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Freddy's Lobster and Clams, Bethesda - Seafood Shack From the Owners of Grapeseed - Closed


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I stopped by for lunch today. The fried belly clams were outstanding and immensely satisfying. I enjoyed the cold lobster roll a little less -- the mayo sauce isn't quite spot-on, and it was a little small for the price (there was less meat than in Choirgirl's photo). The quality of the lobster meat itself was excellent. I didn't care for the hot lobster roll, but that's just a matter of personal taste. The fries were good but not superlative. In general, I felt everything was about 10% over-priced, particularly given the bare-bones nature of the setting.

If we got an angry pirate and a talking parrot....would that be worth 10%??? B)

Wednesdays are cabbage night....bring in your own head of cabbage and make slaw

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If we got an angry pirate and a talking parrot....would that be worth 10%??? B)

Wednesdays are cabbage night....bring in your own head of cabbage and make slaw

Chris, if you guys had table service inside, that'd be worth that last 10%. :D I'd love to have that lobster roll at Grapeseed.

I'm definitely taking you up on the byo slaw offer if I come back.

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Enjoyed my first lobster roll, cold, last week there. It was a work night, so the place wasn't as busy as expected.

The lobster roll, for my uninitiated tastes, was great. A great blend of tender meat and mayo inside of slightly toasted bread.

Actually remembered the taste quite vividly a few days later when describing it to another person.

As for the restaurant itself, it seems like an upscale version of Quarterdeck from a decade or so ago. I wonder if the location is right.

Some place with a lot early 20s somethings and their foot traffic like Capital Hill would be perfect.

I'm glad to hear about the tweaking to the hot soups which I agree would be perfect once the weather turns colder.

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Think you're good then--they do have table service inside. Or, at least, I've been served at a table inside--wait staff and everything. Pretty sure that's how it is...

I ordered from the counter and then picked up my tray when they called out my name -- kind of like at Fuddruckers (or, at least, that's how it was when I went for the first and last time 14 years ago).

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Think you're good then--they do have table service inside. Or, at least, I've been served at a table inside--wait staff and everything. Pretty sure that's how it is...

I ordered from the counter and then picked up my tray when they called out my name -- kind of like at Fuddruckers (or, at least, that's how it was when I went for the first and last time 14 years ago).

When I went, they told me self-service lunch, full-service dinner.

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When I went, they told me self-service lunch, full-service dinner.

That aligns with my own experience. We've been served at the bar at lunchtime (by the bartender--Gabe) and then in the big room with regular waitress service at a table. Maybe a good edit to make to the website but not sure--can see pros and cons to that. Not sure how many people would care. For me, it's all about the food. If that was great consistently (as it really seems it may grow to be), I personally wouldn't care about table service but maybe I'm in the minority.

On a related note, TackleBox just opened in Cleveland Park and some of the early complaints (yelp) have been about a challenging service policy. The place is big. Crowds have been large. And, evidently, they give each customer a physical number and then a staffer roams around the restaurant shouting out the number trying to find the right customers. Surfside in Glover is a more sensible high-volume, quick-serve policy to that. They use numbered buzzers each customer carries to a table, roof deck or wherever after ordering. When the buzzer goes off and lights up, you head back to the register and get your own food. Pretty foolproof and pretty clearly waht Tackle Box should be doing. Less clear right answer for Freddy's, which has a very different feel and a much higher quality bar than those places.

Freddy's could do something like that but maybe Jeff, Chris & Co are trying to do something a bit more refined with the evening table service. Either way cool as long as the kitchen staff are good.

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Um, their mayo-lemon cool lobster roll is delicious. Their fries that go with are as well. It's no bargain, but it is accurately priced. I got loads of lobster on my lobster roll. Very satisfied and I'll be back to try more stuff.

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Lunch today. Fried whole-belly clams needed a hit of salt right out of the fryer, just like most fried foods do. Not sure if that was an aberration. But beyond that, they were spot-on. Battered fries excellent. Wished I could've had a beer because of the excellent selection, though it does skew hoppy.

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Lunch today for me too. Geez--we need to get DR tatoos or propeller caps or something to avoid all the "next time say hi" misses B)

Had the lobster stew again but that's already been covered. The blueberry muffin served with the stew was different from the first or second day when I last had it. This one was shorter and more dense. Hmmm, wonder if that's just a baking aberration or a change in the recipe or ingredients? Not a big deal. Stew was great.

But, the big news in this post: the steamers!!

I don't think anyone has yet posted on those here? Maybe I missed it. Anyway, two hearty thumbs up. This kind of dish is 80-90% won or lost with the sourcing and Freddy's is indeed sourcing fresh New England (from Ipswich today but they look and taste the same all the way up through the Maine coast) soft shells. Then, that last 10-20%? Stay out of the way. And they did that perfectly. A little chopped onion, some sliced garlic for the broth which is mostly clam liquor. I had between 20 and 30 3"-long (on average) clams. They're sold as 1.5lbs for $14 and come with side cups of drawn butter and clam broth. Excellent. Loved 'em.

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The Steamers are indeed in. They come in small lots so when they are gone each day, they are gone, sorry.

They are from up north. The New Englanders really seem to know what to do with them, especially in regards to purging them. I probably should send Chris up there for a good purge, actually.

I will probably have to raise the price slightly soon, to $15.

Gillian will be doing Chicken tomorrow.

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Can someone give me a lesson on eating steamers? I tried steamed soft shells at Harris Crab Houseo n Kent Island, they were quite smelly and sandy. I remember having them on Cape Cod (over 20 years ago) and they neither smelled bad nor were they sandy. I think we threw away the belly....does that make any sense?

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Can someone give me a lesson on eating steamers? I tried steamed soft shells at Harris Crab Houseo n Kent Island, they were quite smelly and sandy. I remember having them on Cape Cod (over 20 years ago) and they neither smelled bad nor were they sandy. I think we threw away the belly....does that make any sense?

Your observations are exactly why I am getting northern clams instead of the local ones. Someone needs to teach these Chesapeake people how to purge.

Keep the belly. That's pretty much the point. Grab 'em by the siphon/penis and ease them out of the shell. Remove and discard the dark colored condom-like skin covering the siphon, because, well, no one eats condoms. Swizzle the clam in the presented broth or butter and enjoy.

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Lunch today. Fried whole-belly clams needed a hit of salt right out of the fryer, just like most fried foods do. Not sure if that was an aberration. But beyond that, they were spot-on. Battered fries excellent. Wished I could've had a beer because of the excellent selection, though it does skew hoppy.

Lunch today for me too. Geez--we need to get DR tatoos or propeller caps or something to avoid all the "next time say hi" misses :D

Seriously. I had lunch there on Wednesday too - this time the clam roll. Most of the clams were outstanding - creamy and hot - a few were gritty, and one had a sizable chunk of shell attached that thankfully I didn't break a filling on. Fries were OK - unlike the cole slaw B) the portion is huge and most of them got left in the container.

I missed Jake & Dark Star, but bumped into Jason & Amy Storch (DCFoodies) having lunch with their #2 son and 1 week old #3, so Freddy's is 2 for 2 for friend meetups. :)

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Went to lunch today with a co-worker. Tried all the items that others have and have to report it was really good.

Lobster Eggs: Nicely deviled egg with a good portion of lobster meat in them. While very good, a bit steep at $2.50 per half egg

Lobster Roll: Excellent, I got the cold one and fell in love with Lobster Rolls again. This was everything that I remember from my youth in New Bedford, Mass. Large chunks, little mayo, and correct seasonings

Onion Rings: Again, very, very, good, greasy but full of flavor

Fried clams: Again excellent, bellys were big, but nicely fried

Asparagus: OMG was this good!!! Grilled to perfection, I am not sure if others have posted about this before but it was really good.

Cole Slaw: Ok, fresh (really plus) but not a lot of flavor, which many people prefer. They gave us a bit extra as the teaspoon amount that came with the meal was a bit small.

Ice tea: Freshly made and spot on. Free refills!

Pricing was fine (other than the eggs) The drive up place in Westport, mass that I go to several times a year is cheaper by only a few bucks. For that little extra I got service and a bar stool. Service from Gabe at the bar was great and not rushed. We split every item but the ice tea and extra plates and napkins were provided.

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After not much heming and hawing we have decided to offer some sort of DonRockwell day this Thursday. Pretty simple: Upon proof of affiliation with this group we will subtract 15% from your check. Food, beer and all.

Chris is coming up with some sort of special cocktail that will be only 5 bucks for Rockwellists.

Also, since it will coincide with Gillian Clark's Chicken Night we will have have an impromptu chat going on with Gillian. She will be in the dining room all night ( till at least 8 or so) to answer your questions and provide her insight and humor. She isactually quite nice, but please don't try to touch her. I might answer questions as well, feel free to touch me. Whoever touches Chris the most gets a prize.

I am sure I will be peppered with questions, and I will do my best to answer them. But, honestly , we haven't really thought this out too much, we just decided to do something.

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Since I mentioned being there last week, I suppose I should post a bit about the visit.

My son and I shared:

Lobster Stew - absolutely loved this, and it might have displaced Ray's crab bisque in my son's mind. The muffin that came along was tasty, but oddly dense. I mean, *really* dense. Not sure if it's supposed to be this way, but we did scarf it down.

Spicy RI-style Fried Calamari - perfectly fried, just the right amount of heat. This is what Fried Calamari should be. Minor quibble - there was a layer of fried breading in the bottom of the container - it didn't stick well to the calamari...

Lobster Roll - had it cold the first Couple times, so tried it hot this time. Equally delicious, and though it might be a reasonable price for lobster, it's still small. Not smaller than it should be, but it's probably all of 4 bites, so even with say a cup of soup, the average diner will probably be looking for something else to fill out the meal.

Gillian's Fried Chicken - nothing could have stopped my son from ordering this - he loves Gillian's chicken. While the taste is the same from her previous restaurants (and the Bobby Flay Throwdown that we attended), the crust is a bit different. She said it was due to the swtich from pan-frying to deep-frying, necessitated by the space in Jeff's kitchen, so she's still tinkering with the recipe and process to compensate. Accompanying collards were excellent, and the fries were improved from my first visit as well.

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Stopped in for lunch last Friday around 12:30 or so. Grabbed a seat at the bar - only 2 other people in the bar area and may 4-6 on the other side.

Had the Belly Clam platter ($15) with onion rings and cole slaw. Clams were perfectly seasoned and fried an a healthy portion - I tried counting but lost track. Onion rings (I think 5 huge rings) were was very tasty - only finished 3 of them though as it is just too much fired food for me. The cole slaw seems to be an afterthought in both the size and taste - bartender apologized for the size.

Washed everything down with an Allagash White draft ($6.50 - compared to $9 at Mussel Bar).

Great quick lunch. They did not have any steamers when I was there which was a little disappointing but will be back to try those on my next visit.

Noticed they are also now offering a shrimp salad roll - don't recall the price but bartender claimed it was very good.

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What constitutes "proof?" It's not like we have membership cards or anything. B)

A name tag with your screen name

A pic of you with Don

A camera so you can take pics of the food

stating "I'm with Don" as opposed to other tables not saying that

your Secret Tattoo that you get after obtaining Leviathan status

Anything that doesnt have Dino on it :D

a picture of a sacred cow

the DR handshake

your head of cabbage for Slaw Night

any recollection of any food/reality top chef that has, may, will or thought about opening another burger place

a picture of a cocktail with foam or served by any retro bartender wearing a Porkpie hat or taking longer than 43 minutes to make a drink you'll consume in 4 minutes

Performing the Lobster dance

A pic with Michael Landrum in the back of his Mercedes

Finding Jimmy Hoffa in Deans Beard

a finger from That Elusive Chang guy

A video of Gillian playing with children in a nice way

as you can see..the bar is pretty low for proof :)

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A name tag with your screen name

A pic of you with Don

A camera so you can take pics of the food

stating "I'm with Don" as opposed to other tables not saying that

your Secret Tattoo that you get after obtaining Leviathan status

Anything that doesnt have Dino on it B)

a picture of a sacred cow

the DR handshake

your head of cabbage for Slaw Night

any recollection of any food/reality top chef that has, may, will or thought about opening another burger place

a picture of a cocktail with foam or served by any retro bartender wearing a Porkpie hat or taking longer than 43 minutes to make a drink you'll consume in 4 minutes

Performing the Lobster dance

A pic with Michael Landrum in the back of his Mercedes

Finding Jimmy Hoffa in Deans Beard

a finger from That Elusive Chang guy

A video of Gillian playing with children in a nice way

as you can see..the bar is pretty low for proof :D

:)

And actually, as I recall, I did receive a DR membership card upon joining. B)

Damn, wish we'd had more notice, don't think I can swing it on such short notice, boo hoo. And the complaining starts... :D

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A name tag with your screen name

A pic of you with Don

A camera so you can take pics of the food

stating "I'm with Don" as opposed to other tables not saying that

your Secret Tattoo that you get after obtaining Leviathan status

Anything that doesnt have Dino on it B)

a picture of a sacred cow

the DR handshake

your head of cabbage for Slaw Night

any recollection of any food/reality top chef that has, may, will or thought about opening another burger place

a picture of a cocktail with foam or served by any retro bartender wearing a Porkpie hat or taking longer than 43 minutes to make a drink you'll consume in 4 minutes

Performing the Lobster dance

A pic with Michael Landrum in the back of his Mercedes

Finding Jimmy Hoffa in Deans Beard

a finger from That Elusive Chang guy

A video of Gillian playing with children in a nice way

as you can see..the bar is pretty low for proof :D

+Like

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What constitutes "proof?" It's not like we have membership cards or anything. B)

Like Chris said above, it really doesn't matter. Reciting the oath would be nice.

It is really isn't about the proof, we have just decided to do a discount. Feel free to dress up like Don, however.

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A pic with Michael Landrum in the back of his Mercedes

Just Michael, or do I have to be with him? And is "on the back of his Mercedes" good enough? Also, will Sailor Jerry be making an appearance? Just asking...

Is the "Rockwell" deal dinner only, or is it all day?

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A name tag with your screen name

A pic of you with Don

A camera so you can take pics of the food

stating "I'm with Don" as opposed to other tables not saying that

your Secret Tattoo that you get after obtaining Leviathan status

Anything that doesnt have Dino on it B)

a picture of a sacred cow

the DR handshake

your head of cabbage for Slaw Night

any recollection of any food/reality top chef that has, may, will or thought about opening another burger place

a picture of a cocktail with foam or served by any retro bartender wearing a Porkpie hat or taking longer than 43 minutes to make a drink you'll consume in 4 minutes

Performing the Lobster dance

A pic with Michael Landrum in the back of his Mercedes

Finding Jimmy Hoffa in Deans Beard

a finger from That Elusive Chang guy

A video of Gillian playing with children in a nice way

as you can see..the bar is pretty low for proof :D

This is tonight? When does it start? Do I get bonus points for aloha-wear if I show up? ;-p

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This is tonight? When does it start? Do I get bonus points for aloha-wear if I show up? ;-p

We open for lunch at 11:30. Chicken all day. Chat with Gillian throughout, except when she is working the fryer. Touching Chris all day as well. You can touch Chris in the "Special Places" after close , on his own time

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The clam chowder is EXCELLENT. Thin, which is exactly as it should be. Milk/cream, potatoes, clams, butter, pepper, onions & a little bacon?

I'll be back just for this.

Totally agree. Freddy's has a core they're executing very well and very (if not perfectly but I think improving with every day) consistently:

- clam chowder & lobster stew

- clam rolls/clam box

- steamers!

- lobster roll!!

- bar menu (mixed drinks, brews)!

Those 5 (or is it 6? ) things are the essence of a great New England clam/lobster shack (excepting the mixologist of course but given who Freddy's mixologist is, I'll take that add-on every time). But, Freddy's has to do more than that to be successful in Bethesda where not all diners really know, love and value the NE shack concept. So enter stage left the non seafood items, other seafood items (not on the above list), chicken night, asparagus, etc. Some of those are good. Some even surprisingly good.

But, at least for me, it's that above list (and the place's owners/leaders, who rock imho) that has me going back regularly. I don't expect every restaurant to nail everything all the time. But I do want them to really nail whatever their core is; whatever their main thing is. And, for "Freddy's Lobster & Clams," it's all about....well, lobster and clams (and Jeff & Chris)

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Nobody has commented yet on "Rockwell night" so I'll just say that we enjoyed everything we ordered, starting with Chris's cocktail special of spiced rum, pineapple juice and cranberry juice. J had two of them. We started with the lobster devilled eggs, and then moved on to a soup course. J ordered New England clam chowder which he was happily slurping until he had a taste of my lobster stew, which was flat-out one of the most delicious things I've put in my mouth in ages. He of course then wanted to swap halfsies, and I had to give it up--this is one of the benefits (or sacrifices in my case) of being married for a very long time. I ordered a salad and then steamers, which I haven't had in eons and really enjoyed, and J had the fried whole belly clam platter--the same thing he had on our first visit, only he got fries with it. We were also very glad to see that a very generous portion of tasty coleslaw came with the platter. Nice to know that they are listening and responding to feedback from their customers--ones who are likely to be regular visitors, if only for a bowl of lobster stew.

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I was there with the whole clan last night, lucky enough to run into Zora as well as a couple of other Rockweilers.

Had a chance to have a nice conversation with Gillian (about her new place in DC), Jeff (mostly about our kids), but only had a chance to wave at the very busy Chris behind the bar.

Four of us shared:

Fried calamari - Didn't get the spicy this time (which I prefer, now having had both), but these were perfectly fried and seasoned, and tasted like calamari, not breading

NE clam chowder - very very good, and compared with my visit a couple of weeks back, was chock full of clams and stuff

Lobster stew - concur with Zora - this is absolutely amazing, with tons of sweet fresh lobster, and should be on your list to order every meal here

Fried chicken (two orders) - the chicken itself is still very tasty, but I really prefer the crust when Gillian is able to pan fry rather than deep fry - I think it's a solid step down right now

Whole belly clam platter - Again, perfectly fried and seasoned, incredibly fresh tender bellies, and served with a mountain of good fries and as Zora mentioned, a very good sized side of slaw.

Whole belly clam roll - Wife didn't want the fries and slaw.

Ice cream - clearly homemade, but I thought a little bit coarse and icy, and the peaches were frozen solid. Needed more peach flavor.

As I used to say frequently about Bobby's Crabcakes in Rockville, this place is not inexpensive, but considering the raw cost of incredibly high-quality expensive ingredients, the prices are very reasonable. We'll be regulars.

P.S. Servers are young and enthusiastic, but not polished. Be prepared to ask for water/soda refills, silverware, check, etc.

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For my second trip to Freddy's I suggested a group of colleagues meet there for happy hour, and everyone was pleased with the choice. Casual environment, good beer, and walkable from work are great happy hour qualities, but the addition of good food helped please everyone, too. We all shared food and this time I tried the spicy and unspicy calamari, with both orders properly fried with no chewiness. Remembering back to my first visit and DR post about the breading on the clams, I think this type of breading matches even (much?) better with the calamari. I also preferred the tangy zing of the spicy order and would love to share this order again with someone. I say "share" b/c the first time I loved the fried clams and couldn't think of not ordering but this time I got the steamers was bulled over by them and their broth. Fan-fucking-tastic. It seems like hyperbole to use a ten-cent word like "harmonious" to describe such a simple preparation in such a casual joint, but that's exactly what sprang to mind as I tasted the fresh lemon juice and tons of boiled garlic in the natural broth of the clams. Gluttonously I also dipped the clams in the side of butter b/c, well, why not? I'm having a Pavlovian response just typing this description. If you like whole-belly clams, you should love this dish. I feel as though I'm gonna have to get clams when I come here.

Couple other testimonials: On my way in I saw a friend who's married to one of our former colleagues. He just finished eating and said he loved his lobster roll. I asked him if he thought it was too small (as I and some others have observed). He said ironically he had just been in Ipswich last week and tried a famous seafood shack there. He said Freddy's won hands down b/c even though the Ipswich place was much more packed with meat and cost more for $20, Freddy's was entirely fresh and properly cooked lobster meat. He said the Ipswich roll had fresh chunks but it also clearly had processed lobster meat mixed in so it wasn't much of a benefit to have more and pay more in his eyes.

A colleague who lives within walking distance of Freddy's said she had no clue it even existed and was excited to have fried clams. She just wrote this on my Facebook wall: "So Ben and I went back to Freddie's for lunch. He had the Fish and Chips and I had the Lobster roll (with mayo) - so far we haven't been disappointed!"

Clearly Freddy's can and is filling a community need here.

Pax,

Brian

Note: Normally I never introduce myself as someone who posts on DR even when a chef or owner asks that I say hi (I just don't feel comfortable about it for multiple obvious reasons), but this time I did b/c I thought Freddy's would be a good semi-regular happy hour option for us. Thank you Chris (and Jeff) for making us feel at home. But I can see how some readers may take my positive experience with a grain of salt b/c I did mention I'm a DR member.

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J ordered New England clam chowder which he was happily slurping until he had a taste of my lobster stew, which was flat-out one of the most delicious things I've put in my mouth in ages...--this is one of the benefits (or sacrifices in my case) of being married for a very long time.

Sorry I just had to edit that down to that...

I did want to add something though: usually when I visit a place I try not to say anything about any affiliations, people we might know, etc., unless I'm meeting the folks involved and want to say hi.

I don't like to go to Bethesda, but from this thread I am really eager to get up there and visit Freddy's just to say hi to folks I've only known on this board! And to touch Chris.

Well, maybe not so much that last statement...

(Then again, it IS Bethesda, so we'll see...)

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Sorry I just had to edit that down to that...

I did want to add something though: usually when I visit a place I try not to say anything about any affiliations, people we might know, etc., unless I'm meeting the folks involved and want to say hi.

I don't like to go to Bethesda, but from this thread I am really eager to get up there and visit Freddy's just to say hi to folks I've only known on this board! And to touch Chris.

Well, maybe not so much that last statement...

(Then again, it IS Bethesda, so we'll see...)

I'm not shy at all and please dont hold back......maybe thats why Bethesda is different for me than my 18 years working in DC :DB):)

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First dinner for us at Freddy's last night after a long day at the US Open. The lobster eggs were interesting but not quite to our tastes (we weren't sure exactly how they were made, but suspect that sumac is added. Could that be right?) The calamari, Rhode Island style, was great. My lobster roll was spilling over with great lobster, and my wife's shrimp salad was a generous and well-dressed version. The service was friendly and the restaurant, while a bit kitschy, was comfortable and lively. We look forward to going back.

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Hey Jeff, somewhere you mentioned pigeons and crows being around for ambiance. The last time I ate at Jackie's Restaurant, Diana had Squab on the menu. If you buy me a 22, you could offer Squab, Dove, Cardinal, shoot, there's even Red Headed Woodpeckers in my yard. Not to mention Bethesda's Native Hare! B)

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