Anonymous wrote:I'm 38, moving to Mclean soon with my young family. I think the charm of downtown Mclean is the old and new (Chopt and Cava have ample parking).

https://media.giphy.com/media/5eqG9dkr6N6wM/giphy.g

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Giant and Balducci have a decent selection. Safeway doesn't but it's relatively cheap.

Happy enough with the restaurant offerings. Ex: Kazan's, Greek Taverna, Assaggi, Pasa Thai, Capri, Cafe Oggi, Tachibana, Miyagi, J. Gilbert's, Pulcinella's, Amoo's, Ichiban, Dal Grano, Mylos, Masala, El Tio, Lost Dog, Sweet Leaf, Madison Deli, Santini's, Rocco's, McLean Pizza, MFR, Moby Dick, Red Tomato, Subway, Chipotle, Cava, McDonalds. Plus Tysons, Vienna and Falls Church are nearby w/more.

McLean has the most expensive homes, the top schools, the best location. It wouldn't be fair to corner the market on all the best restaurants as well.

You're nuts. Let me highlight the crappy ones for you.
I have no idea where or what Dal Grano is, and I've lived here for 20 yrs. Tachibana and Ichiban are both good. J. Gilbert's and Kazan's are very overpriced and mediocre at best. Lost Dog isn't even in McLean proper. Half of them are pizza--guess you left out Listrani's, Dominos, and Pizza Hut?

McLean's is a food desert.

Anonymous wrote:The Giant and Balducci have a decent selection. Safeway doesn't but it's relatively cheap.

Happy enough with the restaurant offerings. Ex: Kazan's, Greek Taverna, Assaggi, Pasa Thai, Capri, Cafe Oggi, Tachibana, Miyagi, J. Gilbert's, Pulcinella's, Amoo's, Ichiban, Dal Grano, Mylos, Masala, El Tio, Lost Dog, Sweet Leaf, Madison Deli, Santini's, Rocco's, McLean Pizza, MFR, Moby Dick, Red Tomato, Subway, Chipotle, Cava, McDonalds. Plus Tysons, Vienna and Falls Church are nearby w/more.

McLean has the most expensive homes, the top schools, the best location. It wouldn't be fair to corner the market on all the best restaurants as well.

Anonymous wrote:Get rid of the Giant and put in a new Gourmet Giant. Or WF.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is someone trying to argue that McLean DOES have a good amount of high-quality restaurants? Hahaha.

It doesn't even have a decent grocery store. McLean is not for foodies.

McLean has an enormous Giant, one of the three Balducci's in the DC region, several Safeways, a Harris Teeter, and a Wegmans scheduled to open in Tysons/McLean in two years. There are Whole Foods in the adjacent towns (Falls Church and Vienna) and a Trader Joe's in Falls Church as well.

OMG, you get to include anything in Tysons (because, yeah, we know, the postal address) even though when it comes time to talk to the County, y'all insist driving to Tysons is horrible and getting worse, plus you get to include Falls Church and Vienna (even though here you insist the drive on Rte 123 from Vienna to Tysons is terrible). It's a shorter drive from Crystal City to the MOM's in North Arlington, but I don't think anyone calls that a neighborhood supermarket for CC.

Nope, nobody drives on Rt 123 to shop in Vienna. That's crazy talk. You don't know anything about McLean, obviously.
If we have to go further afield, some of us use the side streets to go MOM's, Hmart, Great Wall of China... all in Mosaic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is someone trying to argue that McLean DOES have a good amount of high-quality restaurants? Hahaha.

It doesn't even have a decent grocery store. McLean is not for foodies.

McLean has an enormous Giant, one of the three Balducci's in the DC region, several Safeways, a Harris Teeter, and a Wegmans scheduled to open in Tysons/McLean in two years. There are Whole Foods in the adjacent towns (Falls Church and Vienna) and a Trader Joe's in Falls Church as well.

OMG, you get to include anything in Tysons (because, yeah, we know, the postal address) even though when it comes time to talk to the County, y'all insist driving to Tysons is horrible and getting worse, plus you get to include Falls Church and Vienna (even though here you insist the drive on Rte 123 from Vienna to Tysons is terrible). It's a shorter drive from Crystal City to the MOM's in North Arlington, but I don't think anyone calls that a neighborhood supermarket for CC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Old boomers don't eat out, except maybe out of a straw.

The enrollments at both McLean HS and Marshall HS are the highest they’ve been in at least 25 years.

Have you seen how OLD some of the parents is kids in McLean are? Can't tell of it's mom and dad or grandma and grandpa.

Parents are older because they build some wealth before popping out kiddies, so they can afford McLean. That's the way to do it. No teen moms up in here.

I am youngish (35 with two kids) and bought 2m home in McLean.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read an article that said that many people in Mclean have chefs or housekeepers who cook for the kids so they don't eat out in Mclean restaurants. When they do eat out, they go to downtown DC.

No you didn’t.

Actually, yes I did. I have very good reading retention. It's a quote from Tom Sietsema. Do you know who he is?

https://dc.eater.com/2012/9/7/6547901/tom-sietsema-awards-1-5-stars-to-mcleans-bistro-vivant

This one’s too good. Here’s the food critic’s quote: “The joke that explains the problem [that McLean ‘doesn’t have many high-quality restaurants going for it’]: Too many personal chefs.”
Ba dum tsss.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is someone trying to argue that McLean DOES have a good amount of high-quality restaurants? Hahaha.

It doesn't even have a decent grocery store. McLean is not for foodies.

McLean has an enormous Giant, one of the three Balducci's in the DC region, several Safeways, a Harris Teeter, and a Wegmans scheduled to open in Tysons/McLean in two years. There are Whole Foods in the adjacent towns (Falls Church and Vienna) and a Trader Joe's in Falls Church as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is someone trying to argue that McLean DOES have a good amount of high-quality restaurants? Hahaha.

It doesn't even have a decent grocery store. McLean is not for foodies.

McLean has an enormous Giant, one of the three Balducci's in the DC region, several Safeways, a Harris Teeter, and a Wegmans scheduled to open in Tysons/McLean in two years. There are Whole Foods in the adjacent towns (Falls Church and Vienna) and a Trader Joe's in Falls Church as well.

Anonymous wrote:Is someone trying to argue that McLean DOES have a good amount of high-quality restaurants? Hahaha.

It doesn't even have a decent grocery store. McLean is not for foodies.

Anonymous wrote:This is the thread to read for anyone thinking of moving here who wants to get a feel for the personality of the area.

Grim, self-important, status-striving sneerers who'll argue the tiniest point to the death will be your neighbors, and they're completely typical.