Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Just in time for Thanksgiving- FW&D's Restaurant Review!

If you like traditional Salvadoran food, Restaurante Abi Aztec Grill & Bar is a local restaurant on Columbia Pike that is sure to give you just what you are looking for. No reservations, no ties; you can watch the game, and it is open seven days a week, even offering discounts to Military Personnel 11-2 Monday thru Friday. The food is good, from time-honored Salvadoran and Mexican recipes, and quite easy on the wallet for such savory fare. Opened in 1986, and named after the wife of the owner, nicknamed “Doña Abi”. She began taking orders and making pupusas from her Arlington home. The rest, as they say is history. We were given the tip to try this restaurant by one of our clients.


The restaurant is located on Columbia Pike near the Cinema and Drafthouse. The entrance faces the drive-thru of McDonalds, not the street, so be careful of your directions. Their hours of Operation are Monday – Thursday from 11:00 am - 10:00 pm; Friday from 11:00 am – Midnight; Saturday from 10:00 am – Midnight; and Sunday from 10:00 am - 10:00 pm. Nachos and salsa are ready as you are seated.


FW&D started with platanos fritos, served with Abi beans and sour cream. The combination was subtle, but well meshed. The beans were well cooked, with just the right amount of garlic, and salt. The consistency of the beans, sour cream, and fried plantains altogether is a real treat, and highly recommended if you are unsure about an appetizer.


The sampler plate, one of the “Abi Especiales” has more than enough flavor for a discerning palate, and more than enough food to please. This sampler comes with a pupusa (a flour tortilla, stuffed with your choice of pork, cheese, beans, loroco, or all of them), nachos with cheese, shredded cabbage and carrots with a soft lemon under-flavor, rolled crisp tacos with minced meat and vegetables, and a quesadillas. This is a great platter for watching the game on their multiple televisions.


There were at least 40 items to choose from for the main courses, steak, chicken, pork, shrimp, scallops, and other more exotic meats to savor. FW&D kept it relatively conservative with the dinner order, and we were not disappointed with any of the dishes chosen. For those who care to try, there is green hot sauce that is worth trying. It has a definite kick, but not for the extreme spice-lover.


The first plate to arrive was the Arroz con Pollo, a garlic and white wine chicken and rice plate. The chicken was tender and juicy, and all the vegetables were fresh. The white wine sauce did not overpower the dish, but added a subtle flip to the flavoring.


Fajitas del Mar is a classic, succulent dish of sautéed tail on shrimp and scallops in a garlic sauce. They serve them piping hot and on a bed of sliced green peppers and onions with flour tortillas for serving. You may not even use the tortillas.


The New York steak (cooked to order) with shrimp and scallops, called Especial de la Abuela was flavorful. The shrimp and scallops had a smooth sauce, almost creamy, with sliced peppers, onions, and white rice with vegetables that were well prepared and nicely combined.


Any New York steak lover is going to appreciate the Carne Asada, cooked to order. Carne asada can be prepared with a marinade, but this one was not. It was served with chimol, a fresh salsa made with lemon juice and diced vegetables such as cilantro, radish, and onion. Served with tortillas, Abi beans, and rice, this dish is simply prepared and quite delicious.


For dessert, we chose to order Nuegados, which is fried yucca (cassava). It is a typical Salvadoran treat made the traditional way. The root itself is not sweet, but the honey drizzled on top makes up for that. They are quite tasty.


The staff gave impeccable service, with wonderful attitudes. They were more than happy to answer questions and were more than accommodating. For the size of the meal, we were pleased overall with the service, atmosphere, the food, and pleasantly surprised with the price. When you are ready to try Salvadoran for the first time, or already know, and need dynamic Salvadoran for a snack or a meal, FW&D is here to tell ya, this is the place to go.




This blog article is from FW&D
We do Kitchen RemodelingBathroomsRoofing, and more.
Click here to visit our site and learn more about us! 
Or call us at 703-933-8900.


Thursday, November 11, 2010

11//11/2010 Veteran's Day at FW&D

Yes, we are here at work. We started the day hoisting a flag at the home office. FW&D crews are out working on projects in Potomac Falls, Arlington, and Fairlington (we have a couple projects going on in Fairlington) and elsewhere in Northern Virginia.



Roofing, bathroom remodeling, painting, rotten wood replacement, and the office is of course open and setting appointments.




This blog article is from FW&D
We do Kitchen RemodelingBathroomsRoofing, and more.
Click here to visit our site and learn more about us! 
Or call us at 703-933-8900.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

FW&D in DC Examiner Article about Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization ( also known as SEO) is a necessity for any artist with a website. Read more here...

Monday, November 8, 2010

Storm Doors and Buildouts

For those of you who don’t know, a build out must be done to accommodate doors that don’t fit in the original shape or size of the frame. FW&D went to Springfield to do just that. The original frame of the door was not the correct size to add the Storm Door that the client wanted.
Once the project was completed, the clients were quite pleased with the results. Their ProVia Model 397 Full View Storm Door was completed with a Townsend Satin Nickel Handle.
The clients also had other doors installed during this project, and had this to say- We will pass your name along as often as possible!  When we have future projects, there is no one else we would contact other than you!”

We here at FW&D thank Ms. Schellin for both her for her business and kind words. They truly mean a lot.



This blog article is from FW&D
We do Kitchen RemodelingBathroomsRoofing, and more.
Click here to visit our site and learn more about us! 
Or call us at 703-933-8900.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

November Restaurant Review

Are you looking for a dining experience that is nearby, but will make you feel like you’ve been to the other side of the world? Don’t worry, FW&D found it! Just off the corner of King Street and South Peyton in Alexandria. The name is just as fitting as it can be- Casablanca.
When you walk in, the foyer is inviting, and makes you curious about the actual dining area. You can be sure it will not disappoint. The colors, the patterns, and the lighting- the entire restaurant décor will take your breath away. Rather than sit in the center of the restaurant where we would be better able to see the Belly Dancer (which they have every night), we chose to sit in one of the booths near the wall. You can really enjoy the view of the restaurant. The couches (called divans) were comfortable with striking upholstery and pillows, and round metal tables from which to eat. Be careful though, the tables are knee-high, and cause bruises.

At the beginning of the meal, we were brought a washing basin and, one by one, we washed our hands in the water poured from the pitcher. Our server was extremely pleasant and funny as he handed each of us a towel for both drying and to use during the meal.

He soon brought us the first dish in our feast. Each dish would be served family style on the round metal table, with one plate holding the servings for the four of us to share. It’s hard to believe we didn’t get the largest meal on the menu, as hungry as we all professed to be, but there was still more than enough food and variety of flavors for us to take on, starting with the salads. There were four!
The green bean salad was the favorite, shared on the serving platter by the cucumber, eggplant, and carrot salads, with homemade serving bread (in Moroccan tradition, you eat with your right thumb and first two fingers). We enjoyed every bite. The Green bean salad was, as we said, the best, but the cucumber salad was crisp and light, the eggplant salad was rich, but not overbearing, and the carrot salad had a hint of curry that was a very nice touch.

Did I mention the homemade bread was wonderful? When you bit into it, there was a tiny bit of magic. No butter or additional spice, just a pleasant aromatic flavor. That was a good thing, considering we were using the bread as our eating utensils (they did have forks for us, but we were attempting full immersion into the traditional eating method).

On to the next truly exotic course, Bastilla. When I read the item on the menu it sounded promising. Well, I’m here to tell ya folks. It delivers. It was sweet, spicy, rich, but strange in a wonderfully flavorful way. Tender chicken and egg, mixed with almonds, onions, and parsley in phyllo dough (the really flaky stuff), but the strange comes when we get to the cinnamon and powdered sugar topping. There is nothing I have tasted that will ever make sense the way that Bastilla did.

As our first main dish, we chose the Salmon with Sharmoula sauce. In a word- perfection. The salmon was exquisitely prepared, and that sauce was not only amazing, but also well proportioned to the size of the serving. I am happy that he brought us forks for this dish. We tore into it with abandon, and you will too. There was nothing left of the fish, and even though we tried, we still left over half the rice, carrots, peas, and garnish that were piled like a mountain on the plate.

The final dish in our feast came, and we were all so full we had to fight to make room. Chicken with olives and lemon that was succulent, but not greasy. The olives were fresh and ripe, and went well to the lemon flavor that an interesting juiciness that did not disappoint. With or without forks, you will want to be sure that when you get to this dish you have your towel on your lap to catch rogue olives as they danced about the plate.

We simply couldn’t eat another bite. But we kept on, because it was just so good. At the end of the meal, our hilarious server brought each of us a glass of warm Mint Tea and a few of their homemade pastries made almond sugar and flour. Despite our fullness, we ate them. You will too.

While we relaxed on the divan, the belly dancer began her performance. It was awesome, exotic, fun, and a nice end to a marvelous dining experience.

Casablanca’s “brass and fabrics have been hand carried from Morocco to create the ambiance that we hope you will enjoy. So when we say you are the honored guest in our traditional Moroccan home, we truly mean just that. We have imported our home here to you.”

Casablanca Restaurant
1504 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-2717
(703) 549-6464
moroccanrestaurant.com




This blog article is from FW&D
We do Kitchen RemodelingBathroomsRoofing, and more.
Click here to visit our site and learn more about us! 
Or call us at 703-933-8900.