These Farmers Can Cook! - Founding Farmers,Tysons, Va

  Every now and then we visit a restaurant that is so good at everything they do,  we can't wait to get back and try more of the menu.  Founding farmers is that kind of restaurant.  We arrived to the restaurant after a trip to Monticello that took way too long.  We originally reserved our table for 6:00 but ended up having to call back and change it for a later time.  The earliest they had was 8:00. Needless tosay we were starved by the time we got seated.
  Their menu is filled with a lot of tasty food ranging from steaks, chicken, pastas, and even meatless dishes. All their food looked like it was top quality.  After all they are owned in the majority by farmers who wanted to get their products straight to consumers to showcase the foods grown on family farms according to their website.
  After long thought and stomach grumblings, I ordered the roasted turkey with mashed potatoes and cornbread stuffing.  Rebbel ordered the chicken fried steak and mac and cheese.  Both dishes were very good. Well prepared and well presented. It was so good that we wanted to eat there the next day, but we had to make our way back home.
  Founding Farmers has 5 locations in and around Washington DC. We ate at the one in Tyson's Virginia.  I would suggest reservations.  It wouldn't surprise me if they expand to even more locations in the future.
   You can find them on the web at: https://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com/

Freestyling Find - Capitol City Brewing Company, Washinton DC

Some of our best food that we had came from just stopping into a place without any research.  Some of the worst food was found by doing that too!  Luckily for us, this time was a home run! We had decided to learn the subway system in Washington to speed our travels. WE took the train to Metro Center.
  As we emerged into the center of town, Rebbel became very hungry.  We started walking down the block and came across Capitol City Brewery.  We decided to give it a try.  After looking at the menu,
I decided to get the crab cakes, and Rebbel got the fish and chips. I got sweet potato fries for an upgrde.  As wewaited for our meal. our waiter brought over a couple of soft pretzels to munch on.  They were unexpected and awesome!
  Our food came out and the portions were plentiful. More fries than a person could probably eat at one setting.  I got two crab cakes that were golden brown and ok, but the star of the show was Rebbel's Fish and Chips.
   Big portion of fish that was hot and cooked to perfection .She was very happy with it and would order it again. I might even order to avoid meal envy! As for the subway, it too was a real winner and we may even take it all the way from our motel next time.  Capitol City Brewing Company is located at the corner of 11th St and H st NW.  Or take the train to Metro Center and walk a couple of blocks.  You can find them on the web at: http://www.capcitybrew.com/index.php

Best Chicken Sandwich Ever, The Doughnuts Are Good Too! - Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken, Falls Church Virginia

Every time we visit our nation's capital, we make sure we stop at least once at our favorite chicken sandwich place, Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken. What makes this chicken so special? The chicken is a juicy chicken breast piece placed on a savory doughnut.  You can choose either ranch ,bbq, siracha buffalo, siracha mayo, and honey mustard sauce. There is an add on menu where you can choose an egg, honey butter, kimichi slaw, bacon,pickles or sausage gravy for an additional cost.
After breakfast you can get an Old Bay doughnut chicken sandwich.
  We ate breakfast there three times on our recent trip and chose the chicken on a doughnut with ranch sauce. Next time we will try the egg and put some bacon on there too.
The doughnuts are good too.  They have their regular line up of pb&J,Creme Brulee, Maple Bacon and Vanilla Glaze. They augment tose with other tasty combos that change.  This time I tried a cherry blossom that was good.
  Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken is located at 7511 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church,and 1308 G Street in Washington DC. They also have a food truck and a location in Los Angeles. Tou can find them on the web at : http://astrodoughnuts.com/

A Sandwich That Brought Tears To My Eyes,(But Not For The Right Reason) Chaps Pit Beef, Baltimre,Md

Driving out of Washington DC to Baltimore on a Good Friday afternoon was a slow process.  It seemed like there was bumper to bumper traffic the whole way.  We were traveling to the Charm City to try out a food that they are known for.  Pit beef. We heard the place to get it was Chap's Pit Beef.
  We finally made it through the traffic and pulled into the parking lot that was shared with a strip club that advertised fully nude strippers. Class all the way!
 The place started out as a shack and is a little bigger now. It is still small inside, and there is a few tables and a large picnic table. You order your food at one window and pay, and pick it up at a window around the corner.
  The beef is bottom round, cooked over a pit,then itis sliced thin. You can order it to the doneness you prefer.  We got ours medium. I recommend putting onions and tiger sauce. Don't make the mistake we did and put horseradish on. It literally brought tears to my eyes and wrecked the sandwich in my opinion. The tiger sauce has mayo nd horseradish whichI hop is tamer.
 We got fries without sandwich, and while they were okay, the little nubs that they use for fries made them too much trouble to eat.  While the sandwich was o.k. to try once, I would definitely not make the trip to try it again.
  Chaps has other meats and sides on their menu. You can find them on the web at: http://chapspitbeef.com/menu/ .  They are located at 5801 Pulaski Hwy in Baltimore and also have another location in Aberdeen.  Just watch that horseradish!

Poor Boy Itaian Style - Nonna Soluri's Italian Deli, Chicago, Ill

  Located in the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago sits a little Italian deli that makes sandwiches. We first saw this place on Chicago's Best t.v. show, and after seeing the breaded steak sandwich, we thought we would give it a try.
  We arrived early and waited for them to open.  They were just cutting the bakery fresh bread for the day, and the steak was cooked right after we ordered.  It was nice and hot.  We were asked if we wanted any marinara, or giardinera on it.  We declined but got some eggplant sauce on the side.
  The sandwich was pretty dense.  We split the sandwich because it was already our second meal of the day in just a few hours.  We found the steak to be a little on the plain side and would I wished I would have tried the the marinara, that they offered.
  Live and learn.
  Nonna Soluri's has a different sandwich banner on the fence as a special for different days of the week. There are no tables to eat at inside the restaurant, so we ate in the car. If you would like to give Nonna Soluri's a try, you can find them at

3142 S Morgan Stin Chicago.

A Chicago Legend - Jim's Original Hot Dog, Chicago,Ill.

Usually, on our way out of Chicago, I would see it.  A yellow hot dog stand that stood out from the other buildings.  After seeing the place on t.v., I decided to give it a try. Jim's Original Hot Dos Stand has been a Chicago tradition for 70 years. They were originally located on Halstead street and later moved to their current location on Union St.
  Their menu features Polish Sausages, hot dogs, fish, chicken and pork chop sandwiches.  All f their sandwiches come with fries.  I decided to try the sausage and Rebbel got the hot dog.  We got these as soon as we arrived because we had a lot of eating on our schedule.
  The sausage is especially made for Jim's with the same blend f spices they have had since the 1940's.  It has mustard and grilled spanish onions on top.  I founf it to be more peppery tasting than I care I like.  Rebbel cot a natural casing hot dog that instead of a nice snap was rubbery. Maybe it was on the grill too long.  The fries were good, though.   After reading all the positive reviews of this place, I was expecting a bit mre and maybe that is why I found this place disappointing. At least the fries worked out.  Jim's original is located at 1250 S Union St in Chicago, Ill. They also have a location at 16 E. 95thSt. You can find the on the web at : http://www.jimsoriginal.com/jimsoriginal/Menu/