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I could have sworn there was a thread for this. Please merge if there is one. Went with some friends last week. It was....good. Not great. The space is nice. Got seated at a booth (a little tight). The thing I did not like about the initial experience is that you cannot make reservations -- it is first come, first serve....period. So you go and you wait. On a mid-weeknight, with an early dinner time (6 was the target), you would think there would be little, if any wait. Wrong. 40 minutes. FEH! The calimari was good, bruschetta was acceptable. Some kind of shrimp thing on bread (good) and a carpaccio (heavy on the salad, light on the carpaccio and accompaniments. I had a pizza, which was tasty and good, but the crust was very floppy in the middle. They either did not properly handle the dough when shaping, or made it too thin in the middle. Or they were not keeping the oven temp high enough. Or I made the mistake of getting toppings on my pizza instead of going for the classic margherita. Still, the toppings were very, very good (sausage, pancetta, etc). Service was good, except when they brought out the wrong bottle of wine later in the meal. I didn't notice it until after opened/poured, but the mistake bottle was good, and cheaper. My friends had dinner salads of sorts and/or pasta with fish and they all seemed to enjoy their dishes. I'd go back, but would focus on a later or even earlier start time to the meal -- I hate waiting. And next time I will try the margherita. -
I noticed that there isn't a thread on Ranazul (at least that I could find, mods please correct me if I'm wrong) so I thought I would start one. Here is the website. Ranazul offers a number of small plates, tapas style with a really nice wine program. I would say the food tends to be spanish influenced, but you shouldn't expect your checklist of traditional spanish tapas dishes although some standards like patatas bravas are there. I would like to see a more seasonal bent to the dishes and more frequent updates to the menu, but after having eaten there a number of times, I can say that across the board the food tends to be consistently good. The lamp chop, scallops, and duck breast from the hot tapas are several of my favorites and the fritto mixto is always well prepared. I also think the specials are always a good choice. The wine program is headed by Julie Dalton who has completed level 3 (Advanced Sommelier) in the Court of Master Sommeliers. The wine list offers over 2 dozen wines by the glass and 1/2 glass with many of them being good values. Overall, I think it's one of the better places to eat in the area, with really good food and wine, great service across the board (the regular bartender is especially attentive and friendly), and a lovely decor. I should offer the disclaimer that I know Julie personally as I became involved in a blind tasting group that meets at Ranazul, but I had eaten at and enjoyed Ranazul several times before becoming involved. -
Attending the Preakness Stakes in Pimilco with family on Saturday. Looking for a post-race dinner at around 8:30 pm somewhere in the vicinity or on the way back to DC. Woodberry Kitchen is booked solid, as expected. I've never been to Mt. Washington Tavern or Nickel Taphouse. Ellicott City might be an option with Tersiguel's or the new Portalli's. But I'm a little concerned about whether French would be too upscale after spending all afternoon outside. I don't know much about Portalli's. I know parking anywhere in this area is difficult. Iron Bridge Wine Company would be nice, but it's a little out of the way and they don't have reservations available until much later at night. Something like the Kings Contrivance or the Elkridge Furnace Inn would probably be a little too stuffy for us. I've never been to G & M Restaurant, but it may be too casual on the other end of the spectrum. Any other ideas for some lively atmosphere or a somewhat historic setting near Pimilco or in a small town suburb not far from 295/95 on the way back to DC?
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There is a very expensive-looking restaurant built in the Maple Lawn development of Fulton, and there is still hope that it will open as an Indian restaurant called Ananda. Last I heard, Ananda got a liquor license last week (end of March 2014). So that's good. But the construction has been delayed all winter, and there have been several rumors that Ananda might never open. At one point, the building was listed for rent. It's a big space with lots of wood panelling and an entire room built with garage-door-style windows so that it can convert into almost outdoor space in good weather. The exact outcome -- and certainly the timeline -- are unclear. But Ananda is owned by the folks who own the Ambassador in Baltimore, so it should be great food if they can get off the ground. -
Website Here. DC Thread Here. Today went up to Fulton, an area we don't know well, to buy a turkey from a local farm to brine for the holiday tomorrow. Despite the subtitle of this topic, had no idea there was a second Sidamo there but discovered it in search of the Starbucks we assumed we'd find in the newer-construction retail complexes. No Starbucks and, much better, we were very excited to see Sidamo and then quickly wondered "what the hell would a second Sidamo be doing way the hell out here instead of closer-in MoCo, NoVa, other 'hood in DC, etc.?" The Post covered the story last year but hadn't seen that. The Ethiopian owner, Kenfe Belay, who owns Sidamo and runs it with his family including two daughters who work there, was inside to answer that question and several others. First off, the Fulton Sidamo has a very different feel from the one in the Atlas district. It's a much more gentrified design layout wise as a Starbucks or Caribou would be. It's spacious with plenty of comfortable seating inside and out and lots of windows allowing all kinds of light to come in. The menu feels a bit more extensive than in DC but I can't be sure about that. Wifi? Check. Plenty of baked good options? Check. Relative to the Atlas District location, Fulton is a different yet pleasant and comfortable buildout that still conveys serious coffee with the on-premise roaster and burlap sacs containing Ethiopian beans. In all other aspects though, this Sidamo and the one downtown share everything that one would hope. Kenfe was at the roaster when we went in so we chatted with him. He's a super person. So nice, patient and very happy to explain the product and roaster to anyone interested despite undoubtedly doing that a kazillion times over the years. He actually has a couple of small buckets of dark roasted beans right by the roaster that are two years old. When I asked about those, he explained those are for the children (and undoubtedly some adults like me ) to scoop, see and sniff. The Fulton store is close to where the family lives and that's why they opened up there. Evidently the store does pretty well which wasn't obvious to me not knowing Fulton's population density. Kenfe would like to expand more but, smartly, is taking his time so the business doesn't get ahead of him. Maybe another year for location #3. Maybe once he finds the right kind of investor. I made a bid for Cleveland Park, which sadly lacks a high-quality coffee place (no offense to Firehook) but clearly that would require the right kind of investor/partner. We enjoyed two fresh, medium-bodied, higher acid, Yirgacheffe pour overs. Interesting info on Ethiopian coffee here. Sidamo: good people. good coffee. deserving of all the business and good that comes to them. Totally reminded me of why the issues around chains versus independents that we've been batting around on the Applebees thread are so important. Happy Holidays to all. -
trying to get some info if anyone has heard about this alleged steak restaurant in the MD burbs???? thanks, Sari
