214 replies to this topic

[DanielK]

I will write a more detailed review tomorrow, but let me leave it at this:

If you don't already have dinner plans on Saturday, and you don't go to Grapeseed for this dinner, you're an idiot.

Dinner for two, including the wine pairing, tax, and 20%+ tip on the non-discounted price, was still about $60/person. That's a fucking steal for the meal that we were served tonight. I didn't miss the meat for 2 seconds, and I'm normally not a vegetarian kinda guy. Oh, and get seats on the bar overlooking the kitchen. Dinner and a show, and Jeff will come by and swing his crutches around for a while and tell you all about his sources, his staff, and probably his kids if you let him run on for long enough.

[Jeff Heineman]

I had stopped doing the DR.com specials due to less than overwhelming support, but I guess I missed talking to the folks who did show up. So the deal is back. Please mention your DonRockwell affiliation when you call and when you get here. It will be $30 instead of $55 for you and the wine pairings (when completed) will be discounted as well. It is Friday and Saturday only. (By the way I am giving away free snacks at the bar every Friday for Happy Hour, do the DanielK route and have both.)
Thanks, Jeff

Here's the menu:

Not “Red Sauce” Italian Tasting Menu

October 26^th and 27th

Amuse Bouche

Grilled Fig and Prosciutto Salad, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Porchetta Ravioli, Roast Chicken Fennel Broth, Pecorino

Grilled Branzino, Brussels Sprouts and Wild Mushroom Ragout, Rosemary Oil

Nutella Gelato, Hazelnut Cookies

[DanielK]

Hahaha, Jeff!

Actually, I was there last before you were doing the free Friday snacks, but still took advantage of the HH $5 small plates and $5 wine at the bar while waiting for my +1 to fight her way through traffic.

Wish I was free this weekend, but everyone else, GO.

[Choirgirl21]

I want very very much to come to one of these dinners, but so far it just isn't working out. This time I have to go to a funeral on Friday and I'm working at the winery on Sat or I would come. Please keep having them.

[Jeff Heineman]

I want very very much to come to one of these dinners, but so far it just isn't working out. This time I have to go to a funeral on Friday and I'm working at the winery on Sat or I would come. Please keep having them.

ok, i will

[Albert Yi]

I plan on going this Saturday as long as Hurricane Sandy stays away...

[winger1930]

My wife and I are going tonight - we can't wait. I mean, how could we not go to arguably the best restaurant in Bethesda and take advantage of a deal that's better than anything on Groupon, LivingSocial, etc. As long as this deal is offered, and I'm in town, I'm going (I already did the vegetarian one).

[Albert Yi]

Another great meal, Jeff.

The grilled fig and prosciutto salad was great. An excellent blend of flavors: mustardy greens, salty prosciutto and the muted sweetness from the figs, all with a light balsamic dressing.

The porchetta ravioli in roast chicken and fennel broth was great. Nice texture to the ravioli, and it absorbed the delicate broth well.

The grilled branzino was my favorite course. Perfectly cooked, with a crispy skin for contrast. I had to close my eyes to savor each bite. The mushrooms also had great umami flavor. My only complaint would be that some of the larger pieces of brussel sprout were arduous to eat, but they tasted great.

For everyone's sake I hope you keep doing these. It's a joy to eat such refined cooking.

[DonRocks]

For everyone's sake I hope you keep doing these. It's a joy to eat such refined cooking.

Grapeseed, along with Passage to India, is the best restaurant in Bethesda.

Other than estimating how much food to purchase, it costs Jeff next to nothing to hold these events; yet, he's getting free publicity for doing them. Is this immoral, or wrong? Hell no. It can be best-defined in one word: smart.

Keep doing these, Jeff. I'll write you privately and let you know how many page views dr.com gets per month. It's a figure that will make your jaw drop, and assuming you're pretty much breaking even, or even losing a bit of money with each incremental tasting menu you sell, it's a way to appeal to the intelligent diners of this city without breaking the bank. If you're still trying to attract more diners, lower the price even more until it begins getting city-wide recognition, and perhaps start doing it on off-nights as well. Sooner or later, you'll be getting nearly 100% of the smart weekly dining money. *Then*, slowly start raising prices until you reach equilibrium, then profit. I will continue to support Grapeseed via Twitter and top-of-the-page thread boosts for as long as you're doing these discounted events, thus giving you de facto free advertising. Even if you sell only five of these a weekend, do you really care? Think of it in those terms - PR-wise, it's the same as if you're selling fifty. Thank you for having the confidence to make this offer on dr.com.

The publicity that garnered Michael Landrum so much attention several years ago, because he took the time to engage the readership here, will soon start to generate similar benefits for you. You'll see soon enough. (If any B.S. candidate in Marketing (no, no irony there) wishes to perform a study on how much PR Ray's Hell-Burger engaged in before President Obama went there, please do, and report your results here). Michael no longer needs the readership of donrockwell.com because he has become rich and successful, but we're what got him started. Follow in his footsteps, and the same thing will happen to you.

[dwt]

We had dinner at Grapeseed for the first time last Friday. It was a last minute decision due to some uncertainty about our plans for the evening, so we did not reserve a table and did not partake of the special DR tasting menu offer, though we hope to in the future. Very surprised that we could walk in at 8 on a weekend night and secure a table. We had a nice seat in the front room by the windows and thoroughly enjoyed our food and suggested wine pairings: semolina-crusted oysters, arugula salad, field green salad, risotto, and cod. And as if the food weren't pleasing enough, we were surprised and delighted to see one of our favorite restaurant people, Mr. Patrick Forest, late of 8407 and Mealey's Table. He is now Grapeseed's GM and wine program director. Looking forward to our next visit.

[mtureck]

To those people out there who, like me, aren't very knowledgable about wine , I hope you don't avoid Grapeseed becasue it's so wine-centric.

In fact, this is the perfect place because having a suggested wine for each entree/appetizer makes things really easy for you. Having wines available by the taste as well as by the glass is also fantastic if you don't know what you like. It's the least intimidating place for non wine connoisseurs I've ever eaten at.

I also love their wine flights...I had a fantastic grouping of "interesting whites" a while back that I really enjoyed.

And obviously, Grapeseed also has the best food in Bethesda...so the wine is just a nice added bonus.

[jaltman]

Another couple, and my wife and I, couldn’t resist and tried the “Not ‘Red Sauce’ Italian Chef’s Tasting Menu last Saturday night. My apologies that my notes are late, but the weather got a tad in the way.

As to the food, the Grilled Fig and Prosciutto Salad was very tasty. As noted above, the nicely balanced tastes were set off beautifully by the Balsamic Vinaigrette. For me, the Prochetta Ravioli in a very tasty chicken fennel broth was perhaps the highlight of the meal; delicate yet tasty. My only complaint was that I could have eaten a whole platter. For the others, the Grilled Branzino was the favorite, and it was a very close runner up for me. Very fresh and cooked to perfection with the best brussel sprouts I’ve had in quite a while and some very tasty mushrooms. The Nutella Gelato was a terrific finish to the meal.

The women headed straight for a bottle of the Peñalba Lopez Cava, which they enjoyed very much. The men each had the four tastes wine pairing. The Chemin de Reves (Carignan) was nice with the salad; different, as advertised, and robust. The J. Hofstatter Joseph (Lagrein) was smooth and rounded, but seemed to lack a little character to me. Or maybe it was just overshadowed by the Ravioli and broth. The Nicolas Rossinol pinot noir was tasty and matched the branzino well. The only match that did not work for us was the Lustau Fino Sherry with the desert. I suspect we would have liked it on its own, but it was so dry that it was too strong a counterpoint to the sweetness of the gelato.

Overall, a wonderful meal and a terrific bargain. Thanks, Jeff

[mtureck]

And yet I still can't believe that any buisness-savy restaurant would have a website that can't be accessed by an iPhone or iPad. How many customers are you losing becasue you want a silly flash animation on your splash page?

[Jeff Heineman]

And yet I still can't believe that any buisness-savy restaurant would have a website that can't be accessed by an iPhone or iPad. How many customers are you losing becasue you want a silly flash animation on your splash page?

We are in the process of updating the site. These things don't reprogram ( or whatever it's called) themselves last time I checked. Sorry.

[Jeff Heineman]

we are running the special again this week. normally $55 mention dr.com and it will be $30. (If anyone wants to mention dr.com and still pay $55, I will put 25 bucks toward paying our overpriced web designer for a new website) Friday and Saturday only.
wine 1/2 price too.

Totally Nuts

Amuse Bouche

Provençal Chickpea Soup, Roasted Tomatoes, Ground Pistachio

Nantucket Bay Scallops, Mango Beurre Blanc, Cashew Salsa

Gangnam Style Short Rib, Miso Roast Butternut, BBQ Japanese Eggplant

Concord Grape Ice Cream, Peanut Cookies

Reservations are 301.986.9592 - You must mention the DonRockwell special to get the $30 price, and also the 1/2-price wine!

[DonRocks]

we are running the special again this week. normally $55 mention dr.com and it will be $30. (If anyone wants to mention dr.com and still pay $55, I will put 25 bucks toward paying our overpriced web designer for a new website) Friday and Saturday only.
wine 1/2 price too.

Totally Nuts

Amuse Bouche

Provençal Chickpea Soup, Roasted Tomatoes, Ground Pistachio

Nantucket Bay Scallops, Mango Beurre Blanc, Cashew Salsa

Gangnam Style Short Rib, Miso Roast Butternut, BBQ Japanese Eggplant

Concord Grape Ice Cream, Peanut Cookies

Reservations are 301.986.9592 - You must mention the DonRockwell special to get the $30 price, and also the 1/2-price wine!

I want to reiterate that there are no kickbacks or payments coming either to me or to this website. Jeff wrote me a thank you note for standing by him, that's all I'm going to get, and that's all I want. I'm happy to support a deserving restaurant such as Grapeseed.

Any "kickbacks" will occur only in the form of increased industry participation here (using what Jeff is doing as a model - I wish 50 other restaurants would do this), hopefully increased readership, and maybe one day, some ad revenue.

BTW, as far as I know, you don't have to be a member here to get the discount; just mention the name, and you'll get it.

[thistle]

I don't know that I'll be able to make it to dinner, but I have to ask-what is gangnam style short rib? Gochujang, kimchi, or a sous chef doing the horse dance in the background?

[Jeff Heineman]

Mostly Gochujang, I love that stuff. Our best horse dancing food runner is out of town for a wedding, so we ran this on the wrong week, unfortunately. (that is the honest truth , by the way)

[Choirgirl21]

I swear I am going to get here for this deal! I was totally prepared to come tonight, but my friend (yep, my one and only ) had already made other plans and then my car died. Like most likely going to have to replace the engine died, so yeah, sitting here eating nuts & dried fruit and feeling depressed.

[DonRocks]

I swear I am going to get here for this deal! I was totally prepared to come tonight, but my friend (yep, my one and only ) had already made other plans and then my car died. Like most likely going to have to replace the engine died, so yeah, sitting here eating nuts & dried fruit and feeling depressed.

But the mechanic isn't.

[Chris Cunningham]

With the flurry of all the recent posts and board activity.....Grapeseed is poised to become the new Dino or Rays the Whatever on this board Congrats Jeff...hope the new hip is working cause sounds like business is good!!!!

[Choirgirl21]

But the mechanic isn't.

If I decide to pay to replace it.

[jaltman]

We liked the first one so much we were back for another tasting menu last night. It was excellent. The Provencal Chickpea Soup was hearty and tasty. Perhaps a little strong on the chickpea flavor, but we liked it a lot. The Nantucket Bay Scallops in Mango Cream were excellent, cooked to perfection, and the cashew salsa was a delightful counterpoint. The Gangnam Style Short Ribs were terrific. Tender and tasty. Definitely worth getting as a separate main course some time. And the BBQ Japanese Eggplant was very flavorful as well. My wife passed on the desert - too sweet she said. So I ate hers as well. Guess I liked it. The Concord Grape Ice Cream was just right for me - delicate flavor,sort of more ice cream than grape. And the Peanut Cookies were just the way they should be. We'll be back. Thanks again, Jeff

[DonRocks]

sitting here eating nuts ... and feeling depressed.

But the mechanic isn't.

If I decide to pay to replace it.

One day you'll understand my depraved humor.

[Jeff Heineman]

Thanks for all the kind words. I am glad to be able to offer an actual benefit the the DR.com community and it has been fun meeting the members who come in.

We will do the $30 deal again this week and then take a break ( we are doing a Blockbuster wine dinner in the wine room next Friday pouring Dagueneau Silex, Ferraton Le Meal, multiple vintages of Opus and others. PM me if you are interested) And no deal thanksgiving weekend. So if you are a prudent shopper now is the time.

Friday and Saturday nights: usually $55 mention DR.com and get it for $30. There will be wine pairings, you get them for half price as well

Comforting Goodness

Amuse Bouche

Sautéed Shrimp, Stone Ground Grits, Tasso Gravy

Fried Quail, Buttermilk Biscuit, Cream Gravy

Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, Mustard Demi

Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream, Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Sauce

Call for resos 301-986-9592

[collije]

These are really nice offers to the community Jeff, much appreciated

[DonRocks]

Thanks for all the kind words. I am glad to be able to offer an actual benefit the the DR.com community and it has been fun meeting the members who come in.

We will do the $30 deal again this week and then take a break ( we are doing a Blockbuster wine dinner in the wine room next Friday pouring Dagueneau Silex, Ferraton Le Meal, multiple vintages of Opus and others. PM me if you are interested) And no deal thanksgiving weekend. So if you are a prudent shopper now is the time.

Friday and Saturday nights: usually $55 mention DR.com and get it for $30. There will be wine pairings, you get them for half price as well

Comforting Goodness

Amuse Bouche

Sautéed Shrimp, Stone Ground Grits, Tasso Gravy

Fried Quail, Buttermilk Biscuit, Cream Gravy

Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, Mustard Demi

Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream, Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Sauce

Call for resos 301-986-9592

These are really nice offers to the community Jeff, much appreciated

A reminder about Grapeseed's $30 gift to the DCDining community. If you're dining either night this weekend, and not dining here, then you're in an enviable financial position because you must not care about money.

Jeff, I think if you double the price, you'll get more customers.

Look at these reviews from previous meals:

I will write a more detailed review tomorrow, but let me leave it at this:

If you don't already have dinner plans on Saturday, and you don't go to Grapeseed for this dinner, you're an idiot.

Dinner for two, including the wine pairing, tax, and 20%+ tip on the non-discounted price, was still about $60/person. That's a fucking steal for the meal that we were served tonight. I didn't miss the meat for 2 seconds, and I'm normally not a vegetarian kinda guy. Oh, and get seats on the bar overlooking the kitchen. Dinner and a show, and Jeff will come by and swing his crutches around for a while and tell you all about his sources, his staff, and probably his kids if you let him run on for long enough.

My wife and I are going tonight - we can't wait. I mean, how could we not go to arguably the best restaurant in Bethesda and take advantage of a deal that's better than anything on Groupon, LivingSocial, etc. As long as this deal is offered, and I'm in town, I'm going (I already did the vegetarian one).

Another great meal, Jeff.

The grilled fig and prosciutto salad was great. An excellent blend of flavors: mustardy greens, salty prosciutto and the muted sweetness from the figs, all with a light balsamic dressing.

The porchetta ravioli in roast chicken and fennel broth was great. Nice texture to the ravioli, and it absorbed the delicate broth well.

The grilled branzino was my favorite course. Perfectly cooked, with a crispy skin for contrast. I had to close my eyes to savor each bite. The mushrooms also had great umami flavor. My only complaint would be that some of the larger pieces of brussel sprout were arduous to eat, but they tasted great.

For everyone's sake I hope you keep doing these. It's a joy to eat such refined cooking.

We had dinner at Grapeseed for the first time last Friday. It was a last minute decision due to some uncertainty about our plans for the evening, so we did not reserve a table and did not partake of the special DR tasting menu offer, though we hope to in the future. Very surprised that we could walk in at 8 on a weekend night and secure a table. We had a nice seat in the front room by the windows and thoroughly enjoyed our food and suggested wine pairings: semolina-crusted oysters, arugula salad, field green salad, risotto, and cod. And as if the food weren't pleasing enough, we were surprised and delighted to see one of our favorite restaurant people, Mr. Patrick Forest, late of 8407 and Mealey's Table. He is now Grapeseed's GM and wine program director. Looking forward to our next visit.

To those people out there who, like me, aren't very knowledgable about wine , I hope you don't avoid Grapeseed becasue it's so wine-centric.

In fact, this is the perfect place because having a suggested wine for each entree/appetizer makes things really easy for you. Having wines available by the taste as well as by the glass is also fantastic if you don't know what you like. It's the least intimidating place for non wine connoisseurs I've ever eaten at.

I also love their wine flights...I had a fantastic grouping of "interesting whites" a while back that I really enjoyed.

And obviously, Grapeseed also has the best food in Bethesda...so the wine is just a nice added bonus.

Another couple, and my wife and I, couldn’t resist and tried the “Not ‘Red Sauce’ Italian Chef’s Tasting Menu last Saturday night. My apologies that my notes are late, but the weather got a tad in the way.

As to the food, the Grilled Fig and Prosciutto Salad was very tasty. As noted above, the nicely balanced tastes were set off beautifully by the Balsamic Vinaigrette. For me, the Prochetta Ravioli in a very tasty chicken fennel broth was perhaps the highlight of the meal; delicate yet tasty. My only complaint was that I could have eaten a whole platter. For the others, the Grilled Branzino was the favorite, and it was a very close runner up for me. Very fresh and cooked to perfection with the best brussel sprouts I’ve had in quite a while and some very tasty mushrooms. The Nutella Gelato was a terrific finish to the meal.

The women headed straight for a bottle of the Peñalba Lopez Cava, which they enjoyed very much. The men each had the four tastes wine pairing. The Chemin de Reves (Carignan) was nice with the salad; different, as advertised, and robust. The J. Hofstatter Joseph (Lagrein) was smooth and rounded, but seemed to lack a little character to me. Or maybe it was just overshadowed by the Ravioli and broth. The Nicolas Rossinol pinot noir was tasty and matched the branzino well. The only match that did not work for us was the Lustau Fino Sherry with the desert. I suspect we would have liked it on its own, but it was so dry that it was too strong a counterpoint to the sweetness of the gelato.

Overall, a wonderful meal and a terrific bargain. Thanks, Jeff

We liked the first one so much we were back for another tasting menu last night. It was excellent. The Provencal Chickpea Soup was hearty and tasty. Perhaps a little strong on the chickpea flavor, but we liked it a lot. The Nantucket Bay Scallops in Mango Cream were excellent, cooked to perfection, and the cashew salsa was a delightful counterpoint. The Gangnam Style Short Ribs were terrific. Tender and tasty. Definitely worth getting as a separate main course some time. And the BBQ Japanese Eggplant was very flavorful as well. My wife passed on the desert - too sweet she said. So I ate hers as well. Guess I liked it. The Concord Grape Ice Cream was just right for me - delicate flavor,sort of more ice cream than grape. And the Peanut Cookies were just the way they should be. We'll be back. Thanks again, Jeff

[jpbloom]

Okay, I won't call anyone an idiot in big red letters but you are really missing out if you don't take advantage of the deal Jeff is offering. Tonight was the second time the schedule permitted us to go and again it didn't disappoint. Every course was very tasty and all of the wines paired beautifully (I'm not usually a wine pairing guy, preferring a bottle of my own choice, but it's tough to pass up this offer and the pairings were well matched). I don't think I've ever had fried quail before but it was a treat, the meat remaining moist and tender and flavorful.

Thanks, Jeff, for making these dinners available.

[Pork Belly]

I was there tonight as well and agree on all counts. The food was terrific (especially the shrimp and grits with Tasso gravy) and the wine pairings were spot on. It's an amazing deal.

[darkstar965]

Totally blew it. Had dinner tonight with a friend from out of town who cares about good food. Totally oblivious to what Jeff has been doing at Grapeseed, we went to Mintwood. We had a fine meal and I noted how it has changed from pre-Obama days but tuning into this thread now, I feel only regret. Will Jeff ever do this deal again? Will pay better attention.

[Jeff Heineman]

Yes we will be dealin again this week, I will post the menu tomorrow.

For Tonight, Veteran's day...all vets and any military folks get a FREE BEER with dinner. I know a lot of Military types and they like beer

[Fish Fillet]

So I'm not one to typically write about my dining experiences (otherwise Corduroy, Fishnet, and Ray's the Classics would have a ton of my posts), but after my experience on Saturday night, I feel compelled to write in.

I should also preface by saying there have probably been two meals (Komi, Palena) in my life that I would qualify as "superlative", and I don't toss around the term lightly. Unfortunately, Grapeseed didn't *quite* make it up there, but it was probably a step below (about where I would place Corduroy, and those who know me know how I highly I speak of Corduroy).

With that out of the way, outside a glitch here or there, it was overall a very enjoyable meal - I don't normally like drinking wine, but I liked the pairings quite a bit. We sat overlooking the kitchen, but for the most part were engaged in catch-up conversation. I figure I'm probably beating a dead horse if I talk more about how good the food is, but I thought the shrimp and grits was the best I've had (though what I've had is literally limited to Sou'Wester), and everything else was very good, but not something that I will be talking about for the rest of my life. Nevertheless, it was easily the best meal I've had in Bethesda (I've been to Jaleo, Raku, Mussel Bar, and Freddy's) - thank you Jeff.

Since driving to the Metro itself is about as far away as Bethesda is, I should be trekking out there every time I return to the area, but unfortunately, my time with family is limited enough as is (and they don't quite see eating out the same way I do, and neither do my friends).

[Jeff Heineman]

we are still doing the deal this week So this menu is $30 for you if you mention DR.com.

Friday and Saturday

Amuse Bouche
Squid, chorizo, peppers, zucchini, basil oil, smoked paprika
Grilled Shrimp, Cauliflower Polenta, Roasted Tomatoes
Pompano, Caramel, Black Pepper, Carrot, Jasmine Rice
Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream, Fudge Cookies, Graham Cracker Sauce

I am excited about these dishes. lots of flavor

[winger1930]

Damn, I'm going to miss this one. I've gone to 3 now, with last week being my favorite - partly due to the company. My parents were with us, and as my dad said, this menu was "popularly priced". It was his favorite meal he's had in DC. This, coming from the man who has a freezer stocked with marked down meat, who spends his new found time in retirement going to a different grocery store almost every day to find the best deal on 5 pounds of carrots (and he enjoys this), who find ways to outsmart Wegman's coupon book so that a bag of frozen bagels will still ring up as $1 off, even though the coupon was waffles.

So, Jeff, you have my father's "popularly priced" seal of approval.

P.S. If the fried quail and shrimp and grits are ever offered again, special pricing or not, you have get them.

[jaltman]

We were back again, for the Del Mare tasting menu yesterday. Anyone who is missing these Don Rockwell special needs to seriously reconsider their priorities. This was at least as good as the last two we were able to get to. The pompano was a perfect blend of flavors with perfectly cooked fish. I could have eaten a plate of the cauliflower polenta alone, and the roasted tomatoes nicolas was another highlight. As was the sauteed squid. Oh, I give up, the whole thing was a series of highlight after highlight. DO IT!

[ICD]

Enjoyed the special for the wife's birthday after watching Skyfall. The sauce with the pompano was great as was the service. Thanks Jeff (and Don)!

P.S. you should bottle that sauce!

[Albert Yi]

Had a good dinner with friends. Grilled shrimp was excellent: tender, salty, and charred just right, paired with that buttery polenta (agree I could eat a bowl of that stuff). Pompano and rice and carrots was just a crazy mix of textures and boldly flavored. Only miss for me was the squid: the chorizo pieces were great but the texture of the squid wasn't too appealing after the fifth bite, and I don't think it absorbed the sauce that well.

[Jeff Heineman]

After a break for last weeks Flying Dog Dinner (Thanks for the kind words Choirgirl) our DonRockwell Discount on the tasting menu can continue this weekend. As before it's $30 (please mention DR.com when reserving) for everyone on this site. Paired wines 1/2 price as well.
'Tis the season for cold weather foods so:

Amuse Bouche

Duck Confit Bruschetta, Pistachio, Beet

Norwegian Salmon Confit, Brandade Cake, Wild Mushrooms

Roast Pork, Cassoulet, Garlic confit

Very Vanilla Ice Cream, Apple Confit, Almond Croquant

Good, satisfying, yum
301.986.9592 for resos

[Choirgirl21]

You're welcome and I will be making a reservation for 4 tomorrow for dinner on Saturday.

[Rovers2000]

Really looking forward to my first trip here on Saturday. The menu looks excellent!

The wife has also never been so it'll be a nice treat on her birthday.

[Choirgirl21]

Really looking forward to my first trip here on Saturday. The menu looks excellent!

The wife has also never been so it'll be a nice treat on her birthday.

Say hi to us. We'll be there at 8.

[DiningInFrederick]

I'd also like to point out that Jeff stepped up and donated a wonderful and bountiful meal to my school's lunchtime tutoring program when I reached out to the DR Bethesda community a couple months back. He came into work early, made a delicious and very accessible paella for 30 kids (though it could have fed 50), and didn't want anything in return for his donation. The kids loved it. Thank you, Jeff, for al the communities that you support!

Pax,
Brian

[jpbloom]

Unfortunately no time to post while people could still go to this, but another great meal last night. A confit fest (I'm still not quite getting how there can be an apple confit, but since the dessert was fantastic, I'm not going to question). The stand-out course was the duck confit, but every bite was great. You really are missing out if you're not taking advantage of these opportunities. Thanks again, Jeff.

One word of warning - although these are tasting menus, the portions are big. Go hungry. I know most people won't complain about that, but it's worth noting.

[Rovers2000]

Just a tremendous time at Grapeseed last night. Really liked the two person boothes towards the back of the restaurant.

In terms of the food:

Amuse - sardine / avacado crostini - a nice salty / creamy first bite. I really enjoyed the contrasting textures in all of the dishes and this dish provided a foreshadowing of that with the crunchy bread, creamy avacado, and salty filet.

Duck confit bruschetta with beet and pistachio - My wife commented that she's not a huge fan of beets, but in this course they functioned almost as a jam that held the confited duck and pistachio together. Really really liked this dish.

Salmon confit over brandade cake and wild mushrooms - I loved the brandade cake. Perfectly crunchy outside that really offset the melt in your mouth salmon. I wasn't sure how the mushrooms would work here but they were delicious. This was my favorite dish of the evening. Also, the wine pairing here (I believe a sancere) was nice and mineral, cutting through the richness of the dish.

Roast pork with cassoulet - A perfect dish for the season. The crunchy breadcrumbs providing texture to the pork that was fall apart tender. The cassoulet had a nice smokiness. Again, the pairing (a syrah) was an excellent compliment to the dish.

Vanilla ice cream, confit apple, almond croquant - The croquant functioned almost like a brittle on top of this dish, I literally could've eaten them like popcorn. This was a really cool take on what you'd get flavorwise out of an excellent apple pie.

Jeff stopped by to see how the meal was and my wife and I didn't have enough superlatives to share. Then the bill came. I'll echo some of the others upthread, but this IS the best deal in the city and its surrounding areas right now. Pre-tip (with a coffee and espresso) it was under 110 dollars. For a TON of food and heavy pours of 3 excellent wines. I implore you, if you haven't taken Jeff up on his very gracious offer, you are doing yourself a disservice.

There is no way food executed at this level should be priced this generously...thank you Jeff (and team) for a wonderful evening.

[juliusc91]

We ought to wear badges, sounds like there were a bunch of DR folks there last night. I second everything in Rover's review.

[DanielK]

Thirded - I sat at the bar overlooking the kitchen last night.

That Pork/Cassoulet dish was easily one of my top 5 dishes for the entire year, and worth the entire $30 admission price on one plate.

[Choirgirl21]

We ought to wear badges, sounds like there were a bunch of DR folks there last night. I second everything in Rover's review.

I meant to ask Jeff if he knew of other DR folks there at the same time, but forgot. Jeff, start introducing us to each other please.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think the dessert was my favorite dish. Simply because dessert isn't my "thing" and I absolutely adored this one. Jeff said he felt the apples should have been cooked more, but I disagree. They were cooked but still toothsome, the caramel sauce was delicious and the croquant was like a brittle that added the perfect crunchy texture to the dish. I probably would have licked the bowl if no one was watching and that was at the point where I was totally stuffed.

I went with half pours of the wines since I was driving and had enough to go with the dishes.

Thanks for another great meal Jeff!

[DanielK]

I meant to ask Jeff if he knew of other DR folks there at the same time, but forgot. Jeff, start introducing us to each other please.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think the dessert was my favorite dish. Simply because dessert isn't my "thing" and I absolutely adored this one. Jeff said he felt the apples should have been cooked more, but I disagree. They were cooked but still toothsome, the caramel sauce was delicious and the croquant was like a brittle that added the perfect crunchy texture to the dish. I probably would have licked the bowl if no one was watching and that was at the point where I was totally stuffed.

I went with half pours of the wines since I was driving and had enough to go with the dishes.

Thanks for another great meal Jeff!

I did ask Jeff who the other DR tables were, and he pointed in the general direction, but I can understand his reluctance to have people go wandering around interrupting other people's dinners. I actually recognized two other tables, but didn't go over.

I might have been the one that put the idea of the apples not being cooked enough into the discussion. I loved the dessert, but the apple was just firm enough that you couldn't really cut the apple rings with the side of the spoon, so you had to eat a ring whole, which made it harder to get all of the tastes in one bite. A minor nit.

[Choirgirl21]

I did ask Jeff who the other DR tables were, and he pointed in the general direction, but I can understand his reluctance to have people go wandering around interrupting other people's dinners. I actually recognized two other tables, but didn't go over.

I might have been the one that put the idea of the apples not being cooked enough into the discussion. I loved the dessert, but the apple was just firm enough that you couldn't really cut the apple rings with the side of the spoon, so you had to eat a ring whole, which made it harder to get all of the tastes in one bite. A minor nit.

Mine must have been cooked more than yours then as I didn't have that problem.

And fair enough on the introductions. It just seems like it would be nice to be able to meet some DR folks in person when we're sitting in the same room at the same time.

[Jeff Heineman]

OK, fine. to be eligible for any DR.com specials during the month of December you must be wearing a truly obnoxious Christmas sweater. You all should be able to spot yourselves readily.