Fodorites,

After 7 years in Europe the powers that be are sending us "home" to D.C. We'll be touching down in just a couple of weeks, and until my cookware arrives in our air freight shipment we will either have to dine out or microwave stuff from Trader Joes. Woe to us, I know.

On the dining out front, last spring on a home leave visit we loved Rasika and Oyamel (ate there twice). Layalina disappointed a bit, though. Where else should we dine? We eat across all cuisines and all budgets.

On the Trader Joes front, what is the one comestible I "can not live without" from the store?

Thank you, in advance. Looking forward to viewing my hometown through fresh lenses.

I don't like Trader Joe's coffee at all, by contrast. At least not the varieties I've tried, I thought it was terrible so never buy it. I've tried French Roast and Colombian mainly. Any basic chain supermarket has better coffee in my opinion.

I never ever eat "apps" and rarely frozen fish, etc., they seem to have a lot of frozen stuff which I would never eat. They also have a lot of junk food, even if "good" junk food (lots of cookies, candy, etc, which I rarely eat). The few things I buy that I like are their frozen mac and cheese (with some kind of peppers in it), and a couple frozen Indian meals (palak paneer, etc). And their frozen NY cheesecake is pretty good.

I'm not a super big fan of Trader Joe's and only go maybe once a month at most. They are horrible about environmental waste, all their produce is in plastic where I live (except maybe bananas and avocados). They do that because they ship it long distances and so they don't have to weigh it, I think. And the one near me is always crowded except when it first opens, and doesn't have enough parking.

I buy a few other things sometimes when I"m there but it's nothing special, just because I'm in the store, you can buy the same kind of stuff anywhere (like milk, which they have good prices on). I buy baking nuts there sometimes as their prices are reasonable. Their filet mignon is also reasonably priced, but nothing different, just a little cheaper than other stores if the other stores aren't having a sale.

I don't dine out that regularly and wouldn't eat in places like Rasika routinely as it's expensive by my terms. Just look at some Washington Post reviews or maybe Washingtonian magazine. The Post restaurant critic has a few favorites he always is mentioning over and over again, they are usually expensive by my terms.

If you have a regular oven, I like the frozen pizzas at Trader Joe's. My favorites are the red pepper/mozzarella and the pesto with broccoli and tomato. Sometimes I add a little more cheese and basil to the red pepper one. I just slide them right onto the oven rack. They cook quickly. Add a salad. Done.

Good Stuff Eatery might be fun for a casual dinner or lunch in DC.

TJ's has great veg and fruit. Great bag salads. I love the stir fry and chicken dumplings but only on a stove top. We buy their cod fish. I like a lot of the prepared meals but try not to buy. The steak and chicken pie are good but high in calores. I also bought organic four buck chuck last visit. They do have a good wine and beer selection. The chilli lime spice is my new fav and love well rested tea. Great snacks, peanut butter filled pretzels and fig bars are always in my cart. start getting the monthly ad. Best place for fresh flowers. Will you live in DC or in Md?

Chicken Tikka Masala with Cumin Flavored Basmati Rice. You're welcome.

Thank you, everyone. I called out Trader Joe's because it is within reasonable public access from our flat. We will have a car, though I want to walk or (try to) use public (I know, I know, WMATA isn't anything like Wiener Linien) as much as possible; plus, friends have assured me that DC traffic hasn't aged well in 7 years.

Our flat has a full kitchen; unless I can borrow DS's cookware (in exchange for feeding him, no doubt ) we'll be relying on the microwave and the oven to make meals happen.

As for coffee, we are French Press people. Any press users who purchase coffee from Trader Joes?

Christina, Trader Joe's was my go-to. It was on the way home from the office, and I could pick up everything for dinner (including good wine). We're not prepared food-eaters normally, but I won't have my (bare-boned) kitchen supplies for about a week and really don't want to purchase crap from Target that I neither need nor want.

Macross, we'll be in Northern Virginia, steps from an Orange Line station. I remember the fig bars. Mmmm. Looking forward to investigating the wine selection, too!

maitai, thanks for the recommendation. DD is a major Indian-food fan, but it will take a while for me to reconstruct my spices arsenal so this will hopefully placate her cravings.

You mentioned liking José Andrés' Oyamel. Try Jaleo, his Spanish restaurant (same neighborhood).

Which Orange Line station? Lots of great restaurants in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

Fra_Diavolo, we've eaten at Jaleo's previously and enjoyed our meals; a return is certainly warranted.

lisaindc, we'll be near to the Clarendon station.

tripplanner001, thanks. It's T-4 days until I touch down. Pack-out commences in a couple of hours, though our house has been deconstructed for days. DS has mentioned MXDC; and the Serbian place sounds great. I have a fondness for Tartare and eagerly await their preparation, and I'll be curious to taste their wines. Our dear Slovenian friends gifted us two cases of Slovenian and Croatian wines that will bob across the ocean, and it will be nice to have a local source, too. I think it might be awhile before I miss Schnitzel, though.

YES, he just did DineNDash in DC.* I love him and more importantly what he does. He was in Fl before FEMA feeding all the troops and people without a home.*
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You have great options near the Clarendon metro. Ambar is right there on the corner of Wilson and Filmore. Also, check out Lyon Hall, Liberty Tavern and Screwtop Wine Bar. All great options and Lyon Hall has a great selection of food on happy hour everyday (including mussels). Also, head up to Ballston, where new things are opening everyday - True Food Kitchen is wonderful. Enjoy! I love our neighborhood.

I am on board with what lisaindc is saying. That part of Arlington is stacked with great eating opportunities, both eat-in and carry away. Not that I wouldn't enjoy a José Andrés meal every day for a hundred years (except possibly China Chicano) but no need to travel downtown for good food.

Ditto for coffee. There are a boatload of indie shops and small chains offering something different than SBux & DunkinDonuts. My husband finds one of TJs dark roasts perfectly serviceable for his french press. TJs has a grinder and the setting we use is on the left of the dial, half way between "coarse" and "percolator" so you can gauge from that for yourself.

My favorite easy peasy TJ dinner are the green chili & chicken tamales (fresh not frozen) slathered with their mild pico de gallo and hatch green chilis (not a TJ product, lately I buy 505 Southwestern). Microwave to table in under 5.



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If you like Rasika (gosh, who doesn't?) you'll probably enjoy another in their restaurant family, Bindaas. It's more casual but just as good. Locations in Cleveland Park and Foggy Bottom, both near metro stations. We are in FB and are there more often then I'd care to admit.

For restocking the pantry, I'd recommend India A1 Grocery on Lee Highway. They are deep in spices, flours, sauces and all sorts of fresh, canned, dry and frozen comestibles. There is another great grocery in Falls Church whose name escapes me at the moment. Easy to google tho.

Some days it seems to me that much of DC is returning from a foreign posting and many of the rest are headed off on their next posting. No one, as far as I know, would bother to compare Vienna''s public transportation to DC's metro.

Yes! DH told me of the changes to Ballston Mall; he flew DDog back to D.C. last week and met a colleague for dinner who lives near there. Totally putting Lyon Hall on the list; any time we get to eat mussels is a happy hour for us!

Are you thinking of Eden Center? I shopped there quite a bit once upon a time, but don't know much about it now. There's also H&H, which looks new. Looks like India A1 is down the street from Heidelberg Pastry Shop, in case I'm missing sausages and Black Forest tortes.

No, not Eden Center though that'a a very worthy place to eat and shop.

It's called Indian Spice and the address is 1067 B West Broad in Falls Church. Like India A1, it's a family business but the shelves are packed from floor to ceiling. Freshly made samosas were being sold my last visit there. It's in a little strip mall and is on the back side of the shopping center. They prefer cash.

Don't know H&H -- where is it? Always happy to add one to the culinary arsenal.

Re: Eden Center. The supermarket that anchors one end started out as an H Mart but is now called Good Fortune Supermarket and is an excellent resource. They usually carry fresh and frozen kaffir lime leaves so that alone is a reason to go there.

My favorite restaurant in Eden Center is Rice Paper. The service there is a little odd (dishes rountinely come out of the kitchen haphazardly) but the food is outstanding. We'll do take away after a trip to Good Fortune. My favorite banh mi shop is Banh Mi So 1. If we're getting them for the road, they're usually nice about packing the ingredients separately so the bread doesn't get soggy.

Tupelo Honey Cafe in the Courthouse area of Arlington does a nice brunch on the weekends 1616 N Troy St Arlington, VA
My daughter and son in law used to live in Courthouse area and they took us there a couple of months ago. Food was very good.
https://tupelohoneycafe.com/location...s/#brunch-menu