My Favorite Restaurant—Today: Taverna Cretekou
Clive Donegal

On a rainy Sunday morning many years ago, a houseguest and I set out walking to find someplace warm and comfortable. We found both at the Taverna’s Sunday brunch. I am not fond of caviar, but I thoroughly enjoyed the pita bread with taramasalata, a light fish roe. A recent visit revealed that the brunch has improved over the years, with a spread of everything from moussaka and spanakopita to hummus, olives and feta cheese.

On pleasant evenings, the outdoor terrace transports diners to the Aegean, with twinkling lights, gentle breezes, waiters in traditional dress. Add a few bottles of retsina and it doesn’t matter that the food is delicious and satisfying; after all, how often can we get to Greece?

More than a dozen years ago, I took some visiting family to the Taverna for dinner. I tend to order from the chef’s specials with some regularity at any restaurant, and that night the chef offered lamb in lemon sauce. I like lamb, preferably as grilled chops, and I decided to try it. After we were served, I asked my niece and nephew how they liked their entrees. My nephew said that his was very good, but after seeing the expression on my face when I tried the lamb, he said that wished that he had ordered what I was having.

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Taverna Cretekou
818 King Street
Alexandria
703- 548-8688

Cantina Mexicana
Robbie Thornton
Critic-at-Large

Tex-Mex joints are a peso a dozen. Good Tex-Mex restaurants are worth their weight in golden tequila. Good Tex-Mex restaurants with hosts who make you feel as if they stayed open only in the hopes that you would show up.

The first time I visited Cantina Mexicana, it wasn't. It was the Taco House on South 23rd Street in Crystal City. Time passed and Taco House owners Juan and Gloria Arias were working at Del Ray's popular Los Tios while their eatery was being remodeled. And then the big day came and we dropped by to pop a taco or two.

If possible, Juan and Gloria were more gracious than ever and the margaritas were absolutely delectable, slightly fruitier than usual but not particularly sweet, just better balanced.

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Cantina Mexicana
515 South 23rd Street
Arlington (Crystal City)
703-979-7033

Faccia Luna, Wood-Smoked Goodness
Robbie Thornton
Critic-at-Large

The first time I went to lunch at Faccia Luna, I thought that I had stumbled onto a secret treasure. The service was friendly and efficient and the Fettuccini alla Bolognese, with fresh ground veal, tomato, parmesan cheese and cream, was perfectly seasoned and probably the tastiest Bolognese I have tasted, including that which was served every Wednesday at boarding school.

As it happened, the next time I visited I tried the gnocchi, which I had enjoyed in Pisa only the week before. The delightfully firm gnocchi di piselli, as the name suggests, is served in a spicy vodka sauce with sweet peas, red pepper and tomatoes. A few days later, I tried the gnocchi at Filamena in Georgetown, which suffered terribly by comparison. In a rare display of discontent I did not clean my plate, which although likely lost on the server, stunned my dinner companions.

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Faccia Luna
823 South Washington Street
Alexandria
703-838-5998

Reviews courtesy of The Sun Newspapers of Alexandria