jbruskin

Old Hickory Grill on Route 50 in Fairfax (just inside the beltway) has an excellent brunch, with lots of interesting egg dishes, as well as their usual lunch offerings. It's somewhat more affordable than the 4 seasons...

For those of you longing for a good slice of New York-style pizza, head to The Italian Store in Arlington at the intersection of Kirkwood and Rt. 29. This place has fantastic, thin-crust pizza with the taste and consistency of a slice you'd get in a hole-in-the-wall in NY (no to mention their incredible Italian meats, cheeses and imported dry good). Check it out!

I often make my own Ruebens at home - it's really easy, and comes out perfect every time, with no extra grease like most you get in a restaurant: 1. Mix mayo and ketchup to make Russian dressing 2. Spread over two pieces of rye, open faced (sorry for those who prefer a closed sandwich) 3. Spread corned beef - not very high 4. Spread sauerkraut over corned beef - lots of kraut is what makes a killer Reuben 5. Put one or two pieces of swiss on top 6. Bake in oven (or better yet a toaster oven) at 350 until the cheese melts, and then broil until the top turns slightly brown.