Not Your Average Joe’s NYAJ

We like to go out for lunch rather than dinner. It’s just easier during the day - less traffic, no wine (less expensive), and having enough left over for dinner. Today we decided to break up the week by driving to Not Your Average Joe’s in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area. It’s always a good idea to arrive before noon because the tables fill up very quickly. And it’s also a better idea to go during the week than on a Friday. We have been here several times and have never been disappointed. Since we are bread lovers, you can’t go wrong with the focaccia bread and oil make card with cheese. Today we just went with a bowl of soup, a side of French fries, and a Greek salad with chicken. Last time we brought home a small pizza. Today we decided the jambalaya might be a good idea. So rather than even have it served, we just requested a take out order. The restaurant is always busy and there were still plenty of people coming in as we were leaving. It is quite a ride for us from Capitol Hill, but it’s a good excuse to get out of the house. The only downside is trying to find a parking place once we get home. That is an entirely different story. 

Drafty at the Bar

We usually go out for lunch on Friday and brunch on Saturday. Since we wanted to get some flowers for the patio garden, we thought Not Your average Joe’s in Bethesda would be a good bet because American Plant is on the way back. But being Friday, the place was packed around noon. So rather than wait for a real table, we sat at the bistro height table with matching stools near the front door. It wasn’t exactly warm outside, and we were reminded of that every time someone opened or closed the door. So I wore my coat the whole time, and it was a bit uncomfortable - especially because I’m always cold anyway. We decided to go to the Virginian in Vienna for breakfast today instead of the usual McLean Family Restaurant. There was a line waiting for seating so we decided to sit at the bar. As luck would have it, wouldn’t you know the exact same thing happened today. It’s still cold outside and the wind was obviously heading exactly at our spot whenever the door opened. And it didn’t matter one bit that there were two front doors. So it was very uncomfortable again! My husband is usually the roadrunner and I am Wiley coyote. But in this instance it didn’t make any difference.