Delia's Mediterranean Grill & Brick Oven Pizza

Yesterday I visited Delia's Mediterranean Grill. This was actually a rather haphazard choice to dine after a movie. Located in Alexandria, VA right across from the Hoffman Ctr movie theater, this place can easily be overlooked with the other casual dining options in the area. The atmosphere in Delia's was very relaxing, yet mildly upscale. An interesting combination, but somehow it works for this restaurant. The staff was extremely pleasant and helpful, from the hostess to the wait staff that all seemed to be very familiar with all of the menu options.

The food was pretty good. For starters we had the Pizza Knuckles...essentially pizza rolls stuffed with cheese and pepperoni. They were excellent! For an entree I had the Capellini Santorini, which was capellini pasta (spaghetti, but a little thinner) with lump crab meat, scallops, and shrimp, topped with a cherry tomato sauce. The pasta was decent; it had just a bit of a spicy kick to it. I personally think it would have tasted better with a vodka sauce or maybe tomato basil, but I’m not chef. My guest had the Gamberetti alla Montese, really difficult to say, but so much easier to eat. Fettuccini pasta with shrimp and crab in a creamy white wine and parmesan sauce. It was excellent (I actually had a bit of food envy). The portions sizes were perfect for the style and price of the restaurant. In terms of drinks I had the house special which was pomegranate sangria. It was perfect, tasted a bit like juice though which could get you in a bit of trouble if you have too many.

If you happen to be dining with children they have a reasonable sized $5 kids menu with various types of pasta and the classic fries and chicken fingers. I ordered some raviolis with marinara to take home for the boy. To make them more "kid friendly" they were tri colored ravioli, with blue food coloring in the filling. Cool if your child is into odd food (like my child is, he loved it).

Overall I enjoyed the meal and would visit this restaurant again. There were some other menu options that I look forward to trying. The atmosphere was conducive for a first date, casual lunch with friends, or a place for the family to eat after a movie.

Copper Canyon Grill

rotiserie chicken #1 salmon

This was my third time visiting Copper Canyon Grill in Silver Spring Md, and i got there and realized i've never shared this place with my RR followers! I'm sooo sorry for holding out on you guys. CC Grill is amazing and they get better and better every time i go. First lets start with the fact that parking is free in the garage by the restaraunt on weekends, thats a major plus. Next the service is always excellent. The staff is over the top friendly, but not annoying. They pride themselves in using fresh never frozen ingredients and having every server take care of you. So if you need something just grab the first person that walks by and they will take care of it. This helped all our needs be taken care of quickly. The staff was also very knowledgeable about the food and the ingredients, they really could sell the menu to you. The atmosphere is nice and cozy, the grill is open so you can see it and the flames shooting up. They have nice booths as well as tables for larger parties. They also now have call ahead seating which i love.

Now to the food. Off the appetizer menu you must try the crab dip. It has large chunks of crab and is fullof flavor. the dip is served with a loaf of french bread fresh from the oven. The entree's are all american favorites such as steak, salmon and chicken but each dish is loaded with flavor and delicious seasoning. The rotisserie chicken is one of their specialties and they season it with 35 seasonings and you can taste each one. The chicken is juicy and falls off the bone. Also their salmon is the best, THE BEST grilled salmon i have ever had. Order it medium and it is the perfect combination of juicy and tender melt in your mouth goodness!!!. Even their vegetables are full of flavor and seasoning. The spinach and honey carrots are both excellent. The mashed potatoes are also delicious, i can never get mine to come out that smooth and creamy at home. .. The jumbo lump crabcakes are also very good. They are all crab meat and not filled with bread and other things like most places. The side of salsa and also the crabcake sauce top it off and follow the trend of flavor flavor and more flavor.

Overall CCGrill is a great place for a date or a family dinner with the kids. The menu is delicious, nothing i've tried has disapointed me yet. The staff and the decor are excellent and i would recommend this place to all of you!!! Even the bathrooms are great! 5 out of 5 stars all around, evertime.

Best and Worst of Bahston!

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Bostons Best and worst
I recently spent a month in Boston, MA. There are many restaraunts with awards and certificates posted all over there walls, which can lure you in to eat. But let me tell you those awards aren’t always the best way to measure a restaurants performance. 1st on the Best list is Café Pompeii, Italian restaurant in the North End of Boston. 282 Hanover St. Boston, MA 02113. Delicious pasta that tasted like it was freshly made in the back. Try the lobster ravioli or the tortellini. They also have a great Sangria. Next on the best list is Modern Pastry shop, 257 Hanover St, Boston MA, right across the street from Pompeii. While the line wraps around the corner for Mikes pastry, the locals recommended Modern and they were right. The cannoli’s are fresh and delicious. The next place I would list in my top places is the Hard Rock café, 22 Clinton st Boston, MA 02109. I have never eaten at a hard rock so I’m not sure if they all are this good. But the food and the drinks were excellent! Try the Hurricane, or the x-rated tea. I wanted to take home their bartender! The food was fresh and delicious. Even the appetizer trio, didn’t taste frozen at all and they were the first place with good cold slaw. The atmosphere was fun and clean which is a plus, and service was great. Next for something a little different a Moroccan restaurant. Tangierino, 83 Main st. Charlestown, MA 02129 (close to bunker hill). WONDERFUL!!!! Romantic atmosphere, great Moroccan décor, lighting, belly dancer. I tried a drink that was Moroccan, a blueberry something martini…would not recommend it. But the food was great! The lamb was tender and a great balance of flavor. The mashed potatoes were fluffy and flavorful. As an appetizer we tried the shrimp which was also flavorful and plump. The entree’s were reasonably priced $30 for duck and $33 for lamb. The appetizers were a little expensive $15 for 4 shrimp. Before the entree’s they bring out bread with a hummus spread and olives, different and a great blend of flavors. Tangierino also offers a lounge and hookah bar downstairs. Try visiting the shops in Faneuil Hall for some great cheap eats. Everything from sandwich shops to Lobster rolls (MUST TRY!!!!).
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Now for the Bad Boston. No Name Restaurant 15 ½ Fish Pier, Boston MA. 02210. No Name was recommended to me by a local, but I do not know why, maybe they didn’t like me? I arrived with a party of about 8 people for lunch and we just walked in looking lost, like maybe we are supposed to seat ourselves? Finally a server came up to us, he didn’t speak good English and was not very helpful. The tables had some small paper cups on them and the waiter brought out some water in pitchers. The menu consisted of maybe 10 items about 1 page, I kept flipping it over to see if there was more. One item on the menu was scod…everyone pulled out their phones to google what that was because the waiter was not around for us to ask. When he returned he said that was fish and chips…. On to the food. I ordered fried shrimp and a friend next to me had fried scallops. They were obviously frozen. They tasted like the kind you buy frozen in the grocery store and stick in the over, but worse. The shrimp was on top of the fries which was on top of the cole slaw all squished on the plate and a side of the greenest tarter sauce I’ve ever seen. Another in my party ordered the seafood chowda, which was yellow because of all the grease in the bowl. She couldn’t even swallow her spoonful and sent it back. While this place was known for their fish I tried the broiled salmon and it was greasy and mushy. This place is Must Not SEE, for Boston, stay away from the No Name.
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