advertising campaign.

Our best experience with Golden China has always been to take advantage of the lunch buffet on Sunday after church, with the whole family or with friends. On this particular visit, it was just me and Wendy.

The lunch buffet is a fixed price deal, $7.95 for the regular buffet, and $12.95 if you want sushi too. Wendy got the regular, and I took the sushi option. The range of dishes available at the buffet are of good variety, hot, and good combinations of tastes. You almost can't go wrong with any of the choices. All the Chinese favorites were there, such as General Tso's chicken, beef & broccoli, sweet & sour chicken, etc. There are some American-style items (mostly for kids, I think), like french fries, donuts, jello, and cakes. The new sushi bar was very enjoyable, with a good variety of maki and nigiri sushi, and the sushi chef hovering around, ready to make more.

Overall, Golden China gives a good variety of dishes at very reasonable prices, and we will continue to patronize them, especially when the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet urge strikes!

Location: 1039 Edwards Ferry Rd. NE, Leesburg, 20176

Web site: http://goldenchinaleesburg.com/

Total bill: $22.70 + $5.00 tip = $27.70

#59: China King's Restaurant

Date Visited: 3 April 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: China King is another long-established Leesburg fixture (just a couple doors down from The Leesburg Restaurant). The official, full name of the place is actually "China King's Restaurant" (that's what is on the menu), but the outside sign just says "China King", as the photo shows. The inside is rather small and not fancy. An initial glance at the menu reveals all the usual Chinese restaurant staples, with a few Chef's specials too. But this is where the surprise is - the menu may appear ordinary, but the food is fantastic!

We started off with soups - I had the Hot & Sour, and Wendy had Wonton. The Hot & Sour was good and hot, and had a strong beef taste to it, very nice. Next, we had the Shrimp Tempura appetizer. It was not exactly Japanese-style tempura; the batter was very thick, but it was delicious!

For my entree, I had the "Kung Pau Two Kind", which is described as "Chicken and Shrimp with peanuts, onion, and red peppers." This dish was so good, I can hardly say enough good things about it! The shrimp in particular was very melt-in-your-mouth tender and yummy. The overall dish had just the right amount of spiciness, fresh vegetables, and good balance. Wendy had the "Crispy Prawn with Walnuts", described as "Slightly spicy hot! Lightly battered shrimp flavored with a tangy sauce and walnut topping." Not being a big fan of things even slightly spicy, she ordered it "mild". The sauce was sweet, but not too sweet, and the prawns were nice and thick in a crispy batter.

Overall, we were very impressed with the quality and taste of all the food we tried here. Despite the humble look of the place, China King is a top Leesburg restaurant that we will continue to support.

Apparently China King is a pretty common name for Chinese restaurants; for example, there is a China King Restaurant in Herndon. But there is a note on the menu that says "China King's is not affiliated with other establishments of similar name."

Currently, there is a contest going on called "The Sixth Annual Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in USA". There is a poster up in the window of China King that publicizes it and encourages you to vote for them. I honestly think they belong on that list! Register and vote now!

Location: 5 South King St., Leesburg, 20175

Web site: http://chinakingtogo.com/

Total bill: $41.88 + $10.00 tip = $51.88

#58: The Leesburg Restaurant

Date Visited: 15 March 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: The Leesburg Restaurant has been a long-time fixture in the heart of downtown Leesburg. It has an old-fashioned feel, the inside looking like it hasn't changed much in many years. It has a nice "used" and comfortable feel to it. The counter and wooden booths add to this impression.

On the advice of the head chef, I tried the Peanut soup as an appetizer. He said it was very popular with the customers, but that he himself didn't like it! I liked it pretty well; it was very thick and creamy, with small bits of peanuts throughout. For my entree, I had the Philly Steak & Cheese, with onion rings on the side. It was OK. Wendy had the Chicken wrap, with sweet potato fries on the side. Her comment: "Fresh, lots of meat; the green tortilla an orange sweet potato fries made a pleasing contrast." Andy had the Triple Decker Club. His comment: "Good, B+"; pretty high praise from this discerning gourmet. Alicia had the Caesar salad. Her comment: "Too much dressing; chicken good."

As I googled for the restaurant's web site, and finding none, I did peruse the comments by diners who had posted comments on other restaurant review sites. One comment seemed to kind of sum things up: "Typical diner like restaurant, very slow service, decent diner food." That was pretty much our experience; the food was good, but not outstanding, the service tolerable, and the ambience enjoyable.

They really need a good web site of their own. Oddly, the URL http://www.leesburgrestaurant.com/ actually belongs to Tuscarora Mill. That's got to be annoying.

Location: 9 South King St., Leesburg, 20176

Web site: none

Total bill: $46.06 + $10.00 tip = $56.06

#57: Ledo Pizza

Date Visited: 8 March 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: Ledo's has been a fixture in Leesburg since we moved here. We only visited once so before, around 1990 or so! On that visit, the thing we all remember is that we ordered a pepperoni and bacon pizza with extra bacon, and that we nearly died from bacon overdose. It was literally piled on. So we figured that it had been long enough, and we would give Ledo's another try. Ledo's is a nationwide pizza franchise.

I was impressed by the clean, bright decor, and Italian countryside themes painted on the walls. It looked a lot nicer than it did almost twenty years ago. The place was fairly busy on the Sunday afternoon we visited.

For this visit, I ordered the featured Calamari appetizer ("enjoy our new, tender, breaded Calamari served with seasoned waffle fries and your choice of LEDO sauce or spicy LEDO tartar sauce for dipping"). It was pretty good, the calamari was indeed tender, and the spicy tartar sauce was a nice touch. No one else in our family would try it, due to the assumed "ick" factor. For my entree, I got the Buffalo Chicken Salad ("crisp, white meat, chicken served on a cool mix of lettuces with grape tomatoes, Blue cheese crumbles, bacon and red onions. LEDO buffalo sauce and Blue cheese dressing served on the side"). It was also pretty good - the chicken had a nice crunch, and the mix of Buffalo and Blue cheese flavors was a good combination.

Wendy got the Traditional Cheese Tortellini ("jumbo cheese tortellini tossed in your choice of LEDO marinara or creamy Alfredo sauce. $7.99 add mushroom or green peppers $0.60 each, add Italian sausage $1.00, Grilled chicken"). She selected the Alfredo sauce option, and added the grilled chicken, which she said was good, but the tortellini itself was a little overdone.

Andy got the Turkey Bacon Ranch sub ("sliced turkey, bacon, tomato, provolone cheese, oven toasted, served with ranch dressing and lettuce"). He ate it all (a good sign), but said it was a bit sub-par.

Alicia got the Chicken Calzone ("LEDO sauce grilled chicken with onions & mushrooms"). She ate about a quarter of it (generally a good sign), but wasn't overly impressed either. I think she didn't realize how many mushrooms were involved. I ended up with the leftovers for lunch the next day.

I also ordered a small Meatlover's Pizza ("pepperoni, sausage and meatballs"). It was unanimously judged not very good. I got the leftover slices for lunch the next day, in addition to the leftover calzone, but I'm not picky about lunch at work.

We tried to order a variety of menu items to sample what Ledo's had to offer so we could make a fair evaluation. Unfortunately, our overall impression is that we were not very impressed with the food. The service was good. We'll give 'em another try some time in the future.

Location: 1037 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, 20175

Web site: http://ledopizza.com/

Total bill: $55.07 + $10.00 tip = $65.07

#56: Wendy's

Date Visited: 25 February 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: We needed a quick dinner after church on Wednesday night, and Wendy's was on the list. Wendy's is a nationwide hamburger chain that distinguishes itself by having some menu choices not available in most other fast food restaurants.

Wanting to sample some of the more unique offerings, I had a double cheeseburger, small cup of chili and a baked potato with sour cream and chives. Wendy got a Chicken Club combo with a side salad, Alicia got a Spicy Chicken combo with a large Frosty. Andy mistakenly ordered a Homestyle Chicken Fillet combo instead of a hamburger; he tried one bite and determined that he would not be able to eat it, so he went back and got a Baconator (double cheeseburger with loads of bacon). I ended up with his chicken sandwich for lunch the next day!

The food was OK, about average for a fast food restaurant, except for their french fries, which are below average. To me, their unique items (like chili and baked potatoes) are about the only reason to go there.

Location: 404 E. Market St., Leesburg, 20176

Web site: http://wendys.com/

Total bill: $31.36

#55: Mama Lucci's

Date Visited: 22 February 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: Though Leesburg is a "small town", it does have some very excellent locally-owned and operated restaurants. Mama Lucci's is one of our best, specializing in American, Pizza, Italian, Greek, and Middle Eastern cuisine. I can't remember the name of the restaurant that was in this location before Mama Lucci's, but as their web site explains: "Carolina Lucci and her husband, Mostafa Hessein, began their business in July of 1995 in Leesburg across from the Rescue Squad and the Skate Park. The restaurant is named after Carolina's mother, whom everyone affectionately calls Mama Lucci."

We've been to Mama Lucci's a few times before and always had good experiences. Andy has lately been fixated on finding the perfect Gyro, so we decided to try Mama Lucci's for lunch after church.

For appetizers, I got a cup of Cream of Crab soup, which was wonderfully thick, and didn't skimp on the crab. It was a welcome warm up from the cold outside. Wendy got a cup of the Italian Wedding soup, a very savory vegetable soup with tiny meatballs! A great start to the meal.

Wendy, Andy, and I got the Gyro Platter ("mixed lamb and beef with Greek spices, lettuce, tomato, and onions; topped with our homemade Tzatziki sauce; served on a toasted pita with french fries"). We all agreed that these are the best Gyros in Leesburg; the meat was cut into thick bite-size pieces, very tender and flavorful. The Tzatziki sauce perfectly complemented the flavor of the meat. The platters also come with a Greek dinner salad ("fresh leafy greens with onions, Feta cheese, Pepperoni peppers, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, and our house dressing") - yum!

Alicia went Italian and got the Lasagne ("layers of pasta with Ricotta, seasoned Italian cheeses, and topped with Marinara sauce and Mozzarella"). I didn't get to try any, but she completely cleaned her plate, and that's high praise from a picky eater!

Andy and Alicia also shared a Super Grande size Pepperoni pizza. With all the pizza places in Leesburg, it's tough to stand out, but this one was very good. Andy is an experienced pizza connoisseur and cook; he rated this one "above average", an "8 out of 10". I got one slice and agreed that it was unusually good. Again, high praise!

Our server (Veronica) was very friendly and attentive, adding to the already positive experience. They have an awesome web site, but you'd never know about it because it's not printed on the menu, the receipt, or anywhere else I looked.

Go to Mama Lucci's and try something different!

Location: 302 I&H Industrial Ct. SE, Leesburg, 20175

Web site: http://www.mamaluccis.com/

Total bill: $61.52 + $10.00 tip = $71.52

#54: Andy's Pizza & Subs

Date Visited: 18 February 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: Andy's has been a landmark Leesburg restaurant as long as we've lived here (since 1987). They have a banner up in front that says it's the "20th Anniversary Celebration", but I'm pretty sure it's been there longer than that. They used to operate the Bacchus Cafe (which closed, but the web site is still up), and have another Andy's location in Lovettsville. On this "official blog visit", we had most of the family represented and decided to order a variety of items that we could all share. We were there late, on a slow Wednesday night.

I got a 12" Steak & Cheese sandwich (steak, fried onions, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise); it was good. Wendy got the Original Stromboli (pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese); she reported "good marinara sauce". Andy and Alicia shared a large Pepperoni Pizza; they said it was better than average. We got a Lamb Gyro (lettuce, tomato, onion, and cucumber-yogurt sauce) to all share; everyone got a piece. Andy's comment: "a little dry"; I thought it was good.

Overall, a great little family eatery; food all good, reasonably priced, and friendly service. They need a web site.

Location: 9F Catoctin Cir. SW, Leesburg, 20175

Web site: none

Total bill: $40.81 + $8.00 tip = $48.81

#53: Milwaukee Frozen Custard

Date Visited: 9 February 2009

Meal: Dessert

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: We were out at PetSmart after dinner, helping Alicia buy a Purple Betta for a friend's birthday (it's a long story), and Wendy "just happened to notice" the Milwaukee Frozen Custard store next door. So of course we had to go.

I'm not much of an ice cream person, so I just got a Child size Vanilla. Wendy got a Small size Vanilla (small is a very relative term). This is frozen custard, not ice cream or yogurt. It's very smooth, dense, creamy, and tastes good too.

If you like ice cream, you'll like Milwaukee Frozen Custard better!

Location: 510 E Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176

Web site: http://milwaukeefrozencustard.com/

Total bill: $5.65

#52: Indian Restaurant & Grocery

Date Visited: 8 February 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: One of the newest restaurants in Leesburg, the Indian Restaurant & Grocery is located in the Bellewood Commons shopping center on Market Street. Just like the name says, it is both a restaurant and grocery store. They seem to have quite a variety of Indian items, including hard-to-find imported groceries, home made desserts, Indian movie rentals, and even help with flight reservations (to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Nepal). They also offer local delivery, take-out, and catering.

The restaurant features a $6.99 lunch buffet from 11:30 to 3:30 daily. When we visited, the buffet included:
* Basmati Rice
* Dal Maihani (slow cooked lentils with freshly ground spices)
* Channa Masala (chickpeas in a special sauce with fresh herbs and spices)
* Shahi Paneer (home made paneer cheese simmered in a honey-laced tomato sauce)
* Chicken Curry
* Tandoori Naan (bread)

We tried it all and liked it all! Wendy's favorite was the Chicken Curry, and mine was the Shahi Paneer. The Dal Maihani was very good too, and had a delicious (hot) spiciness to it. The Naan was fresh and hot out of the oven, and was one of the best parts of the meal. For dining in, there are only four tables, walled off at the rear of the store, making it very "cozy". And of course, there were Bollywood videos playing the whole time!

The Indian Restaurant & Grocery buffet is a great bargain, with great food and friendly, courteous service. Go there today!

Location: 525 E. Market St., Leesburg, VA 20175

Web site: http://irgva.com/

Total bill: $14.68 + $3.00 tip = $17.68

#51: Starbucks (SuperTarget)

Date Visited: 7 February 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Since starting this blog and visiting Starbucks, I was surprised to learn how many there were in Leesburg. At first, I had only discovered six, but then a friend alerted me to a seventh. Here's the list as it stands now:

1. Market Street in the Bellewood Commons shopping center
2. Edwards Ferry Road in the Battlefield Shopping Center
3. Edwards Ferry Road inside SuperTarget (this one)
4. Promenade Drive in the Lansdowne Town Center
5. Fort Evans Road in the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets
6. Winmeade Drive inside Harris Teeter at the Lansdowne Town Center
7. Xerox Document Training Center - Lobby Alcove (this one I'll have to research further to confirm it)



I've already visited the Starbucks at Bellewood Commons and Battlefield Shopping Center, and this visit was to the one located inside our local SuperTarget. I ordered my usual Grande Latte, and Wendy had a Chai Tea Frappuchino.

What else can one say about Starbucks? For purposes of this blog, that's three down and four to go. At least that's the count for now; there may be more by the time I get to all of these!

Location: 1200 Edwards Ferry Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA 20176

Web site: http://starbucks.com/

Total bill: $7.22

#50: Nathan's Famous

Date Visited: 10 January 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: This was my second visit to the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets Food Court. Nathan's Famous is, well, famous as far as hot dogs go. As the wikipedia article explains, it was established in 1916 and "the original Nathan's restaurant stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the Coney Island neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn." They now have locations all over the U.S. and in about seventeen foreign countries. The other thing they're famous for is the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, held every year on the 4th of July at their original location. As noted in my previous article on Arthur Treacher's, Nathan's owns Arthur Treacher's and Kenny Rogers Roasters, which adjoin Nathan's at the Food Court.

On this visit, I got a Chili Cheese Dog, Medium Cheese Fries, and a fountain drink. It was all good and cheesy, but it didn't seem much different than any other hot dog. On the other hand, it's one of the few places in Leesburg you can get a decent chili cheese dog!

Location: 241 Fort Evans Road NE, Leesburg, VA 20176

Web site: http://nathansfamous.com/

Total bill: $7.36

#49: Eiffel Tower Cafe

Date Visited: 9 January 2009

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: For our 27th wedding anniversary, I wanted to take Wendy someplace nice. It was almost a no-brainer; the restaurant that immediately came to mind was the Eiffel Tower Cafe. We've been there a few times before and always been extremely happy with the total experience; this visit was no exception.

For appetizers, I got an endive salad (with walnuts, crumbled bleu cheese, and thinly sliced apples), and Wendy got a salad with goat cheese in puff pastry. We shared, and each bite was bliss. I also had a glass of the house Cabernet Sauvignon.



For entrees, we both selected specials of the day (BTW, not on the online dinner menu). I had a seafood dish of scallops, shrimp, and salmon on a bed of risotto, with a white wine sauce. It also came with a side of green beans and carrots. Wendy got Steak au Poivre, with a side of snow peas and carrots, and a potato cake-like delight with grated cheese. Every bite was savored and enjoyed slowly.

For dessert, we also shared a slice of chocolate praline cake. Heavenly! I also had a coffee to finish off the meal.

It's difficult to come up with words that adequately capture the experience of the Eiffel Tower Cafe. Everything about the place (decor, food, and service) is wonderful and delicious. We heartily recommend it to everyone who wants to try French cooking!



As a special surprise ending for our anniversary celebration, I secretly booked a room across the street at the Norris House Inn. We stayed in the Garden Room, and, like the Eiffel Tower Cafe, everything was wonderful. The place is done up in old British-American style, and a great "breakfast Monte Cristo" was served the next morning by Roger the innkeeper. We can also heartily recommend the Norris House Inn as a great in-town getaway!

Location: 107 Loudoun St. SW, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://eiffeltowercafe.com/

Total bill: $119.62 + $25.00 tip = $136.92

#48: Arthur Treacher's

Date Visited: 4 January 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: Depending on how you count, there are about twelve restaurants at Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets (colloquially known as "The Outlet Mall"). Now, the problem for this blog is that these restaurants are in various degrees of colocatedness. For example, Arthur Treacher's, Kenny Rogers Roasters Express, and Nathan's Famous are all located in the same stall, and you are served by the same people. Likewise, Tropi-Kool, Boardwalk Fries, City Deli, and Cinnabon are also located together in one stall. The others are separate. On the other hand, there is a directory sign that only lists six of these places - so confusing! So, for purposes of this blog, and to give myself and my readers a greater sampling of the offerings, I'm treating them all as separate restaurants. All but the Daily Grind are in the centrally-located Food Court. Here's the full list:
* Starbucks
* Nathan's Famous
* Kenny Rogers Roasters Express
* Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips
* Tropi-Kool Smoothies
* Boardwalk Fries
* City Deli
* Cinnabon
* Burger King
* Sbarro
* Hershey's Ice Cream
* Daily Grind

Now, the problem for this blog is that these restaurants are in various degrees of colocatedness. For example, Arthur Treacher's, Kenny Rogers Roasters Express, and Nathan's Famous are all located in the same stall, and you are served by the same people. Likewise, Tropi-Kool, Boardwalk Fries, City Deli, and Cinnabon are also located together in one stall. The others are separate. On the other hand, there is a directory sign that only lists six of these places - so confusing! So, for purposes of this blog, and to give myself and my readers a greater sampling of the offerings, I'm treating them all as separate restaurants.

My first visit to an Outlet Mall eatery was to Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips. I ordered the Fish & Chips combo. It was typical fried fish fast food, which included two pieces of batter-dipped fish (type not specified), two hush puppies, and chips (fries). It was OK. Arthur Treacher's is the only exclusively fish & chips restaurant in Leesburg, although there are other places that serve them too, such as the King's Court Tavern. Long John Silver's is probably the most common here on the east coast.

It turns out there is another connection between Arthur Treacher's, Kenny Rogers Roasters Express, and Nathan's Famous, that explains why they are colocated at the Outlet Mall. According to the Wikipedia article on Arthur Treacher's, "The company was acquired by PAT Franchise Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of TruFoods Systems, Inc., in 2002. Nathan's Famous bought the exclusive rights to market the Arthur Treacher's trademark and sell their products co-branded with Nathan's own concepts Kenny Rogers Roasters and Miami Subs in 2006; however, PAT Franchise Systems has a license agreement with NF Treachers to sell Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips franchises in eight states."

That's one down for the Outlet Mall, and many more fast food meals to go.

Location: 241 Fort Evans Road NE, Leesburg, VA 20176

Web site: http://www.arthurtreachers.com/

Total bill: $9.21

#47: CiCi's

Date Visited: 28 December 208

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy & Eric

Experience: CiCi's is a nationwide chain with over 600 locations, scattered around the southeastern part of the US. Not your average pizza place, their uniqueness is that it's a fixed-price buffet, serving pizza, pasta, salads, and desserts. Their web site advertises the price as "all-you-can-eat for under $5*", with the asterisk explaining that "prices may vary by location". At the Leesburg CiCi's, it's $5.99 for the buffet, and another $1.69 for a drink with unlimited refills.

CiCi's is also one of Leesburg's newest restaurants. It's located in the new Fort Evans shopping center, on Fort Evans Road. Most of the stores there are still empty, and CiCi's is the only restaurant so far.



We went to CiCi's on the recommendation of my son Eric, who has frequented the CiCi's in Blacksburg, being a cost-conscious Virginia Tech student. We found the new Leesburg location to be very casual and fun, featuring good pizza and lots of it! We'll certainly be back.

Nostalgic Note: CiCi's buffet style reminds me of another pizza chain called Shakey's, that I went to while growing up in California. They too served pizza buffet style, but also featured live banjo and piano music, plus sing-a-long time!

Location: 500 Fort Evans Rd., Unit 1A, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://cicis.com/

Total bill: $33.33

#46: T.G.I.Friday's

Date Visited: 16 December 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: T.G.I.Friday's is a nationwide chain restaurant, roughly in the same league as Ruby Tuesday and Applebee's; Blue Ridge Grill is a little more upscale. We went there on a slow Tuesday night.

I had a combo BBQ Bacon-wrapped Shrimp ("Two skewers of bacon-wrapped shrimp, grilled and basted with Jack Championship BBQ sauce.") and half-rack of ribs. I also had a house salad to start, with Ranch dressing - but it only made me long for the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday.

Wendy had the Sizzling Chicken & Shrimp ("Sautéed garlic-marinated chicken breast and plump shrimp tossed with bruschetta marinara. Served with onions, peppers and creamy mashed potatoes on a sizzling platter of melted Mexican and American cheeses"). She also had a house salad with Vinegarette dressing.

Andy had the Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger ("Topped with two kinds of cheese–mild American and gooey, golden–fried Provolone. We add crisp bacon, stack 'em all on a toasted bun"). He also had a house salad, with Italian dressing.

Alicia had the Cheesburger Sliders ("Juicy, all–beef patties with American cheese and carmelized onions on a tender bun. What most people picture when they hear "sliders". Then they cannot rest until they get their hands on some"). She also got a side order of onion rings, but somehow forgot to share any of them with me(!)

Everyone enjoyed their meal, but nothing was extraordinary. Next time, we'll probably pick a local restaurant, or our favorite in this category, Ruby Tuesday.

Location: 235 Fort Evans Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://www.tgifridays.com/

Total bill: $65.32 + $13.00 tip = $78.32

#45: Blue Ridge Grill

Date Visited: 12 December 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Wendy and I were sans children on a Friday night, so that meant time to go to a fancy restaurant! The Blue Ridge Grill was one on the list of unvisited restaurants, so we decided to go there. Regular readers of this blog will know that we've lived in Leesburg since 1987, so we remember when this location used to be an Applebee's; we were not unhappy to see it go.

The Blue Ridge Grill has now been here in Leesburg a number of years and has a reputation for being one of our nicer restaurants. We've eaten there just a few times, so I was anxious to go back and write up our experience for the blog. I was also eager to visit because a few friends had commented that it was nice, but overpriced, so I needed to check it out for myself.

I'm happy to say our experience was very positive!

We started off by sharing an appetizer called Steak & Cheese Eggrolls ("Seasoned Steak grilled w/ Peppers & Onions, mixed w/ Monterey Jack & Cheddar Cheese, rolled in a Jalapeno Cheddar Tortilla, flash fried & served w/ a Queso Dipping Sauce"). They were nice and hot, both temperature and spice-wise, as well as delicious. They were similar to the Tex Mex Eggrolls we get at the Sweetwater Tavern in Sterling, VA. Wendy also got a house salad as a starter.

For the entree, I ordered the Surf & Turf (daily special, not on the menu), which consisted of Filet Mignon and Fresh Lump Crab Cakes. The steak was super-tender, with deep grill marks - excellent! For my side, I ordered a baked potatoe, not expecting it to be anything special, but I was surprised! It came will all the fixins (sour cream, chives, bacon, and cheddar cheese), and the outside skin was covered in yummy coarse salt - mmm... every bite was full of salty goodness.

Wendy got the Pork Chops ("Two French cut, 8 oz., marinated Pork Chops grilled and served over Mashed Potatoes and Gravy"). Her evaluation: "delicious".

Overall, we were impressed and liked Blue Ridge Grill very much. We found the food quality to be on par with the prices. We would definitely eat there again. They also have another location in Brambleton, so it's not quite a local, Leesburg-only business.

Location: 955 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA 20176

Web site: http://www.brgrill.com/

Total bill: $69.44 - $50.00 gift card + $15.00 tip = $34.44

#44: Joe's Pizza & Subs

Date Visited: 5 December 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Joe's is a semi-local establishment with locations in Leesburg, Manassas (3), and Sterling. Their web site says the owners of Joe's have been making pizza for over 20 years. I'm not sure how long they've been in the current location, but they were there when we moved here in 1987. Joe's is located on Plaza Street, just a couple blocks from the intersection with East Market Street.

In order to sample the variety of Joe's menu, we ordered three items for carry out: a medium Old Fashioned White Pizza ("Fresh homemade pizza w/chopped garlic, basil, oregano, olive oil, mozzarella"), a 7" Steak & Cheese sub ("served on an Italian roll with lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, onions, hot peppers, and Italian dressing"), and a Calzone ("Half-moon shaped fresh dough stuffed with ricotta cheese, buffet ham & mozzarella cheese").

It was all very good and equal or better than any of the national chain pizza restaurants here. We also felt good about supporting a local establishment, and will certainly return. Oh, and their web site is great!

Location: 62 Plaza St. NE, Leesburg, VA 20176

Web site: http://joespizzaandsubs.com/

Total bill: $31.71

#43: Starbucks (Market St.)

Date Visited: 4 December 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & my friend Gary

Experience: As mentioned in a recent post, I meet with my friend Gary about every other Thursday evening. We usually meet at a local coffee house, like Starbucks. There are six Starbucks to choose from here, and this time we met at Leesburg's first Starbucks, the one in the Bellewood Commons shopping center on Market Street.

I ordered my usual Grande Latte, and since this is a food blog, I also got a Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffin to share. It was pretty good, unlike my previous Starbucks experience. Like last time, we were there until closing, and we had to be asked to leave.

What else can I say about Starbucks? For purposes of this blog, that's two down and four to go.

Location: 531 East Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20175

Web site: http://starbucks.com/

Total bill: $5.42

#42: 803 Deli

Date Visited: 3 December 2008

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: This is one of the "hidden" restaurants of Leesburg, and I'll bet most residents have never even heard of it. I only noticed it by chance when driving by on the way to church. The 803 Deli gets its name from the address of the building in which it is located. It's mainly intended to serve the needs of the tenants of 801 & 803 Sycolin Road, which include the Loudoun County Electoral Board, the Girl Scouts, the Loudoun County Department of General Services, the Dulles Area Association of Realtors, and Farm Bureau Insurance. However, it's open to the public and fully qualifies as a restaurant by my definition (see sidebar).

The 803 Deli has a full breakfast and lunch menu, consisting of breakfast sandwiches, breakfast platters, breakfast sides, sub, club, and combination sub sandwiches, hot specialties, vegetarian dishes, salads, various sides, and desserts.

On this visit I got an Egg & Bacon breakfast sandwich, an Everything bagel with cream cheese, and a large coffee, all to go. I was pleasantly surprised to watch the very neat and meticulous preparation of these items by the cook, as well as the careful attention paid to wrapping and presentation. Nothing really special about the food itself, but it was a great experience, and I feel like I discovered a hidden treasure! Now, if they just had a cool web site...

Location: 803 Sycolin Rd. SE, Leesburg, VA 20175

Web site: none

Total bill: $6.60

#41: Peppermill Grill

Date Visited: 23 November 2008

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: Peppermill Grill is Leesburg's newest restaurant, as far as I know. We went there after church on Sunday after seeing a sign for brunch that lasted until 3:00.

The brunch menu had a wide variety of interesting choices. Everything on the menu sounded great, and I was having trouble making a choice. I asked our waiter (Tim) what he recommended. He answered that he had not actually had a chance to try many of them yet, but he had tasted the Hollandaise sauce, and recommened that. So I ordered the Eggs Benedict ("Poached eggs, Canadian bacon, fresh Hollandaise and scallions over croissant"). It was an excellent dish, and the Hollandaise sauce was very smooth and creamy.

Wendy had the Omlette du Jour ("Served with breakfast potatoes"). Today's omlette was Ham & Swiss. She liked it very much.

Alicia had the French Toast ("Served with choice of topping; Apple Cinnamon or Strawberry"). She chose the strawberry, and it looked pretty good to me. Her comment was that it was "eggy" (I think that's good).

All of our dishes included an assortment of fresh fruit, including huge globe grapes (mmm...), cantaloupe, and honeydew melon. The plates themselves were all of different design, which produced a nice effect.

Other brunch menu options that we'll have to try sometime are: Breakfast Burrito, Peppermill Steak & Eggs, Hash & Eggs, Home Made Crepes, Shrimp & Grits, Grilled Mahi Mahi, Wild Mushroom Pasta, and Chicken Picatta. I looked over the regular lunch and dinner menus, and they include a good variety of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and beef/chicken/seafood entrees. I guess that's the "American Bistro" part of this place.

We also met some old friends while we were there. Dr Sampson (of Leesburg Chiropractic) and his family were there for their first visit too.

History: This is a Leesburg location that has seen a lot of change over the years. Before Peppermill Grill, it used to be Zeffirelli Ristorante, and from their web site, you'd think they were still there! It was a fairly high-end dining experience; we only went there once. There are still etched "Z"s on the interior windows. Before Zeffirelli's, it was Waffle King's Virginia Kitchen (not sure I'm remembering the name exactly). It was a simple family-friendly restaurant, and we ate there a few times.

The verdict on Peppermill Grill: love it, we'll be back! They do need to get a decent web site too.

Location: 5 Catoctin Cir. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: none

Total bill: $38.52 + $8.00 tip = $46.52

UPDATE, 5 April 2009: I've been informed that Peppermill Grill now has a web site; it's http://peppermillgrillva.com/

UPDATE, 10 May 2009: We went to Peppermill Grill for a Mother's Day dinner. This restaurant continues to impress! I had the Pork Spare Ribs (extra-large, meat falling off the bone, excellent teryaki sauce), Wendy had the Pork Scalloppini, Andy had the New York Strip Steak, and Alicia had a Caesar Salad (even the salads are outstanding here). For desserts, we got a couple Creme Brulees and a Chocolate Mousse cake. See the online menu for more details. Go to the Peppermill Grill today!

#40: Domino's

Date Visited: 22 November 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: When in the mood for pizza, our preference is usually Vocelli's, because of their excellent pizza and sandwich combinations. When Domino's started advertising sandwiches too, it was time to check them out.

When at Domino's, our favorite is a large Deluxe Feast ("A mouth-watering combination of pepperoni, savory Italian sausage, fresh green peppers, fresh mushrooms, fresh onions and cheese"). We've had this one many times and it's always good - except this time! For some reason, it was a bit undercooked and chewy. Oh well, I won't hold it against them, but it's ironic that it happened the one time I'm going to write about it on this blog.

On to the new item: "Domino's Hot Baked Sandwiches". We tried the Philly Cheese Steak ("Tender slices of Steak, Premium American & Provolone cheeses, and Onions, Green Peppers & Mushrooms all layered on an Artisan Italian Bread and baked to a perfect golden brown"). It was underwhelming and again, it seemed a bit undercooked. The "artisan" bread was pretty tough and did not make for a pleasant eating experience.

For fast pizza, we'l probably stick to Vocelli's for now.

Location: 944 Edwards Ferry Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://dominos.com/

Total bill: $21.68

#39: Bob Evans

Date Visited: 15 November 2008

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: It's a sleepy, rainy, unusually warm winter Saturday morning, and I'm starving! So off we go in search of a new breakfast experience. Bob Evans is the choice today.

I grew up on the west coast, and there were a lot of IHOPs, but no Bob Evans. On their web site it says Bob Evans "provides homestyle food and friendly service to our customers primarily in the East North Central, mid-Atlantic and Southern United States." Well that explains it.

I had the Farmer's Choice ("Your choice of one fruit crepe, two hotcakes or two slices of French toast served with two eggs, Bob Evans Sausage or bacon and home fries") and selected the hotcakes and bacon. Wendy had the Western Omelette ("Diced smoked ham, onion, green and red peppers cooked
into the eggs, then stuffed and topped with shredded cheddar cheese").

The food was fine but unremarkable; I think I still prefer IHOP.

Location: 225 Fort Evans Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://bobevans.com/

Total bill: $18.95 + $3.00 tip = $21.95

#38: Starbucks (Edwards Ferry Rd.)

Date Visited: 13 November 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & my friend Gary

Experience: I meet with my friend Gary every other week to discuss theology, parenting, music, and software development (some combination, eh?). We used to meet at Market Street Coffee until they closed this summer. So on this Thursday night we went to Starbucks.

My research on their web site's store locator reveals that there are six(!) Starbucks in Leesburg:
1. Market Street in the Bellewood Commons shopping center
2. Edwards Ferry Road in the Battlefield Shopping Center (this one)
3. Edwards Ferry Road inside SuperTarget
4. Promenade Drive in the Lansdowne Town Center
5. Fort Evans Road in the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets
6. Xerox Document Training Center - Lobby Alcove (this one I'll have to research further)

Since this is a restaurant blog, I thought I should make sure to order a food item in addition to my standard Grande Latte. I checked out the pastry case and selected an Apple Cinnamon Stella; it was kind of dry and not very tasty to me. Oh well. I really do like the coffee.

Gary and I were there talking until closing, at which time we got asked to leave. Well, that's one Starbucks down, and five to go!

Location: 1011 Edwards Ferry Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://starbucks.com/

Total bill: $5.53

#37: Ruby Tuesday

Date Visited: 11 November 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: On this Tuesday night, Veteran's Day, we went out to one of our most favorite comfort-food restaurants, Ruby Tuesday. The one here in Leesburg has been consistently serving fresh and delicious meals ever since we moved here.

One of the big draws for us is the Fresh Garden Bar. It's got everything I love: all kinds of veggies, broccoli salad, cottage cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, peas, edamame, red onion, pumpernickel croutons, real bacon (not "bits"), and much more. The only minor irritation is that it's located right next to the bar area's smoking section, and you can smell smoke while loading up your dish. We all added the Fresh Garden Bar to our meals.

For entrees, I had the Bacon Cheddar Minis ("Mini masterpieces made even more magnificent with crisp bacon, melted cheddar, garnished with mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and a crisp pickle. Served with a side of crisp, piping-hot fries"). Alicia got the Ruby Minis ("Fresh, USDA Choice mini masterpieces topped with American cheese and crisp onion straws, garnished with mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and a crisp pickle. Served with a side of crisp, piping-hot fries"). Wendy got the Chicken Fresco ("A fresh, grilled chicken breast topped with seasonal vine-ripened tomatoes, lemon-butter sauce, and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette. Served with fresh, steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes").

It was all good, fresh, and filling; we left very satisfied.

Location: 1003 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://rubytuesday.com/

Total bill: $37.54 + $8.00 tip = $48.73

#36: Pizza Hut Express

Date Visited: 9 November 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: Pizza Hut Express is located inside Leesburg's SuperTarget at the Battlefield Shopping Center. It turns out that Pizza Hut and Pizza Hut Express are two very different entities. From the Wikipedia article on Pizza Hut, it is explained that "Pizza Hut Express locations are fast food restaurants licensed by Pizza Hut and operated independently. They offer a completely different menu with many products not found at traditional Pizza Huts, and are often found on college campuses, food courts, theme parks, and in stores such as Target." Other than this mention on Wikipedia, I couldn't find any reference to Pizza Hut Express on Pizza Hut's main web site.

Leesburg's Pizza Hut Express offers personal size pizzas and breadsticks, as well as some very un-Pizza Hut items like salads, deli sandwiches, soups, and even hot dogs.

On this visit, I got a combo meal with an Italian Sausage pizza, breadsticks, and a drink. It was OK; they did have Cherry Coke on tap, which was a nice surprise. The pizzas are made ahead of time, so you just pick the one you want from the rack and hope it hasn't been sitting there too long. The menu is obviously oriented towards providing quick snacks to shoppers on the go.

Location: 1200 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://pizzahut.com/

Total bill: $6.28

#35: Arby's

Date Visited: 8 November 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: Arby's is the place to go when you have a fast food craving, but are tired of average burgers and fries. Arby's is mainly about roast beef sandwiches and curly fries.

On this visit, I got the Bacon Beef 'n Cheddar Sandwich ("Thinly sliced, oven-roasted beef and thick-cut pepper bacon with cheddar cheese and Red Ranch sauces served on an onion roll"). The meal combo also included Curly Fries ("Curly-cut French fries with a crispy seasoned coating") and a drink. It was a nice change from normal burgers, well-prepared, and tasty.

In addition to roast beef, Arby's offers chicken, deli-type sandwiches, wraps, salads, toasted subs, shakes, and desserts. They have some other unique items on the menu such as Mozzarella Sticks, Potato Bites, and Onion Petals. Check 'em out!

Some background info from About Arby's on their web site:

"From day one, Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurants offered an innovative menu, offering guests something other than hamburgers in the newly inspired quick service segment. When foodservice veterans Leroy and Forrest Raffel opened the first Arby’s in Boardman, Ohio on July 23, 1964, customers enjoyed roast beef sandwiches, potato chips, and Texas-sized iced teas. To name their new venture, the brothers decided on Arby’s, which stands for R.B., the initials of the Raffel Brothers - although many suspect the R.B. stands for roast beef."

"On September 29, 2008, Triarc Companies Inc. merged with Wendy's International, Inc. to form Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc. Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc. is the third largest quick-service restaurant company in the United States."

Location: 605 Potomac Station Dr., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://arbys.com/

Total bill: $7.26

#34: Deli South

Date Visited: 8 November 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: I found myself on my own for the day, and ended up having a wonderfully enjoyable and relaxing Saturday.

I started off the morning by attending the Men's Steak 'N Study breakfast at Cornerstone Chapel (my home church). Steak, eggs, fried potatoes, fresh fruit, donuts, and coffee - not to mention fellowship with friends and good teaching. An excellent start to the day.

Next, I stopped at Leesburg's Saturday farmer's market at Virginia Village. I picked up some Golden Crisp apples from C. Hess Orchard & Produce, Martinsburg, WV. I also discovered a new Leesburg winery called Zephaniah Farm Vineyard, and I bought a bottle of their Cabernet Franc - my favorite!

On the way home, I dropped in at The Coffee Bean (110 South King St.) and had a cup of the flavored coffee of the day. Mmm...

And now for the real purpose of this post - lunch at Deli South.

Deli South has been in Leesburg since 1993, located in the Virginia Village shopping center. It's not a chain or franchise, just a good local deli! They offer an interesting selection of sandwiches with names that somewhat reflect our region's heritage, like The King, Rhett Butler, Robert E. Lee, New York Special, Grilled Turkey Special, Scarlet O'Hara, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Stonewall Jackson, George Mason, Michelle's TNT Club Wrap, Bill Clinton, Patsy Cline, Fried Fish Delight, and John Mosby. They also have name-your-own-sandwich (you pick everything), homemade deli salads (like potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, etc.), garden salads, and a full breakfast menu.

I ordered the John Mosby ("Pork BBQ on a toasted Kaiser roll with our homemade cole slaw. A guaranteed treat for all BBQ lovers"). Well that's me, a BBQ lover, so I had to try it. It was pretty good.

On a previous visit (way before this blog existed), I tried one of their breakfast sandwiches, which had egg, cheese, and lots of bacon - it was very good. I recall that their coffee was pretty good too. Now they also have an espresso bar.

After all this eating, I had to go outside and rake some leaves to work it off!

I urge you to help support local restaurants like this in Leesburg; go our and eat at Deli South!

Location: 38-D Catoctin Cir., Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://delisouth.com/

Total bill: $7.69

#33: Zpizza

Date Visited: 7 November 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: According to their web site, "we opened in Laguna Beach, California in 1986 to create a pizza that was lighter, healthier, delicious & creative." Zpizza has locations in sixteen states, most of which are in California, and many more all along the east coast.

Zpizza lives up to their claim of "creative" pizzas; they offer such creations as the Napoli, Greek, Thai, ZBQ, Mexican, California, Moroccan, Mediterranean, American, Santa Fe, Berkely Soy Cheese Veggie, Casablanca, Tuscan Mushroom, Provence, and Italian. They also offer "normal" pizzas as well as salads, pastas, sandwiches, and desserts.

For this visit, I ordered the Provence ("Organic tomato sauce, homemade roasted garlic sauce, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, capers, tomatoes, basil"). It was very good! The artichokes, garlic, and capers give it a very strong, different taste, compared to average pizza. On a previous visit (about a year ago), we tried the ZBQ, which was very different, but made well. In line with their "lighter" claim, Zpizza crusts are somewhat thinner than average, and the whole thing is fire-baked, for a yummy result.

Leesburg's Zpizza is located in a sort-of back corner of the Potomac Station shopping center (or, more properly, "Marketplace at Potomac Station"), which also includes Moe's and Subway. It seems to me an unfortunate location, as it can't easily be seen from the roads surrounding the shopping center. But now you know it's there!

If you want to try an alternative to "normal" pizza, check out Zpizza.

Location: 659 Potomac Station Dr., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://zpizza.com/

Total bill: $17.85

#32: Subway (Catoctin Circle)

Date Visited: 4 November 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: According to Wikipedia's Subway page, it "has over 30,016 franchised units in 88 countries as of October 2008 and is the fastest growing franchise in the world. Currently, Subway is the third largest fast food operator globally after Yum! Brands (35,000 locations) and McDonald's (31,000 locations)." Also, "Many restaurant analysts attribute Subway's fast growth to the growing concern on health by restaurant customers, a trend that Subway has taken advantage of in its marketing."

Subway has two locations in Leesburg; one on Catoctin Circle (this visit), and another in the Potomac Station shopping center (to be visited soon). As I've mentioned before in reviews #29 and #33, I tend to like Subway over other sub sandwich restaurants such as Quiznos.

On this visit, I ordered what I almost always get at Subway: the 12-inch Big Philly Cheese Steak! I usually ask for exta onions, banana peppers, and their southwest sauce to spice things up a bit. It was very good and filling, as usual. You can't go wrong with Subway.

Location: 47-D Catoctin Cir., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://subway.com/

Total bill: $8.45

#31: Quiznos (Market St.)

Date Visited: 2 November 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: This was my obligatory visit to the second Quiznos in Leesburg, located on Market St. in the Bellewood Commons shopping center. I visited the other Quiznos (on Edwards Ferry Rd.) back on 27 September - hmm... not that long ago.

On this visit I got the Mesquite Chicken with Bacon sandwich ("Mesquite Chicken, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Ranch Dressing"). I ordered it as a combo lunch and got a side salad with Caesar dressing, and a drink. I really like that they offer the salad as an alternative to the normal chip selection.

That's it for Quiznos; I still think Subway is generally better.

Location: 525J Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://quiznos.com/

Total bill: $9.53

#30: Burger King

Date Visited: 1 November 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: Burger King is just another fast-food burger chain, but it holds a special place in my heart because I went there often while growing up in California.

On this visit I got the Steakhouse Burger ("...packed with Angus beef, melted cheese, crispy onions, lettuce and tomatoes, all smothered in A.1. Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce"), with a king size side of onion rings (substituted for french fries) and a drink. It was good, but I woke up later that night with a stomach ache - too much grease?

This particular Burger King has a somewhat shabby feel to it, and is not particularly inviting. Nothing much more to say about Burger King, except that now it's checked off my list.

Location: 940 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://bk.com/

Total bill: $8.45

My California Culinary Adventure

I haven't posted for about a week because I've been in Orange County, California (yes, the real O.C.) from 23-28 October 2008 taking care of some family business. Since I'm a native Californian, it was great to visit old favorite restaurants. I was hosted by Larry (my wonderful brother) & Stephanie (my wonderful sister-in-law).



I wanted to write up a few culinary highlights of my trip, but of course these don't officially count for this blog, since the restaurants aren't in Leesburg. I'm also including these notes here because some of the places we ate at are California classics, and have no equivalent here in Virginia. I may be stretching the term "Culinary Adventure", since most of these places were fast-food, chain restaurants, but it was an adventure nontheless.

A couple of times we ate at L&L Hawaiian BBQ. It's a kind of fast-food chain store, but very unique. The first store was in Hawaii, and now they have many locations, most in California. The menu is full of apparently authentic Hawaiian favorites, served in the classic Hawaiian "Plate Lunch" style. The main offerings are BBQ beef, BBQ chicken, BBQ pork short ribs, Mahi Mahi, and shrimp; all served with rice and macaroni salad(!) If you can't visit in person, at least check out their web site to get an idea of what it's all about (the intro video is interesting).

Keeping with the island theme, we had lunch once at a place called Islands. They have old surfer videos playing continuously on the monitors placed throughout the restaurant, for "atmosphere", I guess. It's basically a hamburger joint, and all the burgers have Surfer/Hawaiian names; I had the Kilauea ("jalapeno & black pepper-crusted burger with pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli & seasoned red onion strings") and Larry had the Bleunami ("bleu cheese dressing, lettuce, tomato, red onion & crumbled bleu cheese"). Interestingly, when you go to their web site, you get redirected to a secure (SSL) URL - I guess this is really sensitive data!

One morning we drove into San Juan Capistrano and had breakfast at Sarducci's Capistrano Depot. The weather was perfect and we were able to eat outside in their beautiful brick courtyard; it was very relaxing. Their homestyle potatoes, served with most of the egg dishes, were unique and delicious.

Carl's Jr. is a classic California burger chain that's been around since the 1950's. The menu is typical burger joint but better than average quality and taste. One of their newer items is "The Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger"; it's made with a charbroiled Black Angus beef patty, guacamole, bacon, and more. The joke is that although it's called the six dollar burger, it really costs about four dollars - it's just big. Larry and I had breakfast there a couple of times; the breakfast burritos are pretty good.

We had two dinners at the Claim Jumper, a slightly upscale chain restaurant, with locations mostly in California. It's basically a steak house; on one visit I had Barbeque Ribs, and the next time the Ribeye, and it was all good.

We had breakfast at Denny's twice. Not that Denny's is anything special, but it was fun because we don't have any very near Leesburg. I have to confess that I really liked the "Lumberjack Slam" breakfast, plus it just sounds cool.

Finally, we had lunch a couple of times at that most iconic of all California burger joints, In-N-Out Burger! Their menu only has burgers, fries, and drinks - that's it. The only burgers on the official menu are singles and doubles. However, they also have a "secret menu" (no so secret anymore, since it's on their own web site), that you can order from if you're in the know. I had a Double-Double Animal Style, and there are other interesting choices. And of course they have a store (online & in the restaurants) where you can buy t-shirts, hats, etc. to show you're a true devotee. Yes, I bought a t-shirt.

Thus concludes my California fast-food chain restaurant adventure.

#29: Red Apple Buffet

Date Visited: 19 October 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: Red Apple is a very unique restaurant in Leesburg. It's a buffet, open only for lunch and dinner, and there's no other menu. If you go to Red Apple, you're having the buffet!

The buffet itself is an eclectic mix of offerings. About half of it is composed of Asian items; mostly Chinese. The rest is a variety of traditional American items. Between the three of us, I think we tried most of what was there.

Here's what I can remember of the buffet content:

Asian items: Sushi (various kinds), Yakitori, Sczechwan green beans, Crab Rangoon, egg rolls, dumplings, hot & sour soup, wonton soup, egg drop soup, Kung Pao chicken, Sesame chicken, sweet & sour pork, fried shrimp, parchment shrimp, Kimchi, seaweed salad, and Mongolian barbeque, made to order.

American items: Pizza, crab salad, french fries, onion rings, macaroni & cheese, Bourbon chicken, roast beef, meat loaf, meat balls, corn, mashed potatoes, salad bar, and a dessert bar.

All this for $12.25 per person on Sunday! The quality and taste of the food ranges from OK to pretty good. If you want all-you-can-eat variety at a reasonable price, Red Apple is a good choice.

History: When we first moved here in 1987, there was a Sizzler at this location. The nearest Sizzler in now in New Jersey! When they closed, a Ponderosa Steakhouse was there for a while. It appears that Ponderosa has gone bankrupt; see the Wikipedia article. Then came Red Apple, and we hope they stay.

Location: 962 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: none

Total bill: $36.75 + $7.00 tip = $43.75

#28: Wish-Bone Rotisserie

Date Visited: 18 October 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Wish-Bone Rotisserie is a relatively new addition to Leesburg. It's located on the southwest corner of the intersection of King Street and Catoctin Circle, around the corner from 7-Eleven. It's also a location that has seen a lot of restaurant turnover throughout the years we've lived here. Wishbone is a small establishment featuring chicken and other items with a Peruvian twist. It was obvious as soon as we entered that this is a place that local latin americans love, which to me meant it must be good and authentic!

I got a 20-piece order of wings, medium hot, which was fairly hot for me, but good. I also got a side of onion rings, which were done just right. Wendy got a quarter rotisserie chicken with salad and corn-on-the-cob sides. She liked it, but I was too stuffed to try any of it.

Wish-Bone doesn't have their own web site, but I found this description on dc.metromix.com:

"Savor the smoky flavor of flame-broiled charcoal chicken and other Peruvian specialties at the Wishbone Rotisserie, a humble fast-food style eatery located in Leesburg. Have your chicken and ceviche with a side of plantains, corn on the cob or crispy yucca. Surprisingly, there are also some not-so-Peruvian items on the menu, like the falafel wrap and bacon cheeseburger – perfect for the non-adventurous or ruefully picky."

That pretty much sums it up. The staff is very friendly, the prices are low, and the food is great.

When you visit, be sure to check out this painting that hangs inside the entry.

Location: 9D Catoctin Cir. SW, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: none

Total bill: $22.77 + $5.00 tip = 27.77

#27: Quiznos (Edwards Ferry Rd.)

Date Visited: 27 September 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: Leesburg has two Quiznos locations, this one is on Edwards Ferry Rd. in the Battlefield Shopping Center. The other one is on Market St. in Bellewood Commons. And strangely, no, there is no apostrophe between the "o" and the "s". I'm not sure what the name means, and there's nothing about it on the web site. According to all-knowing Wikipedia, "Quiznos is a fast-food restaurant franchise. As of 2005, it was the second-largest submarine sandwich shop chain in North America, after Subway." Quiznos' claim-to-fame is that they toast all their sandwiches, which does somewhat set them apart from other sub sandwich restaurants.

After yet another long day back from an LCHS marching band competition, we were ready for a quick dinner. On this visit, I got a 9-inch Baja Chicken sandwich ("chicken, bacon, cheddar, red onion, mild Chipolte Mayo, sweet and smoky Baja sauce, fresh cilantro.") and a side Caesar salad. The Baja sauce was unique and made this sandwich very good. I very much appreciate the fact that Quiznos offers combo meals with salad in addition to the standard chip option. Wendy got a 6-inch Turkey Ranch and Swiss sandwich ("turkey, swiss, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Ranch Dressing"). All Alicia got was a big cookie(!)

Quiznos is good, but to me not really much different than Subway. I'll be visiting the other Leesburg location sometime soon.

Location: 1015 Edwards Ferry Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://quiznos.com/

Total bill: $16.68

#26: IHOP

Date Visited: 20 September 2008

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: IHOP is an American icon, and like many people of my generation, I grew up going to IHOP for breakfast on Saturdays with my family. Of course, back then it was more commonly known by it's full name, the International House of Pancakes. I still experience that nostalgia when I take my own family there now.

On this visit, Wendy and I enjoyed a late breakfast by ourselves. I ordered what I always order, which is the Breakfast Sampler ("two eggs, two bacon strips, two pork sausage links, two ham strips, hash browns and two fluffy buttermilk pancakes"), plus copious amounts of coffee. One funny thing I found is that a search for the word "coffee" on their online menu yields no hits! Wendy had the Bacon Temptation Omelette special; all I remember from the tastes shared with me was that it indeed contained a lot of bacon.

There's no better iconic breakfast than at IHOP, and of course there are locations everywhere.

Location: 980 Edwards Ferry Road NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176-3317

Web site: http://ihop.com/

Total bill: $22.74 + $5.00 tip = $27.74

#25: Vocelli Pizza

Date Visited: 19 September 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: On the one hand, Vocelli's is just another pizza franchise, but on the other hand, it's one of the good ones in Leesburg. After yet another all-day LCHS marching band competition, we were ready for a simple pizza dinner.

On this particular visit, we got our favorite "Deluxe" Gourmet Pizza (pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, red onions, black olives, and spicy Italian sausage). Wendy also got the Steak Panini (seasoned steak, mozzarella cheese, red onions, green peppers, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and Italian dressing), which for some unknown reason was not shared with me this time. Alicia got the Vocelli Chicken Caesar salad (fresh mixed greens, tender chicken breast, imported Pecorino cheese, and traditional Caesar salad dressing), but without the chicken!

It was all good, and I'm sure we'll be back. However, now that Domino's has sub sandwiches in addition to the basic pizza menu, Vocelli's will be getting some competition.

History: The location where Vocelli's is today used to be a Little Caesar's when we moved to Leesburg in 1987. Some years later they closed most of their locations in Northern Virginia; the closest one is now in Martinsburg, West Virginia! The store was empty for quite a while, then another non-descript pizza place opened up there, called Pizza Time, or something like that. They lasted only a year or so, then Vocelli's took over and has been doing fine.

UPDATED, 8 December 2008: A comment by Anonymous confirmed that the old name was Pizza Outlet, and that it is in fact the same company as Vocelli's.

Location: 34 Catoctin Cir SE, Suite E , Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://www.vocellipizza.com/leesburg_va/

Total bill: $34.69

#24: Hamburg Döner at the Mighty Midget Kitchen

Date Visited: 30 August 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: Hamburg Döner is located inside Leesburg's historic Mighty Midget Kitchen. More specifically, the food is cooked in the old Mighty Midget, but orders are taken and drinks served in an adjacent end of the building shared with MacDowell Custom Kitchens. Hamburg Döner first opened in 2006 at Virginia Village Shopping Center in Leesburg operating out of a food truck, and finally moved into the Mighty Midget Kitchen in March 2008.

The German feel of the place becomes evident as soon as you arrive. Hamburg Döner's unique specialty is the Döner, a Turkish dish which in the 1970s was transformed into a flatbread sandwich, usually with chicken or beef, when Turkish immigrants arrived in Berlin. "It's the most popular food in Germany," co-owner Nicole Marschall says. "The first thing people miss when they move out of Germany is the Döner." "It's the food of our generation," says the other co-owner Timo Winkel. To help explain what a Döner is, I've copied a picture from their menu.

Besides the Döner, they also serve Felafel, Currywurst, Bratwurst, Schnitzel, and Pommes (french fries!), and salads. Check out the online menu to see pictures and more descriptions - and see if it doesn't leave your mouth watering! They also have a large selection of German beers, both on tap and by the bottle.

For this visit, Wendy and I both got the Döner, and we shared an order of Pommes (excellent spices!). It was all fresh, healthy, and delicious, just as advertised. Alicia was with us, but not feeling very adventurous, and only ate a few fries. I didn't have a beer this time, but will surely sample one in the future.

A Little History:

The Mighty Midget Kitchen has been in Leesburg since 1946, and was originally located at the "Y" intersection where Market Street splits into two: Loudoun Street to the left, and Market Street to the right. That's where it was when we moved here in 1987. In those days everything was done in the tiny metal building, and they had hamburgers, hot dogs, and chili. The building was actually made from an old World War II airplane. Unfortunately, they were not able to stay in business and closed a few years later. Long-time Leesburg residents seem to have a high degree of nostalgia for the place.

The Mighty Midget Kitchen was narrowly saved from being scrapped and bought by the Town of Leesburg. In 1996, Gordon MacDowell signed a 20-year lease with the town for $10 a year on the condition that he fully restore it and keep it operating on his property on Harrison Street, right across the street from Tuscarora Mill. He ran it for several years, but eventually could not balance running his regular business and it too. So in 2001, the Mighty Midget Kitchen got a new tenant, Brian DeVaux, who served BBQ. Apparently there was some trouble with the arrangement, and MacDowell asked DeVaux to vacate in December 2007. The town tried to help DeVaux relocate, but it didn't work out. The old web site (http://mightymidgetkitchen.com/) is still up, and refers you to their new location at the Paeonian Grocery & Gourmet.

Despite the recent controversy around the venerable Might Midget Kitchen, we are extremely happy with Hamburg Döner and will surely be visiting again soon.

Location: 202 A Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web sites: http://hamburg-doener.com/ or http://doener-usa.com/

Total bill: $23.83 + $5.00 tip = $28.83

#23: Tenderjack's

Date Visited: 29 August 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Tenderjack's is one of the newest restaurants in Leesburg, and fills a unique niche. They specialize in a simple menu of fresh chicken tenders, salads, hamburgers, and fries. In fact, their published philosophy is “Keep It Simple, Keep It Fresh”.

Wendy and I were out on a Friday night and wanted something inexpensive and good, but not typical fast-food. I hadn't blogged about Tenderjack's yet, so that became the choice.

Wendy got the Five Golden Tenders plate, which consists of buttermilk-battered chicken breast pieces. This seems to be more or less their signature item, and like most of their offerings, comes with a choice of two dipping sauces (out of 10). I got the Combo Platter, which is basically a Tenderjack's sampler. It comes with two Crispy Chicken Tenders, two Mini Cheeseburgers, one Southwest Eggroll, two Coyote Wings, and two dipping sauces. The Coyote Wings are spicy mesquite-smoked chicken wings. The Mini Cheesburgers were quite good (I had a less-than-satisfying experience with the full-size version on a previous visit, but that was when Tenderjack's had just opened, and they were still working on things - all better now). The Southwest Eggrolls are particularly good, described in the menu as "stuffed with shredded chicken, red pepper, black beans, corn, cilantro and cheddar cheese, then hand-rolled, fried golden-brown and served on a bed of mango salsa with creamy cilantro sauce and avocado butter for dipping." You don't get those dipping sauces when you get them with the platter, but they're still great. We also got a side of the Fresh-Cut Fries with Tenderjack's special seasoning blend. They were pretty good, if a little droopy.

The Tenderjack's web site is also very good. There is currently only one Tenderjack's location (Leesburg), but the site has a "Locations" tab, hinting that there may be more in the future. I hope so; Tenderjack's is a welcome substitute for the normal fast-food chains. We'll be back.

Location: 506B E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://tenderjacks.com/

Total bill: $22.30

#22: Thai Royal

Date Visited: 24 August 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Andy

Experience: Leesburg has had it's ups and downs in regard to Thai food. In the beginning, you could find a few Thai dishes at places like Orient Kitchen (now J&W Asian Bistro). Then in 2007 we got Tup Tim Thai, and it was good, but only lasted about a year (they had two locations - Leesburg and Sterling - and both closed). But now Leesburg has a real Thai restaurant, run by a real Thai person, serving real Thai food - Thai Royal!

Thai Royal is one of Leesburg's hidden gems, and I mean hidden in the literal sense. By their own description, it is "conveniently located at Liberty Gas Station" on Harrison Street, between Market and Loudoun Streets. It's actually part of the Liberty gas station; in fact, there's just one door between the restaurant and the gas station's mini-mart. Thai Royal also houses a Blimpie sub shop, but they don't make it very obvious when you're inside the restaurant, which is a good thing; we're here for Thai food, not generic sub sandwiches.



This blog post is my "official" write-up on Thai Royal, but I've already been there several times. Despite the odd location, Thai Royal is just about my favorite restaurant in all of Leesburg - really, it's the greatest! We always get friendly, helpful service, and the food is outstanding.

On this visit, Andy and I got the Chicken Lava, a Thai Royal signature dish, described in the menu as "Exotic dish! Sizzling battered crispy chicken with sweet chili sauce served with cabbage on a hot sizzling plate." I've had it a couple of times before, and it never fails to please me - a perfect mixture of sweet, savory, and crunchy. It comes with either a soup or a spring roll appetizer; Andy got the spring roll, and I got the Tom Yum soup, and well, it was yum! Wendy got the Chicken Tamarind, described as "Sizzling crispy chicken with sweet and sour tamarind sauce served with mixed vegetables on a hot Sizzling plate." She also got the spring roll appetizer.

On previous visits, I've also had the Taro Spring Rolls and the Panang Curry, which is rich and just spicy enough for me. This is what I usually get when I'm out on my own for dinner.

Thai Royal seems to be doing well business-wise, as they are now issuing several kinds of coupons, and have a Frequent Customer Card (one free entree after seven orders). Now all they need is a web site.

Support Thai food in Leesburg and visit Thai Royal!

Location: 2 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: none

Total bill: $25.87 + $7.00 tip = $32.87

UPDATE, 19 April 2009:
Apparently, Thai Royal has very recently changed their name to Thai Pan Leesburg Restaurant, and they have a new web site: http://www.thaipanleesburg.com/ - we'll have to check it out!

UPDATE, 2 May 2009:
Andy and I visited Thai Pan to get some takeout, and happened to talk to one of the employees about the recent changes. He said everything is the same (like the cook) except the name. He went on to explain that they had to change the name because there is a local laundromat of the same name! They also couldn't register the thairoyal.com domain because it's taken (by a restaurant in Germany), and there are lots of other businesses with the same name. So they just decided to change the name.

#21: Moe's Southwest Grill

Date Visited: 17 August 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Alicia, & Andy

Experience: As mentioned on a previous post, on the spectrum of Mexican fast-food in Leesburg, I'd list Taco Bell, California Tortilla, and Moe's, in order of increasing goodness. Yes, Moe's is a nationwide chain too, but it's pretty good. Upon entering the restaurant, you're always greeted with a hearty "Welcome to Moe's!" from the crew.

Moe's is mainly about burritos, but they also have tacos, quesadillas, fajitas, nachos, and salads. All of the menu items have unique names: I had the Homewrecker burrito ("Choice of grilled meat, beans, rice, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole"), Wendy and Alicia had the John Coctostan quesadilla ("Choice of grilled meat, beans and shredded cheese with a side of pico de gallo and sour cream"), and Andy had the Triple Lindy burrito ("Choice of grilled meat, beans, rice, shredded cheese, pico de gallo and guacamole or sour cream"). In each case, the grilled meat choices are fajita steak, chicken, ground beef or tofu - TOFU?!? Nobody I know would call tofu a "meat choice". Everything about Moe's seems to be big - the burritos are enormous, and they make it right in front of you so you can ask for extras or leave things off, just the way you like it.

Anyway, we like Moe's a lot, and go there when we want to get full!

Location: 667 Potomac Station Dr., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://moes.com/

Total bill: $38.97 + $6.00 tip * = $44.97

* Normally I don't leave a tip at fast-food restaurants, even though they cleverly have a place to add it on the credit card slip. However, Wendy apparently wasn't aware of my policy when she went to pick up our order.

#20: Roy Rogers (King St.)

Date Visited: 16 August 2008

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: This is the "other" Roy Rogers restaurant in Leesburg, on King Street. I've already reviewed the first one, which is on Market Street. But I have to make this entry so that I can truly experience and document every restaurant in Leesburg.

There's not much different from the other Roy Rogers; I went there for the same breakfast I always order: the Sourdough Ham, Egg, and Cheese breakfast, upgraded to a large coffee. But this time they surprised me - it turns out you can get large size home fries with the meal, so I got that upgrade too! The people at the other store never make me that offer - hmm...

Here's another weird thing - they gave me the !0% senior discount! What, do I look like an old man?!?

I can't put my finger on it, but there is something different about these two restaurants, even though they belong to the same chain, and probably use all the same ingredients. To me, the food always seems better at the Market Street location; don't ask me why.

The other night we were at a Loudoun County High School Band event, and they served everyone fried chicken from Roy Rogers. It was not very good; Popeyes is still the best in my opinion. However, my recommendation for breakfast at Roy Rogers still stands.

Location: 451 S. King St., Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://royrogersrestaurants.com/

Total bill: $4.67

#19: California Tortilla

Date Visited: 3 August 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: California Tortilla is one of the newest additions to Leesburg. It's a fast-food, Mexican-type chain restaurant. I'd rank them somewhere between Taco Bell and Moe's. For being a fast-food chain, California Tortilla is pretty good.

The specialty burritos are the most distinctive items on the menu, and that's we we go there. On this visit, I had the Thai burrito ("Grilled mesquite chicken, Mexican rice, our spicy Thai peanut sauce, fresh salsa and lettuce"), Wendy had the Blackened Chicken Caesar burrito ("Our Best Seller! Blackened chicken, black beans, Mexican rice, Monterey jack cheese, Caesar dressing, fresh salsa and romaine"), and Alicia had the Classic Chicken burrito ("Choice of chicken, beef or steak (50 cents extra), Mexican rice, black beans, Monterey jack cheese, sour cream, fresh salsa and lettuce"). We all got the combo that includes chips & queso and a drink.

There are a few things that make California Tortilla more fun than your average restaurant. One is that they have the "Burrito Elito Loyalty Program". You accrue one point for each dollar spent, and when you reach 50 points, you get five "Burrito Bucks" to use on your next visit. Another fun aspect is the "Wall of Flame" - they stock over 75 different hot sauces that you can use in the restaurant, or buy a bottle to take home. One final thing is that they play classic rock music, not the sterotypical Mexican tunes.

When the urge for Mexican fast-food hits, California Tortilla is usually our first choice. It's close, cheap, and good.

Location: Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://californiatortilla.com/

Total bill: $26.95

#18: Vintage 50

Date Visited: 18 July 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: We hadn't been to a "nice" restaurant for a while, but Leesburg does have a few, and one of the really nice ones is Vintage 50. This location used to be called Thoroughbreds (yes, with a Loudoun County horsey-theme and a brewery), but it closed in June 2006. We were sorry to see it go because we had been there a couple of times and it was very good. Thankfully, some months later it reopened as Vintage 50, and now it's better than ever!

One look at the menu told us this was going to be a great experience. Everything sounded so good we were afraid to get filled up too much before the really good stuff, so we didn't get an appetizer. At these kinds of restaurants, our rule is to always order different things between us, so that we have more to try by sharing.

For salads, I got the Grilled Watermelon and Crispy Goat Cheese salad, and Wendy got the Vintage Greens salad. Both were good, but there was something about the grilled watermelon in mine that made it especially good. The goat cheese comes in a compact little shape that resembles a small biscuit; it was a warm, yummy contrast to the cool watermelon and greens.

For entrees, I got the "West Texas Wild Boar Sausage and Potato Gnocchi" with "local asparagus, wild mushrooms,black truffles." I'm not sure what wild boar is supposed to taste like, but it was clearly no ordinary sausage. It was served in a soupy sauce that brought everything together very well. The truffles were just barely detectable, not overwhelming. Wendy got the "Asiago Stuffed Baby Tortellini" with "trio of stuffed pastas with roasted peppers and squashes tossed in a Chardonnay-Parmesan cream sauce."

Vintage 50 (and Thoroughbreds before it) has a brewery on the premises, operated by Brew Master Bill Madden. I'm no beer aficionado, but I tried one that was brewed there. I forgot to take notes, so I don't remember which one I tried, but it was excellent. I'm sure there's some kind of psychological factor at work here that makes the beer taste better because you know it was made here, but that's OK, it was still very good and went perfectly with my meal. I also found that there are several sites that post beer ratings, and Vintage 50 seems to do quite well.

For desset, we ordered a sampler of chocolate treats. There were four bite-sized pieces, a perfect end to the meal. I also had a coffee, that comes served in a French press, for the extra special touch.

The only real disappointment was that the menu offered a cooking class with Executive Chef Aaron McCloud, but it had been held three days before! So now I've signed up with their email notification service, to find out about these things earlier.

I heartily recommend Vintage 50. It's a little more pricey than most of the restaurants in Leesburg, but it's worth it and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Location: 50 Catoctin Cir. NE, # 100, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://www.vintage50.com/

Total bill: $81.48 + $16.00 tip = $97.48

#17: Popeyes

Date Visited: 13 July 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Sometimes you just want fried chicken. The primary cheap, fast-food fried chicken place in Leesburg is Popeyes. We went there on a Sunday night, and business was very slow.

We got one of the family meal deals that included twelve pieces of chicken (we got half mild and half spicy - for me!), two large sides (we got mashed pototoes and red beans & rice), and six biscuits. When we go to Popeyes, we always get a large side of onion rings too - they're pretty good. When you want good, cheap, fast fried chicken, Popeyes is not so bad.

As has happened before, sometimes the restaurant's web site is more interesting than their food. It turns out that the full name of the restaurant chain is actually Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits. It was started by Al Copeland in 1972 in Arabi, Louisiana. Popeyes is named not after the cartoon sailor, but for the character Popeye Doyle in the movie “The French Connection.” According to the Popeyes wikipedia article, "Copeland would claim facetiously that he was "too poor" to afford an apostrophe."

I found two "official" Popeyes web sites: one appears to be the main corporate one, and the other is just for the Virginia/Maryland/DC locations. You can download desktop images and screen savers that show a variety of Popeyes food, and even download some of their jingles (although I can't imagine why you would want to).

Location: 515 E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web sites: http://www.popeyes.com/ and http://www.popeyeschicken.com/

Total bill: $31.11

#16: J&W Asian Bistro

Date Visited: 22 June 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: J&W Asian Bistro is the new name for the Orient Kitchen (it still says "Orient Kitchen II" on the receipts), and it had some other name that I can't remember before that; I haven't been in there for many years. The interior design of the restaurant is all new, effective, and beautiful, with many oriental artfiacts adorning the dining area.

We were there for lunch, and the buffet looked good. For $6.95 you can have Sushi, Oriental salad, General Tso's Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Beef with Broccoli, Seafood medley, Spicy Green Beans, Lo Mein noodles, Fried Rice, and a few others I probably overlooked. It was all very good, but not ourstanding. We all tried different things, but I was the only one who tried the Sushi.



On the day of our visit, we were the only customers in the place except one other lady. I happened to recognize another person I saw at the bar; it was the guy who runs Tai Pei Cafe! Maybe he was exchaning recipes? or spying? or maybe he's just a friend of the proprietors.

Location: 707 M E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: none

Total bill: $31.80 + $6.00 tip = $37.80

#15: La Chocita Grill

Date Visited: 16 June 2008 (Father's Day)

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: La Chocita Grill bills itself as serving "Mexican, Central and South American Cuisine", which helps you understand this is no average Mexican restaurant. Situated in an old house between Market and Loudoun streets, on the back side of the Liberty gas station, it's easy to miss this gem. As you can see in the first photo, La Chocita Grill unfortunately shares a driveway and a sign with "Doggy Do RIght" (a dog training business?) on the Market Street side. The back side sign on the Loudoun Street side is much better (second photo).



One of La Chocita's specialties is their Rotisserie Charcoal Chicken, but no one in our party wanted it for this visit. I ended up ordering from the "Latino Specialties" section of the menu, and got the "Carne Con Camarones (Flank charcoal steak with shrimp and our delicious Salvadorean style sauce; served with rice, beans, and pico de gallo)". Whatever the "Salvadorean style sauce" is, it was delicious! (sort of like BBQ sauce, but way better.) Wendy had something with chicken and avocado (couldn't remember the name of the dish). Alicia had the Chicken Quesadilla. We also ordered a couple of Pupusas (Cheese and Pork) to round out our experience. Everything was great.

La Chocita Grill offers a great variety of Latino dishes, and seems to be fairly authentic, judging by the majority of Latinos in the restaurant. We will certainly go back again, and try the Rotisserie Charcoal Chicken!



Location: 210 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://lachocitagrill.com/

Total bill: $35.59 + $7.00 tip = $42.59

#14: Taco Bell

Date Visited: 16 June 2008 (Father's Day)

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: I haven't posted anything for about two weeks because we've been on the South Beach diet, phase 1 (the strictest phase). So no restaurant visits until today.

When you're in the mood for Mexican-style fast food in Leesburg, the basic choices are Taco Bell, California Tortilla, and Moe's. Today after church I had a hankerin' for Taco Bell, and it was OK because we're off the strictest part of the diet!

I had my all-time favorite, the #6 combo: two Chalupas (beef, supreme), one taco, and a drink. Wendy had the new Fresco Zesty Chicken Border Bowl (fairly South Beach-friendly at 8g fat + 350 calories), a Chalupa, and a drink. Alicia got two soft tacos, Cinnamon twists, and a drink.

The most interesting thing about Taco Bell is their history. It mostly happened in southern California where I grew up. As a little kid, I remember going to Taco Bell, and the old Mexican boy logo. I liked it even back then! Here's a short history of Taco Bell (summarized from their web site):



In 1946, at age 23, Glen Bell opened his first hot dog stand in San Bernardino, CA, called Bell's Drive-In. The sauce he developed for his chili dogs was the basis for Taco Bell's current taco sauce. He wanted to expand the menu, and had an interest in Mexican take-out, so he started a second location began to offer tacos. He basically invented the idea of commercially fried, ready-to-stuff taco shells. The taco stand did well, and Bell convinced business partner Ed Hackbarth to move out to Barstow, CA to run a second unit. Hackbarth later founded the Del Taco chain of restaurants. In 1954-55, Bell opened more stands, called Taco Tia, in San Bernardino, Redlands, and Riverside, CA. During the years 1956-58, he sold his interest in the Taco Tias and opened up a new chain of stands called El Taco, with locations in the Long Beach, CA area. John Gallardi, commisary manager for the El Tacos, was encouraged by Bell to go out on his own; Gallardi took the advice and started the successful Der Weinerschnitzel hot dog chain (the name was suggested by Bell's wife, Martha). In 1962, Bell sold his interest in all the El Tacos and opened the first Taco Bell in Downey, CA. Soon after, eight more in Long Beach, Paramount, and Los Angeles. In 1964, the first Taco Bell franchise opened in Torrance, CA (corner of Carson St. & Western Ave.), very near where I grew up in Harbor City. In 1969, Taco Bell finally went public. It was acquired by PepsiCo in 1978. In 1997, PepsiCo spun off Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut as Tricon Global Restaurants. In 2002, Tricon was renamed Yum! Brands, Inc., after acquiring Long John Silver's and A&W All-American Food Restaurants.

Location: 982 Edwards Ferry Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://tacobell.com/

Total bill: $17.71

#13: Fireworks

Date Visited: 25 May 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: On Sunday night, after enjoying a wonderful lunch at Xuan Saigon, our dinner thoughts converged on pizza, and I suggested Fireworks, which I had noticed on our previous visit to Jasmine. Fireworks is located next door to Tuscarora Mill (not visited/blogged yet) in historic Market Station. It was a beautiful evening, and we got outdoor seating.



Our first look at the menu told us we were in for a treat - this was no ordinary pizza place! I ordered the House Salad ("Local greens, Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, Gorgonzola, Dry Cranberries"), and Wendy got the Classic Greek Salad ("Romaine, Cucumbers, Feta Cheese, Olives, Tomatoes, Red Wine Vinaigrette"). Both were deliciously fresh. For our pizza, we ordered the Smokey Blue ("Gorgonzola, Wood Roasted Onions, Local Smoked Bacon, Organic Tomato Sauce, Rosemary, Aged Balsamic Glaze"), which was enthusiastically endorsed by our server, Stephanie. This was possibly the best pizza I've ever had - no kidding. Something about the combination of the gorgonzola, bacon, and whatever was in the glaze was just super!

Fireworks is also evidently a beer drinker's heaven, judging by the length of the list in the menu. I had a Heavy Seas Red Sky ("Clipper City’s Bright and Crisp Belgian Style Saison. A delight to drink"). I'm not much of a beer connoisseur, but it was good. I overheard several other guests ordering equally obscure-sounding but mouth-watering brands.

Fireworks seems to be one of Leesburg's hidden gems. It's also a great place to take friends and share.

Location: 203 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://fireworkspizza.com/

Total bill: $35.48 + $7.00 tip = $42.48

#12: Xuan Saigon

Date Visited: 25 May 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: Sunday after church is a great time to explore new lunch restaurants. In our case, the third service at Cornerstone Chapel usually goes until at least 12:30, so when it's done we're ready to eat! Today we visited Xuan Saigon, described thus by their web site: "Our establishment is family owned and stands as the first Vietnamese Restaurant in Leesburg - still the first since 1999." In Vietnamese, Xuan means "spring", and Xuan Nguyen is the name of the chef of the family.



We started off with two orders of Spring Roll appetizers ("A1" on the menu). They were very nice and crisp, and came with a tangy sauce to dip in. I had Pho #10 ("Tai Chin - Pho Noodle soup with slices of steak and well done brisket"). Wendy had Pho #17 ("Pho Ga - Rice noodles and slices of chicken served in a hot chicken soup broth garnished with spring onions, cilantro, and onions"). All the pho dishes come with a "fresh plate of basil, bean sprouts, jalapeno peppers, and limes", so you can customize it any way you want, and make it as spicy (or not) as you want with additional sauces on the table. We both enjoyed our respective soups very much; the ingredients were fresh (especially the basil) and deliciously prepared. The service was also pleasant and welcoming, like a family-owned restaurant should be. You can also tell you're in an authentic Vietnamese restaurant when there's Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce on every table, and I certainly availed myself of it... :-) I also had a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, and it was great! Predictably, Alicia got Chicken Fried Rice ("C5" on the menu). She said the eggs were "light and fluffy", and the bean sprouts (from our plate) were very good and fresh. She ate it all, and that's a good sign.

I can heartily recommend Xuan Saigon; there's something for everyone, and we'll be back often.

Location: 11 Fort Evans Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://xuansaigon.com/

Total bill: $29.43 + $6.00 tip = $35.43

#11: Market Street Coffee

Date Visited: 15 May 2008

Meal: After-Dinner Coffee

Diners: 2 - Me & my friend Gary

Experience: Where do you go when you want a good cup of coffee? All too often, the automatic response would be Starbucks or an equivalent clone. Fortunately, Leesburg provides a much nicer, locally-owned alternative.

Market Street Coffee bills itself as "Leesburg's Living Room" and I think they fill this role elegantly. The place is not big, but there are always comfy places to sit, sip, and talk with friends. You can get all the hip coffee-based beverages, both hot and cold, such as lattes, cappuccinos, espressos, and such. Their iced blended drink specialties include the "Mocha Marketccino (blended coffee drink with special chocolate)" and the "Caramel Marketccino (blended coffee drink with creamy caramel)". I've had both and they're great! Most of the time, however, I just have a regular latte or cappuccino.

Market Street Coffee is one of my regular hangouts, where I meet biweekly with my friend Gary and talk about software development, theology, evangelism, and parenting. He has a very cool blog called The Calvinist Cajoneador - prepare to be challenged and check it out!

By the way, Market Street Coffee qualifies as a restaurant (for blog purposes) since they actually do have some food items (muffins, cookies, pastries, baked goods) as well as coffee, tea, and smoothies. They also host concerts featuring local musicians. Support your local coffee house and visit Market Street Coffee!

Location: 19 W. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://marketstreetcoffee.com/

Total bill: $2.77 (just for me)

Sad News: Restaurants I'll never get to blog about

Restaurant: Casa Gonzalez

What Happened: My favorite Mexican restaurant in Leesburg, has closed for good on 20 April 2008. They were victims of expansion by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Department, with whom they shared a building. There are no plans to reopen elsewhere. The food was excellent, prices low, atmosphere relaxed, and service great. Sometimes they had mariachis serenade us during dinner. I will always remember the "Guadalajara Special", but alas, order it no more.

(Former) Location: 37 Catoctin Circle SE, Leesburg VA 22075

Web site: http://casagonzalesmexicanrestaurant.com/

---

Restaurant: Johnson's Charcoal Beef House

What Happened: A Leesburg landmark for 45 years has also closed for good on 14 May 2008. The Chevy Chase bank across the street bought the property and will move there (full story in the Loudoun Times-Mirror). Johnson's food was average, but the atmosphere was priceless. It was a place to just hang out and feel like you were in the 1970's. The last time we visited was for breakfast a couple months ago (before I started this blog). We will miss this Leesburg icon, but more for what it stood for than it's food.

(Former) Location: 401 E. Market St., Leesburg, 20176

Web site: none

#10: Red Hot & Blue

Date Visited: 13 May 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Alicia

Experience: Alicia and I found ourselves in need of dinner because we had to be out of the house for Wendy's Book Club meeting that night. After a brief discussion of our options, we decided that barbeque sounded pretty good. In Leesburg, that means Red Hot & Blue. It's a chain restaurant with locations in nine states.

Our family visited the Leesburg Red Hot & Blue shortly after it opened a few years ago. It wasn't very good then, and was significantly inferior to my favorite barbeque place, Famous Dave's (too bad they don't have a Leesburg location!) We had three poor experiences in a row ("three strikes and you're out") and haven't been back. Alicia and I decided to give them a chance to redeem themselves.

On this night, the restaurant wasn't very busy, so I was hoping for good service. It was OK, but a little unprofessional for me (e.g., waiter talking excessively with friends, some cursing). At one point, someone in the back dropped a tray full of dishes or something and there was a loud crash - at which the rest of the staff stood and applauded!

On to the food. First we got the Onion Ring Loaf appetizer. It's a big mass of deep-fried onion rings, in the shape of a cube or cylinder (it's kind of hard to tell). If you love onion rings like I do, you'll love the Loaf. For the main course, I had the half-rack of St. Louis-tyle Sweet Ribs, which came with BBQ beans, cole slaw, and cornbread muffins. It was much better than our original experiences, and the ribs were very tasty, with plenty of meat falling off the bones. Alicia had the Southern Fried Chicken Crispers, which came with Memphis fries and cole slaw. She ate everything but the cole slaw, so it must have been good!

One thing that makes a visit to Red Hot & Blue fun is the background music - it's all classic blues, my favorite! It helps make up for other deficiencies.

An interesting thing about this location is the history of restaurants that have come and gone before. When we first moved to Leesburg in the late 1980's, it was a Bob's Big Boy and a great place to eat. A few years later it closed, and a Shoney's opened up there, and was not as good as Bob's. A few years later, it too closed, and was replaced by America's Best Diner. It was an attempt at a 1950's-style hambuger place, but we called it America's Worst Diner. And that brings us back to the present: Red Hot & Blue.

Will I go back? Well, when the barbeque urge strikes and Famous Dave's is too far away (Sterling location is the closest one), yes.

Location: 541 E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://redhotandblue.com/

Total bill: $34.13 + $7.00 tip = $41.13

#9: Papa John's

Date Visited: 8 May 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: I'm sure this has happened to you - an unexpected change of plans, last-minute errands to run, and your original dinner plans are history. What do you do? Order a pizza, of course!

In this case, Alicia had a track meet that went a bit long, and nobody felt like taking the time to cook dinner. So I was sent on a mission to go get some. We all like pizza, and the choice of restaurants was left to me. Almost every town has plenty of pizza places to choose from, and my favorite in Leesburg is Papa John's. (It used to be Little Caesar's, until they closed several years ago, but that's another story...) I ordered at the restaurant because... well, I don't know, I think it's just the way I was raised - you never have pizza delivered to your house, you go and pick it up.

Anyway, I ordered two 14-inch larges. One was a specialty pizza called "The Works (Pepperoni, ham, spicy Italian sausage, fresh-sliced onions & green peppers, baby portabella mushrooms and black olives)". The other was just pepperoni. But Alicia doesn't like pepperoni, so she takes them off. We do this because I just can't bring myself to order a cheese-only pizza. Weird? Maybe. Wendy and I usually finish off one large between us, but Alicia doesn't come near finishing the other one, so there's always some leftover pepperoni for my lunch the next day.

While writing this blog, I visited the Papa John's web site. They have a pretty good restaurant locator, so you can find the closest one to your house. I was wondering how many locations they have, and where they are concentrated, when I noticed a link at the bottom of their home page labeled "International Restaurants". I clicked it and was quite surprised; there are locations in about 27 countries! Just for fun, I clicked on the Pakistan location, and found out there are actually two there, one in Karachi and one in Rahat! The menu has fewer choices than the ones in the states, but they also have local specialties like "Papa's Tikka (Chicken Tikka & onions)". Interesting!

Location: 525 E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176-4171

Web site: http://papajohns.com/

Total bill: $30.36

#8: Anita's "New Mexico Style" Mexican Food

Date Visited: 5 May 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: It's Cinco de Mayo, and we have to go to a Mexican restaurant!

We settled on Anita's, another one of the newer restaurants in Leesburg. It's the newest in a chain of eight locations. Anita's specializes in "New Mexico Style" Mexican food. They also do quite a bit of catering and take-out. Their take-out Breakfast Burritos are big sellers.

Since it was Cinco de Mayo, appetizers were 1/2 off. We ordered the Gringo Nachos, which were topped with chorizo, frijoles, chile con queso, tomatoes, chives, olives and sour cream - yum!



For the main entree, I had one of the specials, the Chicken and Steak Fajita Quesadilla. Wendy had one of the other specials, the "El Matador" - red chile cheese enchildas. Alicia made a daring move and ordered the Pollo Enchilada. It was all pretty good, but not our favorite kind of Mexican food. It's that New Mexico thing, I guess.

Service was a bit slow, but not unexpected because of the holiday. There was a little confusion with the bill, as they could not figure out how to take the 1/2 off the appetizer. So we ended up with two separate bills: one for the appetizer, which listed the discount as "Police Officer 50%"(!), and one for everything else.

Location: 5 Fort Evans Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://anitascorp.com/

Total bill: $44.66 + $9.00 tip = $53.66

#7: Panera Bread

Date Visited: 27 April 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: In case you couldn't guess from the name, Panera's big deal is bread, and it's good! Each Panera store is both a bakery and a cafe. You can buy all kinds of bread, bagels, and such, and you can also get a very nice lunch. Most of the offerings are sandwiches (no surprise there), soups, and salads. For those who must stay connected all the time, they also offer free WiFi access to the Internet.

For this visit, we took advantage of Panera's "You Pick Two" deal. You pick two of these three choices: a half-sandwich, a half-salad, or a bowl of soup. Optionally, you can get the soup in a round bread bowl - yummy! I picked the Sierra Turkey sandwich and the Broccoli Cheese soup. Wendy had the Chicken Bacon Dijon sandwich and the Tomato soup. Alicia had the Caesar salad and the Broccoli Cheese soup.

Panera is a great place for a nice hot lunch on a cold day, and we enjoyed that on this visit.

Location: 215 Fort Evans Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://panerabread.com/

Total bill: $28.67

#6: Costco Food Court

Date Visited: 26 April 2008

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia

Experience: OK, so Costco is barely a restaurant by my definition, but they do have what is euphemistically called a "food court". It is a place to eat and includes tables and chairs. It's actually a fun place to grab a quick lunch before or after shopping, especially at such bargain prices.

I had a hot dog and soda, Wendy had a turkey wrap and a soda, and Alicia had a hot dog and frozen yogurt. What's not to like? I fed all three of us for less than ten bucks, including tax!

Location: 1300 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://www.costco.com/ (Leesburg location)

Total bill: $9.05

#5: Jasmine Chinese Cuisine

Date Visited: 25 April 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Jasmine is a relatively new restaurant in Leesburg, located in historic Market Station. Their slogan is "a better oriental dining experience", and I think they achieve it!

We've been to Jasmine once before (in November 2006, soon after they opened) and really liked it. The food and service were both great, and this most recent visit was the same. We had the Crab Rangoon appetizer - excellent! For the entree, I had the Scallops & Shrimp in Garlic Sauce, described in the menu as "Scallop, shrimp, water chestnuts, celery sautéed in a spicy garlic sauce". Wendy had the Crispy Prawn with Walnuts, described in the menu as "Prawns with walnuts cooked in a special tangy sauce". Everything was just wonderful, and the menu includes all the standard Chinese favorites. The service was unusally good, with much attention to detail, which made for an especially pleasant dining experience.

Location: Market Station, 110 South St. SE, Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://jasminecuisine.com/

Total bill: $41.88 + $8.00 tip = $49.88

#4: McDonald's (Market St.)

Date Visited: 24 April 2008

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: What is there to say about McDonald's? They are everywhere, of course, and Leesburg has two of them. There used to be three as of several years ago, but the third one was a "mini" McDonalds located in the Leesburg Plaza Shopping Center, and I guess it didn't do enough business so it closed.

A long, long, time ago, as a senior in high school (1974 - you do the math), I worked at a McDonald's in Lomita, California. Somehow I never got tired of the food and I can still enjoy it today.

Anyway, McDonald's is now my place for breakfast-on-the-go. I'm old enough to remember when the Egg McMuffin was new. More recently, my favorite was the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese McGriddle, but my new favorite is the McSkillet Burrito with Steak. Just for fun, I looked up the nutritional information for this item on the McDonald's web site. The most significant numbers to me are that it's got 570 calories, 30 grams of fat (12 grams saturated fat), and 44 grams of carbohydrates (3 grams of fiber). Oh well, it's not exactly advertised as a weight-loss program. For this visit, I ordered the McSkillet Burrito with Steak combo meal, which comes with Hash Browns and a coffee (I always upgrade to a large).

For my quest, that's one McDonald's down, and one to go.

Location: 335 E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://mcdonalds.com/

Total bill: $4.86

#3: Tai Pei Cafe

Date Visited: 18 April 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy & Alicia

Experience: Tai Pei Cafe is a small, Chinese fast food establishment. Most of their business is take-out, but the restaurant seats about 25 if you want to eat there. The menu includes all the standard Americanized Chinese favorites.

For us, the best reason to go to Tai Pei Cafe is when you want good, generous portions of basic Chinese take-out. The dinner combo meals are the best deal around. You get a main course, rice, soup, and an egg roll for $7.75 - you can't beat it!

During this visit, I got the Kung Pao chicken with Hot and Sour soup. Wendy got the Cashew Chicken with Won Ton soup. Alicia just got Chicken Fried Rice (no combo). These are the things we almost always get when we eat here, and they did not disappoint. The quality is good and very consistent. There are usually enough leftovers to have for lunch the next day! We'll continue to come back whenever we're in the mood for Chinese take-out.

Location: 946 Edwards Ferry Rd NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176, 703-771-8882

Web site: none

Total bill: $24.35

#2: Roy Rogers (Market St.)

Date Visited: 18 April 2008

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: Roy Rogers is a fast food restaurant, with locations in nine east coast states, mostly in Maryland and Virginia. It is named after the famous "Happy Trails to You" singing cowboy, Roy Rogers himself.

Roy Rogers is primarily known for their chicken, but for me, the only reason to go there is for breakfast. The Sourdough Ham, Egg, and Cheese breakfast sandwich is great. You can make it even better by using the "Fixin's Bar" - I usually add onions and a few Jalapeno peppers. If you buy the combo meal, it comes with breakfast fries and coffee.

The funniest thing to me is that I go to Roy Rogers for this breakfast about once a week or so. I always order the same thing, but the price never seems to be the same! I've paid as low as $3.50 and as high as $4.32. I always "upgrade" to a large coffee, but you would think they'd know how to calculate the price difference the same way every time, but they don't. Sometimes they give me the senior discount (without me asking), though I'm still several years short of qualifying!

There are two Roy Rogers locations in Leesburg; this is the one on Market Street. I usually only go to this one because it's on the way to work. Some time I'll visit the other one.

Location: 540 East Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176, 703-777-6322

Web site: http://royrogersrestaurants.com/

Total bill: $4.32 (this time!)

#1: Del Rio Mexican Restaurant

Date Visited: 14 April 2008

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me and Wendy

Experience: We were looking for a simple meal one night, and were in a mood for Mexican. We had visited Del Rio many years ago when it was called Sombrero's and didn't have a good experience. Knowing that Del Rio was under new management, we decided to give them a try. The atmosphere and decor are very casual and unassuming. They also have a comedy club on Saturdays, but we weren't interested in that.

The chips and salsa were above average; the salsa had a pleasantly prominent cilantro flavor. Drinks come with a semi-fancy touch: the straws are delivered with the top inch or so of paper still on. Wendy ordered the "Pollo Fiesta" special, which had chicken and shrimp in a garlic sauce. I had the "El Paso" combo, which included a chicken flauta, a cheese enchilada, and two bean tacos. The silverware arrived a bit late, but it wasn't a big deal.

One good test of a Mexican restaurant is to see if there are any Mexicans are eating there. Although I didn't check passports, there were at least a lot of Latinos who appeared to be regulars. Overall, we liked it very much and would come again.

Location: 701 E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 703-777-9554

Web site: http://www.delriocomedy.com/

Total bill: $25.12 + $5.00 tip = $30.12