#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