Restaurant Spotlight of the Week:

By Jody Fellows

A friend of mine told me about Daks a few months ago, mentioning how much she liked their wings. On several occasions since then, the restaurant and its wings have come up in conversation, but I had yet to check it out. So, when I was trying to decide on a restaurant to spotlight, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to hit up this Daks place. Now I could finally find out what all the hubbub was about.

If you haven't heard of Daks, don't worry, I've lived in Falls Church my entire life and up until five months ago, didn't know it existed. The building itself is rather unassuming, the awning is kind of drab and the stucco exterior doesn't really shout "Welcome!" However, once inside, you'll find that the accommodations are rather nice- there's a fireplace in the lounge, a full bar; the dining room is cozy and intimate but at the same time, quite roomy.

Daks' menu is most impressive, featuring a slew of options, including appetizers, soups and salads, seafood and chicken entrees, "homestyle" fare, sandwiches and more. Daks also features six different steak options, including the peppered strip béarnaise, delmonico, and filet mignon.

I decided to start off with the "Honey Sesame Wings," one of two wing choices on the menu (the other being Buffalo), and see if they could live up to all the hype. Some of the other appetizers that were passed up were the quesadillas, coconut shrimp, loaded potato skins and "mucho nachos."

The wings were served piping hot with some of the fattest celery stalks I've ever seen. Now, usually when I hear rave reviews about food, I'm often let down when I step up to the plate, however, this time, I was pleasantly surprised. The wings were very crispy-not crispy in the KFC sense, since these were not breaded, but crispy nonetheless, and I like that. The honey sesame flavor was just right, distinctive, but not overpowering. So far, Daks was making the grade.

For the main course, there were so many options to choose from, it took me 20 minutes to decide. I was leaning toward "Daks Tomato Chopper," described as a charbroiled steak with a unique sauce of tomatoes, basil, onion and secret spices smothered with cheddar and jack cheese, but then saw the "Artichoke Stuffed Chicken." And when I thought I had finally made up my mind, I couldn't help but notice the "Dirty Chicken & Linguine" entrée, with the description "looks so bad… tastes so good." As much as I wanted to give it a try, I wasn't feeling particularly daring that afternoon. So instead, I chose an all-American classic, the burger. "Daks Famous, Too Big Burger," to be exact.

Now, I should have prepared better for this sandwich. I made the mistake of eating too many wings prior, but really couldn't help myself, they were just that good. When the burger came, I knew I was in trouble. Having only scanned the burger description and neglected to read the specifics, I was unaware I ordered up a 10 ouncer. The burger was piled high with cheddar, provolone, and bacon (my choices) in addition to lettuce, tomato and onions, and served with coleslaw, chips and a pickle. Despite the fact that the burger was extremely juicy and flavorful,

I was only able to finish half and had to admit defeat and ask for a doggy bag. Daks had gotten the better of me this time, but next time, I'll be ready.

In addition to the Falls Church location on Columbia Pike, there's a Daks in the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria and one in Dale City, VA. Daks also offers full service catering, you can check out the menu online at www.daksgrill.com.