www.jamesharringtonstudios.com

Tired of eating the same old same old? Want to support the little guy in this "big box", chain restaurant world?  Well head on over to El Manantial and enjoy fresh seafood and well balanced, perfectly seasoned meats.  

We had heard of this restaurant a few years ago and just never tried it.  We read about it in magazines and newspapers so we knew we would get there some day.  Last night we decided that we wanted something new so we headed over to North Shore Drive to see if this place was worth it.  Nothing to look at from the outside, it's in a plaza and you wouldn't notice it if you were just driving by.

Read about the family's work experiences on their website.  This restaurant is a fusion of 5 siblings that all have many years in the restaurant business.  Each with a specialty and each with experience at some of DC's finest establishments...http://www.vintechsystems.net/manantial/news.php

We were greeted and seated in a pretty empty dining room.  Just us and one other party.  We talked to the owner and he explained that they have felt the down-turn in our economy recently.  But as we sat there other parties came in and by the time we left there were at least a dozen tables busy.  You could tell that the owner took special care to remember patrons.  Many people that came in received hugs and hand shakes like they were regulars.  Some had favorite tables and were seated at them without asking.  Some knew what they wanted without looking at a menu. 

The menu is diverse and there is something for everyone.  Peter ordered the lightly flash fried oysters for an appetizer and they were amazingly good.  I think we could have chowed down on those all night.  I ordered a spinach salad to start and it was also very good - just the right amount of a light dressing and hearts of palm with feta cheese.  We didn't notice overpowering flavors and everything was seasoned just right.

We had a hard time choosing main courses but finally settled on soft shelled crabs and the oven roasted sea bass with lobster sauce.  After ordering Peter got the bad news that they had just served the last order of soft shelled crabs so he had to opt for his second choice - Petiit Chateau which was 2 scallops, 2 shrimp and 2 beef tips.  Our meals were cooked perfectly.  Peter asked for his beef to be rare and it prepared just as he had asked.  My bass was not over cooked or dried out and it was perfectly seasoned.  Our meals were each served with broccoli, sliced tomatoes and just enough homemade mashed potatoes to give you a balance.  The portions were good sized and in my opinion the right amount of food one person should eat anyway.  I find that a lot of restaurants try to give you huge portions because it makes up for the flavorless foods.  This restaurant does not have to make up for lack of flavor.  We were very pleased with our choices.

We finished the meal with a light and flaky napoleon that had the right balance of cream, puff pastry and chocolate.  Again, pastries are a specialty of one of the owners and all made in-house which is a treat.

We agreed that we would go back.  The service was excellent, the food was delicious and the prices were in line with what you would expect from a small, family owned restaurant.  If you are looking for something new and different whether it be meats or seafood, give this place a try.  You won't be disappointed and you will be supporting the small business owners of our area.  Just say no to the big chains and choose quality over quantity :-)

 Looks like party season is alive and well with the Sac!

Hope you can join us Saturday, June 13th from 4 to 8 p.m. at the White's for our Graduation BBQ for Casey. BBQ, sliders and great music are planned. Now, we just need you! Everyone welcome, including kids. RSVPs appreciated.

We bought our Acura TL from Pohanka Acura in Chantilly back in 2002 and we have continued to go there for all of the scheduled maintenance, oil changes, etc.  Basically anything that car needed it got from the dealer.  Knowing that you can get better deals out there if you know a good mechanic we decided to go this route with our new car this time.  Well folks, it pays off....

Yesterday we noticed our transmission slipping so we headed right to the dealer to drop off the car (btw, big thanks to Larry for coming to get us!)  They are usually open on Sundays for service but being Easter, they were closed.  No biggie, they have a drop box.  Peter and I got up this AM thinking we were going to have to hand over big $ right on top of paying Uncle Sam his taxes this week - ugh, not a good start to the week.  Anyway, back to the story...before I could call Pohanka, our service guy, Jeff called to tell me the bad news.  Yes, the transmission was gone and it needed to be replaced.  My head began to hurt...but there was good news too.  Jeff researched our service and maintenance history with Acura and Pohanka and was able to call Acura and get them to pay 80% of the total bill!  I nearly spit out my coffee.  I couldn't believe that he did that or that Acura would take on the cost.  Transmissions are not cheap and hearing this was like eating a whole chocolate cake and not gaining a pound!  He went on to tell me that my loaner car paperwork was already processed and I could come pick it up anytime. 

Now Peter and I have always had pleasant experiences at Pohanka and we fell in love with Acura when we bought this car.  We have always said that we will only buy Acura going forward and I gotta tell you, this sealed the deal for me.

Manoj mentioned this diamond in the rough to us a few months back and Peter and I have been there twice since.  Thanks Manoj!  We would have never gone in this place if he didn't tell us about it.  It is in a strip plaza next to a Birkenstock shoe store, not really a "grab your attention" location.  It's a family friendly and inviting atmosphere.

We have been sticking to the Austrian menu and so far everything that we have had has been delicious.  We highly recommend Schnitzel dishes.  Some come with tasty potato pancakes and others with German potato salad or spatzle.  All are homemade and the portions are huge.  For you beer drinkers out there, Euro Bistro has a large selection of international beers on tap and they also offer a good wine selection that I have enjoyed each time.  Desserts are homemade, try the strudel or black forest cake if they have it when you are there.  You will probably be going home with doggie bags so add a dessert to indulge in later.

This is definitely a place to try and put in your restaurant rotation.  When you don't want Chinese or pizza and feel like a change, give the little guy your business and take a walk over the border to grab some Austrian specialties. 

Stan, Cheryl, Peter and I ventured out last Saturday to try this gem and we were quite pleased.  If you like steak and the usual suspects you will enjoy your meal.  The restaurant is actually quite small and as the review stated, it can be quite loud.  You find yourself shouting to have a conversation with your table-mates.  That is a downer.  But the food saved this review.  We were presented with homemade pate and bread which was excellent and then they brought out popovers the size of footballs!  These were incredible!  We agreed that the appetizers were average - I had the Tuna Tartare and Peter had the Shrimp Cocktail.  Cheryl indulged in the Mushroom Risotto and that was nothing to write home about.  We all ordered different cuts of beef and they were accompanied by your choice of a sauce.  They are presented with a large slice of herbed butter and we all agreed that this addition is not necessary, the meat shines on it's own.  Our meats were cooked perfectly and they were wonderful.  For sides we ordered onion rings (way yummy!) fries (wouldn't order again) and creamed spinach (again, would pass on this next time).  There are tons of side dishes to choose from and looking around there are plenty I would try next time instead.  No meal is complete without dessert so we indulged.  My carmelized cheesecake was average, Peter's "banana split" fell short, Stan had a crepe souffle and it was tasty but I think the winner was Cheryl's blueberry lemon meringue pie.  That was the perfect balance between tart and sweet with a delicate crust. 

The consensus was that we would go back.  Definitely a steak house to try if you love a good cut of beef.  For those that want to take it over the top they offer Kobe and American Wagyu too. 

I wanted to pass along an update on the traffic calming effort on Dower House Dr.  Fred Apelquist is leading the effort and he will take any/all help he can get.  The bigger the army the better the outcome!  If you are interested in helping out please contact Fred via email at fredapelquist@aol.com.

Fred will be organizing an initial meeting at his house and from there he will need help getting the word out and gathering signatures/votes.

If you feel as stongly about this as I think some of you do, feel free to contact Fred to get involved.

Plenty of great seats available for the big game. We have the club level for the adults and general admission for the kids in the basement. Jill is organizing a Chili Cookoff and other fine fare. Please feel free to bring a snack. See ya

Anyway, he sounds very happy and sends holiday cheer to all!  He asked about "the Sac" and how the kids were doing.  If you still have his email address drop him a line, I'm sure he would LOVE to hear from everyone!

At a time when we are all stuffing our faces and enjoying (cough, cough) our time with family, keep our troops in your thoughts.  Say an extra prayer for all of them when you sit down at your Christmas or Hanukkah table and give thanks for all that you have.  While we open gifts and eat bon bons, they are working hard to protect our freedom. 

We had an enjoyable afternoon last Saturday, when Kathy and myself took the kids to the performance "The Trumpet of the Swan: A Novel Symphony". Base on the book by E.B. White, the story was read by Kathy Bates among others. We all enjoy the Symphony and the Story. It was a fun, fun afternoon, the kids did really well for the almost two hour performance.

I was just up at the Franklin Farm shopping center, and notice that "Chipotle" is coming to the hood!  I know that G-man will be thrilled, since this is his favorite lunch hang out spot.  (It will be in the old video rental place)...cool huh???

If needed we can add another day for pictures.

Check out Jim's Website at: http://www.jamesharringtonstudios.com/default2.asp.  You will see alot of us from the Sac here!  "CHEESE"!