Restaurants in the Landmark/Duke St area

[joshdacane]

I am moving in August from Falls Church down to a condo just east of the Landmark Mall, off of Duke St. Obviously, there are a ton of restaurants in Alexandria towards Old Town, but I was wondering if there were any sort of hidden gems in that very specific area (within a couple of miles of the mall on either side).

I will, of course, take copious recommendations for places in Old Town as well, I just don't want to have to worry about parking and such every time my roommate and I decide to grab a quick bite.

[maoj]

We like La Casa at Foxchase for pizza and Greek. Foodmatters in Cameron Station makes an excellent burger and fries. In Old Town we love Vermilion, but it is definitely more pricey.

[joshdacane]

Wow, so I happened to come to Chowhound for the first time in awhile and my 6 month old thread was just bumped. That's kind of awesome.

As a follow up, I really haven't explored the area as much as I would like. I guess I'm not enough of a foodie (nor, uh, do I get paid well enough) to just go out on my own, and my roommate is surprisingly unenthusiastic when I suggest we go grab something most times. I really like Hee Been, although I haven't been more than once, and I am a fan of Valentino's, although I've never had anything other than the pizza.

I need to get out more, methinks.

[fauxtographer]

For the area you're in you should definitely check out the spots around the Harris Teeter. La Casa does Italian and Greek and they do them very well. I can't say that I have tried their Italian offerings, but the Greek food is ridiculously good and they are very reasonable. Someone mentioned Shooter McGee's in that area. I have to say that I have always enjoyed the bar there but have found them to be a little over-priced as of late.
Anyone who is seeking a really good "American" restaurant should make the trip down to the Old Town area and check out Southside 815. It's not on the King Street strip, but is off of the George Washington Parkway and is totally worth the trip. I think this place is almost like a hidden gem for me. There's always a good crowd, but we've never had to wait for a table and the food has always been spectacular. I highly recommend their homemade baked mac n cheese!

[joshdacane]

Are there any good "American" type of restaurants in the area? I guess what I am thinking of is something laid back and casual but with really good food - thinking like Old Hickory Grille in Falls Church, which I just moved away from.

Also, any good carryout gems? My folks are coming by tonight, but they were bringing the dog so we'd have to carryout.

[sweth]

The only "American" place I can think of is Shooter McGee's on Duke. It's been years since I've been there, though.

[EatOrGoToYourRoom]

Clyde's, which has already been mentioned on this thread, is very close to that area and I'd say fits this description.

[sweth]

True; if you're going that far out, though, you might as well go to Old Town, where there are a lot more options along those lines. Probably too late for joshdacane, though...

[pleen]

Welcome to the Landmark area! I live in the area and here are my faves:

Vietnamese:
Saigon Citi (intersection of Little River Turnpike and Beauregard): great for bun and pho and fried noodles
Pho Vietflare (inside Van Dorn Station): great pho

Thai:
Sakulthai (408 S Van Dorn St) - I personally prefer Sakulthai to Lemongrass, which have been going downhill for years. Someone at Sakulthai used to work at Thai Square and their menu is very similar. I usually do take-out, as the ambience isn't great.

Japanese:
Yamazato (intersection of Little River Turnpike and Beauregard: delicious, fresh sushi!
There's also a Japanese place in Foxchase that's pretty good - I forget the name of the place - they have a pink dragon roll that is awesome
Momo Sushi (212 Queen St, Alexandria, VA): now we're in Old Town...one of the few gems in Old Town; teeny tiny little sushi joint, owned and run by Japanese

Mediterranean:
Mediterranean Bakery is great for take-out...but there's another place that's even better in my opinion but they are further down around Springfield - I forget the name, but will post again if I can remember

Korean:
Hee Been is very popular. Further down Little River Turnpike is "little Koreatown" with tons of Korean restaurants

Bakery:
Le Matin Paris: yummy Asian-rendition of French pastries...really, really good!

Just a few ideas to get you started.....

[BigEats]

Re Med. Bakery. The place you must be thinking about is Mediterranean Gourmet Market, on Franconia Road. Bar none, the best Middle Eastern food in northern Virginia. Not all that inconvenient to Landmark either -- take Van Dorn to Franconia, turn right and it's about a mile or less on the left.

[monavano]

Anyone been to Los Toltecos recently?? I'm getting very interested to try it.

[alkapal]

sweth went in april and liked it: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4537...

[peasant]

I used to live in the neighborhood and two of my favorite restaurants were in the same shopping center at the corner of Van Dorn and Edsall (a couple blocks from Landmark). They are Thai Lemon Grass and Akasaka, a Japanese restaurant.

I still make the drive to Akasaka when I'm in a sushi mood. Thai Lemon Grass has been forsaken for the many equally great Thai places nearer to my current South Arlington home.

[IBJ9]

Tempo is good for Italian food and then there is the mainstay of Clyde's on Beauregard - always consistent in my opinion.

[alkapal]

i always wondered about tempo!

[julialimei]

I really enjoy Akasaka, both the sushi and the lunch boxes have been consistently good. Sarinah, an Indonesian restaurant, is in the same plaza. I've had some great meals and some just okay meals there, but I really like it overall. And the price is right!

[xena1441]

peasant- may I recommend Sakulthai? I have only been once and it was great...would be nice to get someone else's opinion.

[sweth]

I'm a semi-regular there now, as Sakulthai has become one of the better Thai options in Alexandria. If you convince the waitstaff that you want authentic Thai food, the versions of the dishes on the regular menu are pretty good; for those who can read Thai, there's also a secret Thai menu. (You can also try asking if they have specific dishes that aren't on the English-language menu, and some of the waitresses are willing to make suggestions of off-menu items even if you can't read the secret menu.) If you like floating market noodle soup, they have one of the better versions I've had in NoVA; the "regular" version that they serve is a little Americanized, but you can also get it made more authentically (i.e. with odd meats). (Still haven't tried it at Nava Thai, which is supposed to be the benchmark for that soup in the entire metro area, so I can't compare.)

[EatOrGoToYourRoom]

Some people like Mango Mike's on Duke St. across from the Harris Teeter you reference. It's sort of a neat place but I'm not a big fan of their food. You should make your own decision.

Shooter McGee's is a small neighborhood bar and restaurant in the small strip on Duke near the intersection of Picket. I've had some good stuff there and they have good daily specials.

I've never been to Tempo on Duke, but I know people who like it a lot.

I do like the Clyde's near Mark Center on Beauregard which is close to you.

[monavano]

Valentino's will be nearby and is great for pizza.

[joshdacane]

Bump...just for things I have noticed.

I noticed going east towards Old Town there was a shopping center with a Harris Teeter and what looked like some restaurants in and nearby (a Mexican place, a bar and grirll, etc...haven't ventured terribly far). It looks like back towards Van Dorn there's a bunch of Italian places.

Any further tips?

[sweth]

None of the places in Foxchase (where the Harris Teeter is) are particularly remarkable. Here a thread discussing food in Landmark and environs:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/509852

[monavano]

That's La Casa Pizzeria. They serve pizza, Italian, Greek, subs etc. Owned and run by Komi's Johnny Monis' parents.
http://washingtondc.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=23801&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=50&home=Y

www.houndstoothgourmet.com

[wayne keyser]

Ooh! Ooh! You're in luck with the Asian cuisines, anyway.

The strip mall opposite Landmark Plaza (South of Duke Street, just West of 395) has TemptAsian, one of the early leaders in authentic Sichuan cooking (be sure to get the Chinese menu) and Hee Been, a very well thought-of Korean restaurant. The same mall also has a Grand Mart for Asian groceries.

In addition, you might care to explore the area down Van Dorn Street - I can't claim to have visited any of these places, but there's Thai, Italian, and more, before you get as far South as Eisenhower Avenue.

[foodslut]

Definitely check out Food Matters (in Cameron Station). Good, locally sourced, fresh food (yummy burgers and build your own salads, as well as steak, mussels, Amish chicken, etc). Wednesdays are pasta night but they also offer their regular menu as well. www.foodmattersva.com

[foodslut]

Check out Food Matters (www.foodmattersva.com) in Cameron Station. Great locally sourced food. Wednesdays are pasta night; good burgers and steak, nice build your own salads, Amish chicken, etc. Good wine and beer selection. They have an organic hard apple cider that tastes like an orchard--seriously good!

[AlexNoVA]

How would I know if I'm getting the Chinese menu at TemptAsian? Only menu I've ever seen doesn't have much English on it (and the little there is has some funny sounding translations)