Breakfast Sandwiches at Panera Bread

Panera Bread
5857 Leesburg Pike # D
Falls Church, VA 22041-2324
www.panerabread.com

Exterior of Panera Bread in Falls Church

Occasionally if the morning traffic was a little lighter than usual I would stop in at Panera Bread for breakfast.  I have always enjoyed the Jalapeno and Cheddar Bagel Breakfast Sandwich.  The slight spiciness of the bagel along with the perfect saltiness from the ham and the real egg all bonded together with the melted cheddar cheese made it the perfect way to start off your day.  I had been hearing the tantalizing radio commercials the Steak and Egg sandwich and assumed that it would be as good as the Jalapeno and Cheddar Bagel Breakfast Sandwich. 

Steak and Egg Breakfast Sandwich

Unfortunately it was terrible.  The meat was chopped up into small pathetic tiny gray pieces that had no flavoring at all.  I really don't know how they can get away with calling the meat "steak."  A little seasoning would have been a step in the right direction, but the meat itself was just bad.  The white Vermont cheddar had a weird consistency to it.  The white cheddar was nothing like the yellow cheddar on the Jalapeno and Cheddar Bagel Breakfast Sandwich.  Oh yeah, on one such visit I wanted to get some coffee to go along with my samwitch.  I was dismayed and astonished to learn that they somehow didn't have any more lids for the to go coffee cups.  A cup of steaming hot coffee without a lid is risky business.  I couldn't believe that they had such poor inventory management that they could run out of lids.  I emailed Panera to complain about the situation and they were nice enough to offer me some coupons for my inconvenience.  It was a nice gesture, but they never should have run out of lids in the first place.  The last time that I went they had the lids back in stock.

The Verdict?  Stay away from the Steak and Egg Sandwich but please do try the Jalapeno and Cheddar Bagel Breakfast Sandwich.

China Star - Authentic Chinese Szechuan Cuisine

China Star
9600 Main St # G
Fairfax, VA 22031-3798
www.chinastarfood.com

Exterior of Restaurant

China Star is one of my favorite chinese restaurants.  This is not just any chinese restaurant though.  It is Szechuan style, meaning it's spicy!  If you like heat this is the place to go!  They serve up authentic chinese dishes, but also have the typical americanized dishes like "Happy Family" or fried rice.

Mapo Tofu

We usually get mapo tofu and scallion fried fish.  The mapo tofu is wonderful and just out of this world!  It is a tofu based dish with a fiery sauce with bits of ground pork.  You can see the chili oil glistening on the top.  Sometimes the mapo tofu may seem a little salty but it pairs perfectly with the white rice.  Although uncomfirmed, I'm also positive that the tofu is homemade.  The tofu has such a soft and silky texture that I've yet to find in a regular asian market.  I once tried the mapo tofu at Hong Kong Palace in Falls Church because it is also supposed to be a Szechuan style restaurant but it really had nothing at all on China Star.  We've also tried several other items on the menu including the sparerib with tofu and seaweed soup, crabmeat with asparagus chowder, and lamb in sizzling pot.  They were ok but not our favorites.

Scallion Fried Fish

We first discovered the scallion fried fish by asking the waiter for a recommended fish dish.  The fish is battered and deep fried and is garnished with chili peppers, cilantro, watercress.  I think there is tumeric in the batter to give it that slightly yellow color.  The fish is a little spicy with a nice crust.   We tried to emulate this dish using a catfish that we caught at Burke Lake.  The dish was pretty close, but I think we should leave it to the pros.

The verdict?  Definitely, definitely, definitely if you're in Fairfax come try China Star!  Heck, even if you're not in Fairfax drive over here to eat.  You won't be disappointed!

A Word From David and Anita

To all of our loyal readers please accept our apologies for not updating the site in a timely manner.  Rest assured that we have definitely been eating over the past several months and we have certainly been collecting images and reviews that we plan on posting to the site.

As a way of saying thank you and as a little holiday present we will be updating the site at least 1 time a week through the end of the year.  Remember you can always eat with us, every bite of the way!

Season Eatings,
David and Anita

Red Mango - Close But Still Not Pinkberry

Red Mango
431 W Maple Ave
Ste A
Vienna, VA 22180
www.redmangousa.com

Red Mango Frozen Yogurt

There seems to be a new frozen yogurt (if you're down with the lingo - "fro yo") store popping up every other day.  Red Mango is actually one of the original fro yo places.  Some suggest that Pinkberry actually stole a lot of the ideas and concepts from Red Mango.  I'm not going to weigh in on that, I will, however, tell you what I think of their frozen yogurt.

I didn't even realize there is a Red Mango in Vienna, VA.  It's really tucked away.  I first discovered Pinkberry in the winter of 2007 and I thought it was the best frozen dessert ever!  The taste was a little tart and yet a little sweet and so clean on the palette.  The choice of toppings only further complimented the sweet and tartness of the yogurt.

Red Mango is a little different from Pinkberry in a couple of ways.  The most obvious difference is that the Red Mango in Vienna is self service.  That means that the customers selects the frozen yogurt flavor and the toppings and the finished product is weighed at the cash register.  Red Mango has a larger selection of flavors than Pinkberry, but the texture of the yogurt itself is a little more watery and therefore more icy than that of Pinkberry.

The verdict?  While Red Mango isn't as good as Pinkberry in terms of frozen yogurt flavor and quality, the self  service option is very appealing!  The ability to mix and match fro yo flavors and toppings can make it more enticing than even Pinkberry.  If you've never had fro yo or even if you have, Red Mango in Vienna is definitely worth a visit!