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jdc

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  1. There is a possibility that I end up going to Rasika with out-of-towners who LOVE Indian food and were persuaded by all of the high praise. I've never been, but looking through this thread, it seems there's varying opinions of what is can't miss and what is should miss, so I thought I'd take some current input if anyone has it...
  2. Per Bethesda Magazine, Silver Spring will be opening up sometime in October. The menus for the Alexandria location are already online.The best part to me is that the Alexandria location is open until midnight Monday-Thurs and 1 AM Fri-Sat, and if they keep those hours in Silver Spring, it will add a desperately needed "late-night" spot in that traditional "Downtown Silver Spring" complex, where nearly everything other than McGinty's is closed by the time a concert at the Fillmore or a moderately late movie at the AFI ends..
  3. I believe the sign at Park Potomac just says "coming 2017". I will say that having it as retail space in the bottom of an office/apartment building (not sure which) next to several other restaurants in an overbuilt "walkable community" versus the old, more isolated setting (even if set back from busy Rockville Pike) would make me question whether some of the magic will be gone and if it will essentially feel like more of an additional "Black's" location or at least something other than a revitalized Addie's.
  4. That makes sense - I didn't track the directions exactly but I knew there wasn't a county garage right there. There is one a couple of blocks away on the other side of East-West. Silver Spring Parking Map
  5. A couple of McGinty's updates, as one of my neighbors has taken to the place and so I've been three times in about the past six weeks (once for brunch, twice for dinner). Don, again, I will implore you to move McGinty's up the list - it's still not a standout place, at least in the regular dining room/bar area (I've not done the Room), but it needs some separation from the abomination that is Fire Station 1. There is a little bit of a sense of adventure on the menu now, many of the classic dishes like the stews and fish and chips are generally higher quality (and admittedly, higher-priced), and the ingredients are generally fresh (and not Sysco/reheated - the only think I can think of that might have been were the fries) For brunch, they do a prix-fixe three-course meal with an included beverage, or a la carte (and they serve until almost 4 PM, I think). My friend and I both did a la carte fritattas (zucchini and corned beef) and found them to be relatively generously filled with fresh ingredients. For dinner, we've done salads (black kale and "smashed cucumber" with peaches), both with an added chicken breast. They're a bit pricey for what you get, but the fruit and vegetables were fresh and nicely presented, and I appreciate that they delayed bringing out chicken for me because they were concerned the initial one they cooked was dried out. Generally speaking, I wouldn't go to there for salads (even though they were nice) unless I was the only one ordering one and the rest of the party wanted a "sit down" spot, with Sweetgreen and Cava around the corner with more options and a lower price point, but they're nice options to have once there. The other time we had sandwiches - my friend had an Irish club she really liked (thought it was generous with the fillings and the toasted sourdough was a perfect complement), and I had their "Greenbird" which is a turkey burger patty, brie, friese, avocado and aioli. I thought it was pretty tasty, and their sandwiches are pretty well priced ($10-$11 range) as compared to the rest of the menu (where many appetizers are around $10 and most every entree is north of $15 and many are north of $18.). I might consider the salad or the chips over the generic fries. The summary point, again, is that McGinty's is not great - but I think that its food is above typical pub food and Irish stews at this point, with some sense of adventure and craft (though there are certainly wings on the menu as well). I can't speak to "The Room", which apparently aspires even higher, though I did overhear one of the servers telling another table that it is not doing well (underpromoted, etc.) and that they don't expect it to last the fall.
  6. This restaurant continues to be a gem. I returned on Friday and it was as good as ever. I'm sure that there are more ambitious places, but I wish every neighborhood had this type of homegrown restaurant. The food was very good - the right price and the right portion. I had the ravioli di pollo and my companion had the manicotti, and we were both extremely pleased with the tenderness of the pasta, the quality of the filling, and the flavor of the sauces. We finished with the tiramisu (which I had talked up, and it was excellent as always). The service was warm, friendly and attentive without being obtrusive in any way - my dining companion, who comes from a country that doesn't do tipping the way we do in the U.S., noted that it was the first place that she hadn't felt rushed to turn over the table (it wasn't extremely busy, but it was Friday night and we took up a table for nearly 90 minutes). I need to find reasons to go back more often.
  7. I think I may be single-handedly responsible for Don putting this place at the bottom of the Silver Spring list, and while I haven't been in years, it is truly abysmal in almost every way. I think I've been three times (never by choice) and have, at best, had middling sports bar/cafeteria food, and at worst, found a piece of broken glass on a plate that was apologized away with no corrective action or even appearance by a manager (this is why I haven't been back). It's a shame, because the sports bar vibe is somewhat rare in Silver Spring (the only places I can think of with as many TVs is McGinty's), but in every sense, FireStation is not a place I'd want to sit and linger.
  8. Don, this is closed, replaced by another Thai restaurant, Ruang Khao Thai (I would say in the last year - the oldest Yelp review for the new spot is October 2015). No idea if they are connected or not - one of the reviews mentions it as the "new name for the renovated Thai Derm", but I'm not sure that I believe it. I've never been in (ordered delivery only), but hopefully, if the old owners sold, it was willingly - Google indicates that Thai Derm predated me, having been there since 1983 (and the Google Street View picture has a "31st anniversary banner" outside, dating to October 2014).
  9. It won't let me edit my post, so I'll just chime in quickly. I won't judge too firmly either way because it was a soft opening by invitation, but I do think it will be a welcome addition to the area - a bit more casual and perhaps undercutting Copper Canyon around the corner, with a broad and somewhat interesting menu. The server pushed that it was a "scratch kitchen" and that anything we ordered could be modified to our liking, which was an interesting emphasis (perhaps they assumed people would think otherwise since it is a chain). They offered a shared appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert for me and my dining companion. We got a seasonal appetizer - lemon-harissa hummus - which had a nice flavor and was topped with fried chickpeas, and accompanied by various vegetables including cucumbers, carrots, grape tomatoes, and radishes. My companion is a vegetarian and was impressed by there being a handful of options (in addition to the potential to modify any salads or anything else). She ordered a summer squash bolognese which had a mushroom bolognese, zucchini, and squash noodles (and I think my friend mentioned something about kale or spinach, though I don't see it mentioned on the menu) - she said it was tasty and hearty for a vegetarian dish, though almost more like a minestrone or thicker soup. I had the sirloin tips - there was a bit of a temperature issue, which they acknowledged as a timing issue coming out of the kitchen that they were working through - but nicely presented on a bed of spinach and cauliflower mash. There was no choice of dessert, but they did well with a strawberry shortcake (for two to share) - nice, subtly sweet biscuit, very fresh strawberries, along with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. My friend had a ridiculous drink - "Berry Me In Bubbles" which was based around vodka and strawberry sparkling wine - that she really enjoyed. They have a solid menu of cocktails and mocktails, and the beer selection looked okay for a chain - I know Don has strong opinions on what counts as "craft beer" at this point, but I noticed several taps from Flying Dog and a couple of others (maybe Jailbreak and Heavy Seas?) along with Dogfish Head and other selections that are above the usual suspects. Maybe 20 or so draft beers in all which isn't bad for a place like this. As I said, not that exciting, but still a welcome addition to that Downtown Silver Spring/Ellsworth Plaza area that is somewhat of a dining desert compared to what one would find on Georgia and east.
  10. I don't think it was ever mentioned specifically on here, but the Silver Spring location (on Colesville Road, next to the Qdoba and across from the Discovery Building) has closed. They had a note taped to the door for awhile that they were "temporarily closed" and to visit the Bethesda location, but sometime in the last week or so, the sign came down and Yelp agrees it is permanently closed. Always thought they were decent but a bit redundant in the area with Mamma Lucia, Pete's, Pacci's, and now Mod.
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