Etrusco Trattoria - 1606 20th St. NW, Washington, DC
This unassuming Italian restaurant is located near Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. We arrived a little before 6 for dinner, having seen it on a list of nearby restaurants from the Fairmont Hotel. Only one other party was in the dining area, and a few were at the small, dim bar. The ambiance was very nice, with mute lights on the walls, and either a small lamp or beautiful flowers on the table. There is a wide variety of pastas and meat dishes available. I ordered the Penne all’Arrabiata. Dad ordered a pasta with a mozzarella and tomato sauce and a side campo salad, and Mom ordered the Pork Chop. The bread came eventually, though not as soon as one may have hoped. And either way, it was not warm, and very crusty, with little substance in the middle. If you like that kind of bread, then this is for you, but I prefer soft, doughy bread. Dad received his salad soon after, which was as the description has said, field greens with a lemon and olive oil dressing. Weeds for $6.95, seems a little steep to me, but he seemed to enjoy it. Our dinners took a while to come, but once they did, it has been worth the wait. All of the dishes were piping hot. Mine was deliciously spicy. Mom’s pork chop was done to perfection and was deliciously tender. The portions also seemed to be reasonable, neither to small nor too large (though the pork chop was a little large, but the bone was in, so it was hard to judge size). Our entrees ranged from $15.95 to $19.95. The price for the amount of food seemed a little steep, but it was well worth the walk, wait and price.

Chevy’s - 3052 Gatehouse Plaza, Falls Church, Virginia
We went to a Chevy’s outside of Washington D.C. We just happened to wander across it, and everyone thought it sounded good. If you want small servings and traditional Tex-Mex, don’t come here. Your meal begins with an abnormal salsa: there’s not a speck of red in it. I loved it; it reminded me of a chutney that we would get at an indian restaurant. The salsa was somewhat spicy, and the chips were light and crisp. Because we said we had never been to a Chevy’s before, they sat us next to the tortilla maker. It was running through most of the meal, and though it didn’t appear to work very well, it was fun to watch. I got the Chevy’s burrito with chicken, which came with a side order of black beans, rice, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and a sweet corn tomalito. I asked for the sour cream and guacamole on the side, and no cheese on top of my burrito. I didn’t receive any sour cream or guacamole (which was fine with me, I don’t like them that much anyway) and no cheese on or in my burrito (which was also fine with me, though was not what I had ordered). The plates were huge, and the portions just as generous, even without the guacamole and sour cream. The rice was not what I was used to getting at other Mexican restaurants: something with a red tint. Again, not red, but it was okay, though not my favorite. I really liked the black beans; as the menu promised, I could taste the nuances of bacon. The pico de gallo was spicy, just the way it should be, though I would have hoped for more onions and less tomatoes. The burrito sauce was good (I love red sauces), the chicken inside was spicy, and the refried beans also in it added necessary moisture without any cheese. It was a huge burrito, though, and I did not finish it, but certainly not because it was not good. My favorite part of the meal was the sweet corn tomalito. It’s a little yellow ball, which I can best describe as a sweet, wet cornbread with corn kernels. It was delicious, and I ate it as my dessert. My dad ordered a two item combination with refried beans, and ate everything, but only labels it as “okay” (He prefers our local Mexican restaurant in Blacksburg, Virginia, Cinco de Mayo). My mother ordered a taco salad, which was huge, and she barely made a dent in it. She liked it, but said she preferred Don Pablo’s more for a similar cuisine. It was an overall good experience, though, and good quality for the cost of the dishes, most priced from $9 to $15.

Potbelly Sandwich Works - 726 7th Street, N.W., Washington, DC
It was raining, and I was hungry. We found ourselves on the outer edges of Chinatown, and we just started to wander. We quickly came across a Legal Seafood and a Ruby Tuesday, but I passed up these familiars to try something new for lunch. Potbelly is a sandwich shop much like a Quizno’s, when the sandwiches are heated on a conveyer. The line was long, but it seemed to be moving quickly, so we took our place at the end. Our order was shouted to the sandwich maker over the heads of the people in front of us, which seemed rather strange. I ordered a turkey sandwich on wheat, with no cheese. It seemed simple enough to me. When I got the the other side of the heater, when a person puts toppings of the sandwich, mine was nowhere to be found. So they wrote down the order on a paper bag, including my toppings, and told us to go pay, it would be up shortly. My mother’s sandwich was also missing, though my did made it through quickly with his ordered sandwich in-hand. No one else seemed to be having the same trouble as my mother and me. My mother’s sandwich came up next, though it was on the wrong bread. My sandwich was apparently impossible to make. A woman had to come ask her for a second time what I had ordered. It took over five minutes to get my sandwich. I am assuming that did not happen often, because the woman offered us something to makeup for our wait, so I took a strawberry yogurt smoothie. My sandwich was great, once it had finally come. The smoothie way thick and delicious, though a little more yogurty that I tend to prefer. I nice touch was a little flower butter cookie placed over the straw, which really added something to the whole experience. Though I would probably pick a Quizno’s next time, this was a fun, economical (The sandwiches were only $4), though comparatively timely, experiment.

bd’s Mongolian Barbecue - 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland
I stumbled across this while looking on the internet for places to eat near Washington. Once I had read the description, a create-your-own-stir-fry, it occurred to me I had been to a place this like before: Fire and Ice in Boston. At the time, I hated it, but that was because I was 10 and only ate chicken fingers and spaghetti from the kid’s menu. Nothing like that can be found here. I spent the entire trip looking forward to our dining experience at bd’s. It was easy to find in pretty downtown Bethesda. We went in, and the first thing you are confronted with is the noise. This place is clamorous and rowdy. There is a gong that is periodically rung, to top it all off. We started out meal at the soup and salad bar; it was okay, but nothing spectacular. The amazing part was creating your own stir-fry. They had a separate stir-fry bar, with everything you could imagine. You take a bowl and begin your journey down the bar. Most people start with pasta, either spaghetti or corkscrew. Then there’s the meat, which can be skipped if you’re vegetarian (there’s tofu further down). They have chicken, different types of beef, shrimp, salmon, scallops, even calimari. Then you load the bowl with vegetables and other additions: peppers, corn, broccoli, pineapple, bean sprouts, pea pods, onion; just add whatever your heart desires, it will all taste good in the end. Then comes the hard part: choosing the sauce and spices. They have some pre-made sauces and some recipes for flavors such as asian, mongolian, fajitas, barbecue, italian, and cajun. They tell you how much to add of what oil, sauce, and spice. Once you have topped your bowl, you head to the cooking area, which is a giant U-shapped bar, with a massive flat stove in the middle. There is where the wait can get a little long, especially if there is a long line waiting. Your bowl of food is poured on a straight line onto the round cooker. Men (and I suppose women could, too, though I saw none) move around the stove with giant sticks, continually mixing your serving to keep it cooking but not burning. It’s hard to explain, so I guess you’ll have to try it. Once it is one, it is scooped onto a plate, and you are sent back to your table, where you find tortillas and rice. I tried a mongolian-flavored stir-fry. It was delicious. I had put a lot in my bowl, so one trip was enough for me, but I wished I had done a smaller serving so I could have gone back a second time to try another flavor. I liked my mom’s combination (she chose not to use a recipe, though it was part-Asian). I didn’t like my dad’s barbecue (meaning it was only good, not as awesome as mine), but his fajita-flavored one really tasted like fajitas, even with the addition of teriyaki sauce. This was an incredible experience, and I would love to go back, but alas, there are only 23 in the country, not one remotely near me. Oh well. If you get the chance, this is a must!

Chicken Out Rotisserie - 1202 West Broad Street, Falls Church, Virginia
I love Boston Market. There aren’t any where I live, though. So when I go anywhere, I always plan a Boston Market stop. But in the Washington D.C. area, I found something that sounded even better: Chicken Out Rotisserie. I had surveyed the menu online ahead of time, and decided it sounded delicious. The atmosphere when we entered the restaurant was unexpected: It was fast food with flair. The tables were a shiny wood, the chairs were iron, cushioned and comfortable. We ordered our food (which was presented in a display case), paid, and took a seat at a table. Our food was brought to us just a minute later, complete with real silverware. I ordered the quarter chicken, stuffing, and mashed sweet potatoes. The chicken was good, but not the best I had ever had. The sides were the lucious part. The stuffing was warm and moist, topped with just the right amount of gravy. The mashed sweet potatoes, while stringy, had the perfect flavoring and consistency. My mom got the cranberry sauce, of which I partook of to moisten the not-quite-moist-enough chicken. Their sandwiches also came with an orzo salad, which was also very good. Though Boston Market chicken is better, the sides, with their variety, take the cake. Speaking of cake, while we were there, a 6-layer chocolate cake was being sliced. I cannot imagine how good it looked. The very nice server tried to convince us to buy a piece, but we pertinaciously said no. But by the end of the meal, I had given in. I was too full from the sapid meal, so we brought it home. Though it melted some on the five hour ride home, when we had it for dinner, it was still moist, delectable, and wonderful. The perfect end to a great vacation.

Bertucci’s - 1218-1220 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Dupont Circle, Washington, DC
My feet were cold, my socks soaked, my arm drenched, and I needed some good food. My family and I walked 6 blocks through the pouring rain in Washington, D.C. to get to this restaurant. I used to go to a Bertucci’s in Nashua, New Hampshire, and didn’t have the fondest memories of it. But that was because I was 10 and only ate chicken fingers or spaghetti from the kid’s menu. Now at 16, I was willing to try many more kinds of foods. To my dismay, there were only two things that looked interesting or appealing: the pomodoro pasta, and the pork chops. The chicken didn’t even sound appetizing. I didn’t feel like working around the born in a chop, so I stuck with the pomodoro. My parents ordered their usual from long ago: Chicken and Tortellini. The bread came out quickly and was delicious and doughy, just the right amount of a fine, thin crust. It was served with a flavored olive oil, which I thought was great. I ordered the minestrone soup to go with my meal, to warm up my freezing feet. The soup was warm, but not the best minestrone I have ever had. Actually, I have had three, and this ranks third; Progresso Soup and Olive Garden Minestrone both exceed the Bertucci Minestrone. It was not a simple broth, which I tend to not like. There was also cheese in it, which seemed about the consistency of Kraft Parmesan Cheese (little granules). This was rather unappealing. The pasta came, and it was good and warm, and of course, there was too much of it. It was good enough, though, that I took it home. Both my parents liked their dish, though my dad didn’t like the way the chicken was prepared, which was different than he remembered it. He didn’t eat the chicken. To see my dad leave food on his plate was a shock. To sum up, I looked longingly at the Fuddruckers through Bertucci’s window for the entire meal, and even after I was done.
**UPDATE: As I said, I took the remainder of my pasta home. It was delicious (cold; I love cold food)

Shakers - 1 East Main Street, Christiansburg, Virginia
Shakers is a local chain in western Virginia. We first ate there when they opened their third restaurant in Christiansburg, Virginia. The outside is a little ugly, with strange copper awnings, placed at different heights around the exterior. The inside is beautiful, though. The ceilings are high, and the tables are amazing, polished butcher blocks. The booths are oversized and very comfortable. The only problem we tend to encounter inside is with smoke; the bar is in the middle of the restaurant, with nothing separating it from the “nonsmoking” section. We always ask to be seated on the very outer edge, and usually have minimal problems there. The menu has a large selection of appetizers, dinner salads, chicken dinners, steak dinner, sandwiches and burgers, even fish and ribs. Our meal starts with with a warm loaf of bread, very much like that of the bread at Outback Steakhouse. I find it very good, but the server shoves the knife into the end of the loaf, compressing much of the precious bread inside the soft crust. I typically get either the Oriental Chicken Stir-fry or the Polynesian Chicken. The chicken is usually fairly low quality, but the dishes have so much flavor and other accompaniments that it doesn’t matter that much. My dad almost always orders the Taco Salad. The shell is very greasy, but it is still good, and the salad inside is delicious. My mom switches between the Southern Fried Salad and Oriental Chicken Salad. She likes them well enough, but Shakers is not one of her first choices for a meal in the Christiansburg area. My father and I both enjoy Shakers, though.

Shakers - 1 East Main Street, Christiansburg, Virginia
The day was hot and humid, so we wanted out of our house. We decided a pleasantly air conditioned restaurant would be the perfect place for dinner. Instead, we ended up at freezing Shakers. It was just too cold. This experience was a little abnormal for Shakers: the food was not up to snuff. The bread, oddly enough, was better than normal. Usually, when cutting into it, it would be squished, no matter how skilled the cutter. But the bread was denser this time, and it was very good. I ordered the Polynesian Chicken with a sides of a baked potato and tavern rice. The chicken was of poorer quality than normal. The tavern rice seemed both burned and uncooked at the same time, and I deemed it inedible (I rarely leave food uneaten). My mom also felt her chicken was sub-average in quality. The “crispy” chow mien noodles atop her salad were anything but; I enjoyed playing with them, as they bent like Wiki Sticks. My baked potato was cooked to perfection, though, better than any restaurant baked potato I can remember. My dad’s taco salad was fine, and amazing detail in appearance was paid to my mom’s salad, with dressing drizzled in a star burst shape around the edge of the plate, decorated with sesame seeds (My mother had asked for extra sesame seeds). I rarely find that much attention paid to detail at chain restaurants. Though only a few things were wrong, having anything at all wrong at Shakers is strange. It might be a while before I return to Shakers, though.

Olive Garden - 1925 Valley View Boulevard N.W., Roanoke, Virginia
Olive Garden has excellent food for a chain restaurant. I often would pick Olive Garden over some of the local Italian restaurant, due to better selection and better food. The wait at the Roanoke location can often be long, even at 4:30 on a Saturday, but with the mall within walking distance, the wait is fast-passing and worthwhile. Both the tables and booths are comfortable. You are soon met by your waiter, who quickly takes your drink order. The menu has an excellent selection of chicken, meat, seafood, and pasta dishes. Even if they don’t have quite what you want, the chef is happy to make a change just for you. Once you order, bread is brought to the table, along with either a communal table salad or soup. The bread is a plain, white breadstick with delicious flavoring on top. I like both the salad (watch out for the hot peppers) and the Minestrone Soup. I usually get the Chicken Giardino for dinner, which has a delicious sauce and lots of veggies. Unlike other restaurants, I find that Olive Garden consistently has high-quality and well-cooked chicken. My water glass is always kept full and the meal is very rarely disappointing. The only set back is that I have not found a dessert that I like at Olive Garden. Most restaurants have something chocolate-y on which I can indulge, but I like neither the Chocolate Lasagna nor the Black Tie Moose Cake. My parents have much different opinion, though. I love Olive Garden, and will continue to dine there.
Dishes:

• Chicken Giardino - The sauce is delicious and creamy, but not too heavy. There are a lot of veggies, and they are usually good quality. The chicken is always very good, and it is piping hot, so have no worry of cold food.
  
• Chicken Alfredo - I prefer my mother’s alfredo sauce, but if I had to have another kind, this would be it. It is very heavy, but very good. A suggestion: add steamed broccoli to it. They charge more, but it is worth it.
  
• Minestrone Soup - Very good, lots of veggies and beans and noodles, and the broth isn’t to salty.
  

• BBQ Chicken - The chicken isn’t any good, and the barbecue sauce iss some of the worst I have ever had.
  
• Grilled Pork Chop - With one chop, this is the perfect amount of meat. It is juicy and tender, though the sauce is a little strange, but it is served on the side.
  
• Chicken Tenders - Not the typical type of fried, but still good. There is much more fried parts than chicken. They lose their crispiness fast, though.
  
• Baked Beans - Good flavoring, better than be barbecue sauce. The only problem is there are little hard flecks of something in it (bacon, I assume), which ruin the texture of the soft beans.
  
• Sweet Potato - It is always soft, tender, and delicious
  
• Chicken Caesar Salad - Very good. The chicken was very tender and juicy, and was also good quality. The only problem was that it came without crutons. A plate of lettuce and chicken doesn’t look very appealing. I had to ask, and they brought some for me (fresh out of the oven). The crutons were hot and buttery.
  

• Pulled Pork Barbecue - A little chunkier and and not as smooth as I like my barbecue, but it has a good flavor.
  
• Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap - This wrap, while usually fully loaded at cheap fast food places, is usually skimpy with the lettuce, making this more of a wrap (just a plain one, not even flavored) with a little something in it, rather than a salad in a little bread.
  
• Pork Chop with Apple Chutney - The chop was tasty enough, but it was huge, and still had the bone. The chutney was delicious, and this is a great dish if you have a big appetite.
  
• The Hogan - This is a good quesadilla, with lots of melted cheese. It probably could have had a little more chicken.
  It is a great combination of flavors with cheese and barbecue sauce.
  
  

• Stromboli - Much like a calzone, this individual pizza is wrapped in dough with the choice of three toppings. The regular is very filling; don’t even try to tackle a large. It is served with sauce on the side, because there is none inside. I ask for an extra side of sauce, because one little container is not enough. This is very good, though.
  
• Spagadi - This regular is bigger than the plate: don’t worry about not having enough to eat. Even my dad couldn’t finish it. This is delicious. It is a crust, stuffed with pasta, cheese, and some sauce. One drawback I found was that the sauce and cheese was not evenly distributed inside the dish. A large side of sauce accompanied the dish, though, so it wasn’t a huge issue. This is very yummy.
  
• Deep Dish Merger Pizza - This pizza is incredible. The crust is huge and thick. It is piled high with toppings and is delicious. This takes extra time to prepare (over 30 minutes), so order a side salad.
  
• Side Salads - Though I suggest ordering them, the vegetables are of fairly low quality.
  
• Salsiccio Riso - This is a huge tomato and rice dish. I ask for it without the sausage, but I feel it doesn’t take anything away. The shrimp isn’t very good quality, but I eat those quickly so I’m left with only the delicious rice. It is a very heavy rice with a spicy tomato sauce drenching it. Again, I have trouble finishing one of these in a single sitting, but the leftovers are just as good.
  
  

• Super Burrito - This is a huge burrito, filled with soft vegetables and a meat of your choice. The red sauce on top is delicious. It comes with a lot of extras, but I keep it simple with the rice, lettuce, and pico de gallo. The only drawback is that it is swimming in grease.
  
• Sincronazada - This is a chicken and cheese mixture inside of two tortillas. Sometimes there are large bits of vegetables inside, sometimes little chunks, sometimes none. It also comes with jalapenos, but I always order it without that. This also comes with a side, and a lot of extras, but I like it when it is just topped with lettuce. This is very good.
  
• Fajita Quesadilla - This is not like a quesadilla that you would get at a Tex-Mex restaurant. It is stuffed with vegetables, chicken, cheese, and grease. Sometimes the dish is fine, but other times I find it too greasy to even pick up to eat (I’m not sure cutting this dish would work). It is good, but I have stopped ordering it because it is so unpredictable.
  
• Chicken Fajitas - This is a huge platter of food. The sizzling plate is piled high with chicken, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. The onions are incredibly sweet, and I can’t stop eating them. It is served with a big bowl of refried beans, all the fixings, and tortillas. It is very good, but a lot of food.
  
• Mexican Rice - This can sometimes be very good, but it often hard or swimming in grease. I recommend the
  
• Refried Beans - There are great. Warning: you may need a GasX after this meal (highly recommended for all bean meals).
  
• Burritos Deluxe - I always get two chicken and beans. It’s weird not having any sides served with this dish, only two burritos topped with lettuce, but it is enough food, and very good.
  
  

• Havana Chicken - I really enjoy this dish. The rice pilaf is very good, the black beans are tastefully seasoned, the vegetables are softly sautéed and of good quality. The only problem with this chicken dish is the chicken. The chicken is dry, bland, and poor quality. I just simply remove it, eat some of the better parts, and leave the rest. The remaining food is more than enough to fill me up.
  

• Caribbean Way - I like ice-based smoothies a little more than juice-based smoothies, but this was just the right amount of creamy. It had a good taste, and the banana was not overpowering.
  
• Mango Madness - This was more watery than most smoothies I have had. The orange juice was a very overpowering flavor. The biggest problem was that it was pulpy and stringy; in a smoothie, I want smoothness. I would not be getting this again.
  

• Strawberry Xtreme - More like Xtremely strawberry-deprived. The taste of banana was overpowering. I chose not to consume it, and passed it along to my dad, who said he could not taste the strawberry at all.
  
  

• Peach - I wanted strawberry, but they were out of the flavor. So I had the peach. It was very sweet, but good. This was an ice-based smoothie, which are my favorite kind. And for once, the serving size was reasonable, and not more akin to a meal replacement. I really enjoyed it on the hot summer day.
  

• Southwestern Taco Salad: This can we topped with chicken or chili: I always pick the chili. I feel a taco salad is weird without beans. With a choice of picante (salsa) or dressing, I opt for the more Mexican picante. I also hold the sour cream, guacamole, and olives. The remainder of the salad is delicious. As soon as it comes, I like to mix the greens and vegetables inside of the taco shell so everything gets coated. This taco shell isn’t overly greasy, and is delicious to eat, especially if it has absorbed some of the chili juice. I’m not sure who would need tortilla chips on the side, so I just pass those to my dad. Isn’t a taco shell just a huge tortilla chip?