The number of restaurants in Loudoun and Fauquier counties is beginning to catch up with the demand created by surging population growth. The past several months have seen the opening of three privately owned upscale restaurants: Aster in Middleburg, Girasole in The Plains and 321 Ashland in the Broadlands Village Shopping Center.
Although surrounding shopping centers continue to attract mostly small Asian and pizza restaurants, Broadlands has a full spectrum of dining options: a new Bonefish Grill (part of the Outback Steakhouse family of restaurants), a new Original Steakhouse & Sports Theatre, Rio Bravo Pizza, San Vito Italian restaurant, and small Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese eateries.
The menu at 321 Ashland in Ashburn, one of several new upscale restaurants in Loudoun, is small but elegant. Pictured here: the restaurant's grilled veal chop, left, and salmon with jumbo lump crabmeat, right.
(Tracy A. Woodward -- The Washington Post)
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Downtown Leesburg has seen the opening of Thoroughbreds Grill & Brewing and Xuan Saigon. At the same time, new restaurant choices in the western part of Loudoun include Magnolias at the Mill and The Grill at Market Station. And Vocelli Pizza continues to expand across the area.
Here are dining recommendations for Loudoun and Fauquier counties:
DINER: Warrenton's Frost Diner (55 Broadview Ave., 540-347-3047) is the quintessential roadside diner. It may not be as shiny as it was when it was built in 1955, but you can still catch a gleam of stainless steel as you drive on the town's main commercial strip. The menu is traditional blue-plate specials, the breakfasts are hearty and the sausage gravy over biscuits is mouth-wateringly good. The Leesburg Restaurant (9 S. King St., Leesburg, 703-777-3292) isn't a diner in the classic sense, but the menu is much the same, and it's the place where the courthouse crowd and other locals gather. There's a small soda fountain with homemade milkshakes, peanut soup and luncheon specials that will leave you change for a $10 bill and provide your fat intake for a whole day. Johnson's Charcoal Beef House (401 E. Market St., Leesburg, 703-777-1116) prides itself on its steaks, but it's really an overgrown diner, drawing a big breakfast crowd. There is also the Marshall Diner (8453 W. Main St., Marshall, 540-364-6015) as well as the Round Hill Diner (2 Loudoun St. East, Round Hill, 540-338-3663).
BARBECUE: The Mighty Midget Kitchen (202-A Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, 703-777-6406) has a justifiable reputation as a great place for barbecue. It may look like a tollbooth that the Tin Man of "The Wizard of Oz" might have built, but it's really part of an airplane fuselage. It's so tiny that much of the prep work is done in an adjacent building. The smoker is a locomotive-shaped affair that sits outside the one-person-size building, and outside is where all the seating is, too. They prepare ribs only on Fridays and Saturdays, but you can get wonderfully flavorful pulled pork any day the restaurant is open, along with hamburgers and a few other items. Don't miss the french fries. Doc's Barbecue is actually located in Paris, over the Clarke County line. But you can buy Doc's ribs (weekends only) and pulled pork at Aldie's Country Store (39285 John Mosby Hwy. [Route 50], Aldie, 703-327-6347).
There are branches of the Arlington-based Red, Hot & Blue chain in Leesburg (541 E. Market St., 703-669-4242) and in Warrenton (360 Broadview Ave., 540-349-7100, www.redhotandblue.com). This is Tennessee-style barbecue with a tomato-mustardy sauce, though the menu has expanded far beyond ribs and pulled pork sandwiches.
Jammin' Joe's BBQ (5282 Lee Hwy., New Baltimore, 540-347-9700, www.jamminjoesbbq.com) cooks over a real wood fire: A steel pit is on the back end (or maybe that's the front end) of the mobile unit parked along Route 29 in the wide spot known as New Baltimore. The pulled pork has a deep, smoky flavor and the characteristic pink color. The ribs have the same distinctive pink hue, are very meaty and have a nice, crusty outside.
SEAFOOD: Despite the proximity to the Chesapeake Bay, seafood is not a big specialty here. The Bonefish Grill (43135 Broadlands Center Plaza Blvd., Ashburn, 703-723-8246, www.bonefishgrill.com) is changing that, with a menu that emphasizes fish flown in daily. The restaurant lists the fish available and lets the customer choose the type of preparation and sauce. For openers, don't miss the Bang Bang shrimp. Although the Blue Ridge Grill (955 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, 703-669-5505) doesn't specialize in fish, there are always several good fish dishes on the menu, including the smoked salmon appetizer (a big chunk of salmon that has been smoked, not brined like lox) and a salmon entree. There is also a fish-of-the-day special.
STEAKS: The Lansdowne Grille in the Lansdowne Resort (44050 Woodridge Pkwy., Leesburg, 703-729-4073, www.lansdowneresort.com) is the most upscale place for aged steaks and such steakhouse favorites as oysters Rockefeller, shrimp cocktail and lobster bisque. But a new favorite is the Original Steakhouse & Sports Theatre in Broadlands (43150 Broadlands Center Plaza Blvd., Ashburn, 571-223-0100). The steaks are displayed in a refrigerated case at the entrance, but you might be distracted by the huge television screens in the bar and dining area -- every one tuned to a sporting event. The screens in the bar are projection, almost theater size, and on a Sunday afternoon you may be able to catch 10 or more football games at once. This is not the kind of place where you have to strain to read the score. If you want a little less overwhelming sports presence, the main dining room just has large televisions.
ASIAN: The new star in Leesburg is Xuan Saigon Vietnamese (11 Fort Evans Rd. NE, 703-669-6714), a spare, family-run restaurant. This is the place to indulge your spring roll cravings. The rolls are nearly greaseless, crispy and flavorful. Though the summer rolls are a little dry on the outside, the Saigon pancake -- two huge, fluffy pancakes filled with shrimp, chicken and vegetables -- is a thing of beauty. The menu is long, packed with traditional favorites, and the warm welcome makes you feel like you're dining at the owners' home.
The Big Mango Thai Bistro (126 Edds Lane, Sterling, in the Countryside Shopping Center, 703-444-8510) is spare and serene, too, decorated with weavings and sculptures from Thailand. Owner Tom Krairit, who came here to work in the computer industry, hails from a family that owns three restaurants in Bangkok. The menu is long, and most dishes are deftly prepared. This is a place to linger over individually prepared dishes.
Pacific (46240 Potomac Run Plaza, Sterling, 703-404-5500, www.chengspacific.com) offers a Pan-Asian approach with a twist, such as Peking duck fajitas and fried calamari with coconut wasabi aioli. But somehow it usually works.
Another local favorite is Tawan Thai (43761 Parkhurst Plaza, Ashburn, 703-858-3870, www.tawancuisine.com). Or try Saigon Star (43150 Broadlands Center Plaza Blvd., Ashburn, 703-723-2604, www.saigon-star.tripod.com).
