• 24Jan

    Clarity in Vienna, Virginia has specials that change throughout the week. Tomorrow evening, there will be a guest chef cooking the food of Ghana, but the event is already sold out. This Thursday’s specials will be Dry-Rubbed Cherry Wood Smoked Barbecue Grass-Fed Brisket and Heritage Pork Ribs; Balsamic Pineapple Barbeque sauce comes on the side with either dish. I’m keeping an eye out for when Chef Jonathan Krinn makes pho again, since we missed it last time.

    Clarity’s Smoked Beef Brisket Chili

    We were happy to pick up Chef Krinn’s Smoked brisket Chili special today. It came with sun-dried tomato corn bread. We also got to try three mini breads: baguette, garlic, and herbs de Provence. We didn’t take the sour cream of cheddar cheese, since we don’t use them.

    The chili was very good but a bit spicier than we generally eat. We did add onions, scallions, and rice (with garlic) at home, which helped a bit with the spice level, as did the corn bread. I had planned on adding chopped tomatoes, but figured there was already enough going on the plate.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Cornbread

    Chef Krinn’s father does the baking, and he is extremely skilled. Herbs de Provence was our favorite of the 3 mini breads, although all of them were quite good. The corn bread was tasty too. You should pre-order dad’s baguettes or gluten-free bread (for Thursday pickup), or his stuffed crust pizza when it comes up as a special again. This week’s baguette flavor will be “everything.”

    Three Mini Breads

    My dining partner pickup up the food, and said Clarity has a great upscale NYC restaurant type of vibe. She was impressed.

    -JAY

  • 17Jan

    Bear Branch Tavern in Vienna runs daily specials. This weekend, their BBT BBQ Big Boi Platter returns, featuring Brisket, Baby Back Ribs, Carolina Pulled Pork, Black Eyed Pea Baked Beans, Red Bliss Potato Salad (although our image features Coleslaw instead), and House Made Pickles. It’s available as a dine in entrée (inside or outside seating) for $20, or as a gameday platter for you and your friends (feeds four adults for around $80).

    We very much enjoyed BBT’s BBQ platter! Our favorite items on were the Brisket, Ribs, and Pickles. Of the three BBQ sauces we tried (Kansas City, Carolina, and DC Mumbo), we preferred and fought over the Carolina (mustard-based) sauce, although all three were tasty.

    Our suggestion would be to work on the baked beans a bit more. They were a bit undercooked, and black eyed peas may not be the best legume for the job. That said, we ate them.

    BBT has a a great vibe and is casual and fun. It’s nice that they have both indoor and outdoor seating. As for the service, the employee who took our order on the phone (Jamie) was great.

    Here is their dine-in menu. They have a brunch menu as well. When you visit their website, there is a popup with their daily food and drink specials.

    -JAY

    Editor’s Notes:

    With a chunk of Washington, DC and the metro system closed due to the upcoming Inauguration, some of the more popular Northern Virginia restaurants have been quite busy this weekend. If you are ordering BBT takeout, call a little farther ahead.

    As far as dining during the pandemic, BBT has covered heated outdoor seating, and sells branded blankets to help with the weather.

  • 17Jan

    A few nights ago my family and I went to one of the more favorite local restaurants, Tequila Grande (in Oakton). At Tequila Grande, guests should be aware that the “grande” in the name is by no means a joke. The portions and quality at TG are unmatched for this classical Mexican eatery. The interior of the restaurant is very comforting as the orange painted walls and many windows present a homely vibe. The menu at Tequila Grande offers an array of different Mexican specialties like carne asada, enchiladas, and tacos in addition to more Americanized menu options like burritos and chimichangas.

    When we arrived were greeted with chips and salsa as we perused the menu. As customary at Tequila Grande we started off with their fresh guacamole. The guacamole is smooth and spicy and served in a very charming blue corn tortilla bowl that gets slowly devoured with the dip. For dinner, I ordered the biggest menu item they have, the burrito-gordo. This is the biggest burrito I have ever experienced in my life. It is overflowing with flavorful ground beef, stewed chicken, re-fried beans, and Spanish rice. The burrito is also covered in cheese, pico-de-gallo, and sour cream. As terrifying as it looks coming straight at you it is an extremely delicious burrito with a dense and hearty filling that leaves you stuffed for several days. As usual, however, I was only able to eat half the burrito and saved the rest for later (which is perfectly fine as it heats up great).

    My father ordered his favorite, the enchiladas. His go-to combination, which he highly recommends to anyone ordering enchiladas is one shredded beef, one cheese and onion, and one stewed chicken. I had a portion of some of his as we were all sharing and the winner to me was the tender shredded beef enchilada. All of them come smothered in sauce and cheese served alongside beans and rice.

    My sister and mother shared a combination of chicken and shrimp fajitas. As they were picking at my burrito I grabbed a small flour tortilla and scooped the grilled shrimp, caramelized onions and soft bell peppers into the tortilla. I topped it with some sour cream, salsa and lettuce and had a fantastic albeit wet mini shrimp taco.

    The food at tequila grande may be grande but that does not at all undercut its quality. Being a small family establishment tequila grande manages to have some of the best Mexican food while also having a lovely atmosphere all for a reasonable price in local midtown Vienna. It is somewhere you should definitely consider the next time you are in the mood for a fiesta of flavor.

    -ARM

    Editor’s Note 12/20/2020: Tequila Grande was recently rebranded as Mama Tigre (under the same ownership). It is now fusion of Mexican and Indian cuisines.

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