#167: King Street Oyster Bar

Date Visited: 8 June 2016

Meal: Dinner

Diners: Me & Wendy

Experience: Good news and not-so-good-news for downtown Leesburg: Local restaurateur Rick Allison has closed down Pittsburgh Rick’s, but turned around and opened a new creation, King Street Oyster Bar! (see Loudoun Now article for details). Pittsburgh Rick’s lives on, however, in the form of a food truck which you can follow on Twitter as @PittsburghRicks. On to King Street Oyster Bar...

We went on a Wednesday night and it was packed, a good sign! Having the words “Oyster” and “Bar” in the name, you would expect that they have a decent selection of beers that go well with fish, and you’d be right; I started off with our server’s recommendation of a Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin (5.6%).

For starters, we got the Blue Cheese Chips, which feature great homemade chips, and the Bacon-wrapped grilled oysters, which feature an interesting balsamic reduction for some zing. They also serve several kinds of raw oysters, which I’ll have to try another time.

For main dishes, I got the hot Lobster roll (they also have a cold one). It was nice and buttery! Having had real Maine Lobster rolls on vacation not too long ago, this one is the real deal. I’ve heard it said that a true Lobster roll consists of only three ingredients: “1) Lobstah, 2) roll, and 3) too much butter.” That’s the way they do it here. Wendy had the Shanghai Sea Bass, and her comment was “best fish I’ve ever had… stands alone.” Well, that’s quite an accolade from someone who’s not that crazy about fish. Both of our dishes were perfectly tender and delicious.

King Street Oyster Bar is a great new addition to downtown Leesburg, serving a wide variety of seafood dishes, expertly prepared, in a fun atmosphere. Support a local business!

Location: 12 S. King St., Leesburg, VA 17205, 571-442-8068

Website: http://kingstreetoyster.com/

Total bill: $84.05 + $20.00 tip = $104.05

#166: Plaza Azteca

Date Visited: 10 April 2016

Meal: Dinner

Diners: Me & Wendy

Experience: Continuing our theme of new Mexican/South American restaurants in Leesburg, this visit takes us to Plaza Azteca, in the Village at Leesburg. The Village at Leesburg now has enough restaurants that they publish a printable directory. It lists 18 restaurants and I’ve reviewed 12 of them so far. Plaza Azteca is a national chain, with locations in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina. We first discovered it a few years ago when our son attended Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA (Go Captains!); it was a popular student hangout. The Leesburg location is in the spot formerly occupied by Finnegan’s Sports Bar & Grill (good riddance).

We were started off, of course, with the house chips & salsa. The chips are made on premises and a bit thicker than average, which is a good thing. The menu features all the Mexican-style dishes you’d expect in a Mexican restaurant. One of the more fun appetizers is the Fresh Guacamole, which is made in front of you on a cart. You can specify the spiciness you want, and we asked for medium, but it seemed hardly spicy at all to me. It certainly was made with fresh ingredients and had just the right chunky-yet-creamy texture and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

For our main courses, I got the Texas Fajitas (grilled steak, chicken, and shrimp) with the expected sides of rice, refried beans, sour cream, and pico de gallo. Wendy got the Shrimp Tacos, which had an enjoyable mix of hot shrimp and tortillas against the cold veggies. Other than that it was good but not exceptional; the portions were on the large side, and we left stuffed.

Our server was very professional and courteous, but not as attentive as we might have preferred (our drinks went un-refilled for almost the entire meal). The new decor is nice, with high-backed booths for a little extra separation from other customers.

If you’re shopping in the Village at Leesburg and have the urge for quality Mexican food, give Plaza Azteca a try.

Location: 1608 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg, VA 20175, 703-779-3612

Website: http://plazaazteca.com/

Total bill: $52.37 + $12.00 tip = $64.37

#165: Señor Ramon Taqueria

Date Visited: 5 April 2016

Meal: Dinner

Diners: Me & Wendy

Experience: Leesburg seems to have quite a few new Mexican/South American restaurants lately, so following our review of Pollo Inti II, we are going to continue that theme for the next several reviews. Senor Ramon Taqueria opened 24 February this year, located where Puccio’s used to be (not to worry, Puccio’s is still doing fine, they just moved down the street to 211 Loudoun St. SE). According to a recent Loudoun Times-Mirror article, the owner is Damian Dajcz, and he always wanted to be part of downtown Leesburg. He was behind the counter and greeted us when we arrived (we recognized him from the picture in the article).

There are two types of tacos offered: “Traditional” ($3) and “Our Tacos” ($4). We ordered a variety for our first tastes. I got the Senor Ramon (“Carne Asada, Chorizo, grilled Guacamole, Sour Cream, Red Onions, and Hot Lava Jelly”) and the Morris (“Spicy Lamb, Pico de Gallo, Pickled Onions, and Cilantro Cream”). Wendy got the TS 478 (“Crispy Shrimp, Charred Corn, Salsa, and Poblano Cream”) and a Traditional Taco (“Served on a Corn Tortilla, Onions, Cilantro, and Lime”) with Carnitas. All the tacos come in double corn tortillas. The fancier tacos tend to “leak” a bit because of all the meat juices and sauces, so be careful. The pickled red onions (on most everything) were a tasty uniqueness. Wendy’s overall comment: “flavorful!”

We also got a side of Chips & Salsa to share (not actually on the menu anywhere). The chips come piled high with some of the same ingredients as the tacos, like the pickled red onions. They have three help-yourself salsas at a bar, and we liked the Salsa Verde the best. It was very creamy, not very spicy, and we had a lot of it!

The tacos are a little on the small side (perfect for snacks), so we were still hungry and ready to try more. For our second round, I got two Traditional Tacos, and Wendy got the Jose Jose (“Lime Adobo Grilled Chicken, Roasted Garlic Mushrooms, Shredded Monterey Cheese, Sour Cream, and Jalapeno Jam”). All just as good as the first ones. We also got a Beef Empanada to share, which had a nice thin crust and plenty of meat. This too was used a vehicle for consuming even more of the creamy Salsa Verde!

Service was quite fast because they are cooking all the time, so it’s quick and easy for them to take some of the freshly cooked meat and put tacos together to order. Overall, we thought the tacos were fun, with creative names that matched the well-blended flavors. Damian told us he will be adding beer, wine, and Sangria to the menu soon, as well as finishing an outdoor seating area in the back. BTW, I asked Damian what inspired the “TS 478” name; he said it was the tail number of a friend’s airplane!?!

We really liked Senor Ramon Taqueria, give ‘em a try and support a local restaurant!

Location: 15 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg, VA 20175, 571-442-8436

Website: http://senorramon.com/

Total bill: $25.90 + $5.18 tip = $31.08 (first round), $13.42 (second round), total: $44.50

#164: Pollo Inti II

Date Visited: 6 February 2016

Meal: Dinner

Diners: Me & Wendy

Experience: Pollo Inti II is the latest restaurant to open up in Leesburg, their specialty being Peruvian and Central American fare. They are located in between Pho Royal and DQ Grill & Chill in the Fort Evans Plaza II shopping center, and their original location is in Sterling (hence the “II”). You may know that “Pollo” is the Spanish word for Chicken, but I bet you’re wondering what “Inti” means (we were!) - according to their website, “Inti is the ancient Incan sun god. He is revered as the national patron of the Inca state.”

Not surprisingly, our server greeted us with Chips & Salsa, but their salsa is a bit unique; quite wet and tangy, with shredded carrots. We also ordered a couple of appetizers to try. I got the Pupusa Frijol/Queso (“Corn flour tortilla filled w/cheese & beans") and Wendy got the Pupusa Revuelta ("Corn flour tortilla filled w/pork & cheese"). Both come with a spicy slaw and a bit of non-spicy red sauce on the side because pupusas by themselves are kind of plain. We were a little surprised at how big they were; you get your money’s worth on these.

Not being very familiar with this type of cuisine, we asked our server for recommendations. The first thing she pointed to was the #43 Bisteck a lo Pobre ("Tender beef sautéed in Peruvian spices. Served w/rice, French fries, egg, plantain & salad"), so I went for it. It was a BIG meal! The steak was nicely done, with a fried egg on top, a bed of French fries below, and slices of a fried plantain on either side. It also came with a side salad and a mound of white rice. I’m glad I followed my gut instinct (pun intended) and took the recommendation. I also recommend it to you, it was delicious and satisfying. Wendy got another of our server’s recommendations, the #32 Aji de Gallina ("Shredded chicken stew seasoned Peruvian style"). It came in a creamy yellow sauce and she enjoyed it. Again, a fairly large portion, with about half of it coming home for another day’s lunch! Several sauces were also brought to the table: Red - very spicy hot, Green - cool, Cilantro?, and Yellow - Mayonnaise (with Mustard or maybe Turmeric?)

The restaurant’s environment was clean and warm, with Spanish-language hip-hop music playing over the sound system. Our server gave us pleasant and attentive service. Prices are very reasonable and portions are generous. I’ve sometimes been chided for never writing bad reviews, but honestly we had a great experience trying some unfamiliar food, and heartily recommend it to you too. If you plan to go, there is a 15% off coupon you can print out under the “About Us” section of the website.

Location: 544 Fort Evans Rd., Leesburg, VA 20176, 703-777-7184

Website: http://www.pollointi.com/

Total bill: $38.82 + $10.00 tip = $48.82

#163: Bonchon

Date Visited: 16 August 2015

Meal: Lunch

Diners: Me & Wendy

Experience: Bonchon is the highly-anticipated latest addition to the restaurants at the Village at Leesburg. Bonchon has a narrowly focused specialty, which is the perfection of a Korean comfort food favorite: fried chicken. According to their corporate website, Bonchon is the Korean word for “my hometown.” Bonchon has locations worldwide, originally in South Korea (duh!) and south Asia, and in the U.S. mostly on the east coast and in California. The Bonchon tagline is “Addicted Yet?” and you’ll know why once you try it.

We started off with the Potstickers with Soy Garlic appetizer. There was nothing too special about the potstickers themselves, but the Soy Garlic sauce gives you a foretaste of what’s to come (and it’s delicious!)

The main item at Bonchon is of course their fried chicken. They serve it two sizes, wings and drumsticks, and there are several combinations of these offered. We got the Medium Combo (10 wings and 5 drumsticks) with Soy Garlic sauce. They also have a spicier sauce, or you can get half spicy-half Soy Garlic. I must say I’ve never had tastier fried chicken; there’s something about the way they cook it and the sauce that just works great. Your taste may be different, but I’m addicted! For some variety, Wendy ordered the Bibimbap with Bulgogi (“White rice with assorted seasonal vegetables, topped with an egg* and served in a sizzling stone bowl with Korean red pepper paste on the side. Your choice of topping: (bulgogi/spicy chicken/seafood/tofu).”) It was good, but you go there for the fried chicken.

The only downside of Bonchon is that it’s a bit pricey for the amount of food you get. Other than that: Recommended!

Location: 1607 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg, VA 20176, 571-442-8882

Website: http://leesburgva.bonchon.com/

Total bill: $53.38 + $10.00 tip = $63.38