BW3 Comes to Dulles, VA!!

I’ve been waiting for this moment since before September… My first trip to Buffalo Wild Wings (BW3) was on a business trip to Richmond, and as I recall they were tasty, and I was eager to be reunited with BW3 once more. So without further ado.

The decor: Casual sports-themed restaurant, with sports team paraphernalia adorning the walls.  Black concrete floors, black and yellow stripes, and red walls (I think red, probably yes).  My husband likened it to Damon’s.

The service: Our server was entertaining and pleasant.

The food: Wingsssss.  However I had the breaded mushrooms too.

• Taste – Sauces were good, wings could have been crisper, juicier, and fresher.  We had the teriyaki and honey bbq.  Breaded mushrooms were goooood.
• The presentation – Wings in paper baskets.  Personal gripe: isn’t this a bit wasteful?  Yes no need for dishes or washing them but def not environmentally-friendly.
• The price – Wings come in denominations of 6, the more you buy the slightly cheaper it is.  Average wing prices.

The VUrdict: Did I mention I’m not affiliated with anyone of these joints I’ve reviewed so far? I promise I am not.   Alas my reunion with BW3 was a tad disappointing.  I am willing to give them a second try, but Main Street Wings (MS) kind of kicks BW3’s kiester in the wings department.  MS is crisper, juicier, and fresher, with a few tweaks of the sauces BW3 will be a distant memory in my book.  BW3 was not awful, but I was underwhelmed.  Rematch TBD.

BUFFALO WILD WINGS DULLES IS OPENING….

Friday December 11, 2009!!!

21980 Colorado Drive
Dulles, VA

Finally.

Vietnamese caramelized pork

Growing up I never appreciated Vietnamese cuisine for the deliciousness it is.  In my younger days I would have taken a happy meal over a bowl of rice and meat any day.  But having been away from my mom’s daily homecooking and having had my fill over other cuisines, I do crave Vietnamese food now more than ever.  The real catalysts for my homesickness were reading Vietnamese food blogs which brought a strong sense of nostalgia.  White on Rice Couple’s blog posted a recipe for thit heo kho trung (caramelized pork), which was never a favorite of mine growing up.  But for some reason my mouth watered at the thought, and I was instantly compelled to make it.

I served the pork with rice, pickled veggies, and cucumber.  I didn’t cook it long enough, but next time I’ll simmer it for a few hours more.  Of course I tampered with the recipe before trying it, so it wasn’t as good as I hoped, but next time I will stick to the directions.

Find the recipe here.

Biscuits and Gravy

I love when I have the right leftovers to make something delicious.

Biscuits + sausage + butter + flour + milk =

For the recipe click

Wendy’s Bacon Deluxe is nommy

Wendy’s has replaced the Big Bacon Classic with the Bacon Deluxe. Same fresh patty and soft bun, but now with thick applewood smoked bacon… mmmmm applewood smoked bacon… Go try one today! You won’t be disappointed!!

The Dock – Lansdowne, VA

For anyone who’s been to Lansdowne, you know it’s a bit on the fancy pants side. The Lansdowne Town Center is a cute little area with shops and restaurants. The Dock is the first restaurant you see when driving into the town center. Today I’m going to take you on a tour of my dinner before giving you a full review.

Main Street Wings – Ashburn, VA

Gone are the loud colors, sassy bumper stickers and hot sauces of Tijuana Flats and in its place is Main Street Wings (MS), the “Classic American Grill”. So you’re thinking same old wing joint right? Well you’re kind of right, kind of wrong. Where normally you order your wings in denominations of 10, at MS the wings are sold by the pound, so the wing count varies by day. When we visited Sunday, the wing count happened to be 8 fresh and tasty wingies. So let’s get down to business!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I found Jaden Hair’s recipe for sweet and sour chicken on Elise Bauer’s blog, Simply Recipes.  I am a huge fan of both ladies, they do great things with food and I frequent their blogs regularly.  I highly recommend getting boneless skinless thighs for this recipe.  I deboned and skinned 8 thighs, and while it was cheaper (99 cents per pound versus $4) I think the extra cost is well worth it.

Rita’s Ashburn Closed!

My gelati dreams were dashed when I drove to Rita’s Ashburn only to find a vacant retail space…  But dont’ worry!  I went to Rita’s website and there’s another location opening in Sterling in the Countryside Shopping Center!  Can’t wait to be reunited with my italian ice and custard happiness.

Tortellini with short ribs and zucchini

I love and hate Paula Deen.  She has such a great personality and most of her dishes look mighty good, but goodness the woman needs to cool it with the butter and frying.  I mean do you really need to deep-fry a bagel with lox and cream cheese?  I do secretly envy that built-in deep fryer…  So when I was craving Olive Garden’s short ribs with tortellini I decided to use Paula’s short rib recipe, and paired it with Bertolli tortellini, zucchini, and alfredo sauce.  The end result was ok, the short ribs were delicious but I think I should have used a different vegetable to vary the textures, all-in-all it was edible.