Favazza’s Restaurant: Watch the Video

A friend stumbled upon the website for my family’s restaurant today–and it reminded me that I should post it here. My dad Tony and brother Mark did a fantastic job here:

Are you dedicated?

Tomorrow’s post will provide the context for this question… but first, listen without prejudice: Have you ever suspected that a restaurant’s food made you sick, and returned to eat there anyway?

Have you been to Horace and Dickies?

Frank has sang its praises. Now, the TV show “Man vs. Food” and, by extension, our friends at Capital Spice Blog are talking about it.

Now, it’s my turn. I’ve never been to Horace and Dickies, at H and 12th NE, admittedly because I’m a little intimidated. I love the H street corridor bars and restaurants (Argonaut is my all-time favorite bar in DC), but I have a tendency to get a little too comfortable in the area and forget that I am still somewhere that requires alertness. Beyond the typical safety concerns, I haven’t known quite what to expect. But I think I’m excited enough to get over my fear of the unknown now.

Horace and Dickies serves lightly breaded fish and not too many other things (click here to view a photo of the menu), but I’m ready to give it a shot.

Have you ever tried Horace and Dickies? Any feedback or suggestions?

Italian Foodventures in Chicago

I’ve long criticized the fact that it’s hard to find good Italian food in Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia. The best I’ve found–excluding the Italian sub scene, which is for another post–is at La Piazza, next to the Braddock Road metro stop in Alexandria, and Alberto’s on Barracks Row.

Because the Italian food in D.C. is famously below par, I sought out Italian food on my business trip to Chicago last weekend. I ate three different Italian restaurants and wanted to share some brief thoughts about those restaurants here.

On Thursday night, I had dinner at Vivere, one of the three “Italian Village Restaurants” that boasts the largest wine selection in the entire city. I started with a small Caesar salad and my entree was the oh-so-delicious Linguini con Gamberi e Pomodori Secchi, which featured linguine, sauteed shrimp, toasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil, chili flakes, and Sicilian sun-dried tomatoes. In our group of 8, three people ordered this and if you could taste it, you would understand why. Read more »