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Taste Of The Grotto Menu 

$44

 

Start With A Cup Of...

 

tomato, rosemary & garbanzo bean soup  {gff, vg}

 

Choice Of Antipasto

 

mozzarella in carozza {fried cheese sandwich w/summer tomato sauce} 

octopus & seppia{olive oil roasted & grilled ~ corona and garbanzo beans}  {gff}

grilled artichoke {w/preserved lemon aioli}  {gff}

 

Choice of Pasta

 

lamb ragu (pappardelle)  {gff*}

shrimp {w/garlic, white wine & herb}  (linguine)  {gff*} 

risotto {w/saffron, tomato & wild "˜shrooms}{gff, vg}

 

Choice of Main

 

boar stew w/sorrento tomato, kabocha, borlotti & corona beans  {gff}

steak {ventralis w/salsa rossa ~ kennebec potato} (upcharge +4)

mahi mahi {w/melted leek sauce ~ cippolini agrodolce}  {gff}

truffled yellow finn potato {w/moliterno al tartufo cheese}  {vg}

 

Followed By A Choice Of Desserts

 

persian "˜sargol' saffron & olive oil gelato  {gff}

crema di cioccolato  {gff}

ricotta cheesecake w/sesame  {gff}

almond cake w/cinnamon gelato  {gff}

cheese duo {moliterno al tartufo & blu di caravaggio}

 

WIne flights will be upgraded from 3 oz to 8 oz per pour if you say you saw this on Don Rockwell.  

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Looking forward to meeting the DC Crí¼ here tonight to take advantage of free corkage! :)

7 of us winos took advantage of Dino's corkage free night, as well as the current 'Best of the Grotto' menu as detailed by Dean previously in this thread. It was good and service was great (even without Dean there!).

Each of us had 4 stems to play around with the 8 or 9 bottles we brought to share. Nice.  For what it is worth, here's what I had and my comments--

 
Deviled eggs went well with a Littorai Chardonnay we had while we waited for all 7 of us to arrive. mmm
tomato, rosemary & garbanzo bean soup  - I am not sure if this is what I had as what I had was somewhat unexpectedly spicy. But it was delicious.
mozzarella in carozza {fried cheese sandwich w/summer tomato sauce}  - man this was GREAT. Nice play on the grilled cheese and tomato soup idea. Loved it. MY dish of the night to be honest.
lamb ragu (pappardelle)  -- no papparadelle, it was  a short curly-q pasta instead. The ragu was delicious.
steak {ventralis w/salsa rossa ~ kennebec potato} (upcharge +4) - very nice. Went great with the Karl Lawrence cab
cheese duo {moliterno al tartufo & blu di caravaggio} - a nice way to finish off the abundant wine

Had a Littorai chardonnay (sonoma coast 2012 I think), a 2011 Littorai Savoy Pinot Noir, a 2006 Radio Coteau Savoy Pinot Noir, a 2002 Dehlinger Goldridge Estate Pinot Noir (ever so faintly corked, but it still worked), a Karl Lawrence Cab (not sure on the year - 2007?), a 1999 Vietti Barolo (wow), a 1995 or 1997 or 1998 Brunello of a sort that was DOA (tasted like an old band aid), and a 2003 Kosta Browne Pinot (forgot the vineyard).

Standouts for the wine for me were the Littorai Chard, Littorai Pinot and especially the 1999 Barolo.

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7 of us winos took advantage of Dino's corkage free night, as well as the current 'Best of the Grotto' menu as detailed by Dean previously in this thread. It was good and service was great (even without Dean there!).

Each of us had 4 stems to play around with the 8 or 9 bottles we brought to share. Nice. For what it is worth, here's what I had and my comments--

Deviled eggs went well with a Littorai Chardonnay we had while we waited for all 7 of us to arrive. mmm

tomato, rosemary & garbanzo bean soup - I am not sure if this is what I had as what I had was somewhat unexpectedly spicy. But it was delicious.

mozzarella in carozza {fried cheese sandwich w/summer tomato sauce} - man this was GREAT. Nice play on the grilled cheese and tomato soup idea. Loved it. MY dish of the night to be honest.

lamb ragu (pappardelle) -- no papparadelle, it was a short curly-q pasta instead. The ragu was delicious.

steak {ventralis w/salsa rossa ~ kennebec potato} (upcharge +4) - very nice. Went great with the Karl Lawrence cab

cheese duo {moliterno al tartufo & blu di caravaggio} - a nice way to finish off the abundant wine

Had a Littorai chardonnay (sonoma coast 2012 I think), a 2011 Littorai Savoy Pinot Noir, a 2006 Radio Coteau Savoy Pinot Noir, a 2002 Dehlinger Goldridge Estate Pinot Noir (ever so faintly corked, but it still worked), a Karl Lawrence Cab (not sure on the year - 2007?), a 1999 Vietti Barolo (wow), a 1995 or 1997 or 1998 Brunello of a sort that was DOA (tasted like an old band aid), and a 2003 Kosta Browne Pinot (forgot the vineyard).

Standouts for the wine for me were the Littorai Chard, Littorai Pinot and especially the 1999 Barolo.

The garbanzo, rosemary & tomato soup is spicy. The pasta was fusili. The wait should have let you know about the substitution, our pasta maker (the person) doesn't work every day so sometimes we do run out. Our bad for not telling you.

If I had known there was so much Littorai and Dehlinger would be involved, I wouldn't have taken the night off.

---

We will be open at 5pm and take reservations/tables at least thru 8:30pm.

Happy Hour all night.

Free mug of Soup to warm you ~ $6 Hot toddy {ginger, lemon, honey & Old Grand Dad}

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I don't understand why the Grotto doesn't get more love from the foodie powers that be? Dean serves delicious, creative food that is reasonably priced period. 

On this site, I think it's at least partly because some of us have been (semi-) regulars there for so long, that we don't think to post about it when we go.

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There is a new bartender in town for Sunday's all day, Monday's and Wednesday's.   check him out.  He's entertaining and knows his way around a cocktail or two   ;)

(Just realized something.  My appreciation for this particular bartender has nothing to do with the school in my sig).  But his knowledge and experience adds a nice additional touch to an excellent restaurant.

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one problem I have is that the burger is apparently laced with crack, such that I have to order it almost every time I go. God I love that burger.

Honestly, I never realized they do a burger here. Ha!

Will post pictures and more detailed comments tomorrow when I am not falling asleep at the computer. But had a pre-concert meal here at the bar and really quite enjoyed it.

Thanks for not smacking me around for not getting a more detailed review up here. We came before the Paul Weller show at the 930 Club. It is a no brainer to come here, pre-show. Good food, good wine, and a leisurely stroll of 90 seconds and you're in the door.

We spent about two and a half hours enjoying dinner and drink before the show and would do so gladly again. Saw Dean and met Rick at the downstairs bar where we dined. Got well taken care of and quite happy with the service.

Starters, mains and cheese were coming for us, but as we decided this, we went through a few drinks. Something refreshing and ginny for my wife, and I tried on the Rick Flair, followed later with a Four Horseman. All of the drinks were tasty, but especially the Four Horseman. Yum.

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Fried Not Green Tomatoes - Pretty tasty, nice touch with the balsamico.

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Squash Blossoms - Really good. I like the sauce that came with it, as it was a nice hit of acid to balance it. My only thought was (and I know I am a sauce-king...) there might be a bit too much sauce. Of course, I slurped it all down. I'd happily order this again.

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Salmon - The onions and stuff that came on top of this dish were great. The salmon itself was tasty, but a smidge overcooked. Still the sugar snap peas were truly spectacularly fresh and amazing.

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Pork Belly - there were softshell crabs that I veered away from for this, mainly because I was wanting to drink a red wine, and not a white. The whole dish was very good, especially the pork belly and accoutrements (the shrooms!). The farro part of the dish made this feel heavier and more wintery to me, but I am not regretting the dish at all. I think the ginger bits in the dish lightened things up, but that there was a little too much ginger in it for my taste (mainly as it was not pairing really well with the wine - I love ginger!). I'd get this again, but would wait for fall and winter myself.

Finished it all up with some cheese, I think, I say this because we were a bit tipsy by this point. But that was all good and we were now fortified and ready to meet friends at the show. A good night at the Grotto!

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From Dean's emailed newsletter:

We know that parking can be difficult on the streets around the restaurant.  So we have a few ideas...

Pay Lots on 8th North of Florida

From the Grotto, drive north on 9th to W: South of W (to the right) are two private pay lots. To the left is a large lot that is sometimes pay, sometimes not. These lots are a 4 block walk to the Grotto or less.

9th Street

There is metered Parking on 9th Street from T North. Pay to park until 6:30pm ~ Free after 6:30 and all day Sunday. Be careful of the red resident only parking signs on the west side of 9th. You CAN park there Saturday and Sundays if the restriction is for Monday through Friday. Northbound on 9th from Rhode Island to T (that is, south of the restaurant) there is nonresident parking indicated by green signs. On Saturday and Sunday, the resident only parking on Southbound 9th street are waived. Please look for signs on that particular block to be sure!

8th Street South of Florida

There is metered parking from Florida to T; a combination of meter & non resident parking. Again, you can only park in non resident parking zones indicated by green signs. The red signs are restricted to residents only unless otherwise indicated as weekdays only.

U Street

Pay Lot on U Between 10th and 9th: on the south side of the street ~ You must be traveling east on U from 10th to turn right into the lot ~ it is behind Nellies. There is metered parking on U but you need to feed the meter later in some areas.

Vermont, 10th etc.

Some blocks have non resident parking or meters.

T Street

T has nonresident parking from 10th to 9th, metered parking east of 9th. There is a Pay Lot at 7th & T, the Howard Theater Lot, which is sometimes available.

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I would have added two things to Dean's note: the most reliable parking option is a bit of a walk from Dino's Grotto, but there's a large lot at 14th and U under the Reeve's Center that's open to the public on weekends (and maybe weeknights? can't remember, but not during business hours); also, put the Parkmobile app on your phone.  

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My husband and I had a last minute opportunity for a toddlerless* meal Wednesday night, so we snagged a 7pm reservation at Dino's Grotto. I had eaten at Dino once a long, long time ago (maybe 10 years ago if it was open that long ago), but I'd never eaten at the Grotto. We had a great time. (I'd enjoyed my meal at Dino, but I somehow never made it back there. Too many new places to try, I guess. My loss.)

Dean stopped by our table a couple of times to chat, which was great. (Dean, we were the couple you were encouraging to get the Feast of the Seven Fishes, but I said I wasn't a huge fish fan. We also discussed Apicius and Roman antiquity at some length.) He also chatted a couple of times with a couple behind us and seemed to know them pretty well. I was wondering if they were also Rockwellians. :)

We started with the half salumi plate and the cauliflower gratinare. Both delicious. I can't say I normally get very excited about cauliflower, but I knew with the quality of the ingredients and the preparation (crucolo, fontina, ramp butter, baked) that it would be great. I had to really push my husband to order the cauliflower (he wanted the whole salumi plate), and I was glad I did. (He enjoyed the cauliflower, too.) We contemplated ordering the whole salumi plate plus the cauliflower, but thankfully our waiter talked us down from that. So often when we order charcuterie boards the portions are so miniscule that we feel like we could have eaten twice as much. This salumi plate was not only delicious but the portions were ample. I was so excited to eat the salumi that I gobbled it down without being sure of what most things were. My only nit of the whole evening is that I wish someone had oriented us to the items on the plate when it was left with us. I didn't think about this until much later, so it obviously didn't have a huge impact on our experience.

For my primi I had the duck bolognese on Dean's recommendation. It was wonderful. I usually think of bolognese as a heavy dish, but this was pretty light and also had a nice kick to it, which I don't remember experiencing with other bolognese I've had. My husband had the campidanese, which was also delicious though not to my mind as exciting as the bolognese.

For my secondi I had a pork belly dish that I don't see on the online menu, so I won't be able to explain it very well, but I liked it. (What's not to like about pork belly?) The sauce accompanying the pork belly was lovely. My husband the steak fiend had the teres major steak. He'd never had the cut before or even heard of it, and he liked it. The potatoes on the side were delicate and tasty, too.

For dessert I had the chocolate custard cream pie, again on Dean's recommendation. This was delicious, especially the gingerbread crust. I'm a sucker for anything gingerbread, and this crust was amazing. The pie's filling was also tasty of course, although I don't remember tasting the orange in the menu description. Maybe I was too focused on the gingerbread crust. My husband loves tiramisu, so that's what he ordered, and he wasn't disappointed.

For drinks I had the flight of three Lambruscos. I loved this and for $18 it seemed like a really good deal. I also had a glass of red wine that I enjoyed, but I can't give any more details since I know even less about Italian wines than I know about others and I don't see the wine list on the website. My husband had the house made ginger ale, which he liked and which was a refreshing change from the Canada Dry he usually drinks (I tried a sip).

As for parking, we lucked out with a spot on 9th Street right across from the restaurant, but I was armed with the parking information from the restaurant's website just in case.

Thanks for a great night, Dean! We can't wait to come back!

*Though we were very happy to have a toddlerless meal out, I did notice the kid's menu that people mention in earlier posts. It looks great! Perhaps the toddler will join us next time.

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We've just made reservations for NYE at Dino's Grotto.  It will be our first time there and we'll be taking our two boys (2.5 years old and 5 months).  I understand it's a prix-fixe menu.  Does anyone know if we're obligated to get the fixed menu for the little guys?  The older one will probably be quite content picking off of our plates.  The younger one doesn't have teeth so his dining options are limited.

And apologies to my fellow diners in advance!  The older one is normally a petit gentilhomme, but one can never be certain with him.  We're dining on the early end so hopefully we won't be too disruptive.

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We've just made reservations for NYE at Dino's Grotto.  It will be our first time there and we'll be taking our two boys (2.5 years old and 5 months).  I understand it's a prix-fixe menu.  Does anyone know if we're obligated to get the fixed menu for the little guys?  The older one will probably be quite content picking off of our plates.  The younger one doesn't have teeth so his dining options are limited.

And apologies to my fellow diners in advance!  The older one is normally a petit gentilhomme, but one can never be certain with him.  We're dining on the early end so hopefully we won't be too disruptive.

I was there tonight, and Dean said that the regular a la carte kids menu will be available if he wants to order from that.

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We've just made reservations for NYE at Dino's Grotto.  It will be our first time there and we'll be taking our two boys (2.5 years old and 5 months).  I understand it's a prix-fixe menu.  Does anyone know if we're obligated to get the fixed menu for the little guys?  The older one will probably be quite content picking off of our plates.  The younger one doesn't have teeth so his dining options are limited.

I'd recommend calling the restaurant and getting the info straight from the horse's mouth, as it were. Enjoy!

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We started with the half salumi plate and the cauliflower gratinare. Both delicious. I can't say I normally get very excited about cauliflower, but I knew with the quality of the ingredients and the preparation (crucolo, fontina, ramp butter, baked) that it would be great. I had to really push my husband to order the cauliflower (he wanted the whole salumi plate), and I was glad I did. (He enjoyed the cauliflower, too.) We contemplated ordering the whole salumi plate plus the cauliflower, but thankfully our waiter talked us down from that. So often when we order charcuterie boards the portions are so miniscule that we feel like we could have eaten twice as much. This salumi plate was not only delicious but the portions were ample. I was so excited to eat the salumi that I gobbled it down without being sure of what most things were. . . .

We were there last night and had the half salumi board with the grilled artichokes--a perfect combination!

The space is very attractive, and the service was excellent. We had an early dinner, and by the time we left at 7:30 the room was almost 100% full, and as a previous poster said, the noise level was a bit more then than I could tolerate. Before the room filled completely, the volume was not bad. One reason we eat early when we eat out!

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I took my husband and sister for their birthdays and we had a great meal. The Duck bolognese lasagna and it was so good! We also loved the mozzarella carozza.

Another fun thing about Dinos is if you're celebrating your birthday they will serve you a comped limoncello instead of birthday cake if you ask nicely.

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I also recently had a very good meal at Dino's. My guests were a bit nervous when we got here around 6:30 (on a Tuesday) and were the only people there. But all turned out nicely (and the restaurant was about half full when we left around 8:00 - it was a horribly rainy night). We had the cold octopus ("octopus cooked under a paper bag") for an app - the herbed olive oil it was roasted or cooked in was delicious. I had a half order of the alfredo, and friends had the clam linguine and the seared scallops. The waiter was more than generous with his time, explaining the menu to one person in my party who was indecisive and had several food issues (including cheese!)  that I was unaware of when picking an Italian restaurant. I loved the pasta and appreciate the half size option. I hope to get back there more frequently.

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With nothing on the agenda I had an early solo dinner at the lower level bar/grotto at Dino's Grotto last evening.  As referenced in the Green Pig Bistro thread Andrew the former bar manager at Green Pig is now spending some time behind the stick at Dino's.

Great deals during happy hour.  I had  the tasty barbecued shrimp with pesto sauce for all of $5.00 and a very nice signature cocktail....all of $8.   Can't go wrong in the District at those prices and both were excellent.  In fact a later bar patron had the same blueberry infused rum drink and expressed how much she enjoyed it as did I.

For a main the full sized wild boar did the trick.  Dino's house made broad noodles made this dish so much better.  All in all, wholesome, hearty, nice tastes and spices...and those noodles were perfect.   Bravo.

Finally, but certainly not least, Dino's is doing diners a favor featuring Qualia Coffee.  Are you familiar with the term "user friendly"?   Adding local Qualia coffee is overwhelmingly diner friendly.  Thanks Dean.   That was icing on the cake for a very nice dinner.

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With nothing on the agenda I had an early solo dinner at the lower level bar/grotto at Dino's Grotto last evening.  As referenced in the Green Pig Bistro thread Andrew the former bar manager at Green Pig is now spending some time behind the stick at Dino's.

We must have just missed each other. Went after meeting some people nearby for dinner specifically to see Andrew. He's the best kind of people there is. Incidentally, he's now selling his ginger brew at a few local stores under the brand K&B Sodas.

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We must have just missed each other. Went after meeting some people nearby for dinner specifically to see Andrew. He's the best kind of people there is. Incidentally, he's now selling his ginger brew at a few local stores under the brand K&B Sodas.

This is excellent news! Absolutely concur, Andrew is good people and his ginger beer is awesome. 

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Soft  shell crabs are in season and being highlighted on menu's now.  I was fortunate to spot reference of this on Dino's Grotto FB page the other day and had them last night.   Very nice:  Grilled with tomato shallots, etc.  I had seen them referenced a bit, but had missed the earliest deliveries.  Eater is running a summary of restaurants that have them on the menu now:   

Back to the soft shells at Dino's.  Enjoyed it and I quenched that early season soft shell craving.  Quite good-grilled, in this case with a tomato/shallot flavoring.  Also had the duck leg starter which is made with a terrific glaze.  After carefully and politely cutting and eating with a fork I was gnawing at the bone.  Wonderful. Crunchy with a very tasty glaze, wine reduction/blood orange.  That was yummy.

Again, kudo's to Dean for bringing in Qualia Coffee.  I'm a coffee drinker after dinner.  Qualia is quality and it puts to shame most of the coffee at most restaurants around town.

 

 

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Not long ago I was reading (and silently agreeing with) recent comments about 2 Amy's  

Its often described as GREAT Comfort Food.  I'd agree.  It is one of the best and has been for years.

And I just had possibly the Best Comfort Food meal I've had in recent memory at Dino's(possibly 6 months-possibly a year or longer).  It was so good in fact that 3/4 of the way through, out of my mouth passed these words

"THIS HIT THE SPOT".   And it did. 

Social Media/Facebook made me aware of their 1/2 price pot of muscles at the bar that night, and it struck my fancy enough on a random night to roll on over there.  I added a 1/2 order pasta dish, the Solo Salsiccia, rigatoni, slight sauce, and sausage, a cocktail, a cup of qualia coffee....all accompanied by a fun series of conversations at the bar.  The side accompaniment of nice crusty bread that can be dipped in olive oil and pepper...and then the softer bread accompanying the muscles for dipping into a delectable broth certainly helped.

An ideal set of dishes, a ridiculous price, all around excellent food...and fun conversation on a lucky spur of the moment reaction.  But it was way beyond satisfying. 

In all honesty I prefer comfort food meals, and that preference has grown of late due to being somewhat dissatisfied with some finer dining experiences in the last 2 years.  Somewhat dissatisfying on the taste, experience, value scale. 

That last meal hit the spot.  If I lived in or near Shaw I'd be there more often.

 

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Went again recently at the bar after an aborted attempt to see the YAYOI KUSAMA INFINITY MIRRORS (my wife's a Smithsonian employee, and this was an employee only access time and it was MOBBED). I ended up having their burger and it was quite, quite good. And, if you have not had their Rick Flair cocktail, you really should try it. Mmmmm.

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I just realized this week that Dino's Grotto is on Uber Eats!

(This post is not an endorsement of Uber Eats.  It's an expression of joy and wonder that the world we live in permits me to push a button and have a Dino burger delivered to my door.  Of course, i can't easily munch on delicious pickled carrots and sip a Dino-approved glass of wine while waiting for it, but such is the price of laziness.)

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On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 7:04 PM, Gadarene said:

I just realized this week that Dino's Grotto is on Uber Eats!

On twitter Dean promotes the delivery service Caviar quite a bit.  I've wondered if he likes it better than the other delivery services or if its just a profitable affiliate offering to promote?

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56 minutes ago, iolaire said:

On twitter Dean promotes the delivery service Caviar quite a bit.  I've wondered if he likes it better than the other delivery services or if its just a profitable affiliate offering to promote?

Caviar is the best delivery service there is, but it's not cheap.  The prices are higher than what's on the menu and they charge you a fairly large ($5-10) delivery fee on top.  However, in NYC it has all of the good restaurants and almost no restrictions on delivery.  Basically, if the restaurant is in Manhattan and you're in Manhattan, they'll bring it to you.  Does anyone know if it's the same in DC?

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The Thursday evening pot of mussels cooked in a white wine and garlic broth with tremendous bread remains one of the great dining deals in DC.  Very large pot, supposedly a kilo (might be--it is YUGE)  --The PRICE?   Knock my socks off and call me silly!!!!   $10.  I do enjoy mussels.  I order them around town and usually find them enjoyable.  I don't need to have some of the more inventive, creative and tasty broths.  I enjoy mussels.  Dino's is a classic broth.  They provide a toasted bread but can also provide their far better high grade bread used for dipping.  Beers,wines, and quite a few cocktails reflect HH prices. 

$10 for a large pot of quality mussels.    I've recently seen food and deal love for Granville Moore's $12 pot on Monday's here and here 

I have a difficult time getting to H Street on Monday's. I have not been to G/M's in years  and Granville Moore's is a mussel centric restaurant/bar.  These at Dino's hit the spot and are light on the wallet.  I was there last Thursday at the bar...sort of quiet.  A TV with the make up Nats Orioles game on at that hour.  First inning the Nats were quickly up 1-0.  But those mussels were so scrumptious.  My head went down.  Next time I glanced at the TV the Nats were up 5-0 with all the runs in the first inning.  Compelling inning vs the mussels.  The mussels won!!!!!

That mussel deal has to be one of the best HH deals in town.

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I love Dino's Grotto.  It continues to be an inviting, familiar, comforting, reliable standby for us (though we have used it for special occasions as well, which has always been a great time).  Nothing like a few negronis and dinner in the grotto bar after getting home from a boring work trip.

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I was in the area and stopped by Dino's this past week.  They are still running a value driven Restaurant Week dinner priced meal  $35 through Feb.  8.  Typically fine food.  Amazing value off their Restaurant Week menu:

I ate at the bar.  Andrew was busy with a party but efficient and engaging.  The menu included an amuse, I added the ceviche, this winter's brisket  (its far from Italian--very slightly reminded me of a dish my grandmother mastered), though Dino's came with a very nice completely different flavoring and of course it was cuttable with a fork and finished off with the 3 flavored--quite intense and delicious gelato.   

Its customer/diner friendly value with virtually anything from the main menu.  

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19 hours ago, DaveO said:

I was in the area and stopped by Dino's this past week.  They are still running a value driven Restaurant Week dinner priced meal  $35 through Feb.  8.  Typically fine food.  Amazing value off their Restaurant Week menu:

I ate at the bar.  Andrew was busy with a party but efficient and engaging.  The menu included an amuse, I added the ceviche, this winter's brisket  (its far from Italian--very slightly reminded me of a dish my grandmother mastered), though Dino's came with a very nice completely different flavoring and of course it was cuttable with a fork and finished off with the 3 flavored--quite intense and delicious gelato.   

Its customer/diner friendly value with virtually anything from the main menu.  

Even though I consider Andrew to be a friend of mine (we met a few years ago while he was bartending at Green Pig Bistro), I've yet to make it to Dino's. It's certainly on my list, so thanks for your post! He is certainly a professional, and makes excellent cocktails.

As an aside, Andrew now sells his ginger beer commercially, albeit on a very small scale. Here's his website. I have no financial interest in his ginger beer, but I've been a fan of it ever since I had an incredible Moscow Mule at GPB. It is super-gingery/spicy and not overly sweet, so I recommend you find some if that matches your taste buds.

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I’m super excited to finally be able to go to Dino’s Grotto after many years of wishing in one hand and shitting in the other. It will be a rare event for us, unfortunately, so we won’t be able to plow through the menu over time. What items can’t be missed.

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Sadly, I have not been, but a buddy of mine has tended bar there for a few years. (Green Pig Bistro prior to that).

He recommends:

Anything seasonal, Crab pasta, Boar pasta, Caprese, Burrata, and squash blossoms.

Any of his cocktails should be terrific.

Not sure if he is working tonight, but ask for Andrew.

 

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This might too late but a while back I had a pot of mussels and a half order of one pasta while soaking up excellent bread w/ olive oil.   Half way through under my breath I sighed and said this is a great meal- a comfort food meal.   I think the mussels might be half price at the bar on Sunday.   I also think they are still doing restaurant week pricing- the 3 gelato dessert have intense flavors.  

Dean is an Italian wine expert so he can help you there and they have qualia coffee which is a nice way to finish the meal

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