#106: Noodles & Company

Date Visited: 15 January 2011

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: The Village at Leesburg is beginning to fill up with restaurants, and that's a good thing for us, dear readers. Having been open now for a few months, we decided to give Noodles & Company a try. It was a cold night, and noodles sounded like the right thing. Noodles & Company is a chain with company and franchise locations across much of the U.S. The menu is fairly compact, but offers a surprising variety. They specialize in noodle dishes (duh!), soups, salads, and sandwiches with Asian, Mediterranean, and American flavors. They also offer a few other appetizers/sides, beer & wine, and simple desserts. The noodle dishes are the most unique, distinguishing offerings. Basically, you pick a regular (recommended) or small bowl, pick the kind of noodles you want, then (optionally) add in a protein choice (chicken, beef, shrimp, meatballs, or tofu). This was all explained to us by our server, Thomas, who did a great job detailing the choices and providing recommendations, all with good humor.

On this visit, I ordered the Indonesian Peanut Saute ("Spicy peanut sauce and rice noodle stir-fry, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, Asian sprouts, cilantro, crushed peanuts and lime"). I added the recommended chicken breast too. I was pleasantly surprised at the presentation - the dish was very nicely arranged, came out steaming, and smelled great. This dish is the spiciest one on the menu, and was just right for me. The regular size bowl was plenty and will leave you quite full. Wendy got the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese ("A blend of cheddar and jack cheeses, cream, elbow macaroni - our number one seller"). She said the pasta was firm, and it was good. She also got the Cucumber Tomato Side Salad, which was very fresh and had a "zippy" vinaigrette dressing.



We liked that everything seemed fresh, made-to-order, tasted good, and reasonably priced; a great alternative to typical fast food. It was good enough that we'll be back. We also saw our Pastor, who was also there for the first time. Maybe he'll comment too, but you should give Noodles & Company a try yourself!

Location: 1607 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg, VA 20175, 703-443-1284

Web site: http://noodles.com/

Total bill: $20.45