City View San Francisco

On the quest for amazing dim sum and I think I might have found it! (It would take at least one more visit, possibly with the parents, to tell for sure.) The dim sum was fresh and the quality was notable. The perfect example was the shui mai, made up of real pork and mushroom pieces - no ground mush here - with a shrimp on top and thin skin. The skin is a great way to tell the quality of any dumpling. If it is thin and tender and not thick and chewy, you know it is fresh and made there on-site by people that know what they are doing. You could actually taste the ingredients, like the shrimp in the long rice noodles instead of being a soft slurpy mess. San Francisco dim sum finally held up to the esteem I had been holding it to and I can only hope that City View continues to uphold its standards.

4.5/5
No website

Menara San Jose

A group of friends decided to do something different for dinner - they belly-danced and ate with their. Menara, near downtown San Jose, features a unique atmosphere that's great for groups. We ordered the Le Dinner Menara, which included: Moroccan Salad, Boneless Chicken Pastry, Lemon Chicken, Lamb with Honey, Vegetable Couscous, Baklava, and Mint Tea. A lot of food and interesting entertainment. Although I can confidently say that the food lacked authenticity, it was still very good quality. The meat was moist, the couscous fresh, and the baklava tasty without being overly sweet. This is a great place to go for good food and a fun dining experience.

4.25/5
http://www.menara41.com/

Chef Geoff's DC

Was there for Christmas Eve dinner and loved it. Chef Geoff's has been on the list for a very long time and I am so glad I finally tried it. I ordered the mesclun greens, pepitas, butternut, and cranberries salad and the bbq chicken, pineapple, jalapenos, and jack pizza. Once I tried the salad, I could not stop eating it. The dressing was fabulous and the cranberries added a great sweetness to the tart greens. For being a starter, it was rather large and in the end, I had hardly had any room for my pizza. I made sure to try one slice while it was fresh and I was shocked. I didn't know what to think of it at first. It was less spicy than I expected and perhaps more tangy - the pineapple was not very sweet, but together with the jack it made a interesting flavor. The bbq chicken was also subtle, not grilled and cubed, but shredded and sweet. After I took the pizza home and had it the next day, I loved it. It was different, but it worked. I also ordered bacardi peach lemonade, which was fantastic as well as shared the chocolate truffle cake, which was just the right amount of richness and lightness. A good balance. A great meal.

4.5/5
http://www.chefgeoff.com/main/index.cfm?Restaurant=cg&Category=Main&Section=Main

17th Street Cafe DC

Was there for brunch after being intrigued by the website and menu. I ordered the 17th street classic breakfast and it was exactly what the desciption says - egg, cheese, avocado, and tomato on a croissant. The croissant was toasted and flaky, but there was absolutely nothing special about this breakfast sandwich. The hash browns were mediocre as well.

3.5/5
http://www.cafe17.net/

Metro Grille DC

Very rich, heavy food. A lot of it too. I had the beef stroganoff, which was very tasty. The pasta was a bit mooshy, but the beef and mushrooms made up for it. I tried my friend's herb roast chicken, which was well-seasoned and screamed of the mediterranean. Overall, good food and too much of it.

4/5
http://marriottmodules.com/washington_marriott_at_metro_center/metro_grille

Four Sisters Falls Church

Not as impressive as the Tom Sistema review makes it out to be, but still, decent asian at quality prices. The menu is huge. The pork spring rolls were okay. The quail was tasty. The pho needs work. The grilled lemongrass beef lettuce wraps were well flavored, but missed the authentic Vietnamese charm. All this food for around $30.

4/5
http://www.foursistersrestaurant.com/

Fortune Falls Church

In stride with the current economic conditions, I have cut back on my eating out. And even when I do eat out, it's been on the modest side - Gelico's, Gordon Biersch, and even the food court were some destinations within the last few weeks. Well, last Saturday, I decided to enjoy dim sum after several requests from friends and multiple cravings on my part. I chose Fortune after hearing from a couple coworkers that they served the best dim sum in the area. After trying China Garden in Rosslyn and Lucky Three in Falls Church and not being impressed by either, I learned to expect the worst. Fortune was not the worst, but it definitely was not great. The above average included the: shui mai, chinese broccoli, roasted duck, and fried shrimp. The sub-par included the: long noodles, spareribs, sticky rice, and shrimp puff. The long noodles were too soft , the spareribs too fatty, and the sticky rice too not sticky (it wasn't cooked through). For the "best dim sum in the area," how disappointing... I guess I will have to accept that dim sum on the east coast will never meet my standards.

3.5/5
No website