Fireworks American Pizzeria & Bar (2350 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA)

Wood-oven pizza and a large selection of draft beer....what more could you ask for?  What I loved even more was that there was no Bud Light, Coors Light, or any other over advertised under flavored beer.  The pizza menu offered more than your normal pepporoni and cheese.  They even had some organic (nitrate-free) meats available at no extra cost.  This was a nice feature that I've never seen in a pizzaria before.  I went with the Sopranos pizza that included nitrate-free sausage, mushrooms, wood roasted onions, organic tomato sauce, cheese, and white truffle essence.  It was truley amazing and I recommend you give this one a try!  The truffle really brought out the rustic flavors of the mushrooms and onions.  I chose to pair the pizza with a very flavorful Flying Dog Dogtoberfest brew.  I usually stay near this place when I'm back in DC for work, so I'm sure I'll update this with more dishes I try.

Fireworks American Pizzeria & Bar

Del Posto (85 10th Ave., New York City, NY)

Del Posto is a fine dining Italian restaurant located just outside of Chelsea market and is owned by Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich (Joe's Mom), and Mario Batali.  Joe and Mario own some of the best Italian restaurants in America.  Joe also owns vinyards around the world.  The wine list at Del Posta was seriously one of the more extensive wine lits I've seen.  Unless you have an extensive knowledge of Italian wine, I suggest utilizing the Sommelier on site.  I went with the 5 course serving that started with a cold Lobster Salad with tomatoes and celery.  The next two courses were a choice of pastas to be shared.  We chose the Pumpkin pureed ravioli and potato gnocchi.  The ravioli was creamy and very tasty.  The gnocchi was a little undercooked and doughy, but tasted good.  For the Secondi course I chose the Young Lamb alla Romana and Lemon Yogurt with Ceci & Swiss Chard Ragu.  The lamb was just okay.  Lamb is typically served medium-rare, but they roasted it through.  For desert I had a lovely Butterscotch Semifreddo and my wife had the Chocolate Ricotta Tortino.  They finished us off with some homemade Bomboloni that were extremely tasty.  The staff was also nice enough to give us a book that Joe and Mario had published that includes stories and recipes from chefs all over Italy....drawback....it's in Italian.  Since I can't read Italian, I guess it'll make for a good bookend.  :)

Del Posto

Gordon Ramsay At The London (151 W. 54th St., New York City, NY)

I'm a big fan of Gordon Ramsay, as a chef, so surely being in New York City I'd take the opportunity to try out one of his restaurants.  Although now he doesn't officially own it, but he it's still apart of his franchise.  The dining room was set separate from the lounge area.  The room was decorated and lit perfectly to give you the feel of the fine dining experience ahead.  My wife and I chose to go with the 7-course meal.  The dinner started off with a welcoming appetizer from the chef, which was a very tasty califlour and white truffle oil soup.  The first serving was small Amuse Bouche (hors d'œuvre) followed by our first appetizer selection, the Wild Mushroom and Marcapone Cheese Risotto.  The flavors were out of this world and the risotto cooked to perfection!  What a way to set the stage for things to come.  The next course was Maine diver scallops, pressed octopus terrine, white asparagus, and grilled watermelon.  The scallops were seared a beautiful brown.  The next course was the fish selection where I chose the perfectly cooked and tasting Turbot, while my wife had the Sea bass with crème fraîche gnocchi.  Both were amazing!  Given that we hail from Denver the next course was an obvious choice of Colorado Lamb (instead of smoked beef toungue) with confit potatoes, bean tapenade, and topped with a lamb vinaigrette.  For our last course we both had the Brillat-Savarin with truffle honey and candied almonds.  Yes it was as good as it sounds!  The staff then brought over an assortment of homemade truffles stuffed with creams and chocolates.  Given that this was a French inspiried cuisine, we enjoyed a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape La Piece Sous Le Bras that was just up our alley.  The entire meal took a little over 2 hours, but it was a great dining experience.  It was pricey, but what fine dining isn't?

Gordon Ramsay At The London

Cooper's Tavern (481 8th Ave., New York City, NY)

My wife and I met some friends at this nice little tavern during our trip to New York City.  We were lucky enough to duck into the tavern for a beer to just miss some pretty heavy rain.  Cooper's Tavern has a very warm and cozy feel.  The menu provided a good selection of differente options with prices that were pretty fair, given the location.  I had the Seafood Risotto that contained littleneck clams, sea scallops, calamari, and shrimp.  The flavors were spot on, but the risotto itself was a little over cooked by the slightly mushy consistancy.  Those who've taken their shot at Aborio Rice can attest to the slim window you have between done and over done can be with this grain.  My wife had the Chicken Saltimbocca inwhich the chicken was wrapped around spinach, sage, proscuitto, and fontina cheese.  It was drizzeled with a Pinot Grigio sauce and saute'd asparagus.  Overall the meal and service were wonderful.  I did dabble in a local brew - Brooklyn Lager, which had a good depth of flavor.  I'd definately recommend giving this place a try.

Cooper's Tavern

Costal Flats (McLean, VA - "Tyson's Corner")

Went to Coastal Flats for dinner.  It's located in the "Tyson's 1" mall in the newer section.  The restaurant has a very welcome feel to it - given the soft colors and island theme.  Service was pretty slow and not too knowledgable about the beers and food.  That being said the food lends itself to the seafood lovers.  I had the Crab Cake and Filet Mignon combination with mashed red potatoes.  The crab cake was sloppy and didn't hold up as a "cake", but....it was loaded with backfin meat with very little filler.  I'd call it more baked crab than a crab cake.  Regardless, it was delicious!  The filet mignon was cooked perfectly to medium-rare.  The meat was so tender, cut like butter and just melted in your mouth.  Costal Flats makes a lager and pale ale.  Both were just so-so as far as beer goes.  If you're a seafood lover, you should definately try this place out.

Coastal Flats

JR's Stockyard (McLean, VA - "Tyson's Corner")

Last night my colleagues and I visited this quaint little steak house hidden in the vast confusion of Tysons's Corner (McLean, VA).  The decor was rustic and comfortable, but some of the furnishings are due for an upgrade.  The menu and wine list were very selective - making it easy with a group of people to server everyone's appetite.  This being a steak house, red meat is what I wanted.  With a nice selection of 5 different cuts of beef, the 22oz. "Heavy Cut" Prime Rib ($27.95) was my selection for the night.  This came with a standard side salad that wasn't anything special to brag about.  Table bread was offered, but the table also had crackers and some sort of cheese paste that tasted dry and had me feeling that it wasn't "real" cheese.  The service and timeliness of food was acceptable.  My prime rib was cooked perfect (Medium Rare), but after having prime rib for years this was the first time I've ever seen it served on the bone.  This added some good flavors, but also made some of the meat along the bone more undercooked than the rest.  This all being said, the meal was good overall.  Not sure the steak was completely worth the cost, but given this was McLean, VA it was on par with most steak houses in the area.  Overall a good experience and I'd recommend giving it a try.

JR's Stockyard