Best of Northern Virginia--Restaurants, Gyms, Books, Places to Go

Washingtonian Magazine came out with their annual "Best Of" issue which is full of great ideas for people living in the DC area. Unfortunately for us they have not posted this story on their website so if you want to read the complete story you'll have to buy it on a newsstand or subscribe to the magazine. Speaking of "Best Of," this magazine is essential reading for anyone living in the DC area, and I highly recommend subscribing.

I am going to pass on some ideas from their article, and add some of my own. I hope it is helpful to those of you who have recently moved to the area, or those "old timers" who may be looking for something interesting to do in the area. I will focus more on things in Virginia, but give a few ideas from DC and Maryland that are worth the trip.

Food and Drink:

The Washingtonian recommends Bob Kinkead's Colvin Run Tavern as the "Bar for getting warm and cozy."

When your guests visit this holiday, and you take them down to the Smithsonian, The Washingtonian says the best Museum Cafe is at the National Museum of the American Indian's Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe. I haven't personally eaten there, but I was at the museum last week. The building itself is incredible to walk through, and the exhibits were interesting until my young children were ready for lunch. I wish I had known about the cafe; we assumed it would be humdrum like much of the food at the other museums.

A recent find for us is Pei Wei in Fair Lakes which is the fast food version of PF Changs. It is both less expensive (our family of six spent $36 last time), and faster than it's sister restaurant. It is not the place to go for a long romantic dinner, but for great food and service, with a pretty good atmosphere I highly recommend it.

The Washingtonian also had college students test out the areas pizzas to determine which one was the best. There was a tie for first place between Armand's Chicago Pizzeria (Arlington, Skyline, Burke, and Centreville), and Don Corleone's Brick Oven Pizza in Sterling.

Best Place to go with a bunch of friends: Maggiano's Little Italy, which has an all you can eat family style option that is a lot of fun with your friends who like to eat.

Best Hamburger: Five Guys. This isn't even a close call. The fresh fries and free peanuts are just icing on the cake.

If you are looking for the perfect restaurant for a given occasion the best place to look is in the Washingtonian's Restaurant Finder.

Books and Arts:

The Washingtonian says Big Planet Comics is the best comic book store in the area.

They also say the best exhibit to see at the National Zoo is the new Asia Trail. Make sure you check out the Panda Cam at the bottom of the Asia Trail page.



When you go downtown: did you know that your Senator or Congressman can set up a tour for you to see the White House, Capitol Building and other Federal Buildings. If you are from Virginia, you can request that Senator John Warner set up a tour for you by filling out this form. Senator Allen is no longer setting up tours as he is leaving office later this month, and Senator-Elect Webb is not yet in office. Note that Senator Warner requires three month's advance notice, so make your plans for spring break now.

The Air Force Memorial (pictured) just opened in the last two months and is right between the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. They are worth a trip to Arlington.


The Washingtonian also named the best books of 2006 by Washington authors:

All Aunt Hagar's Children by Edward P. Jones is a collection of stories. On vacation this summer I read Mr. Jones' last novel The Known World and found it riveting. He is the kind of author who challenged me on issues that I had resolved long ago in my head.

Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss, a Washington Post Reporter.

The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin

Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst

Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide by Jeffrey Goldberg

The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos

The Messenger by Daniel Silva

The Washingtonian asked some area movie critics what their favorite theatre is when the go for fun. They reported that Arch Campbell named the Uptown Theatre in DC, and Bob Mondello named the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. In Fairfax, my favorite theatre is Cinema De Lux at Fairfax Corner, which is also a great place to walk and shop.

Gyms: The Washingtonian named several gyms. I was intrigued by their mention of Planet Fitness which has a $49 initiation fee and dues of $10/month that are guaranteed for three years, with no contract to sign on your part. It sounds like a basic no-frills gym with plenty of exercise equipment. We like Lifetime Fitness in Fairfax and Centreville, which is a huge gym with lots of frills like: Kids Room, Full Gym, Swimming Pools (with fancy slides), Rock-Climbing Wall, and Cafe all done very nicely.

Northern Virginia is a great place to live with so many things to do. Enjoy them.