Author Archives: shawn

El Ray Tolteca

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Dining at El Ray Tolteca tonight in Ashburn.

I got a Strawberry Margarita. The strawberry tastes more like syrup than real fresh fruit. The tequila was low quality as well.

Corn Chips, Salsa, and Queso were ok. The chips were hard, like from a bag. The salsa was good with a slight sweet taste. Ryan liked the salsa. The Queso was good traditional Mexican. Patty liked the Queso.

The Steak Fajitas came out hot both the side plate and the steak. They offer cheese or sour cream if requested.

The steak was low quality meat and tasteless. The cooked veggies were good as well as the re-fried beans. The guacamole was ok, but small. The tortillas were dried out.

It is clear that nothing is fresh here except the veggies.

I would say the best part of the meal was the Queso. If you are looking for something on the lines of Uncle Julio’s…keep looking. If you are looking for fresh Mexican…still keep looking.

Big Fish Grill, Rehoboth – August 2015

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tonight we dined at Big Fish Grill in Rehoboth, Deleware.  One of many seafood options at this great beach destination.

Laura had the broiled scallops.  This dish came with sweet potato and mushrooms.  Laura says the scallops were wonderful.

 

Ryan had the grilled chicken with rice.  Ryan enjoyed his chicken until he fell asleep😴

   
I had the filet with a side of scallops.  This dish was wonderful.

  

Patty had the 1.5 pound Maine lobster with rice and tomatoes.

   
Awesome meal with reasonable prices.  If you’re in Rehoboth; consider adding Big Fish Gril to your resturant choices.

 

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware – July 2015

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Rehoboth Beach area has become our destination of choice for long weekends during the summer.  The golden sands, blue water give us a break from the crazy life we lead in Northern Virginia.

 

Rehoboth Beach

 
As with everything we do, we setup a beach villa with our cooler, beach chairs, and shelter.  

 

Beach villa


We found Cape Henlopen State Park, just north of downtown Rehoboth is a quiet, family friendly part of the coastline as a perfect place for us to spend the day catching some rays, reading some books, taking naps, walking on the beach, and playing in the waves.

   

  

  

  

  


A tradition at Cape Henlopen on the forth of July is the Independence Day “Parade” on the beach.  It’s simple, quaint, and quick, but fun for everyone.

4th of July Parade

At night we went to downtown Rehoboth to walk the boardwalk.  The night life is alive with entertainment, food, and games for families.

       

The beach is also lit up at night along the boardwalk.  People can enjoy the beach, watch the waves, or play a game of volleyball at night.                

Walking the boardwalk at night is a wonderful way to spend time with someone cute. 

Unfortunately, Rehoboth beach decided to have their fireworks show on the 5th of July this year.  However, Dewey Beach, just a few miles away was having them on the forth.  So, Laura and I ventured there to check it out.  

Dewey Beach is known for the younger crowd.  While we did find twenty somethings drunk in public, there weren’t any problems – everyone was well behaved.

Take in beautiful oceanfront views and feel the cool bay breezes while visiting Dewey Beach! Located between the Rehoboth Bay and Atlantic Ocean, this sandbar community is an ideal destination for beach lovers and water sport enthusiasts. In fact, Dewey Beach is just two blocks wide but packed with fun things to do!

     
The fireworks were set to go off on the bay side.  We noticed that there are boat rentals right next to where we set up to enjoy the show.

   

  

  

  

It was a nice small town show.  
  

The Rehoboth/Dewey beach area is quickly becoming a favorite destination for our Independence Day weekend celebration.

   
  

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware – July 2015

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Rehoboth Beach area has become our destination of choice for long weekends during the summer.  The golden sands, blue water give us a break from the crazy life we lead in Northern Virginia.

 

Rehoboth Beach

 
As with everything we do, we setup a beach villa with our cooler, beach chairs, and shelter.  

 

Beach villa


We found Cape Henlopen State Park, just north of downtown Rehoboth is a quiet, family friendly part of the coastline as a perfect place for us to spend the day catching some rays, reading some books, taking naps, walking on the beach, and playing in the waves.

   

  

  

  

  


A tradition at Cape Henlopen on the forth of July is the Independence Day “Parade” on the beach.  It’s simple, quaint, and quick, but fun for everyone.

4th of July Parade

At night we went to downtown Rehoboth to walk the boardwalk.  The night life is alive with entertainment, food, and games for families.

       

The beach is also lit up at night along the boardwalk.  People can enjoy the beach, watch the waves, or play a game of volleyball at night.                

Walking the boardwalk at night is a wonderful way to spend time with someone cute. 

Unfortunately, Rehoboth beach decided to have their fireworks show on the 5th of July this year.  However, Dewey Beach, just a few miles away was having them on the forth.  So, Laura and I ventured there to check it out.  

Dewey Beach is known for the younger crowd.  While we did find twenty somethings drunk in public, there weren’t any problems – everyone was well behaved.

Take in beautiful oceanfront views and feel the cool bay breezes while visiting Dewey Beach! Located between the Rehoboth Bay and Atlantic Ocean, this sandbar community is an ideal destination for beach lovers and water sport enthusiasts. In fact, Dewey Beach is just two blocks wide but packed with fun things to do!

     
The fireworks were set to go off on the bay side.  We noticed that there are boat rentals right next to where we set up to enjoy the show.

   

  

  

  

It was a nice small town show.  
  

The Rehoboth/Dewey beach area is quickly becoming a favorite destination for our Independence Day weekend celebration.

   
  

Grotto Pizza – Dewey Beach

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Tonight while waiting for fireworks for Independence Day; Laura and I got take out pizza from Grotto Pizza.

 

Grotto Pizza Dewey Beach


Voted number 1 pizza in Delaware and a well advertised food joint in the area; we thought we’d try them out. 
 

Grotto pizza

 
Laura ordered a gluten free pizza, no cheese, with jalapeños, peppers, onions, and pepperoni.  It was great.  Just what we needed after a relaxing day at the beach.

If you’re in the Rehoboth beach area you should try Grotto Pizza.

Jake’s Seafood House, Rehoboth – July 2015

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Laura and I went to Jake’s Seafood house in Rehoboth, Delaware.  They have a great surf and turf menu with a light, fresh flare.  In past years they had a gluten free menu, but not this time; dispite the menu not changing.  If you’re concerned about an item, just ask.

Jakes on Rt 1 in Rehoboth

Rehoboth has a ton of dining options available from counter service to fine dining.  We find Jakes to be a favorite for us.  We’ve enjoyed eating there when we’re in town and tonight was no exception.
 

dinner at Jakes

 
Dayboat Scallops, broccoli, and sweet potato fries are my favorite.  The scallops are served in butter with seasoning.  The broccoli is fresh and great for dipping in the scallop’s sauce.  The sweet potato fries come with a honey mayonnaise sauce which is a great compliment taste for the scallops (we substituted mash potatoes for this).  A Yingling beer for me to make the meal complete.

They had live music tonight that wasn’t bad.  Old country favorites; Not too loud or obnoxious. 

We will definitely continue to visit Jakes whenever we’re in town.

Red, Hot, & Blue Leesburg – June 2015

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After a day of tubing down the Antietum Creek, we decided to go to Red, Hot, & Blue for dinner.  

 

Patty and Ryan making pigs of themselves


Laura and I each got the 5 Meat Platters.  Laura told them to hold the sausage and order sweet potato fries and coleslaw for sides, while I got the beans and coleslaw for sides.  

 

Laura’s meal

  

Shawn’s meal

 

While there are some items on the menu that are gluten free, the kids menu has nothing.  Patty got a bun-less hamburger with tomatoes and ketchup. Ryan are off Laura’s plate.

 

Patty’s meal – Hamburger patty with tomato


Overall, it was a good meal.  Laura and I both ended up with leftovers.  We will likely add Red, Hot, and Blue to our list of places to eat.

Rubino’s Pizzeria Broadlands – June 2015

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Product:3.0 Stars (3.0 / 5)
Service:3.0 Stars (3.0 / 5)
Accuracy:4.0 Stars (4.0 / 5)
Atmosphere:4.0 Stars (4.0 / 5)
Gluten Free Options:2.0 Stars (2.0 / 5)
Average:3.2 Stars (3.2 / 5)

Today for lunch Patty and I went to Rubino’s for Patty’s Softball Party.  Rubino’s is a local chain with 3 locations in Northern Virginia.  It’s a great atmosphere; perfect for bringing kids and watching sports.  

Rubino’s Broadlands

Patty and I got the gluten free pizza.  It was good, but there are definitely better pizzas in the area.

 

Rubino’s Gluten Free Cheese Pizza


Some of the other girls at the party got Garlic Knots and Macaroni and Cheese.  The girls seemed to like it a lot.

Garlic Rolls and Mac and Cheese

Rubino’s offers an old childhood favorite to drink.  Flavored  ICEE.  All the girls got an ICEE.  Patty enjoyed the blue one.

  
 

Nando’s Peri-Peri – June 2015

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Product:4.0 Stars (4.0 / 5)
Service:2.0 Stars (2.0 / 5)
Accuracy:4.0 Stars (4.0 / 5)
Atmosphere:3.0 Stars (3.0 / 5)
Gluten Free Options:4.0 Stars (4.0 / 5)
Average:3.4 Stars (3.4 / 5)

Tonight Laura and I dined at Nando’s Peri-Peri at One Loudoun in Ashburn, VA.  The food was pretty good, but thought the setup was a bit cloogy.  

Nando’s is famous for its Portuguese flame-grilled, butterfly‑cut chicken, which is marinated for 24-hours before being basted and cooked in Nando’s famous PERi-PERi sauce!

They first show you your table with menus, then you get up from the table and then go to the counter to order your meal which will be brought to your table when it’s ready. They have one soda machine with patrons backed up trying to fill their drinks which also happen to block the station for silverware and condiments.

 

decor at Nando’s in Ashburn


Laura ordered the “Red” Sangria.  This potion was mixed with apples, cinnamon, and orange.  It had a very nice, fresh taste; perfect for summer.

  
I ordered the 1/2 chicken with the mild sauce and Portuguese rice.  The chicken came out pretty good.  It had a couple of dry areas, otherwise it was very juicy.  The sauce had a little kick to it – I wished they put more on it.  The Portuguese rice was good too.

 

1/2 chicken with rice


Laura got the Butterfly Chicken Breast with Mango & Lime sauce.  She said her chicken was a little dry.  The Mango & Lime sauce was very fresh and tasty.

 

Butterflied Chicken with Mango and Lime sauce


The food was good the service was just okay especially for the price.  I think we’ll be back occasionally, probably with the kids next time.  I don’t think it will ever be one of normal eateries, but might be good once in a while.