Week 2 Lottery Winner!

We have randomly drawn from the names entered. This week's "Guest of Honor".

We have reset the names for the lottery and you must enter your name again each week. No duplicate winners will be selected until everyone has had a turn. Enter your name anytime between Saturday and Thursday night. New posts will be published on Wednesdays and the weekly Guest of Honor winner will be selected each Friday.

Brinkley's

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Also check out the Brinkley's website.

Obscurity/Location/Curb Appeal: Brian

Only a stone’s throw from Pistone’s Italian Inn is another fine dining establishment known simply as Brinkley’s.  Due to its location in the bustling 7 Corners district, Brinkley’s is often overlooked by the average passerby.  Sandwiched between a nail/massage/tattoo parlor and the Sunoco on Hwy. 7, the brown paint and canary yellow awnings do little to attract attention.  Brinkley’s specializes in the all-too-familiar duo of Family Dining and Lounge/Pool Hall, but the exterior certainly doesn’t scream “family” or “safety.”   Two “park anywhere” lots (front and back) welcome all walks of vehicle life and their passengers.  In an attempt to attract more customers, neon signs crowd one window pleading with potential patrons, “We’re Open!”  Yes, even Brinkley’s has fallen victim to our battered economy.

If you happen to visit Brinkley’s in the near future, head to 7 Corners on Leesburg Pike, stay to your right, and slow down or you’ll certainly miss it.  Conveniently, the restaurant is open 24/7 to adapt to our never quit/no vacation DC lifestyles.

Rating: 1 Thurb

Food/Beverage: Tommy

After visiting Brinkley’s website, I was slightly worried about coming here the night before leaving for a business trip, and not because I thought that it would be so exciting that it would make the plane ride seem dull. As we pulled in to the parking lot, however, the black-stamped “Home Cooking” on the yellow awning eased some of this tension. Gibbons dragged his feet on the way in, but as soon as he saw that they served a few menu items that could not possibly be mangled too badly, he jumped right in, ordering a waffle and bacon (the same thing I would’ve gotten had I been 16 years younger).

The menu was set up to accommodate both young and old, with large pictures of the menu items. Everything from the 16oz. T-Bone steak to the platter of chicken “striplings” (don’t be fooled, they’re just strips/tenders) could be easily ordered by the number designated next to the entrée of choice, or by describing the picture you saw in the menu to the greeter/host/waiter/cook/maitre d’ (which was conveniently the same person). BP strayed from the norm, going with the pork chop, and upon its arrival, reaped the fruits of his wise choice. “Tastes like char!,” he exclaimed, which normally one would think would not be a good thing, but the bare bones 30 minutes later told a different story. Matt ordered the spicy omelette, sans meat. Although I have seen better omelettes, I have also seen far worse, and this one was resoundingly right in the middle on the “awesome omelette” spectrum. After this hearty meal, reminiscent of a late-night trip to a Waffle House, we made our way to the “lounge”, enjoying one of the many (3) domestic beers offered by the bar. While I have experienced both this type of food and this type of lounge better separately, never have I experienced them both together.

Rating: 2 Thurbs

Service/Cost: Matt

As far as I could tell, only two people were working at Brinkley’s on the night of our visit – one guy in the diner and one girl in the bar.  That in itself either means (1) these are the two most incredibly talented and efficient restaurant employees ever or (2) not very many people come here.  Without an employee to greet us at the door, we were left to welcome ourselves in and find a seat in the empty diner.  At this point, Brian rightly noticed a look on the face of the man behind the counter that seemed to say, “Ugh, now I have to do work.”  He approached our tables with a similar sentiment, wordlessly dropping menus in front of our group of five.

With a welcome like this, I was prepared for a night of absolutely awful customer service.  But, in Brinkleys’ defense, they really turner it around for the rest of our visit.  The waiter/cook took our orders and remembered all of it accurately without writing anything down (which admittedly is easier when there are only five orders in the whole restaurant to remember).  He brought out the food in a timely manner.  He agreed to split our checks, which scores major points in my book.  He even laughed at one of Gibbons’ jokes during checkout!

As far as the cost of a fine meal at Brinkley’s, it’s decently affordable for the diner food you are getting.  Not remarkably cheap, but also not ridiculously expensive.  Although there’s no telling where the prices will be for the next visit, as the handwritten adjustments on the menus seem to suggest an on-the-fly reaction to tough economic conditions.  Yesterday that omelette was $5.75.  Today it’s $6.20.  Tomorrow…$32.50.  Who knows?

Rating: 2 Thurbs

Ambiance/Entertainment: Mark

Imagine yourself continually adjusting your seating position to fit the one-piece laminated board which was artfully inspired by the '70's diner experience.  As you stare at the Sunbeam clock displaying the time quite accurately, you begin to notice that the yellow mustard clock face is similar in color to the bench you are sitting on - and really isn't that far displaced on the color spectrum from the wallpaper as well.  As you peer over your shoulder, you notice that the three chain-smoking patrons at the grill are dutifully obeying the two-seat-gap rule.  One is reading a book, another the paper, and the woman on the end of the line of stools is quietly pushing "the usual" around.  The plumes of smoke from both the guests and the grill are efficiently evacuated up, up and away by the exhaust fan.  Up…that's a good question.  Up is where the lounge is, and the lounge is a bar.  While there wasn't any lounging, there was the quintessential video poker machine at the bar and two standard pool tables being utilized by a few regulars.  Not so standard were the individuals playing chess and the recent high school graduate bartender.  If you find yourself doing a lot of imagining up to this point, you can stop now because you’re there.

While the upstairs hosts a karaoke night and DJ/dance events, the downstairs diner is not limited to times and performances which are inherent with bare entertainment.  The diner is restrained only by the number of dollar bills in your pocket.  The "Internet  Jukebox" boasts over 1000 songs, and our party only made its way through four or five.  Just as the tunes of Huey Lewis begin to wind down, the feeding frenzy is well beyond aborting to feed the box.  Subsequently, the Brinkley's vibe settled down to the hum of an overworked exhaust fan and quiet table conversation

Rating: 1.5 Thurbs

Overall Rating: 1.625 Thurbs

Guest of Honor Review: Andrew Gibbons

As I pulled into the parking lot, I knew that I was probably not going to be that blown away by Brinkley’s. The parking lot had no designated lines for parking, which I figured made sense, since everyone probably leaves as soon as possible when going there. As we walked into this restaurant, the same type that you would see on the 11 o'clock news because some woman gave birth to a baby in the back of a Chevy truck, I noticed two things that comforted me. A very nice jukebox that contained a million different songs and also a very nice looking waffle maker that looked clean enough for my standards. I knew then that those two things would be the very things that got me through my time at Brinkley’s.

After sitting down, I decided to bum a dollar off Tommy to pop into the Jukebox. I requested "Two Steps Behind" by Def Leppard (this song should have gotten more airplay in the 90s) and a live redention of "You Dont Know Me" by Ray Charles.

After ordering my Waffle, Bacon and Whole Milk, I felt like there wasn’t much that could go wrong there. The food started to come out, and it didn’t look bad. My waffle was crisp, like I like it, and my bacon looked good and tasted good as well. My milk was cold. The syrup supplied could have been better, but overall a good meal.

Week 1 Lottery Winner!

We have randomly drawn from the names entered. This week's "Guest of Honor".

We have reset the names for the lottery and you must enter your name again each week. No duplicate winners will be selected until everyone has had a turn. Enter your name anytime between Saturday and Thursday night. New posts will be published on Wednesdays and the weekly Guest of Honor winner will be selected each Friday.

Pistone's Italian Inn

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Obscurity/Location/Curb Appeal: Tommy
Depending on the direction you take when coming to Seven Corners on the southeastern side of Falls Church, you may think that this smallish, one-story building is either a) a piano bar, b) Pistone’s (pih-stone-ayz) Italian Inn (neon), c) Pistone’s Italian Inn with non-neon sign but added dumpster, or d) None of the above but white brick wall suitable for graffiti. If you chose any of these options, you’d be correct.

At the intersection of Hillwood Ave. and Frontage Rd. sits Pistone’s Italian Inn and Piano Bar, and while it sits in what one would think to be prime real estate at the tip of one of the seven corners, it actually seems to be anything but. Although Hillwood Ave. is a main street in the FC community, it is far less trafficked than its neighbor, Broad St. (Hwy 7). Entrance from Hillwood Ave. greets visitors with views of the dumpsters, discarded chairs, and Hwy 50. The curb appeal of Pistone’s is only appreciated with proper prior expectations. A four star establishment this is not, and the gravel parking lot will let you and your Lexus know it, Mr. (or Mrs.) Fancypants. Let the soft glow of the neon guide you here, but make sure you have a map to find the front door.
Rating: 3 Thurbs

Food/Beverage: Matt
As much as I wish our inaugural blog post could include a review of some laughably bad food, it just was not meant to be. Pistone's is actually pretty good...a little pricey (more on that in a different section) but good nonetheless. All the food seems pretty straightforward Italian and probably a little more authentic than your average meal at Olive Garden. Good bread to start us off, probably homemade or at least giving the illusion of being homemade. Matt ordered gnocchi. Mark ordered some kind of pasta with seafood all in it. Tommy and Brian ordered something with chicken. It all tasted good, and there was plenty of it. The only slight snag came from a few of the not-entirely-cleaned mussels in Mark's meal that seemed to still have substantial amounts of "mussel poop" on them. Mark seemed relatively unfazed, rationalizing the fact that mussels are "filter feeders" and just scraping them off with his knife and pressing forward.

Also we bought a bottle of wine that cost $38, which, in my limited understanding of wine, seems ridiculous for what we got. When I go to the grocery store to buy wine, I'm looking in the $8-$10 range - $15 if I'm feeling impulsive. So this seemed like a stretch to me. But, hey, it's not everyday we get to dine at Pistone's, so we might as well splurge a little.

One last food/bev related note. Probably my favorite moment of the night was overhearing what I assumed to be the owner or manager of Pistone's (Mr. Pistone? wearing warm-up pants and a sweater) speaking with a loud voice to a table of suited gentlemen near us, saying, "Do you want some salami? Ok we'll bring you some salami." For some reason, in the context of that empty old dining room, that was hilarious to me.

Rating: 3 Thurbs

Service/Cost: Mark
After circumventing the establishment aimlessly in search of a door, we happened upon the entrance where excited conversation could be heard from the bar in anticipation of the nights entertainment. Perhaps unprepared for the first dining guests of the evening, there was no one to greet the gang upon our grand entrance. Adjusting our coats to wick the remaining drops of rain, our eyes fell upon the large stack of menus and empty tables. After being seated by the suprised host, the waitress quickly welcomed us to the grand Pistone. The waitress was not the anticipated 43 year old caucasion but rather-well,if I were a betting man, I would say somewhere south of Russia and east of Iran. She was helpful when needed but didn't trek across the great expanse of tables any more than needed. While she did strike up a conversation with a fellow Pistone party of two, her conversation with the table was limited to water refills and checking IDs. I would give the overall customer service a "nothing to write home about".

Due to limited supply, our wine seleciton was not available and we were given the upgrade. On the one hand thanks, but at the end of the $29 a head bill, no thanks. The $13-18 entree price was reasonable, considering both the quantity and quality. I'd rank fair. All this being said, I dipped out before the bill came around. The value was unbeatable.

Items currently for sale on craigslist for $29:
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Rating: 2.5 Thurbs

Ambience/Entertainment: Brian
We rolled into Pistone’s parking lot around 7:30 greeted warmly by the hum of its neon sign and the remains of a ceiling fan that had seen better days. Obviously this wasn’t the front of the establishment. After finding the appropriate entrance, I was struck by the stark contrast between exterior and interior. Subtle track lighting, brick walls, and nightly specials written in neon marker beckoned us towards the hostess station. Our party was seated at a spacious, elevated booth, comfortably padded with room for accoutrements. The dining room was reminiscent of a converted Pizza Hut, but classier due to place settings and prints of impressionist paintings dotting the landscape. Some clichés adorned the walls of Pistone’s. Honorable mention: a cardboard standup of Humphrey Bogart in one corner and a sign designating “Parking for Italians Only.”

Pistone’s offers nightly entertainment including: singer/songwriter/cover artist, open mike night, and piano lounge with audience participation (think Mr. Smith’s with no audience). At first we only listened to the slightly loud, “unique” variety of XM soft rock. (Matt enjoyed identifying questionable songs with the Shazam application on his iphone). However, the Thurber boys were in for a treat Monday night. Shortly after being seated, our ears perked to the mellow tones of Mr. Tom Saputo wafting from the bar area. What’s that I hear Tom? You’re a Chris De Burgh fan? “Lady In Red” kicked off the setlist. Consistently flat notes and questionable song choices ignited the music critic in me, but the locals seemed to be enjoying themselves. Tom himself noted, “There appear to be people taking pictures tonight.” I’d be interested to return on an open mike evening to survey the local talent.
Rating: Ambience beats entertainment quality. Worth seeing in person for sure. 3 Thurbs.

Overall Rating: 2.875 Thurbs

Welcome to the new blog in town.

Welcome to our new blog to discuss all things Falls Church Dining…All things except restaurants that you've heard of. In the Thurber household, we have often discussed the fact that although there are many different restaurants in the greater FC area, we have probably only tried about 10% of them, due to either comfort level, proximity, or possibly their outside appearance. Falls Church also seems to have a particular abundance of these sorts of seemingly unnoticed, uninhabited or unappealing establishments scattered throughout its suburban streets. Well as you know, you can't judge a restaurant by its cover, and so we've decided to begin a gustatory journey through the highs and lows of Falls Church dining. We want to know what is behind the doors of these strange and mysterious places we so routinely pass right by in our daily business.

Rules are as follows: 1) The restaurant must not be well-known and it must NOT be a chain. 2) It must be in or very near FC proper. 3) It must have passed sanitation grading with an F+ or better. 4) There must be at least a possibility of it being really weird and/or really bad. We will break down the potential locations into different categories and rotate assignments each week. We will also begin a "guest of honor" program in which we invite a guest along for the ride of his or her night, provided they don't have other rides that night. Check back for more updates starting Wednesday, 4/22, including our first visit...the journey is already underway!