my first meme tag! fave local food spots...

Kelly at O for Obsessive tagged me with this meme. Rosie eats almost nothing but starch and Dash eats lots of different foods, but gets a little itchy sitting in one place for too long, so that limits our dining-out abilities. If we do have a chance to have a dinner out or if a favorite place is good with kids, I'm listing it here.

I currently live in Alexandria, VA, but prior to having offspring (only 4 years ago) we were solid DC residents. My favorite places are moving south to Northern Virginia.

Here are the rules:

• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Include the state and country you live in.
• List top five favorite local restaurants.
• Tag five other people and let them know they've been tagged.

My top five:

1. Restaurant Eve. In Old Town Alexandria, this dining experience rises high above all other Old Town fare. We don't bring the kids here, but whenever there is a special event (anniversary, night to ourselves, etc.) this is where we know we will get excellent service, fabulous food prepared surprisingly and with care, and really enjoy ourselves.

2. Dishes of India. In Belle View, a hood in Alexandria south of the beltway. We have mostly ordered for take-out, but have brought the kids here with no problems. I think this is the best Indian around, prepared by seasoned chefs from Northern India. I love, love the tasty spices! The lamb dishes are great, Dash adores the Murg Tikka, and I occasionally order the veg dishes for variety. All around good.

3. Sushi Taro. This one's in DC; although we haven't been in a while, it remains my very favorite sushi place in my heart. The food is excruciatingly authentic and popular with Japanese tourists. A couple favorite moments: Japanese tourists taking photos of themselves in the restaurant (WTF? They could be in Japan, the decor is so authentic!); and making reservations for us under Mr. Suzuki, and AJS had to play Japanese when he arrived (he looks the part, but knows about as much Nihon-go as the average sushi-restaurant-menu reader).

4. Via Veneto Italian Restaurant. In Hollin Hall, another hood in Alexandria, south of the beltway. This a very small, family-run restaurant is one of our favorites for carry-out, but occasionally we dine-in. It gets busy and crowded, so when we do go to eat-in, we have an early dinner. The food is delightful and I always get a kick out of the smoke-seasoned voices of the two sisters who run the place. One of our stand-bys: large pizza with sausage, black olives, and spinach! Bella!

5. Burma (Washington DC) or Mandalay (Silver Spring, MD). These two restaurants are tied for their tastiness, but also the similarity in their exotic menus. They serve Burmese cuisine, with standouts of ginger salad and mango pork; I however, always go for the noodle dishes! We went to Mandalay for my birthday last year (look at little Dash, one-year old!), which is the larger of the two and could handle a party with several children. We would have had to close Burma down for a private party that day!

Oh, and tag, you're it: Radical Mama, Been There Seen That, Remember Sammy Jankis (because he seems to forget that he has a blog), and that's about all whom I can come up that might respond to a meme.