Suburban Tasteland

Pancakes Double Takes

Although I talk up my love for Pakistani and Yemeni delights, I must disclose that since returning to Northern Virginia nearly four years ago I’ve rediscovered my passion for yuppie comfort food- particularly the mostly dependable creations churned out by the kitchens of the Great American Restaurants Group and its burgeoning tribute chain, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. Because the dinners at most of these joints moderately exceed what we’re willing to throw down to make pigs of ourselves, we take advantage of the relative good values found on their lunch and brunch menus. And lately I’ve found myself regularly jonesing for the pancakes at the Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Vermilion.

The pancakes pictured here were, until recently, responsible for my regular Saturday afternoon couchings as the only physical activity that I could muster after consuming them was reclining and self-loathing. These pancakes were the fullest realization of the term “pancake”- their griddle-crisp (almost crunchy) exteriors sandwiching a nearly inch thick moist buttermilk cake. And the plump dried cranberries that they used were no mere Craisins, which a lesser kitchen might deploy without anyone noticing the difference.

A few weeks ago, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group managed to lure chef Anthony Chittum away from D.C.’s Notti Bianche to man the kitchen at Vermilion. As a result, the menu has undergone a makeover over the past couple weeks, forcing our poor waitress to struggle with quickly learning such esoteric terms as “malfatti” and “velote”.

Thankfully, the $7 brunch pancakes survived the menu purge that typically comes with a change in chefs. And though they are totally different from the former pancakes that shall remain (in my mind at least) the definitive pancakes, they are still pretty damn good.

Chittum has replaced the buttermilk pancakes with cornmeal griddle cakes that come with a side of whipped buttermilk in lieu of butter. These cornmeal pancakes are a more manageable scale than their blanket-sized predecessors, as I can easily put away a four stack and not hate myself for the rest of the afternoon. The mild tang of the whipped buttermilk works well against the rich earthiness of the cornmeal pancakes. And the pancakes themselves are thin, moist and dense.

The bacon at Vermilion is excellent, but it’s worth trying their Italian breakfast sausage, which will make you realize what an abomination breakfast sausage is at pretty much every other restaurant. It’s a fat, well-spiced link with a snappy casing that they specially order from a butcher in Baltimore.

Though the Vermilion website suggests that brunch is only served on Sunday, it's also available on Saturday. And late risers can shuffle into Vermilion for brunch until 3 p.m.:

Vermilion Restaurant
1120 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 684-9669

—AC

A New Tradition: Brunch and a Movie

KK and I accidentally started a tradition a few weeks ago. After having a tremendous brunch at Tallula, we decided a natural follow-up activity would be to see a movie. We both had heard the positive buzz about  “Little Miss Sunshine,” so we looked into it. The stars and planets clearly were aligned that day, as there was a showing just up the road from Washington Blvd., in Shirlington, the indie movie theater of choice in Northern Virginia. This was such an enjoyable pairing of activities that we decided to make it a regular occurrence. Here are a few highlights from our first brunch and a movie outing:

Brunch Highlights:
•The Eggs Benedict, prepared with bresoala ham, a fried green tomato in lieu of English muffin, and topped with jalapeño hollandaise. It actually took me a few bites to fully realize there was no bread element to the dish. 
•The side dish of biscuits and gravy. Yes, they offer B&G as a SIDE—what a fantastic idea. Because really, there are just times we’d like a little bit of something decadent, not a platter full of grease and gravy (then again, sometimes we do want that). The light, but creamy, gravy was made with pancetta, and the biscuit was appropriately soft and crumbly.

Movie Highlight:
•Steve Carell—when the guy actually takes a break from his frat-boy scripts (that’s not to say I didn’t love “40-year-old Virgin”), he really shows the range he has as an actor. I don’t profess to know much about the “art” of film or acting, but I do know when a movie just works. The movie was funny, appropriately heart-warming without being sappy, and a little bit dark and sad.

Enjoy Tallula at:
2761 Washington Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia

Bed & (Awesome) Breakfast

A couple weeks ago, AC and I traveled to Montreal for five days of Québécois food and culture. While we certainly enjoyed our fare share of excellent meals, Québécois and otherwise (not to mention excellent coffee), one of our best meals was a 30-second walk from the door of our room.

Our bed and breakfast, the Heritage Victorien, served up one of the best (probably THE best) B&B breakfast we've ever had. First, let me say that two of the things AC and I love the most are freshly squeezed juice (pretty much any kind), and bread. And if we had to tailor a meal that perfectly showcased these two items, this would be it. Each morning, we came down to a spread of at least five fresh organic breads, including buttery croissants, a cherry/chocolate loaf, organic whole wheat bread with baked-in Gruyere cheese, and kamut (a very large grain, related to wheat) bread. Additionally, a bowl of fresh white cherries, two pots of homemade jams, freshly melon-balled cantaloupe, and a warm onion-apple tart were among the extra food items at our disposal. If we wanted to (and we kind of did), we could have eaten for three straight hours.

It's also worth mentioning that the B&B itself is far and away one of the most elegant we've patronized—and we have stayed at many, as it is our preferred method of lodging when we travel. We feel like we get a more "staying with a friend" experience, and in many cases (not all!), the proprietors have often been a good local guide and/or just interesting people to meet. Plus the interior was above and beyond anything we've seen (especially for the very reasonable price). The proprietor, Denis, bought and renovated two Victorian-era buildings. Each of the rooms is painstakingly designed with a mixture of antiques and new furnishings and fixtures. Case in point: our room was outfitted with an relatively old bed, an antique dresser and side table, a couple of old chairs, a beautiful oriental rug, and ... an refinished old-school claw foot bathtub IN the room, along with a new sink, all with new fancy fixtures. And for AC, who is not always keen on bathing where he sleeps, there was a standalone shower in a small room where the toilet also was. So-two bathing options, a sink, and toilet, all en suite. Did I mention there was a full suite of cable channels? Yeah, this place was awesome.

If you visit Montreal, please stay here:

Heritage Victorien
311  East Ontario Street
Montréal Québec Canada H2X 1H7
(514) 845 7932

—AK

One Brunch in Bangkok

We're big fans of fancypants Duangrat's Thai country cousin Rabieng. We'd read about their Thai Dim Sum Brunch, but only recently were we able to muster the energy for a good 25 minute drive just to enjoy our first meal of the day. DCist ran AC’s review of this brunch last week.

Those interested in checking out the brunch should note that some of the thirty dishes on the dim sum brunch menu are simply scaled down versions of regular menu items, and other dishes are offered on the regular menu as appetizers. Though we were admittedly disappointed that the brunch menu wasn't a total departure from their regular menu, it's a fun way to try a number of items that you might not normally order at dinner when their whole fried fish is competing for your attention.

We started off with the chive dumplings. Doughy on the inside, crispy and bubbly on the outside, these represent some of the best dumplings in the area.


Another standout was the marinated beef strips with sticky rice. The rice was a little bit dry for sticky rice, but the strips of beef had an amazing coating of spices and a crisp texture.


The “Som Tom” papaya salad was good, but we’ve had spicier and more flavorful renditions of this Thai classic.

The Grilled Green Curry Shrimp Satay erred on the side of savory instead of too sweet. And the shrimp had a nice grilled char.


We were a bit disappointed by the Bangkok St. Peking Duck Rolls, as a plain flour tortilla was used instead of the sticky, pliable rice paper crepe that is normally used. Nonetheless, it's hard to resist roasted duck, scallions and hoisin sauce.


The Crispy Tofu Triangles served with a sweet chili dipping sauce are a common appetizer at Thai restaurants, and AK can't ever get enough deep fried tofu. We were hoping that we might absorb a few beneficial isoflavones to cancel out some of the duck.

But Rabieng's great contribution to D.C. area Thai cuisine is the Rice Cake with Coconut Pork Sauce. It's also listed on the regular menu as "Tidbit" under "Old Time Classics." Slightly puffed rice was densely packed into a thin and crispy cake and paired with a deep red sauce of minced fatty pork with rich coconut curry.


And the guava nectar, though from a can, was a refreshing brunch alternative to OJ.

For a Thai dim sum brunch, go to Rabieng:

5892 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, Virginia
(703) 671-4222

—AC & AK

Donut Disturbed

Last weekend, AC and I went on a donut binge to three purveyors of weekend-only donut specials. DCist ran my piece on our excursion today, but we wish to share with you some extra photographic evidence of this truly gluttonous experience. Folks, we ate 11 donuts in two days. And they were all terrific.

Colorado Kitchen does a fancy schmancy twist on the cake donut (AC usually loves cake donuts, me, not so much, but these were a different story). A trio of made-to-order piping hot assorted consists of one of each of the three varieties: powdered sugar, honey and toasted almonds, and chocolate glaze (homemade with Callebaut cocoa powder). These are served Saturdays and Sundays for brunch.

We washed our brunch down with vintage-style bottles of Cheerwine (mute the volume before checking out this insane Cheerwine tribute site), an old-school cherry soda from North Carolina. We were shocked to see that this faraway diner was selling such an obscure soda relic from a bygone era. But of course, we were pleased.

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The Tabard Inn is rather generous with their brunch donuts, serving up six airy, porous donuts dusted with cinnamon sugar, accompanied by a small bowl of totally extraneous vanilla whipped cream. These are served during brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.


We paired these fried dough rings with a couple of pulpy, delicious mimosas and one of Tabard Inn's proprietary brunch creations, the Cherry Thyme Fizz, a potent mixture of cherry brandy, rosewater syrup, champagne, and a sprig of thyme. Highly recommended.

At 2 Amys, a tray of large, brown, sugary donuts is the first thing Sunday guests see upon entering. This tray represents a finite donut supply; when they’re gone, they’re gone. So get them early and eat them quickly.


Despite the fact that these were the only donuts in our survey that were not made to order, they turned out to be our favorite. The extra eggy, cinnamony, and slightly lemony dough was terrific. And they were dusted liberally with cinnamon sugar and accompanied by a similarly treated donut hole.


Get some donuts for brunch at the following three places:

Colorado Kitchen
5515 Colorado Ave. NW
Washington, DC
(202) 545-8280

2Amys
3715 Macomb Street NW
Washington, DC
(202) 885-5700

Tabard Inn
1739 N Street NW
Washington, DC
(202) 785-1277

—AC & AK

Land of Enchanting Pancakes

Editor's Note: Every once in a while, we will feature a guest columnist who has such a noteworthy food experience, that we must force them to lend the experience to Suburban Tasteland. In this first case, it is my mother, DV, who recently traveled to New Mexico and had the best pancakes ever. She shared the following account of her experience via email:

As you know very well, breakfast is just not my favorite meal. It simply is too much work and too early in the morning. I would rather have an additional 50 winks and pick up a venti chai at Starbucks. But, I have come across something that is actually worth hauling out of the sack for. Of course in your case, it happens to be a rather long haul, since this restaurant is in Pecos, New Mexico, which is not far from Santa Fe. What they do with pancakes, which I don’t actually like a lot anyway, is simply amazing. These babies come off the grill about 1½ to 1¾ inches high. These cakes would put Aunt Jemima into a jealous rage. The best part is that you can order them with blueberries or pinon (pine nuts). I opted for both with a tub of butter and real maple syrup. These fluffy little devils, of course, are not standalone items. They come with the usual brace of eggs and the obligatory strips of bacon.

While I did not try the eggs rancheros, I am told they are wonderful. And of course, when you order, you are posed the question of the ages—“red or green?” This only refers to the color of chili sauce you want with the eggs. The waitress assured me that there was no material difference except color, but people seem to have rather strong preferences anyway. Breakfast is served with tortillas, not toast.

The venue in Pecos is a place called Frankie's Casanova. The restaurant is housed in an old trading post built in the 1920s and is very well preserved. By the way, the desserts (a far better notion than breakfast in my estimation) looked remarkable. These delights were on a small table and for some reason looked like they had been brought in for a church social. No calories were spared here.

The bar is named for the owner’s brother, who owned the bar down the dusty highway. The bar has been shuttered since Frankie was shot and killed in a gunfight in the bar. His brother thought that the new restaurant was a fitting tribute. As you can tell, the Wild West lives on. Try ’em if you ever get anywhere near Pecos.

Visit Frankie's Casanova at:

Corner Hwy 50 and Hwy 63
Pecos, NM
(505) 757-3322

—DV