anybody feel Church Street Pizza is getting really bad?
the only nice thing that I can say about them is that they
are one of the cleanest restaurants in this area.... that's it... :(

they used to be pretty good, but....

You talkin' the pizza joint in Vienna next to the bike trail? That place wasn't clean when I went there and the pizza wasn't that good in the 1st place (reminded me of mall pizza).

I'll take Joe's Pizza or simply order out (Papa Johns) over that place. Isn't there a Jimmy's pizza on Park St., too?! Vienna really needs some better restaurants outside of the std. fast food chains.

There's so much potential to redevelop Church St., but current zoning, planning and town leadership seems to work against that happening any time soon!

I think the pizza there is way way overrated. People rave about it and it's just very plain. Avoid the veggie pizza.

PizzaLvr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You talkin' the pizza joint in Vienna next to the
> bike trail? That place wasn't clean when I went
> there and the pizza wasn't that good in the 1st
> place (reminded me of mall pizza).
>
> I'll take Joe's Pizza or simply order out (Papa
> Johns) over that place. Isn't there a Jimmy's
> pizza on Park St., too?! Vienna really needs some
> better restaurants outside of the std. fast food
> chains.
>
Thats fucking amazing. Papa Johns over Church Street. You must also consider Stouffers french bread pizza to be high quality too, right?

> There's so much potential to redevelop Church St.,
> but current zoning, planning and town leadership
> seems to work against that happening any time
> soon!


Vienna is a mess. The town council is stuck in the era of Mayberry and does not seem to know which way to go from there. There is a significant amount of vacant commercial/retail space in Vienna, and the space that does get filled is either taken by banks, drug stores, or matress stores or done in such a haphazard manner that you want to shake your head and strangle somebody. The cluster of stores on the corner of Church and Maple is a perfect example. They're very popular, but the parking situation there is abhorrent.

Safeway on Maple is closing next month, to be replaced by yet anothe drug store - this time Walgreens.

Hollywood Video got replaced by Sleepy's - making Maple Avenue the matress capital of Virginia.

People were floating rumors that Trader Joe's was coming to town to take the space vacated by Hancock Fabrics/That's Amore. The community would LOVE a Trader's there as the closest ones are inconvenient to most Vienna residents (Pimmit Hill requires a drive down the Path to Hell (Rte 7 - which will only get WORSE when the Metro extension begins) and Fairfax is not nearby). Instead, both stores remain vacant and over 7500 square feet of retail space and parking goes on - collecting trash, weeds, and dirt.

There is simply a lot of old wood in Vienna that needs to be burned. Many restaurants have been around for years and are getting rings in their collars. Le Canard, Marco Polo, and the Virginian all strike me as places that have lived 8 of their 9 cat lives.

New restaurants (assuming that there is room to put in more than 6 tables) are doing a booming business (i.e., Bazins). But, there seems to be little to NO incentive to do anything about Maple.

ITRADE,

Stouffers or Mama Celeste? I don't consider Papa John's (or Dominos/Pizza Hut) to be good, but in my opinion, they all beat that standard-ass pizza a Church St. was serving. Do you remember the "Orange Bowl" pizza that used to be served in malls in this area (?) - that's what it reminds me of.

Yes, lot's of old lounges and restaurants that have seen better days in Vienna. They all need to go the way of the Steak-N-Ale, but let's hope they're replaced with something other than a drug store. Thought the Marco Polo, Tequila Grande, etc. would turn/be redeveloped, but owners seem to be keeping them on life support. At least we do have some choices with Indian, Thai, Salvadoran, Turkish, etc. all within town limits - some towns don't have that luxury.

While I do like some of the newer "chains" (Chipolte, Noodles & Co.) in town, I'd appreciate more independent/unique restaurants like Bazins.
You can always go close by (Tysons) to experience the dozens of steak houses, or hoof it to Arlington or downtown DC for better cuisine.

As far as development, maybe it's the type of development that's in question as we do have our fair share of matress stores, banks, drugstores, gas stations & the like - but we also have bakeries, barbershops, beverage/wine shops, etc. Is there anything you can't find or shop for any in Vienna - including comic books, sushi, pies, hardware, java, stoves/chimneys, tile, a carwash, antiques, etc.). What other kind of retail SHOULD we have or be attracting?

Church Street Pizza is the best in the area. I love it, so do my kids.

I did a take out pizza from there last week, the first time I had ever tried it. It was OK, but it came nowhere close to some of the accolades it receives on this board. Primo Italiano in Reston and Uptown in Herndon (for those of us who live out on the Reston side of Vienna) have MUCH better pizza.

Hey...I worked at the steak & Ale...it was a fine establishment.!!!!

Sorry Magic,

No offense - not sure where they got the nickname "Ache and Stale"...maybe it was good, I don't remember. Most of my buddies in high school worked there, so I wasn't about to eat their cooking.

The special town elections typically get <15% turnout. This year, we had the Presidential primary, the TOV election, the Congressional primary, and the general election. (I turned out for two of them, having moved to the Town in May and therefore was ineligible for the TOV and Congressional primaries.)

The Stich/Covel crowd are about the only credible opposition to the Robinson/Seeman crowd as far as I can tell.

But ... go to historicvienna.com and read some of the rhetoric on that site. I (speaking only for myself, I don't presume to know the minds of other TOV voters) am not sure how it is helpful to their cause.

The Town should take pride in its Mattress District.

Back on topic, I will have to convince my wife to try Church St. Pizza to see if it's worth the raves. I'm assuming I can find parking.

With that said, my wife and I like taking a Pizza Boli's pineapple pizza (it's only $8 for takeout and it's not $5 worse than other options) and adding feta/goat cheese and turkey pepperoni to it.

I've been on HV.com. They have some very strong views on all things Vienna. While I agree with some of their points there are many that I disagree with.

One thing you can't argue, everyone has the right to voice their opposing views of how the Town is being/should be run. At the very least, that site gets folks talking and maybe will effect some change.

As far as Pizza goes, there will be opposing views there too, I don't care for Church St, but Vienna has plenty of choices.

What would you say are the top 3 local pizza joints (excluding the chain delivery places like PJ's, Dominoes, Pizza Hut, etc.)?

Let's go further, what the best Italian restaurants in the Vienna/Tyson's area?

Not saying HV folks don't have their right to an opinion - you're right in that they aren't censorious of moderately expressed disagreement, so change may be effected via that site. I'm assuming there's been some really obnoxious posts that've gotten censored, but I've seen some disagreement with the dominant POV there posted.

I've only been in the Town since May. I did find a nice Pho place in Pan Am shopping center. It'd be nice to have a Vietnamese place in Vienna. As for Indian (another of my faves), Aditi is okay but I'd like an Indian place with a bigger menu. My wife doesn't like Indian too much anyway. I'm just glad Sangam opened a branch in the crystal City underground. Yay!

My wife is a creature of habit and so we won't venture past a few regular 'haunts'. I'm a food kind of sewer and am not really the best person to ask for opinions.

OTOH, she also, for reasons known only to Elvis, likes Tippy's Taco.

As for pizza: we've had Papa John's, Vocelli and Pizza Boli so far, yes, all chains. Pizza Boli's $5 cheaper than the other two and about as good.

I will try Church Street (yea, yea, promises, promises). Maybe Wednesday as she is headed out to see her parents and I have to work darn near a full week.

formerhick76 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> OTOH, she also, for reasons known only to Elvis,
> likes Tippy's Taco.

The Tippy's Taco in Centreville is awesome. Great queso and chicken enchiladas.

Ate at Church St Pizza yesterday. It was awesome. Fresh ingredients, friendly service, fair price..... can't ask for much more than that!

Pizzalvr Wrote:
>>> Let's go further, what the best Italian restaurants in the Vienna/Tyson's area?


Da Domenico in Tysons. Awesome veal marsala.


As far as the original subject, I really really like Church St. Pizza, but haven't been there since the spring. It sucks to hear they may have gone down hill.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/2008 05:14PM by TheMeeper.

I ate at the title pizzeria. It was above average. Was it $6 better than Pizza Boli's? Probably not but it was the best I've had in this area. Better than Papa John's though.

Seems like lots of folks actually seem to like Church St. The service I rec'd wasn't friendly - in fact I'm not sure the guy spoke english. The food wasn't fresh either - they just through a pre-made slice in the oven - so I don't get it. I frequent Joe's Pizza - I like their NY style and it's closer.

Da Domenico was good when I last went. There's an Italian restaurant in the town near the Vienna ABC store (Ristorante Bonarate?) that always seems crowded and has lot's of fancy cars parked outside. Don't know if that's an indication that's it's good, expensive or both.

Since we're talking Italian food, I'd also recommend the Italian Gourmet for a good Italian sub and their sausage - "imported" from New Jersey.

The Vietnamese place in Pan Am had a good soup - there's another thread about Thai posted on FU recently if you're interested.

Pizzalvr Wrote:
>> (Ristorante Bonarate?)


It's Bonaroti. Expensive and good (although it's been more than 10 yrs since I've been in there)

Italian Gourmet closes before I go out for dinner (21 month old daughter goes to sleep, then I go out and get the meal, or make it at home.)

I didn't know the Thai thread had morphed into a discussion about Pho.

Bonaroti is of a class where I want to leave my daughter at a babysitters', it seems. I've been to Marco Polo a couple of times and was duly impressed; I'd also like to try Bazin's.

By the time she is potty trained at 4, I think will she have the patience to go to a nicer place if we (1) go early enough and (2) don't proceed to ignore her for the entire meal. But, by that time she will have a younger sibling most likely, unless this turns into a 'Lost Decade' for America.

Bazins rocks. Having tried most restaurants in Vienna (Nizams, Marco Polo, Natta Thai, Tara Thai, Rose Restaurant, Sweet Ginger and everything in between), Bazin's is by far the best restaurant in the town proper.

Ironically, I have not been to Bonaroti but have been meaning to go there.

Speaking of Vienna restaurants, is Wu's Garden still open? I used to get take out from there all the time, I really liked that place.

Yes, its still there.

Wu's has been around forever. I think the food is okay, not great - I used to be loyal to the old "China Paradise" before they closed and the Foster's burger joint replaced it. We've struggled to find a decent Chinese and now order out from some of the Thai restaurants instead. I think Paya Thai in Tyson's has pretty good carryout.

It's tough duty taking kids to any nice restaurant, unless they have the taste or patience for some of these places - we were relegated to the Inn/Fosters for years with our kids as you don't have to be to worried if they drop food, spill or act out in those places.

Bazin's food is very good. The only things I didn't care for was the parking (nosebleed ramp in that parking garage), noise level or proximity of the tables (we were stuck so close to another couple that we could hear everything they were saying and vice versa). I'm friendly with one of the owners of the wine shop/bar next door - which is worth a visit, too. Is Nizam's (Turkish) good - always seems crowded (so assume it must be)?!

This post began with pizza and has gone well beyond and helped remind me of a place or two I still need to try (thanks). There are tons of websites out there with add'l critiques/reviews, one I found helpful is at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/571871

Good luck!

Pizzalvr Wrote:
>> struggled to find decent Chinese


Check out China Wok in Pike 7 Plaza, next to that Ranger Surplus store. They deliver to the Tysons side of Vienna. It's been my go-to place for Chinese for the past decade- their kung pao chicken rocks.

Pizzalvr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wu's has been around forever. I think the food is
> okay, not great - I used to be loyal to the old
> "China Paradise" before they closed and the
> Foster's burger joint replaced it. We've
> struggled to find a decent Chinese and now order
> out from some of the Thai restaurants instead. I
> think Paya Thai in Tyson's has pretty good
> carryout.
>
> It's tough duty taking kids to any nice
> restaurant, unless they have the taste or patience
> for some of these places - we were relegated to
> the Inn/Fosters for years with our kids as you
> don't have to be to worried if they drop food,
> spill or act out in those places.
>
> Bazin's food is very good. The only things I
> didn't care for was the parking (nosebleed ramp in
> that parking garage), noise level or proximity of
> the tables (we were stuck so close to another
> couple that we could hear everything they were
> saying and vice versa). I'm friendly with one of
> the owners of the wine shop/bar next door - which
> is worth a visit, too. Is Nizam's (Turkish) good
> - always seems crowded (so assume it must be)?!
>
> This post began with pizza and has gone well
> beyond and helped remind me of a place or two I
> still need to try (thanks). There are tons of
> websites out there with add'l critiques/reviews,
> one I found helpful is at
> http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/571871
>
> Good luck!


I do like Nizams. Good food and attentive service.

The one thing that always strikes me about Vienna eating establishments is how damned small almost all of them are. Virtually all of the restaurants are hole in the wall type places with three exceptions: Amphora, Marco Polor and Bazin's. Sweet Ginger is tiny. Tara Thai is quite small. Natta Thai is tiny. Sushi Yama is tiny. Le Canard is small and just strange.

As to Chinese, we used to go to Peking Express and New China King, but both are not really very good these days. There used to be a FANTASTIC Chinese restaurant next to Silva's Patissierie. It was touted as "organic" Chinese and was more expensive than standard Chinese places. The food was very, very tastey. It disappeared about 3 years ago and at least 2 places have been there in its stead. The latest place is called "Serenity" and I am not sure if it will last. The menu that I obtained is very TRADITIONAL Chinese - stuff you'd actually find in China. And full of Chinglish.

They have a website which has an "americanized" menu. I may try it just to give it the yea or the nay.

I got a menu from Serenity, it was pretty pricey for Chinese- on the other hand if it is more traditional Chinese (i.e. not the same stuff I can get elsewhere and therefore not to be directly compared) I may give it a shot.

Any ideas for Chinese delivery in South Vienna? My wife likes good Chinese, but has little patience for mediocre Chinese. New Beijing was just okay by my tastes.

Anita's has a pretty big dining room or maybe that's just by Town of Vienna standards. The one in Burke/Springfield was the site of my wife and my first date. Tequila Grande also looks like it's pretty big.

Any thoughts on East Chateau? Strange name for a Chinese joint.

Places are quite tight in Vienna. Tequila Grande used to be a Roy Rogers and something before that - I don't care for their food at all - same with Anitas (quesadillas = cheese whiz on a tortilla).

East Chateau is edible, nothing great. I have the same opinion of New Beijing. Frankly, at times, I have questioned whether the rubbery chicken from those places is actually chicken or some other mystery meat...

East Chateau is one of the two restaurants where my daughter has acted like a stereotypical baby (screaming, food throwing, etc.) We had to leave. We walked over to Fosters and she had a great time.

The other is the French bistro in Lake Anne Plaza up in Reston. Usually she is able to last most of the meal and is only flagging by the time the check comes.

My wife didn't like Vienna Inn, and I will admit the 'decor' (torn seats, wobbly tables, etc.) was a bit offputting to me. I hope my Vienna resident card won't get revoked or something.

We ordered from east chateau and thought it was pretty good. Crispy beef was overcooked, but with the right monitoring could be excellent. Orange chicken wsa good too.