Homegrown Recipes from Reston's Salad Days

While doing our usual extensive research (doomscrolling), we came across a picture one of those dog-eared charity recipe compilations you always see at your aunt's house called "From Reston With Love." Compiled back in Reston's salad days (get it?) by a local nonprofit (or, based on the name, maybe an espionage cell), we can only imagine the delicious homegrown recipes included inside! So we will.

Cluster cream pie. Pretty standard dessert fare, but was it really necessary to warn would-be chefs that using brightly colored sprinkles instead of drab brown ones would result in a lien against your kitchen?

Silver Line steak. Delicious, but expect lengthy delays while you're waiting for it to cook.

RTC $2/hr cookies. Like the apocryphal Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe (it wasn't) everyone swears cost $250 (it didn't), these delectable treats just speak to elite dining, except maybe for the part where you have to download an app before you start baking or someone in an electric scooter comes by and clamps your oven shut. 

Oysters casino. A definite crowd-pleaser, but according to Virginia law, it can now only be served in an abandoned car lot in Tysons.

Cucumber salad a la RELAC. Best to eat it quickly, as our favorite jet-age lake-powered cooling system might not keep it fresh.

Sand trap sandwiches. Perfect for taming your hunger after a long day on the links, but be prepared to be told it's a waste of space on your dinner plate that could be better used by more nutrient-dense fare -- and that the lettuce is actually an invasive plant.

Ashburn ahi tuna. Like our neighbors to the west, a bit on the pricey side, it looks the same no matter where it's served, and it hasn't been trendy since 2004. 

Fox fricassee. In honor of Reston's beloved mascot. Delicious! Speaking of which, when was the last time anyone saw it?

Mac and cheese. Sadly, we long-time Restonians know the recipe was lost to time when a certain midscale chain eatery closed its doors forever, taking our hearts with it, the end.

This post was originally published in the Reston Letter.