There are certain things you just like to have in your neighborhood. A dive bar. Decent takeout food. And in my case, a great Italian deli.
Luckily, I happen to live minutes from one of the area’s best, The Italian Store, on Lee Highway in Arlington. I’d heard good things, and my roommates implored me on Sunday to treat myself to one of their sandwiches. Let’s hope this isn’t the beginning of an addiction.
I had a prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich with onion, tomato, vinegar, oil and oregano. It was heaven. With one bite, I was taken back to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, where I spent my college years. The ingredients were fresh, the portions were generous, and the taste was authentic.
But expect to wait for it. I grabbed a number and there ended up being a good 15 people in front of me, leaving enough time to browse the store, pick up a pumpkin spice frappucino from Starbucks next door, and still feel a bit impatient. The many workers behind the deli counter certainly move quickly, but the demand here is great. Sandwich selections abound – I was tempted by the capri, featuring spiced ham, prosciutto, genoa salami and provalone, and other options from the mortadella-anchored Genoa to the spicy Napoli, looked equally enticing. Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out how I can work pancetta into the menu for my upcoming birthday party.
My sandwich, a small version, cost me around $8 once they added in all the fixings, and in general, the place’s selection of imported pastas, wine, cheeses and other ingredients doesn’t necessarily appear cheap. But it’s good, and if I can’t waste my money on food, what can I waste it on?
Next time, I’ll try to resist a sandwich and give the place’s pizza a try – the pies looked pretty New York-tastic upon first glance. But does that mean no prosciutto? No worries. They’ll even put it on your pizza.
The Italian Store
3123 Lee Highway
Arlington, VA 22201
703/528-6266

My friend Ray and I were stood up by all our friends for Thursday night Happy Hour last week. We’d planned for a raucous* night over at Whitlow’s on Wilson. When we figured out it would just be the two of us, we decided to put notions of bar food and beer aside and hit up Delhi Club for an official Welcome-To-The-Neighborhood dinner.
We made a good choice. We still managed to get a little tipsy on a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio, but the food certainly beat any hamburgers or onion rings our other options would have offered us.
Our tastes didn’t run particularly adventurous: I went with the Chicken Malai Tikka ($12.50), distinguished from the classic dish by its hint of cardamom, while Ray couldn’t pass up the chance for a good butter chicken (also $12.50). My tikka was more assertive than I expected, with the yogurt marinade tenderizing the dish nicely, and I inhaled it quickly. I definitely snuck my way onto Ray’s plate more than a few times to dip our chewy garlic naan into his butter chicken sauce. Ray compensated for my thievery by asking for seconds on the flavorful rice we got with our main courses; the kitchen was more than happy to oblige.
The decor is intimate, casual and classy and you can’t beat the location, directly across from the Clarendon Metro. Next time, I’ll experiment with some of the lamb-options, perhaps – and I’m definitely indulging in the Indian Ice Cream with pistachios and almonds.
Delhi Club
1135 N. Highland Street
Arlington, VA 22201
*Language has been slightly exaggerated to make my friends sound wilder than we are.

We at DCFud have told you before how much we love our Pho and our bubble tea. So it warms my heart when I stumble upon a place with delicious renditions from both – and at a location convenient to my annoyingly-placed workplace in Springfield.
Saigon City in Springfield has become my lunch haunt of choice as of late. The place is low on lunch specials (and their dinner-priced Vietnamese selections aren’t ridiculously cheap, either), but I’m there for the Pho, which at $5.75 for a not-that-small small serving, is certainly a manageable price.
I’ve sampled two of their Phos so far, one with eye of round and brisket fat, and another with dark-meat chicken. Though the fat wasn’t appealing in the first choice, both had the typical flavorful broth, delicious meat and slippery noodles which you come to expect from a good Pho (and after having seriously sub-par Pho at Springfield Mall not too long ago, it was a welcome change). The traditional garnishes of bean sprouts, mint and lime were all provided in excess, and the dish benefited from a splash of soy sauce and a bit of hot sauce.
But what drew me to the restaurant was the brightly-colored poster boasting they had Bubble Tea. I tried two of the slush varieties: Thai Iced Tea and Green Tea flavored. Both were refreshing, with slightly firm balls of tapioca filling the bottom of my glass. After frequenting a plethora of Bubble Tea providers in both New York’s Chinatown and Pasadena, CA, I’m always delighted to happen upon a decent DC offering, where the drink seems more rare.
Saigon City is sort of a take-out/dine-in hybrid; it appears to be a regular restaurant, but you pay at the register. The servers are harried but friendly. After seeing me there twice this week, they’re already treating me like a regular. And if my Pho and Bubble Tea cravings continue, I’ll probably become one.
Saigon City Restaurant
6333 Brandon Ave
Springfield, VA 22150
(703) 569-0303

Editor’s Note: This story originally read to say Chef Roberto Donna owns Il Radicchio. According to Roberto Donna’s PR department, Donna founded the group of restaurants, but has since sold the venture.
Sure, for some of us, All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti is kind of an unnecessary concept, whether it be on account of our fear of carbohydrates or a lack of capacity to polish off more than a helping or two of the dish.
That being said, naysayers shouldn’t be turned off by Il Radicchio’s bottomless bowl of the classic pasta. The “spaghetteria” with locations in Arlington, Fairfax and DC, is an inexpensively-priced venture founded by Galieo restauranteur Roberto Donna, and one branch is conveniently within walking distance from my new home in Courthouse.
The place has specials, salads, panini, appetizers and a wide array of gourmet pizzas from which to choose, but my family, who was in town for the weekend, went straight for the spaghetti. For $6.50, you get all the pasta you can eat, and can choose from a variety of 8 oz servings of sauce, ranging in price from around $2-4. The menu I found online was different from the one I had in the restaurant, but still gives a general idea of the place’s selection.
My family sampled three sauces: a mascarpone-based cream sauce, a marinara with artichokes and shrimp and a gorgonzola-pistachio offering. The mascarpone was only adequate; it had a sourness I wasn’t expecting and was a bit runny on the texture. But the other two were delicious, particularly the pistachio. If none of our choices sound appealing, there are over 15 more that should suit your fancy; a friend of mine enjoys mixing pesto with a red pepper sauce, creating an Italian-flag worthy plate.
Other notes: bruscetta is generously piled with tangy tomatoes and drizzled with balsamic. Service at lunchtime was attentive, but not intrusive, offering us complimentary cappucinos when our waiter heard I was new to the area. All in all, the meal was a perfect welcome to Arlington for this former Silver Spring resident.
Il Radicchio
1801 Clarendon Blvd
Arlington, Va
703-276-2627

During the past year or so that I’ve lived in DC, my Thai restaurant experiences largely have been mediocre. From Tara Thai to Sala Thai to some-place-in-a-Falls-Church- shopping-center-I-can’t-remember-the-name-of, no restaurant has stood out in my mind as one deserving a repeat visit.
And while my recent trip to Benjarong in Rockville, my second trip in about 8 months, wasn’t flawless, the restaurant still justifiably has earned my repeat business. Despite the uber-suburban setting, the place delivers tasty Thai food at reasonable prices in a pleasant atmosphere.
I’ve chronicled before that pineapple fried rice is one of my favorite dishes, and Benjarong delivers a juicy, flavorful version bursting with fruit, cashews, chicken, and even bits of ham (though I confess I could do without the ham). Another standout dish is the roast duck with asparagus, its skin crisp and the meat not too fatty. Lao Dang, a deep fried beef dish in a red wine sauce, tasted a bit more BBQ-sauce-esque than I’d expected, though my companion enjoyed the tangy entree. Soups are the usual fare – both Tohm Yum and the coconut milk-based Tohm Kha were fine, but unremarkable.
All in all, I enjoyed Benjarong, but I’ve yet to find a Thai restaurant in the area to best my favorite New York offering or even a recent Pittsburgh discovery. Thai fans, where should I be looking?
Benjarong Thai Restaurant, Wintergreen Plaza
885 Rockville Pike (Rt. 355)
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 424-5533

It’s the ultimate “nature vs nurture” question – how much are our palates defined by our upbringing?
Will no food truly taste as good as mom used to make? Is the pizza you’re raised on the pizza you will always love best?
I’m not sure where I fall in this argument. On the one hand, I was raised in Cleveland, and the pizza of my youth was thick-crust, deep-dish, almost fast-food-like in quality. I never lost my inbred notion that pepperoni is the superior pizza topping, but once I moved to NYC for college, I knew I’d found the place that does pizza best.
On the other hand, no Chinese restaurant will ever hold a candle to Dragon Gate, the place 10 minutes down the road that still remembers my order when I’m home visiting my parents. On the one hand, some of the appeal lies in the fact it’s the only Chinese-restaurant-ice-cream-parlor-driving-range-mini-golf-course I’m aware of, but I’ve never found a won ton soup, egg roll or Hong Kong Chicken to top it. Meanwhile, when I eagerly bring friends from different regions to sample the place’s cuisine, they deem it mediocre at best.
Chili’s one of those foods that seems to have quite a few regional advocates who profess their city’s concoction is the greatest. Ohio had its own claim to the crown – the chili-on-spaghetti which Cincinnati made famous. Growing up, I only got the chance to sample this style from the chain restaurant Skyline Chili and my sister and I quickly pronounced it as “sick.” So much for regional pride.
Then again, I don’t think I’m much of a chili connoisseur. Chili in my house consisted of a can of tomato sauce, ground beef, onions and kidney beans – the only thing it really had going for it was the fact it was always served Halloween night, pre-Trick-or-Treating. My favorite chili recipe now is less-than-authentic, and certainly not grounded in Ohio pride – it’s one I’ve adapted from the queen of cooking shortcuts, Rachael Ray.
So with all these caveats, you can decide how much stock to place on my opinion when I tell you about the chili at Hard Times Cafe in Springfield, Va.

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Yeah, yeah, DcFud has done its share of talking about Ceiba, but we feel it’s a moral imperative for us to share any and all of our Restaurant Week experiences, so we feel we’re on at least moderately solid ground here.
The popular restaurant from the Ten Penh, DC Coast family doesn’t skimp when it comes to Restaurant Week. Though appetizers and dessert selections are partially limited (offering only one of their famous ceviches along with all their soups or salad, and three dessert choices), the restaurant allows patrons to choose any entree off the restaurant’s extensive menu for the $30.05 deal (there’s a justifiable $7 surcharge for the Ribeye steak).
My best decision for the evening: the golden tomato gazpacho, served over a crab ceviche with a tomato gourmet. This was a delightful surprise; I’d ordered it after wavering between this and the ceviche, and seeking our friendly waiter’s advice. The delicate flakes of crab added a richness to the cool broth, and the real treat was the sorbet – tomato sounds like a less than appealing flavor, but it added a lovely sweetness to the dish.
For dinner, it was crab two ways – a crabcake over avocado, and a lightly-fried softshell crab over a shredded jicama salad. The salad wasn’t my favorite part of the meal, though I enjoyed the crisp jicama, but the crabcake was hearty and tasty. This was my first softshell experience, and I’m sure it won’t be my last.
Not much of a dessert person, none of the three selections interested me too much. I went with the key lime panna cotta, served with what was either papaya or mango. The overall effect was too sweet for my palate, though I enjoyed the dish’s creaminess.
With dinner, inspired by a recent Dcist post, I had a Spanish rose, which was an appropriately light accompaniment (I couldn’t tell you the label, though, and it seems inaccessible on the website). A friend had less success with her choice of a Riesling.
Companions were pleased with halibut, black bean soup and scallops, though a friend’s salmon dish had a strangely sour purple-colored sauce that none of us found particularly impressive.
Sure, we ate at 9 p.m., but the restaurant still deserves credit for giving us attentive, unrushed service during this busy time. As we were celebrating a birthday, they added nice touches like personalized menus and a candle in the birthday girl’s dessert. We also were given a beautiful table near the window.
Our incessant promotion aside, Ceiba’s a great bargain when RW comes around.