Every once in a while on a weekend, I am just not up for making the trek up to DC for dinner (and as it turns out, my husband is never up for that trip). So it's good to have a few options closer by that aren't a chain restaurants plagued by mediocre food and loud, noisy tables.
The Wine House is now one of those local restaurant spots that I would definitely frequent again. The wine selection is fantastic, the menu options are good (think standard dinner options like steak, crab cakes, lamb with a few twists such as eggplant risotto and paella), and the atmosphere is relaxing and quaint.
We visited on a Saturday night and the dining room was full. We selected a wine from the racks around the room (added plus for fun wine experience) and started with the cheese and charcuterie plate. I selected the F-Bomb wine, a small batch red wine blend (which admittedly, I selected based on name alone) and it was nice bodied wine with dinner.
For dinner, I opted for the paella which was a special for the evening. It was rich and full of fish, chorizo and tomatoes. It was tasty, but a little lighter than I'm used to in a paella dish.
Dessert is a must - we had the white chocolate and sun dried cherry bread budding. It was doughy, sweet and delicious. The service was friendly and attentive, with some hiccups when the restaurant filled up but overall, well done.
It was a fantastic evening at The Wine House - solid food, and great wine without the hassle of going downtown to a crowded wine bar.
I've lived here (in the DC area) for almost 15 years and I will tell you this.... a good deli sandwich is hard to come by in these parts. I don't know why it is that a "deli" can only be found in NY or NJ, but it's true. They are few and far between anywhere else. Which is why what I am sharing with you now is super important.... I found a fantastic deli in Northern Virginia. The real deal. Pickle jar and all.
Wait for it.... wait for it....
Bernie's Deli.
Located on Rt. 123/Ox Road in Fairfax City, Bernie's Deli and Gourmet Market is the best deli in the area. Fresh sliced deli meats, piled high, hard rolls, pickles, and Italian desserts like cannoli and black and white cookies. Forget those generic sub places. You now have the deli you deserve.
I love Italian cold cut subs. They are my favorite. And Bernie's is delicious - lots of meat piled high -- Cappicola Ham, Hard Salami, Peppered Italian Ham and provolone, topped with lettuce, tomato, sweet peppers and oil & vinegar. Mayo nowhere to be found, thank god. As it has no place on an Italian sub. And those who think it does, do not belong in a deli.
My husband loves a good Reuben sandwich and Bernie's Superior takes it to a new level.
This sandwich has not just pastrami, but also ham, roast beef, and corned beef, covered with Russian dressing, cole slaw, cheddar cheese and chopped liver on rye. Well HELLO. It is meat-licious.
You really can't leave without getting one of the desserts. I highly recommend the black and white cookie. Sweet and delicious, with that cake-y bottom. It is absolutely HUGE, so you can save half for later.
Bernie's Deli is a fantastic deli in Northern Virginia -- so next time you have the urge for sandwich, head over there. You'll be glad you did!
Many years ago, when I first moved to the DC-area, I lived in Alexandria. We lived super close to Arlington and DC and could take cabs to go out to bars and dinner up in those areas. As we got older, and decided to raise a family, we moved out to the 'burbs in Northern Virginia (NoVA) so we could have more space (re: a house with a yard that we could actually afford). When we moved out to the yonder, we gave up our proximity to delicious, trendy restaurants and bars in exchange for chain restaurants and fast food joints. It sucked but it was worth it for these two little crackerjacks...
But now, we suffer no more. This past fall, the Mosaic District opened in Merrifield, VA which is about 10 minutes away from my house. It has a bunch of restaurants, food specialty stores, retail shops, and a film center. It's like a beacon of hope in the land of cookie-cutter suburbia.
We went over to Mosaic District this past week to see what they have to offer (and to get our hopes up for new restaurants and retailers opening soon). First, we stopped by Ah love Oil & Vinegar to sample some fresh, flavored olive oils paired with aged balsamic vinegar. They have a vast selection of different oils (like a habenaro oil which was fantastically spicy!), vinegar, sauces, rubs, and other speciality food products. I could have spent all afternoon dipping bread in different oils. YUM...
Then, we headed over to the movie theater (aka, the Angelika Film Center & Cafe), just to see what it looked like. Okay, so this movie theater is NO JOKE. They sell beer and wine, hot dogs topped with kimchi, and a variety of flavored popcorn. Forget AMC or whatever else... I have found my new home to watch a movie. I can only hope it's not too ridiculous to get tickets.
Since it was lunch time, we decided to stop in Taylor Gourmet for some sandwiches. Taylor Gourmet is a Philly-style deli with delicious sandwiches named after streets in Philly, Herr's potato chips (I grew up on the sour cream and onion kind in NJ), and vintage soda pop. And for extra bonus points, they don't serve the typical "philly cheesesteak" and they do serve pork roll. That's some Philly. We ordered the Market Street sandwich and the pork was delicious, tender and lightly peppered. I would have like to have tried to risotto balls, but I was saving room for dessert. Next time...
For dessert, we headed over to Artisan Confections, a sweet shop selling hand-made chocolates. I sampled the Butterscotch chocolate, made of milk chocolate with a creamy, gooey caramel center. It was the perfect finish to a fun afternoon at the Mosaic District.
We had a great time exploring the new shopping area and can't wait to go back to catch a movie and try out the new restaurants and specialty shops in the Spring (like Red Apron Butcher and Four Sisters Restaurant)!
