2400-B Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA  22301
703.548.8226


Down the street to Taqueria Poblano turned out to be downtown Del Ray.  While there is a Taqueria Poblano about half a mile from District Taco, I had a chance to go to the original Taqueria Poblano for lunch today.  I've definitely tasted some different flavors and have had a good time during this taco kick of mine but the one thing that I've found annoying is that tacos really aren't conducive to pictures.  They are sloppy and disparate things that are then mashed together and stuffed in your mouth.  When you order them, you care little for aesthetics.  You just want a series of bites that deliver a multitude of different flavors.

5723 Lee Highway
Arlington, VA  22207
703.539.2165
www.districttaco.com

I'm going to see my folks and other family this coming weekend and was planning to stop by R&R Taqueria which is not only famous because of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives but also purported to be the best place to get Mexican food in the area.  I thought I needed a baseline in order to find out what the "best" tastes like so I decided to head out to District Taco which is only a short distance from my apartment and, more importantly, a joint with a solid reputation for producing good Mexican food.  I'm also planning on going to Taqueria Poblano down the street later on the week so I'd have a greater point of comparison.  Okay, so I have this Mexican kick going on too.

3245 M Street
Washington, DC  20007
202.337.8269


Tackle Box was my first foray to one of Mike Isabella's (he of Top Chef Fame) restaurants in DC.  Isabella has created some great buzz for his Italian place, Graffiato, and has recently opened a tapas place right next door to Tackle Box called Bandalero.   Tackle Box is described as lobster shack and it's Isabella's take on some American seafood favorites.  A kind of reminder of the beach without the beach.  It's located on a really busy strip in Georgetown so traffic and parking were pretty trying and hopefully a good meal could make up for all that.  I decided to have an early dinner there so the restaurant was pretty thinned out when I arrived.

2711 12th Street NE
Washington, DC  20018
202.248.3946

Menomale (forgive me if I don't use the accent every time) is located in the Brooland section of Washington DC and I worry about places like this.  First of all, I've never heard of the Brookland section of Washington and that may just be my familiarity with DC.  Brookland is located in the NE part of DC and I was hoping it was some sort of hipster breeding ground like Brooklyn.  It's also not that far from Logan Circle so it wasn't entirely impossible.  But, when I drove up to the restaurant, it's in a quiet neighborhood and surrounded by residences except for the three small storefronts where Menomale was located.  Part of my worry is that it's a big of a hike to get there and it's a bit out of the way.  But, most of my worry is that Menomale just isn't in the right place to give everyone a chance to eat such great food.

3471 Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA  22201
703.528.9663
www.rocklands.com

I drive by Rocklands every day on my way to work and on my home.  I remember eating there when I first moved back but that's about all the I remember.  It's pretty much just the land mark I use to remind me to make a left turn into the local Giant Food Supermarket.  That being said, it's the summertime and I'm being inundated by specials about grilling, barbeque, etc...which makes me crave some good barbecue.  Since it is a regular part of my day, I decided to eat dinner there three times over the span of about two weeks so I could sample a few of their types of barbecue.

828 Frederick Rd.
Catonsville, MD  21228
410.744.1838
www.shipscafe.net


We did Father's Day dinner a day early and had planned to go to R&R Taqueria, which is widely known as the best Mexican food in the area.  Those plans went up on smoke when we realized that R&R was only a take out joint and wouldn't have room for 8 people for a sit down dinner.  Plan B was to find an old fashioned crab house and have a Maryland tradition for dinner.  We decided to go try out a veritable institution just a few miles from Baltimore (in Catonsville) called Ship's Cafe Restaurant and Crab House.

I went to the Nationals game today.  Heartbreaking 14 inning loss for the Nats that I could only stay for 8 innings because I had Father's Day dinner plans.  I grabbed a Shake Shack burger while I was there and now I've been to the one at Nats Park, Madison Square Park and Midtown West.  I forgot how good the burger is and there's one at Dupont Circle which I expect I'll be visiting soon.