#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