Jalon Z.'s Profile

Todai has become a default destination when I am shopping in Fair Oaks. In the outer Virginia suburbs, you cannot expect mind--blowing Asian food unless you are eating in the 7 Corners or Eden Center areas.

The sheer variety of food available and new things to try out makes for an interesting meal. This is not a buffet mined with heavy food that you have to watch out for. Selections are generally more healthy and light than a Chinese or American buffet. The quality seems to be good and the ratio of Asian to non-Asian diners is always high, a good indicator.

This isn't purely a sushi buffet, there are plenty of other dishes to discover and try out.

Manassas has long lacked in the Pho department. There are a couple of places which have gone out of business, a couple from which one should run away screaming, and one which is about as good as you could get.

I buy groceries at the Global grocery store and from the day I saw the Pho 234 sign go up next door, myself and friends have been eagerly waiting for opening day.

My son and I just happened to be heading into Potbelly's when we saw that Pho 234 was having its first opening day, so we headed on in.

Things were a bit confused as everyone was obviously new to the job. We were met and seated by the "mysterious white guy" mentioned in past reviews and after talking to him a bit he said he was not the manager but was helping the family get the restaurant started.

The Pho was great! Here, rather than give you the traditional huge platter of basil, bean sprouts and peppers, you get a small plate of them (which makes more sense really). The broth had deep flavor and a good after-taste of warm beef. I usually get Pho with a variety of steak, fatty brisket and flank which they had on the menu along with a large selection of other cuts.

I have tried the "Spring Rolls" (Goi Cuon) which I think should be called "Fresh Summer Rolls" (Spring Rolls would be the fried ones). They were great and fresh.

I subsequently met the family and have gotten to know them a bit during later return trips. This is their first restaurant and so far they are doing everything right. Service has smoothed out, the food quality is consistent and the family appears to be doing everything right.

I like Okra's for lunch when working from home. Since the new parking garage opened in Old Town Manassas, there is plenty of parking in the area, so it is easy to drop by.

Lunchtime is quiet, service is good, and the prices are right. the lunch crowd seems to be mostly locals and the manager makes the rounds, ensuring that everything is ok.

For lunch I had an amazing bowl of gumbo, a fried shrimp Po Boy, and Creme Brulee for dessert. The gumbo and Po Boy are like what I remember from New Orleans and I'll definitely be back for more gumbo!

The casual interior hides a staff that pays extra attention to presentation, food quality and freshness. The bottom half of the Creme Brulee I was served was runny.  When I mentioned this to the waiter, he was instantly concerned and apologized profusely. He turned out to be a fellow foodie and we concluded that the issues was a result of the Creme Brulee being served in new, extra-deep ramekins which caused the bottoms to accumulate moisture while stored in the fridge. My dessert was removed from the check and they offered to replace it with something else at no charge. You don't get that level of service just anywhere.

I plan to return for the live music on the weekends and see how things hold up for dinner.

As an American, English food to me is puzzling. The gap in quality and flavor between the low and high end of the dining spectrum seems immense. After a few days of getting by on bland food and walking around London in the bitter cold, I decided to locate something a bit better and ended up at the Green Door Steakhouse.

Conveniently located off of the Gloucester Road tube stop in South Kensington, the restaurant is marked by an attractive bright green door.

I only got to eat here once, but am planning on returning in a month for another visit.

The menu offers a wide variety of what appears to be quality food. Lamb shank with mashed potato and rosemary gravy, slow roasted free range Lansdowne pork with cabbage and apples, and of course, an excellent selection of steaks.

The aged steaks are Argentinian free-range Aberdeen Angus, come with a good char. The red wine steak sauce was excellent.

The secret here in winter is a steaming loaf of freshly baked bread served with a round of brie that has been dropped into the deep fryer for a bit. Cutting into the brie releases hot, melted cheese, just begging to be put on the bread. My companion and I killed the entire loaf of bread and brie post-haste. I still get a bit dizzy remembering how good it was.

The price reflects the quality of food and a good steak with wine and dessert can run 30 pounds.