O'bank's

This is a great restaurant that is worth driving out to, or stopping by if you are making the drive up and down I95.

We were looking for somewhere to meet a friend in the Richmond area.  We selected O'Bank's based off of the location, as well as the positive reviews that it received on urbanspoon.com.  Well, I must admit that Mrs. Alphageek did the looking, and I want to give her some credit for finding a great place.

The first thing I noticed about the restaurant when we walked in were the unpretentious surroundings.  I always think it is a good sign when a restaurant is well liked, and yet simple inside.  I also noticed the friendly folks who were working there.  They were working hard to ensure the folks there were enjoying their meals, all with smiles on their faces.  The Alphageek likes touches like that.

We selected from the menu.  For those of you that always ask what a restaurant serves, just click on the link above.  You can read a menu too, and it gets boring to read someone interpreting a menu.  Mrs. Alphageek decided on the Reuben Panini and I settled on the Steak Benedict.  While we were looking at the menu, we noticed they had an interesting selection of micro-brews, so you might want to try one of those on you visit.  Someone else at the table ordered some fried calamari as well.

We sampled the calamari, and found that it was pretty good.  It was perfectly fried, without a hint of oil.  I did notice it was a little more salty that I have had in the past, but nothing offensive.

Our main courses arrived a short time later.  Mrs. Alpphageek said that she simply loved here sandwich, which is pictured below.  She said it was one of the best sandwiches she has enjoyed in a while.

Reuben Panini (click to enlarge)

My Steak Benedict arrived, and I was impressed just looking at it.  It was food you could almost eat with your eyes.  I found the eggs were poached almost perfectly, with the yolks just the way l like them.  The sauce was perfectly prepared, and the steak was almost fork tender.  The dish was just great simple food done well, which can get the Alphageek going.

Steak Benedict (click to enlarge)

If you are driving nearby, you really should stop and check this place out.  It is well reviewed on urbanspoon, and I am glad to report the reviews are well deserved.

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Thunder Grill, in Union Station

May 31, 2011 Thunder Grill offers some interesting tex-mex influenced dishes, and is in a convenient location in Washington DC's Union Station.

We decided to try a new restaurant, rather than fight the traffic back to the Headquarters.  Thunder Grill offers an extensive menu that you can take a look at online, and see if this is your sort of restaurant.  This location can't be beat if you have just come back on a train, either.

We took a look at a rather extensive menu, and made up our minds.  Mrs. Alphageek settled on the grilled prime rib while I decided on a red chili chicken pot pie.  Our server generously reminded me that it was not a real pot pie, but the ingredients with mashed potatoes on top.  The mashed potatoes were crusty, instead of a traditional crust.  I thanked the server for his excellent explanation and told him that sounded very adventurous.

Our food arrived, and a good looking meal was set before us.  Mrs. Alphageek's meal is below.  She told me that her meat was cooked a perfect medium, and the food was delicious.  I took a little sample and can say that it was grilled meat done correctly, along with a personal favorite of a potato baked to just perfect.

Grilled Prime Rib (click to enlarge)

My red chili chicken pot pie was something of a surprise. I expected the potatoes on top to be more like a crust and less like mashed potatoes on top.  This surprise did not stop me for enjoying the visually pleasing dish that you see below.  I found it a great, adventurous dish that I was glad I tried.  Perhaps it will inspire me to try my hand at cooking something similar sometime.  I could even try a little more time under the broiler to see if I can get a crust going on the potatoes.

Red Chili Chicken Pot Pie (click to enlarge)

This was a great stop before we made our way home.  I found this to be a great middle of the road restaurant with some interesting dishes for those inclined to try something new.


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