2761 Washington Blvd.
Arlington, VA 2220
703.778.9951
www.eat-bar.com


EatBar is the Siamese twin sister restaurant of Tallula (shares the same kitchen and located right next door, get it? get it?).  I had read on Eater DC that there was recently a chef change at the restaurant and decided to go try it out since it's pretty close to my apartment and I drive by it practically every day of my life.  Now, I don't know if changing chefs, in this instance, is a good or bad thing AND I'm not really familiar with the chefs in the DC area, but the article said that the new chef would be including things like roasted bone marrow and peanut crusted oysters.  Yeah.  Come get some, son.

505 8th St. SE
Washington, DC  20003
202.544.8337
www.tedsbulletin.com

I was reading a story in the Washington Post about their 19 year-old All-Star phenom, Bryce Harper and it talked about how he liked to eat at a place called Ted's Bulletin on Capitol Hill since it served breakfast all day.  Now, I'm not a sports groupie so I wasn't thinking that I'd see Harper there and I don't necessarily subscribe to having a 19 year-old baseball player as a culinary guide but in this particular case, I used a 19 year-old baseball player to be a culinary guide.  Besides, they serve breakfast all day!  I went there for an early dinner and when I sat down, I realized that I didn't necessarily want breakfast at any time of the day so I decided that I'd make this a two day visit and just go back the next day for breakfast when you're supposed to eat breakfast.  Yeah, I know, conforming to society's norms, I should be ashamed.

932 North Kenmore St.
Arlington, VA  22201
703.522.3220
www.elpolloricorestaurant.com

There seems to be a million Peruvian (I always thought they originated in Argentina) Chicken places in Northern Virginia alone.  When I lived in Arlington about a decade ago, I lived right beside Crispy & Juicy and I'll probably always be loyal to the first place I ever had Peruvian chicken.  It's still one of my go-to places when I want a quick and delicious dinner.  But, I had read that the best place for Peruvian was El Pollo Rico located on a little side street almost in between Clarendon and Ballston.

901 U Street
Washington, DC  20001
202.560.5045
www.brixtondc.com

The marketing machine for the Brixton has been going hot and heavy for about two weeks now, touting the Brixton's rooftop as an ideal place to hang out for the Fourth of July.  I still get reeled in by slick superlatives and shiny, new objects so I went to meet up with  a buddy at the Brixton for some drinks, food and maybe some fireworks for the Fourth.  I say maybe because my friend has a dog who's afraid of loud noises so he warned me that he may need to leave on the early side to calm his dog down.  F*ck you Thunder.  Yeah, if you haven't seen TED or the trailer to TED, you should.  Now.

It looks like I have enough to be able to differentiate this list between NYC, DC and other (though there may not be five of these).  After looking at all my reviews, I'm definitely noticing a pattern of the types of food I like to eat.  I'll let you be the judge of what that is exactly.  I do know that Italian used to be my go-to type of cuisine but I think I've strayed away from that recently.  I also think that it's high time that I revisit some of my old favorites like Dell'Anima.  Well, without further ado, here goes:

10195 Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA  22030
703.560.0060
www.captainpell.com

A buddy of mine who had a baby (well his wife had the baby but he helped!) three months ago, sent me a text asking me last minute if I wanted to go eat some steamed crabs since his wife and newborn were at the in-laws house.  I figured 1) steamed crabs in this area is always a good idea 2) it was last minute but I still need to eat some dinner, and 3) he probably could use a beer or 19 after his first three months as a new dad.    So, an impromptu crab feast was a go.

7894 Washington Blvd
Elkridge, MD  21075
410.799.0001
www.rrtaqueria.com


Yes, this place really is in a gas station and yes it's been made famous because of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (on the Food Network hosted by Guy Fieri).  They've also been been featured in the Washingtonian Magazine, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and most recently in the NY Times.  There's also a second location that just opened in the White Marsh Mall.  But, the original is still located in a motherf"ing gas station.  The purportedly best taco stand in the DMV is in a gas station!  AND the gas, I have to say, is damn cheap.   All that being said, I couldn't wait to stop by R&R right before I went to my parents house on Canada Day.  I ate tacos all week so I could compare, I was ready!