Reviews of Restaurants and Places to Eat Interspersed with Food & Beverage talk

Angeethi Restaurant wins my vote

2009-07-11T07:31:00.001-07:00

Chole= indian chick peas dish angeethi Herndon, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

Angeethi
www.angeethiva.com

645 Elden Street
Herndon, VA 20170
(703) 796-1527

What is special about this lunch buffet is the appetizer counter that you can get the chef to make Dahi bhalla, Bhel Puri or Papdi Chat right there for you. ( These are very typical snacks made famous on the Juhu beach in Bombay/Mumbai) I also like the Chole ( Indian Cheick peas dish) placed on this griddle very miuch like you would see in the markets in Delhi or Mumbai . This is eathen with fried bread called Bhatura ( also on the lunch buffet menu). Very good food and love the variety.

Only peeve this lunch buffet had 4 dishes all red in color. As a chef myself I would have added a different dish to make the balance. of cource what's a Washington DC metro area indian buffet without Chicken Tikka Makhni or butter Chicken .

Suggestion to these folks. Start a dosa counter too for people as part of the buffet.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations is back

2009-07-10T13:50:00.001-07:00

Travel Channel sent me a message that Anthony Bourdain is back and the new season begins Monday, July 13! This season will have him visit Chile, Australia, Sardinia and Thailand along with places in the US.

Highlights of this season:

Chile’s cuisine reflects its topographical diversity, consisting of beef, pork, seafood, fruits, and vegetables. Chile is also filled with gorgeous landscapes, beautiful mountains, and breathtaking flora and fauna. While in Chile, Tony will not only sample this delicious cuisine but will also do some exploring in this ‘land of extremes’.
During his trip, Tony visits Fuente Alemana, a restaurant serving German pints and Lomidos, a monstrous sandwich of pork, avocado, and mayonnaise (make sure to watch the sneak peek scene on a full stomach!). Tony’s obsession with pork continues when he dines at El Hoyo, a restaurant specializing in all forms of pork, pork skin, and extraneous pig bits.
The episode continues as Tony enjoys a rodeo, some shopping at the bustling market in the Estacion Central, which is filled with fresh produce and meats. He also stops at a food stall in the neighboring marketing, where they enjoy ‘caldopata’ (hoof soup), ‘chunchules’ (fried intestines), and ‘pastel de choco’ (corn pie).
Tony also wants to see a bit of the Patagonia region of the country where there are gorgeous coastlines, quiet beaches, and stunning cliffs and hillsides. There, over a delicious meal of all local ingredients, they discuss living ‘the good life’

Free Chips and Salsa on the Mall

2009-07-05T11:56:00.001-07:00

Free Chips and Salsa on the Mall, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

On July 4th Chi Chis folks were giving out free Salsa and Chips at the Smithsonian Station. This is a great idea and the chips were very good. I will remember Chi Chis for a long time.

Nothing Should Surprise you on the National Mall Washington DC specially on july 4th 2009

2009-07-05T11:40:00.001-07:00

July 4th 2009, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

Lake Seneca Germantown

2009-07-04T06:08:00.001-07:00

Lake Seneca, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

Good place to have a picnic - The Black Hill Regional park is very family friendly website :http://cli.gs/Qg4Wau

Gumbalya - Red hot and blue

2009-06-06T08:06:00.001-07:00

Gumbalya Red hot and blue, originally uploaded by shashiBellamkonda.

I love the Jambalya 9 I pronounce it very differently from the wait staff here) This dish is a combination of Jamablya and Gumbo. I thought this was sambar rice with sausage ( sorry vegetarians)

Riding a Limo to DC to get Vindaloo at Indique

2009-05-21T19:25:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back Network Solutions had organized a webcast " Grow Smart Business Webinar" and after the webinar . Kristina Boweiri of Reston Limo organized a reunion of the panel at the Indique restaurant in Cleveland Park . it was a great event and the discussion centered around sharing experiences and getting an understanding of everyone's interests, success stories etc.

Food was great. Chef Vinod really displayed a great spread and I think everyone relished the meal. Tom Heath and Kristina enjoyed the spicy Vindaloo but I didnt taste it which was funny because It should be the other way around :) other dishes tasted at the table:

Appetizers : Bhel puri, Samosa chat, Crab tikki, shrimp varuval, papad

Entrees: Chicken Tikka makhni, Baingan Bhartha, Makai Saag, Dal Makhni, Appam and vegetable Stew, garlic naan, roti , murg malai kabab, lamb vindaloo, murg seekh kabab.

Dessert: Kufi and mango flan

Reston Limo does a good job as I have traveled on their buses before. IF you are looking for buses , vans or limos - I would recommend Reston Limo and for great indianfood you can try Indique and Indique Heights .

Other panelsts in the webcast:

Kristina Bouweiri, CEO of Reston Limo, the largest independent limousine service in the Washington D.C. area

Anita Campbell, Editor of Small Business Trends

Tom Heath, Columnist, The Washington Post’s Value Added

Kelly Muccio, Founder of Lost Boys, a fashionable clothing store recently featured on Good Morning America

Surfy Rahman, Co-owner of Indique, a popular DC-area restaurant chain.

Food Truck in DC whose location is Tweeted as they move - @fojolbros

2009-05-17T07:52:00.001-07:00

This Week's Food column in the Washington post has a great article by Erin Zimmer editor at Seriouseats.com about @fojolbros and their truck Merlindia. Where are they located - you can find out by following them on Twitter http://twitter.com/fojolbros

Photo credit : http://www.flickr.com/photos/ardvaark/3498309204/ Brian Vargas

I think this is a cool concept and wish them the best, wonder if we can use them for a tweetup and then i can also certify their Indian food as 000's of other customers have already done. Tom Sietsema are you heading there too ? Where are they today?

Must See My friend and India's well known chef Sanjeev Kapoor on Rachel Ray Show today 24th April

2009-04-24T05:31:00.001-07:00

I did not see a way to embed the show but here is the URL http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/view/729/ > Sanjeev is a buddy from a long time and is host of India's longest running cooking show "Khana Kazana" http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/.

The Rachel Ray show web site calls him the "Rachel Ray of India" and a few years ago many called Sanjeev kapoor 'The Martin Yan of india". Last year Sanjeev Kapoor was in Washington DC and I did an impromptu interview of him using QIK and asked him when he will appear on US TV. Seems like that dream has come true. Congrats Sanjeev Kapoor.

He has written several books on food and oversees a great range of Indian spice products which I have used. In case my readers did not know I was a chef and a collague of Sanjeev many moons ago soon after college in India. So my recommendation is from experience. Check him out at the Rachel Ray web site or his own website sanjeevkapoor.com ( A Network Solutions customer )

Houlihans in Herndon : Stab in the burger

2009-04-11T13:07:00.001-07:00

Stab in the burger, originally uploaded by shashiBellamkonda.

Houlihans is a nice centrally located restaurant in the Crowne Plaza. its good for talking . Always had good service there. I would recommend the Asian Chop Chop. I will let you decide if it is a entree or or a salad. :)

Lunch Combo : Macaroni Grill Gaithersburg: Go easy on the salt

2009-04-03T19:03:00.001-07:00

Cool dishes from Macaroni Grill Gaithersburg, originally uploaded by shashiBellamkonda.

i love Macaroni grill and today i had a great lunch at the Gaithersburg Romanos Macaroni Grill. This is Chicken Toscana Soup with Chicken and Artichoke sandwich.

It was perfect and the bread was great. One word of caution is that most dishes seem to be a bit salty. I could write it off as a "italian" thing but having a chef I would think there is no excuse for salty food. Inspite of this remark i love MAcaroni Grill

Gaithersburg
211 Rio Blvd
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
301-963-5003

This Tiramisu is Awesome

2009-03-11T06:17:00.001-07:00

SocStarDom2 After Party, originally uploaded by shashiBellamkonda.

Mama Lucia
Fallsgrove Village Center
14921-J Shady Grove Rd.
Rockville, MD 20850
301-762-8805

Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 10am-10pm
Friday - Saturday: 10am - 11pm
Sunday: 12 noon - 10pm

http://www.mammaluciarestaurants.com/locations/fallsgrove.php

Marketing Misfit hoping to Give Social Media Texan a Big Warm DC Welcome!

2009-03-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

Mayra Ruiz-McPherson, aka @marketingMisfit, is organizing #socStardom2 in partnership with Robin Ferrier of Johns Hopkins University's Montgomery Campus. The original #socStardom (a hashtag coined by Mayra) was in January 14 and was also done in conjunction with Robin. The January #socStardom was entitled "If You Build It Will They Come?" and featured influential marketing guru Rohit Bhargava and PostSecret.com blogger Frank Warren. That event, hosted then by Network Solutions, was a big hit and the room @ JHUMCC was packed. A good time was had by all. If you missed it, you can see view the #socStardom recap on Mayra's blog here: http://cli.gs/Dmdemz
For #socStardom2, Mayra's taking over the reins and mixing things up a bit. There will be a new fire side chat format and the speaker, Dave Evans (@evansdave) -- a social media marketing columnist for the ClickZ.com Network and author of Social Media Marketing: One Hour a Day who's coming to our area from his home state of Texas -- will have center stage and will simply come to engage in fun, interactive discussions with the audience. "In the true spirit of social media engagement, we do not have any kind of formal agenda for our March 9th event with Dave," says Mayra. "Simply, we are positioning the event as a casual, informal fireside chat where the audience gets to ask anything they want and Dave will share his insight and answers. There's also no formal Microsoft PowerPoint presentation … just open sharing and interactive discussions." In summary, Mayra says, "The evening’s “content” will be mandated entirely by the attendees!"
Another difference for #socStardom2 is that Mayra will personally be live tweeting the entire event on an exclusive twitter page for the event. The URL for this, which is great to follow for those who simply cannot travel and/or are not in our Washington Metro area, is http://www.twitter.com/socStardom. Mayra *just* gave birth to this new twitter profile and she will be branding it within the next day or two so be sure to follow and check back.

As an avid social media enthusiast, Mayra hopes to develop other such free programs for the Washington metro area in the near future. "I am hardly the social media know it all," says Mayra. "Rather, I see myself as a conduit, facilitating the learning for the people by the people ... me included!"
Come hang out with me, Mayra, Jill Foster, Robin Ferrier, Joe Logon and many others next Monday, March 9 from 6-8pm!
The best part, besides all the sharing, learning, fun and networking, is that this is a FREE event! Here are some links to get you on your way:
More information about the event:
http://cli.gs/gPDN73
Free registration:
http://socialmediastardom2.eventbrite.com/

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Goes to Sri Lanka

2009-02-27T11:07:00.001-08:00

I was in Sri Lanka last year at the Taj Exotica Bentota for a holiday and the food there was fantastic.I heard that Anthony Bourdain: No Reservation on Travel Channel will be showing his visit to Sri Lanka and glimpses of the Sri Lankan culture and cuisine.

Portuguese, Dutch, British, Indian, Arab, Malay and Moor traders have all contributed to the diversity of Sri Lankan food. While in Colombo, Tony enjoys popular street foods, rides in a tri-shaw, samples lampreis, a local delicacy, and eats a heaping pile of kotu roti. His journey doesn’t stop there. He continues onto the smaller seaside village of Seenigama and speaks to villagers about how they rebuilt their town after the devastating tsunami. Once the rebuilding was complete, the unity of the townsfolk led to other projects, like the creation of a culinary school to help Sri Lankan’s learn to properly prepare local dishes. It’s a must visit for Tony.

Tune in on Monday, March 2 at 10pm EST on the Travel Channel.

Where to Celebrate Mardi Gras in Washington

2009-02-24T06:43:00.001-08:00

The Washingtonian magazine's After Hours Blog has a great list of DC area Mardi Gras Events by Sophie Gilbert:

Can’t make a trip down to the Big Easy this year? We’ve got a guide to parties, parades, and other events celebrating Mardi Gras in and around Washington.

Related Links:

What Restaurants are Doing for Mardi Gras

A Mardi Gras Menu—For $25

Happy Hour Finder

The Washington DC Weekly Yelp has a page "Yelp Gras Floats to DC" with some interesting listings. The DC Yelpers are carrying on a Mardi Gras conversation on Yelp Talk too. Boy! I wish I was younger :)

Know any other places to look at Mardi Gras stuff, comment here and let us all know.

Good Move Minerva Restaurant, Herndon VA

2009-02-22T06:04:00.001-08:00

good move minerva restaurant, originally uploaded by shashiBellamkonda.

A few month's ago Noah Glass the founder of Go Mobo Payment systems had posted a Linkedin question "How can restaurants grow sales in this economy?" . it is a interesting debate. I have seen my lunch checks go up in price and have kind of lessened my going out for lunch.

Minerva Restaurant in Herndon is a popular Indian food restaurant for Reston and Herndon folks and is always crowded for lunch. I was really happy to see the management had taken the trouble to reduce the buffet price and also put up this message on the door. drops of water make the ocean so every dollar counts not only in today's economy but all the time.
If you do not care for savings then here is a suggestion - Go to minverva and then donate the dollar saved to the Capital Area Food Bank As for Minerva here is a link to Yelp Reviews for Minerva Please be honest.

Bua Thai Closed down : Traville Gateway unlucky for restaurants ?

2009-01-28T13:21:00.001-08:00

The Traville Gateway shopping mall in Rockville Maryland is not lucky for some restaurants. While CAVA the Greek restaurant is getting rave reviews and seems always crowded there are others that are moving on. Amada Amante moved and The Wyne is in its place. Bua Thai ( Earlier called Thai taste) has closed down and Beale Street Grill is openijg in its place. Pearl Garden chinese closed and the Sushi Oishii that is ints place is awesome.

NowPublic

Tags: Culture | Restaurants | potomac | Rockville

Equinox : First white table cloth restaurant the Obamas visited in DC

2009-01-26T18:15:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to mention that one of the first restaurants that Barack and Michele Obama visited in DC is Equinox. Thu Jan 15th, Washington post Reliable source says they ate: President-elect chose salad greens with chablis poached apples and picked watermelon radish as a first course. Mrs. Obama opted for the pan fried Rappahannock oysters. Both selected a grilled all-natural striploin steak for the main course. For dessert, Michelle Obama ordered the crispy bananas. Gray also provided a tasting menu during the meal and Zabaglione Gelato for dessert

What did the 44th president have for lunch ? #inaug09

2009-01-20T10:42:00.001-08:00

Inauguration- Luncheon Menu - US Capitol Jan 20th 2009 #inaug09 , originally uploaded by shashiBellamkonda.

You can download the recipes here http://inaugural.senate.gov/luncheon/index.cfm. This was the most visited part of the Inauguration website.

Minerva keeps on Improving

2009-01-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

2443 Centreville Road
# G1
Herndon, VA 20171

Technorati Tags: minerva cuisine,indian restaurant herndon,herndon indian food,nova restaurants,indian buffet

(703) 793-3223

"I went to Minerva for lunch today. Something definitely has changed ( for the better). They now have the concept of a professional manager greeting you and managing the list. In terms of the food, I love the fact that they had "tangri Kabab" this is a chicken dish similar to Tandoori chicken but a different marinade of cheese , cream and pepper. The gulab jamun was fabulous. light and not too sweet. This maybe because it did not have a chance to soak fully in the syrup but that was actually an advantage.
Good show Minerva. I am glad even though you are doing well you are working to keep improving your service. highly recommend this restaurant for a lunch buffet if you want to eat Indian.
See this review and my other reviews on yelp http://shashib.yelp.com also checkout http://kl.yelp.com my buddy and fellow yelper"

#inaug09 Presidential Inauguration and nostalgia

2009-01-18T17:55:00.001-08:00

I live about n20 miles from the National Mall in Washington DC and have the opportunity to be part of the celebration but I am consciously choosing to stay home and watch the celebration on TV. Despite that the spirit I see here in Washington DC and from people on TV and social networks the occasion has the spirit that India would have felt in 1947. Granted this is not a freedom issue here but it feels like that. Here is a clip of a American newsreel on India's independence in 1947.

I have been thinking about a few contrasts, in India when there is a huge gathering of crowds or celebrations the authorities close the liquor stores and bars. Here in Dc the bars and liquor establishments will remain open for extended hours. No criticism of either approach but this is is a contrast :). The media has been of late giving a lot of worst case scenarios. Not enough Port-a -potties (7k of them) , cell phones may not work, you may walk 2 miles etc. My experience in the National Mall in Dc is that you always walk 2 miles every time you visit the National mall. I expect everything to be good and I am just not venturing out because of the weather and to let the guests who are visiting DC enjoy themselves.

Here are some initial pictures on Flickr:

@somewhatfrank http://www.flickr.com/photos/somewhatfrank/

@kj4jbj http://www.flickr.com/photos/kg4jbj/

About the 2 to 4 Million people who will be in DC in the nest 2 days, well thats not a lot considering the following :

Extras who participated in the movie Gandhi Funeral scene : 300k

Abdul Nasser Egyptian President's funeral on was one of the largest in history, attended by an estimated seven million people

Cheers ! I am happy that I am being part of history. Looking for a social media event go to http://blog.flickr.net/en/2009/01/07/inauguration-day-meetup-in-dc/

Street Car Do's and Don'ts : San Francisco

2009-01-18T16:06:00.001-08:00

DSC00918, originally uploaded by shashiBellamkonda.

This picture was taken on my first trip to the West Coast in 2005. This really attracted my attention and I guess all signs should be interesting

xxx hot and tasty : .bluesmokesalsa.com/

2009-01-18T10:02:00.001-08:00

xxx hot and tasty, originally uploaded by shashiBellamkonda.

This Triple X-hot Salsa is spicy and even though I was born and brought up India this spiciness reminds me of Bhut Jolokia ( hottest chilly in the world) COmpared to the previous peach salsa this salsa is for the die hard spicy lovers. As usual the Salsa was like home made from Blue Smoke Salsa http://www.bluesmokesalsa.com.

if you are going to dare one of your guests for the super bowl about the ability to eat spicy salsa this is the salsa for you. Link to the ordering page https://www.bluesmokesalsa.com/blue-smoke-products/.

Good lukc. if you have kids get the peach salsa that I reviewed in a previous page

Frank Warren speaks at George Washington University on January 23rd

2009-01-18T08:00:00.001-08:00

Frank Warren who along with Rohit Bhargava gave a few blogging tips to local Washington DC . Maryland and Virginia bloggers along with a few honored guests from Philadelphia and W.Viriginia will be speaking at the Lisner Auditorium on January 23rd. Frank's talks are always inspiring and if you can you should go to this event.

GW Program Board presents
Post Secret's Frank Warren

Author Frank Warren is the creator of the blog phenomenon PostSecret Project, a collection of over 200,000 highly personal and artfully decorated postcards mailed anonymously from around the world, displaying the soulful secrets we never voice. The website for PostSecret is one of the most popular on the web, and has been featured prominently in the media in USA Today, on the Today Show, 20/20, CNN, MSNBC, CBC, NPR, and Fox News. Frank Warren has released several books based on the project, including The New York Times best-seller, PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives. Today, Warren travels throughout the country as part of PostSecret, and continually adds to the project exploring the hidden secrets inside us all. Warren will share the stories behind the memorable postcards and secrets he has received. From deep family secrets to funny reflections, he has seen it all. He discusses why the blog is important, and why he has made suicide awareness part of his life's work. A provocative and profound event, please join us for a deeply moving evening.

$10; GW Students: $7 tickets available at the Lisner Box Office and the GW Marvin Center

Buy Tickets from TicketMaster

Event details are here http://cli.gs/0aszqe

Indian food from Indique on Presidential Inaugural Parade route in Washington DC

2009-01-17T14:20:00.001-08:00

Indique / Indique Heights restaurants will be serving their delicious food along the Presidential Inaugural parade route. Folks say hello to them at their 2 locations on the Presidential Inauguration Parade route - Intersection of 15^th street/ New York Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue and at 14^th/G street (west side) … Heat yourself with the Masala Chai Tea, original street food Bhelpuri becomes DC fare.

The secret service has a map and details of the inaugural activities and road closings http://cli.gs/mt4Zb9 Read more on Indique Chef's blog. We covered Indique when we had a tweetup there a few weeks ago on the Network Solutions' Blog.