Week 6 Lottery Winner

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

If there is one thing we can learn from the lottery this week, it's this: Persistence Pays Off.

We have reset the names for the lottery and you must enter your name again each week. To enter, scroll to the bottom of this page and look for the Guest of Honor section. It's easy you should just take 5 seconds and do it RIGHT NOW! No duplicate winners will be selected until everyone has had a turn. Enter your name anytime between Saturday and Thursday night. Remember - Thurber Party of 4 "followers" will have their entries counted twice in the drawing. New posts will be published on Wednesdays and the weekly Guest of Honor winner will be selected each Friday.

Harvest Moon Buffet

View the entire photostream with comments here.

Also check out the Harvest Moon website.

Obscurity/Location/Curb Appeal: Brian

As with many of the eateries we’ve visited, Harvest Moon Buffet is located at the epicenter of Falls Church fine dining: Graham Road and Highway 50.  In all honesty, the Thurber House has been eyeing this restaurant since our first scouting venture, and the evening did not disappoint.  Located somewhat cattycorner to Las Americas and across from a new Giant Food, Harvest Moon appears to have been a constant of the Highway 50 landscape for some time.  At first glance, the aesthetic appeal of Harvest Moon left much to be desired.  However, the sheer size of the dark, brick building coupled with the hypnotic glow of an orange moon and matching 80’s font beckoned us into an already crowded parking lot. In fact, parking was our only obstacle of the night as we were forced to engineer a spot along the service road parallel to Hwy. 50.

I immediately felt at home upon our arrival as the Harvest Moon edifice reminded me of childhood visits to the Rol-A-Rink in High Point, NC.  Harvest Moon’s true curb appeal lies in it being one of the few stand-alone restaurants in the vicinity.  Additionally, any Chinese Buffet rivaling the size of Bowl America can’t help but draw customers.

Rating: 1.5 Thurbs

Food/Beverage: Tommy 

Driving down Annandale Rd. toward Route 50, we told Jacki, our guest of honor, the choice for the evening’s eatery. “Harvest Moon Buffet? Is that a buffet?! I love buffets!!” Like most restaurants with “buffet” in the name, Harvest Moon Buffet was just that. The selection was vast, with everything from standard fare like general tsao’s chicken and egg foo yong to more unconventional choices like “mystery white cube” which we finally had to ask the waitress about, as none of us were able to identify the substance. It had an unusual texture that Jacki accurately compared to biting into a rubber bouncy ball, but with the smell of cherry and the taste of none of the above.

The food, although plentiful, was nothing to write home about (save the “sugar balls” – balls of fried dough covered in sugar that were somewhat like a large donut hole). The stainless steel serving trays held the food just warm enough to ward off bacteria but not quite hot enough to provide hot menu items by the time you brought your plate back to your seat. Had the food been hotter, I would have given this a better rating. Also one may want to keep in mind that the food may have suffered slightly due to the fact that the staff had to keep a close eye on the wedding going on in the adjacent room, and clearly we were not the most important party in the restaurant (nor did we feel we should be). Because of the sheer number of menu items, I am not going to elaborate on what each person had; rather I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves. Mark got a plate of this, Brian got some of this, Matt enjoyed a heaping portion of these, I got a balanced plateful of all this, Jacket got a little of this and that. Overall, Harvest Moon Buffet offers standard Chinese cuisine with a few extras like individual servings of Hershey’s ice cream. But if you’ve had one Chinese buffet, you’ve had them all. Still waiting for some Chinese buffet to prove me wrong.

Rating: 1.5 Thurbs

Service/Cost: Matt

To accurately evaluate the service and cost of Harvest Moon, I am going to need to approach this in terms of three distinct reviews: 1) the waitress serving our table, 2) the numerous other hosts/managers buzzing around the restaurant, and of course, 3) the price of our meal.

1) Aside from the tuxedo-type outfit that she, along with all the other servers, was wearing, the waitress at our table really did not do much to impress.  She was a little bit difficult to understand, not because of a language barrier but more because of the speed and the brevity of her words.  She gave lots of one or two word comments, such as “Soup?” when we first arrived and the occasional “Okay?” or “Yes?” to make sure we were satisfied.  In fact, no one ever really asked us if we wanted to try the buffet (although I don’t know why anyone would ever choose anything different).  We were just sort of left to figure out on our own that we should walk right up and grab a plate.  All together, I think the waitress said about 35 words to us over the course of the night – and about half of them were used to describe the mysterious white substance on the dessert cart (almond Jell-O, thank you very much).  But she kept our plates cleared and our glasses full, and for that we can only be thankful.

2) In addition to the servers, there were a handful of other employees walking all around the restaurant that seemed to be in charge of the place in some way.  Each of these people were almost over-the-top friendly and accommodating to our group, especially considering the massive wedding that was happening concurrent with our visit.  They basically let us wander freely around the wedding reception and photography area and almost pushed us all the way in to join the celebration.  One of the restaurant hosts even offered to take our picture standing in the very backdrop used by the bride and groom for their own wedding photos!  I mean, these people were nice – especially considering the fact that we were basically dressed like bums compared to everyone else in the restaurants (even the children!).

3) And finally, the cost of our meal.  No matter how bad I thought the food was, there is no denying that the Harvest Moon buffet is a bargain at $8.95.  Truthfully, I would pay that much just for an all-you-eat buffet of Jell-O and those Chinese doughnut things.

Rating: 3 Thurbs

Ambiance/Entertainment: Mark

Live wedding singers are by far the best form of entertainment. Wedding singers are closely followed by the hypnotic allure of Chinese music (which the Shazam program on Matt’s iPhone amazingly recognized). Euphoria is experienced when these two come together as they do at Harvest Moon.  And just in case you want to remember forever the night you spent with 400 of your closest friends, a camera man is standing ready to take your picture in front of the Greek-inspired floral wedding backdrop.

You can feel the love spewing forth from the fountain of youth the moment you enter the restaurant. The floral print chairs and tired decor complement the projection equipment that, on this night, was reeling a looped wedding montage. Naturally, Christie (fiancée) and I asked them how often they had weddings and if there was any availability. With quite a large smile, the owner/receptionist informed us that they have weddings every weekend and they are booked through...well, not sure but they are effectively booked solid.  No surprise there.

Rating: 3.5 Thurbs

Harvest Moon Buffet

Overall Rating: 2.375 Thurbs

Guest of Honor Review: Jacki Waring

First, let me say that i waited (and whined) for weeks for the opportunity to join the Thurber gentlemen for dinner.  My instincts were right. This was to be a grand adventure. I could have never imagined that we would inadvertently crash an authentic Chinese wedding AND enjoy fine buffet style dining in one magical evening.

Before entering the doorway at Harvest Moon, there was some foreshadowing of what was to come; namely, the crazy, jam-packed parking situation and the ladies and gents entering the restaurant dressed to the nines (i'm talking floor length gowns and carnation boutonnieres). Sure enough, just inside the door was a wedding portrait of the lovely bride and her handsome groom. And in the very next room, there they were under the fake-flower-arch, posing for pictures with their wedding guests (think prom).

Still feeling pretty awestruck, we made our way to our table and were immediately served some yummy hot tea and some so-so soup ( and by so-so i mean just okay, that's not a type of Chinese soup). Since i prefer a little variety on my plate, Harvest Moon was the perfect place to satisfy my palette. My approach was to try a little of everything that looked appetizing. My one exception was the jiggly, milky white, jello-like substance, which did not look appetizing but had a certain intrigue.  I just had to try it (actually, i made Tommy try it first). It was unanimously agreed upon that the unidentified white substance was the same consistency as a rubber ball, once it's been cut apart- although it was not very bouncy. Overall, the food was decent, definitely a good bang for your buck. And of course the pinnacle of the meal was the sugar-covered doughnut balls. I think i had 5, maybe 6 of them. The live performance by the Chinese-wedding-girl-band, being streamed live on the three jumbo-tron screens really solidified the experience for me. Oh and yes, at one point during the meal i saw Brian with his entire torso dipped in the ice cream freezer, (another wonderful buffet option); and i said, in a guttural voice, remarkably similar to the Kool-Aid guy, "Oh Yeeeaaahh. I wonder what flavors they have." This phrase was to be repeated throughout the night.  Twas a truly magical evening, and i would go back, even just for the Chinese sugar-balls and the wedding crashing.

An inspirational fortune to send you away with…

Remember to enter your name in the Guest of Honor Lottery at the bottom of the page.  You could be next week's winner!

Week 5 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.To enter, scroll to the bottom of this page and look for the Guest of Honor section. No duplicate winners will be selected until everyone has had a turn. Enter your name anytime between Saturday and Thursday night. Remember - Thurber Party of 4 "followers" will have their entries counted twice in the drawing. New posts will be published on Wednesdays and the weekly Guest of Honor winner will be selected each Friday.

La Granja de Oro

View the entire photostream with comments here.

Also check out the La Granja de Oro website.

Obscurity/Location/Curb Appeal: Tommy

Driving down Annandale Road, you may be tempted to drive right past La Granja de Oro (LGdO) by the glitz and glitter from nearby Majestic Seafood. With my foot riding the brake like I was negotiating a turn in driver’s ed class, I pulled into the parking lot of LGdO. Lo and behold, the 2nd place winner of the “Who has the most neon lights on this block?” contest! What LGdO lacks in pure wattage, they more than make up for in the fact that their building was once a Pizza Hut. Some businesses might demolish that recognizable structure in favor of their own style, but LGdO said no. “Those aren’t pizza-shaped windows,” they said.  “Those are Machu Picchu shaped windows.” If you park in the right spot, you can actually view a full third of the menu in picture and Spanish format on a large board right outside the entrance. This is a great bonus for both the English and words impaired, giving the patron a small glimpse of the Peruvian delicacies (read: meat) that is to come. Keep your eyes on the golden prize, stay away from the glamour of Majestic, and an Incan treasure is yours to behold.

Rating: 2 Thurbs

Food/Beverage: Matt

La Granja de Oro serves Peruvian food.  If the Thurber Party and our special guests were dining in the ancient lost city of Machu Picchu, I would imagine the meal would be very similar to what we experienced at this restaurant.  Either that or something out of an Indiana Jones movie.  Actually, I have no idea what “authentic” or “good” Peruvian food is supposed to be.  But I can say for sure that our meal at La Granja was highly satisfactory.

Our dinner began with a pretty standard basket of dinner rolls, served with a fiery green sauce on the side.  Based just on its vibrant color and thickness, it would not be surprising to find out that this sauce came from the drain pipe of a nuclear waste facility.  However, based on taste, this was probably my favorite item from the entire meal – spicy, interesting, muy delicioso.

From there we moved on to our fine Peruvian entrees.  Tommy mildly enjoyed the “pollo en salsa de champignons” (trans: chicken in mushroom sauce).  They probably serve this same item in Italian restaurants and just call it a different name.  Brian liked the “tallarin saltado de carne” (trans: spaghetti with steak) but could not finish it all.  Preston, our out of town sub, dined on the “pollo saltado” (trans: jumping chicken?) and speculated that Peruvians must love their carbohydrates and starches, as each of our items was served with both rice and potatoes.  Our guest of honor was the star of the dinner as he feasted on a whole roasted chicken (to clarify, he ate the entire chicken by himself).  Sitting across from him as he tore through the entire thing, greasy hands and all, I can confidently say that this was probably as fun to watch as it was for him to eat.

You may be asking yourselves at this point, “I wonder what Matt the vegetarian ate at La Granja.”  Well, let’s just say this is not an accommodating place for vegetarians.  There was nothing on the menu that did not have meat in it.  I mean, literally nothing.  The soup of the day?  Beef soup.  Want some avocado?  Let us stuff it full of chicken first.  The only meatless items in the entire restaurant were the free salad bar and a few things on the kids’ menu.  So I sucked it up and ordered “pescado a la chorrilana,” i.e. fish.  It was pretty good and authentically Peruvian (or so I would guess).

Rating: 2.5 Thurbs

Service/Cost: Preston (out-of-town guest substitute for Mark)

First of all I would like to thank the guys of Thurber Court for including me in this outstanding event.   I know that I am not your beloved fourth roommate, but nonetheless ya’ll welcomed me in with open arms and for that I am honored.   With that being said let’s move onto the fun stuff - the actual dining experience.

Javier, our waiter for the evening, was quick to greet our table and welcomed us to La Granja de Oro.  He was a nice fella who kept us afloat with water all night.  After searching the menu for ages due to the copious amounts of detailed, descriptive entrees, we each settled on different selections.  Javier was kind when answering questions and steered us in the right direction with our choices.   Sure enough, right after we ordered our food it arrived for us within minutes.  Throughout the evening, Javier and his staff were good and treated us as regulars in this clearly popular location.  Although, when asked if we could play the drums, Javier responded with “Well…umm…the noise might make the others leave…I don’t want that”.  He was clearly in pure and utter disbelief that this group of five gentlemen would ask such a unique question.   All in all, I would give the service a good review and commend Javier on keeping us satisfied and stuffed.

When it comes to cost, this restaurant definitely affirms the statement that you cannot judge a book by its cover.  The outside of this place did not lead us to believe that we were entering the land of $14-$20 entrees. The price was expensive for such a place, however we each were overwhelmed with the plentiful amount of food. All in all this was a great evening and I thank the guys for including me.  Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to win the coveted lottery and be brought back again.  Until then my fingers are crossed and my prayers are en route.

Rating: 3 Thurbs

Ambiance/Entertainment: Brian

Although lacking the lighted palm trees of its flashy neighboring restaurant “Majestic,” La Granja De Oro is not to be outdone.  Unlike Pistone’s Italian Inn, La Granja actually is a converted Pizza Hut complete with illuminated flag pole out front.  Seemingly cheesy at first glance, La Granja’s ambience succeeds by narrating the story of Peru old and new.  Once inside, patrons are immediately transported to the lush hills of Machu Picchu, as painted scenes of Incan civilization adorn the walls.  Each table was neatly set and draped in traditional Peruvian woven cloths.  A fully stocked, elaborate, rather underutilized bar sat opposite the salad bar.  As the meals began to arrive, we noticed identical “golden” idols at each of the tables.  We didn’t verify it with our waiter Javier, but I’m pretty sure those idols were placed there to guard against food poisoning and slow service.

La Granja’s entertainment left something to be desired, but only because we came on the wrong night.  Hispanic music of some nature droned lightly in the background throughout the evening, but the real attention getters were the 6-piece drum kit, congas, and enough speakers to rival a Kiss concert.  To accompany these wonders were multiple tracks of stage lighting, a disco ball, and a neon star affixed to the ceiling above the dance floor.  I could envision the local Hispanic community lining up to enjoy an evening of salsa/meringue/whatever dancing as Latin American grooves fill the air and beats meant for hand drums are pounded out on the Yamaha set.  Perhaps we can return on a weekend and get a true sampling of Peruvian culture.  From the looks of it, I imagine La Granja de Oro sees more action on the weekends than the Pizza Hut ever did.

Rating: 2 Thurbs (only because they wouldn’t let Nathan play drums and there was no dancing) 

Guest of Honor Review: Nathan Mitchell

I don’t think any place Thurber Party of 4 goes to would be complete without a neon sign that’s missing some crucial letters: the sign read “LA GRANJA DE  RO.”  And since the translated name of the restaurant is “The Farm of Gold,” I will translate the neon sign as “The Farm of Old.” Mmm...reminds me of growing up in the fields of Peru, feeding the llamas, fighting the conquistadors...anyway as we walked up, everybody started getting this familiar vibe, which we all immediately recognized was because this place DEFINITELY used to be a pizza hut.  No question.  I mean it was a Pizza Hut.

When we got in it was wayyy nicer than we expected.  It was like a legit sit-down restaurant!  I believe I will be quoted as saying that La Granja would be an interesting place to bring a girl and see how she reacts, and judge all future interactions with her based on how she takes to the idol above our table, or the weird/nice stage lighting.  There was also a stage with drums and congas...and there was a relatively advanced sound system with PA speakers in every corner and subwoofers and all that...which led us all to the conclusion that this place throws down on the weekends...which was kinda hard to imagine because it was so...like...NICE.  When we saw the menu, it said, “FINE PERUVIAN CUISINE” which is great because Peruvians do a mean chicken.  So I opted for the curiously-less-expensive-than-everything-else Pollo Entero, aka an entire rotisserie chicken plus yuca, which proved to be an excellent decision!  Everybody’s meal was pretty good, and it freakin better have been, as every one of us threw in a $20 bill. Even though it was a pretty chilled out vibe, and even though I didn’t get to play the drums, and even though as we were leaving I noticed that there were pictures of llamas like seriously everywhere, we all had a pretty good time, and I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life.

Rating: 3 Thurbs

La Granja de Oro

Overall Rating: 2.5 Thurbs