I've got lots of friends and family in the Ashburn/Dulles/Sterling area, so I've spent quite a lot of time there, and quite a lot of time in restaurants out there as well. Here are a few of our regular haunts:
Old Dominion Brewing Company
Great beer, even though it was recently accquired by the Budweiser group; they claim they're going to leave it alone. The food is usually very good, although it tends to fluctuate from chef to chef and menu to menu.
American Flatbread
Their pizzas are available at Whole Foods, but they've also got a few restaurants, and as good as the frozen pizzas are (and they are), they're nothing compared to the real thing fresh out of the over. The southwestern black bean and corn pizza is heavenly.
Pacific Restaurant
A pan-Pacific rim restaurant, it's the Asian restaurant of choice of my best friend out there, who is himself Chinese and from a large family of restauranteurs in New York. Excellent food across the board.
Saigon Star
Also one of his recommendations, a very good Vietnamese place.
Cafe Opera
A little more casual and a little more specialized than Pacific.
Sala Thai
Fantastic Thai take-out restaurant, it's our carry-out choice.
Mezza Grill
Very good Greek/Mediterranean restaurant, also very casual, take-out, etc.
Emilio's Brick Oven Pizza
Excellent, traditional thin-crust pizzas, with some wonderful toppings; the rosemary and potato is delightful.
The Italian Store
This is in Arlington, and thus something of a drive, but well worth the trip. It has quite possibly the best deli sandwiches and subs on the face of the earth, certainly up in the top five. Even if it's out of the way, it's worth changing the way to make a stop; when my friend commuted to DC from Ashburn, he would often stop on the way home. He misses that commute now, and only because of the food.
Hope some of these suggestions help.
