1184 replies to this topic

[Cuddlyone]

I love Dino, but, being an inveterate suburbanite, I'm wedded to my car and can never find parking there. Any suggestions?

[DonRocks]

I love Dino, but, being an inveterate suburbanite, I'm wedded to my car and can never find parking there. Any suggestions?

1) Arrive at 6:23 for street parking
2) Sam's parking lot
3) Quebec St. or Porter St. east of Connecticut
4) Dining in Cleveland Park

[deangold]

I love Dino, but, being an inveterate suburbanite, I'm wedded to my car and can never find parking there. Any suggestions?

Park & Ride plus the Red Line metro from White Flint if from the north, or from... ummm... oh well I always get lost in Virginia!

[The Hersch]

1) Arrive at 6:23 for street parking

With the understanding that anyone who parks a vehicle on Connecticut Avenue (or stops by the curb and turns their flashers on) even one minute before 6:30 pm on weekdays will face a firing squad.

[Rovers2000]

It's doable, but definitely tight. The closer you get there to 630 the better your chances of getting parking right on Connecticut will be.

Ordway / Macomb are tough, but if you don't mind a short walk down the hill on Porter (East off of Conn as Don said) sometimes has spots as well. If you don't mind paying, Sam's Park and Shop should have a spot or two at that time as well.

[JuneBacon]

Thanks for a wonderful meal last night Dean! Don't remember her name, but our server was out of this world handling our party of 11. She was very helpful with the menu and detailed with our orders. No hiccups at all, she handled it perfectly. We had a great time.

I enjoyed the duck neck sausage and squid ink risotto. The duck breast was wonderful. The pastas were king though, everyone was wooing everything from the free form lasagnette to the cinghiaie bianco, all'aglione and duck pastas. Perfectly cooked and very fresh. Lovely! The Charcoal Maker's stew was a big hit as the entrees arrived.

Can't wait to bring my family back !

[deangold]

You servers name was Meredith. She is great! Glad you enjoyed!

[Pat]

Sure have been eating out a lot lately...A friend and I got the extended Restaurant Week deal at Dino on Monday. We both enjoy the restaurant and it's a special outing we go on together now and then. Fortunately, it only poured rain while we were eating and not while we were arriving or departing. The view out the front window in the rain is really quite charming, a bit of ambience I hadn't expected.

The fresh produce was a highlight of the meal for me, especially the tomatoes in the eggplant parmigiana. I've been eating a whole lot of eggplant lately. I loved the deep-fried baby artichokes, though they seemed a little naked on the plate. The baked peaches with vanilla gelato were the second (of three) excellent desserts I've had in the past week. I may have to stop saying I'm not a dessert person .

My friend went with heartier options. I believe the first course was a half order of pappardelle with wild boar ragu (though it shows up with a different pasta on the online menu), and she followed that with the duck breast and kale. She had trouble deciding which chocolate dessert to get and ended up with one she wasn't wild about. The pasta (of which I was able to get a little) was her favorite part of the meal. We both agreed the baked peaches were a dessert winner. The scoop of gelato was great on its own to start but melted down into the hot peaches to make a luscious cream sauce.

[beachgirl54]

I too took advantage of Dean's generosity last night and dined out with a group of girlfriends on the extended RW menu. I'm a bit hung over but can say that everything we had exceeded expectations - friends enjoyed the summer vegetable risotto, calamari, squash blossoms for appetizers - I had banh mi.

Entrees, with cleaned plates at the end were the duck breast, duck pasta (me - yum) and the lamb shank.

Dessert - gelato afffogato for coffee addict friend, and the nico (I think that's what it was called) for the other two. I had baked peaches - Pat is right, they are a winner.

Meredith was our server. She rocks.

Thanks to Dean for a wonderful night.

[DannyNoonan]

A lovely evening at Dino on Saturday left my wife and I pleased and our three first-time Dino diners pledging to return. Food, cocktails, wine, service, atmosphere all right on for a comfortable and satisfying experience. I can only vouch personally for what I ordered as I was too pre-occupied with my own meal to attempt anyone's dishes but I can report that everyone was pleased with their orders (which included big garlic pappardelle, linguini pesto, duck breast, eggplant parmigiana). Some details:

• I didn't realize it was happy hour until I sat down at the bar to await our fellow diners but was pleased to learn that I could have a Negroni Bianco (Plymouth gin, Cinzano Bianco, Cocchi Americano) for $5. I was rewarded with a sublime cocktail at a bargain price.
• To start, I heeded a friend's recommendation and ordered the Chard Pate. It was great. It seems to be essentially ricotta and chard combined, pressed into a mold, and served (2 generous slices) over a light herby, tomato sauce and topped with chopped tomatoes. Unique, satisfying, and very tasty.
• For an entree, I ordered the risotto with grilled corn and veggies. I was impressed with how well the components of this dish were individually prepared - green beans, corn, and rice were all al dente and stood out on their own. This dish was almost light for a risotto, very satisfying without making me too full. I also like the option at Dino of ordering various pasta preparations with polenta or risotto. It seems like a small gesture but I am sure it makes the menu seem much bigger to me and I appreciate their effort.
• For dessert, my wife and I split the baked peach which was served with vanilla gelato. Fantastic finish to the meal. Sweet, flavorful warm peaches, cool gelato, crunchy topping. Lovely.

My fellow diners raved about the attention paid to ingredient sourcing evident in the menu and the welcoming atmosphere. They loved the fact that Dean came over to chat and seemed to be clearly passionate about what he does. Of course, my wife and I have known these things for some time which is why we continue to come back.

-Sean

[deangold]

When the metro closes, most of our team members cannot make it in to work. So to help them stay safe, we will close until Metro reopens. Stay safe and warm!

[hm212]

Saturday night 7:30pm almost turned around and cancelled due to the parking nightmare of Cleveland Park - I am so glad we did not. After twenty minutes driving around saw someone walking to their car and got a perfect spot one block up the street. The reward for going through the parking was an incredible treat - ONE OF THE BEST MEALS I HAVE HAD IN LONG TIME!!!.

Dino continues to be one of the best restaurants in DC!!!!

We started off with a plate of Burrata and Posciutto, the Burrata was creamiest treat that tasted like I was having pure melt in my mouth cream.

The Trotter Tots were flavored perfectly. Taylor Bay Scallops with black truffle butter - I think Dean said it perfectly "Scallops as delivery system for truffle and butter".

The Risotto Bianco with shaved white truffles - very very generous with the truffle shavings

Entrees of Snakehead fish over polenta with a safron sauce with mussels and grilled calamari - OMG, I am now a believer.

Don't come here and skip dessert either - We were going to order one and share but we wound up ordering both the tiramisu and Nico Gelato (a combination of dark and light chocolate gelato with hazelnuts) - Both were finished and plates clean leaving smiles on our faces.

Dean and his team continute to be welcoming gracious hosts and when I walk into Dino, I feel like I am being welcomed like family with people that are truly happy to see me. The service here is always top notch and welcoming, that really makes me looking forward to the next time I will get to come back.

[KeithA]

Recently been to Dino twice and both times the best dish was what is probably a sleeper:

Canestri - Kabocha & Lentils
lentil & roasted kabocha squash ~ roasted garlic, pecorino cheese ~ shell shaped pasta

My wife got it the first time and loved it. I stole a bite or two and was jealous. Second time, my wife was smarter and ordered it again. Awesome second time and one of our friends also ordered it like it. Great vegetarian dish and a good example of what I like about Dino at its best- interesting flavor combinations that produce very flavorful ingredient-forward tasty bites.

On the other side, I was a bit disappointed in the polenta with mushrooms that I'd always enjoyed in the past. It was nicely cooked, but something was missing from the flavor - it was less rich for lack of better word. So go and try the Canestri for something different and yummy.

[deangold]

Being so shy to self promote, but in the light of Jeff's deal, we have one for DR.comers....

The "Feast of the 7 Fish" is not an Italian tradition per se, but all seafood dinners are common throughout Italy. When the Italian immigrants got to the US, the items that were so expensive back home were the foods of poverty and hence the feast was born. At least that's my story. If your story is differrent, then thats a whole other kettle of fish!

Our feast of the 7 fish starts tomorrow and runs thru December 24. It is a $59, 6 course seafood extravaganza based on my "Jewish boy married to an Italian girl brother's" holiday dinners and our Dino spin on the Italian American traditions. An Italian wine flight {5 wines & house infused grappa or cello} is $32. Come in and order it tomorrow thru Thursday and mention Don Rockwell when making your reservations and the feat is reduced to $45 per person and the wine flight can be yours for $24. We will also have our regular menu available every night we serve the feast.

The menu {subject to the whims of Neptune and my seafood suppliers}

Feast of the Seven Fish

Per Entree
Cicchetti di Mare
a selection of seafood bites to start your meal:
flounder Livornese ~ sarde in saor ~ grouper cheek on polenta
Prosecco, Bellini or Negroni

Antipasto
Fritto Misto di Mare
Mixed fried seafood in a spicy crust ~ lemon & ginger alioli
Barbera Per Alessandra

Zuppa
"Nozze di Mare"
“Wedding Soup of the Sea”
Dino’s fish meatball soup
Tami by Occhipinti {Frappato} Sicilia ‘11

Pasta
Linguine w/Clams & Mussels
white wine, herbs, garlic on linguine
De Conciliis {Aglianico} Cilento Rosso ‘10

Secondo
Cioppino
red wine seafood stew w/head on shrimp, scallops, fish, mussels
~ and ~
Whole Fish {for 2+} ~ or ~ Local Flounder w/lemon butter & caper
Cecelia {Sangiovese, Syrah} Elba, Toscana ‘11

Dolci
Your choice from our dessert menu
House white truffle grappa ~~ or ~~ house infused cello

[dcandohio]

We did the bollito misto dinner last night with the Don Rockwell discount. $30 for the meal and $27 each for generous pours of 3 very good wines. It was my first time eating tripe, and +1's first time eating tongue. Fun experience. The standouts, for us, were the insanely delicious aioli and green sauce (like a pesto). Was there crack in that aioli?

[deangold]

We did the bollito misto dinner last night with the Don Rockwell discount. $30 for the meal and $27 each for generous pours of 3 very good wines. It was my first time eating tripe, and +1's first time eating tongue. Fun experience. The standouts, for us, were the insanely delicious aioli and green sauce (like a pesto). Was there crack in that aioli?

Yes!

[weinoo]

The standouts, for us, were the insanely delicious aioli and green sauce (like a pesto). Was there crack in that aioli?

Crack notwithstanding, Italian salsa verde is my favorite of the green salsas - I happened to have some on my Roseda Farms' sirloin just the other night...and it was one of the best $22 steaks I've had in a long time.

I've seen recipes for salsa verde that contain bread, but when I make it at home, my main ingredients are Italian parsley, anchovies and capers. Do you use bread in your recipe, Dean?

[deangold]

Panko actually.... typically it is made with stale bread and ours ciabatta is too crusty to make our own breadcrumbs. The trick to panko is non hydrogenated oil panko.

We are going to have a braciole made with Roseda beef shortly, next week probably. We served it on New years and it sold out the fastest of all our offerings. We will bread the meat before cooking and it is simmered in a tomato sauce.

[mr food]

Don Rockwell discount...what have I missed??

[deangold]

Bollito Misto

[deangold]

This week's Don rockwell special is designed for folk that have not been, or not been in a while.  It is served family style, served for 2 or more:

 

Antipasti

Burrata

Meatballs

Duck Neck

Insalata Inverno

 

Pasta

Cannestri with winter squash & lentils

Wild Boar

 

Secondi

Tuscan Fried Chicken

Braciole {Roseda Farms beef roll stuffed with grana, pecorino & panko simmered in tomato sauce}

 

Dessert

Choice tiramisu, nutella bread pudding or a two cheese selection

 

Cost to DR.com folk for a massive feast is $35 per person.  We will be doing free corkage, wine madness {wines $5-+ are 33% off.} And you can enjoy the $3 per cocktail happy hour discount at your table for cocktails ordered by 7pm.  

 

Rules:  You need to reserve by phone or open table.  Please note your DR.com membership and Dr.com handle in the reservation notes or let us know when you come in.  And do come hungry.  

 

For those of you who came for the Bollito Misto, hope you enjoyed.  

[Nervous Eater]

Dean- just reserved via phone for a party of three tomorrow. VERY excited- thanks a ton for doing this!

[deangold]

The meat for braciole did not arrive today.  Apparently, to send a text message to your meat salesman you actually need to hit the send button on your smart phone.  Who knew?  We will substitute something else for the braciole till we get it in.  The drink specials will end to the general public on Friday but will run for DR.com thru Sunday.  

[DanielK]

I'm in for tonight as well - been too long!

[darkstar965]

I've been going to Dino since it opened more than 7 years ago.  Sometimes more regularly than other times.  Haven't posted much--really at all--over the years in part because Dino is one of the most written about restaurants on this board with many fans. I'd guess some might claim it a "sacred cow" so, to dispel that straightaway, I'll say that I've thought the food (dish dependent of course) a bit sinusoidal over the years as chefs came and went.  But in the past year or two, Dino seems to really be firing on all cylinders from my perspective.

We've been in for brunch a few times in the past couple of months and have really enjoyed it.  Today, as just the most recent example, the "Confit of Dr Joe's Duck Leg ~ Puntarelle Salad" ($10!  gf!!) was a wonderful standout.

But this post is to highlight two things, both of which are known to Dino's fans but may be less obvious to those who haven't been in a long time or at all.

1.  In my book, any restauranteur with these kinds of values (aka "manifesto") and, as important, this kind of transparency (aka "partners"), sets an example more restaurants should follow (click photo to enlarge):



2. The 'Dino Burger'  $12 with small surcharges for bacon ($2) and carmelized onion ($1) as I ordered it today.  Incredibly, I'd never before, in I-don't-know-how-many visits, ordered a burger here.  It's an Italian restaurant.  The menu has always been fairly massive with lots of rotating dishes.  Never before occurred to me to get a burger here.  And, though I'm sure others have probably posted about it before now, there are more than 1100 posts on this thread so couldn't possibly be up to date on all those Blanket apology if this is redundant 'piling on.'

My verdict?  Damn Good Burger!  10oz of Roseda Farms beef seasoned to ensure great flavor throughout.  The story doesn't stop there.  This burger also comes dripping with edgy Prairie Breeze cheddar on a lovely grilled ciabatta roll (which looked suspiciously like a Panorama creation though I didn't ask). Finally, it's adorned with a savory and mildly spicy Sriracha and anchovy aioli and an included side of nicely dressed local greens.  Some great flavors resultant from a smart design of complementary seasonings, sauces and real foods.

The perennial Best Burger debate is, of course, irreconcilable.  Some like gourmet and flame broiled. Some prefer fast from a flat-top grill.  Most everyone agrees Frank Ruta and Michael Landrum are in the top group however exclusive said group may be. Notwithstanding the facts that Dino is largely a place for Italian food with the city's most extensive Italian wine collection*, this burger deserves consideration in that amorphous top group also IMHO.
 

* Unless Fiola, Bibiana or Tosca stock even more?  I'm honestly not sure.

[Choirgirl21]

How have I been missing these DR.com deals?! It's been far too long since I've been to Dino so I will be keeping my eye out now!

[deangold]

Madly looking up sinusoidal on google... Is it a mathmatics term or does darkstar965 think I have sinus problems?  

 

I honestly think it took about 18 months after I became chef for us to figure out what our food mission was, I also think we have been on a fairly consistent path with mostly improvement for the last 3 years.  Thanks for the nice words!

[deangold]

This Week's Don Rockwell special:  Wednesday Thursday & Friday (YIKES! I am off Wednesday!!!}

 

"Parts is Parts"

 

Fegatini ~ duck liver crostini

 

Collo d'Anatra ~ duck neck stuffed with house duck force meat, cooked confit & crisped 

 

Risotto w/giblets

 

Border Springs Lamb duo: sweetbreads in saffron sauce & lamb tongue w/salsa verde

 

Cheese plate

 

$30 per person.  Reserve via phone or open table, but do let us know you are coming in for the special parts is parts menu.  

[jiveturk21]

Brunch here yesterday was superb.  We have never been to Dino for brunch, we only get here about once a year for dinner, but it was as good in the daylight as it is when it is dark outside.

 

No restaurant will ever be in my regular rotation.  I live in the suburbs and have a nine month old.  We still go out a lot, but when we do go out, we always want to try somewhere new.  Thus, we don't often make it back to Dino, not nearly as often as we would like or other people on this board.  But, I will say that if anywhere in DC was going to be in our regular rotation, it would be Dino.  And, whenever anyone asks me where to get Italian food, I always will tell them to go to Dino.

[darkstar965]

Brunch here yesterday was superb.  We have never been to Dino for brunch, we only get here about once a year for dinner, but it was as good in the daylight as it is when it is dark outside.

 

No restaurant will ever be in my regular rotation.  I live in the suburbs and have a nine month old.  We still go out a lot, but when we do go out, we always want to try somewhere new.  Thus, we don't often make it back to Dino, not nearly as often as we would like or other people on this board.  But, I will say that if anywhere in DC was going to be in our regular rotation, it would be Dino.  And, whenever anyone asks me where to get Italian food, I always will tell them to go to Dino.

 

Next time say hi    We were there too and really enjoyed the burger, the roseda corned beef hash, the fresh farm eggs with the deep orange yolks (go figure!), the nicely dressed greens and even a side of a tasty fried calamari. Around $50 for two of us pre tax and tip.  Also, I got a tip that some escarole is inbound and appearing on bruschettas here imminently.  With memories of the wonderful homemade escarole, bean and reggiano soup I had last night at a party, we'll look forward to whatever Dean does with his.

[Gadarene]

Heh, I was there for brunch yesterday as well.  Sat at the bar.

 

The steak and eggs was on balance very good; the steak was great and the anchovy salsa verde added a perfect hit of flavor.  The breakfast potatoes that came with it were also really tasty.  I ordered the three eggs over easy and found that the whites were too runny for my taste and a hair underseasoned, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't cure by sopping them up with delicious bread.

 

Dean, I ordered the bottomless bloody mary and the first glass I had was really watery and bland; it severely lacked any sort of kick (whether from horseradish, hot sauce, lime juice, or anything else) and just didn't have much flavor.  To his credit, the bartender saw that I hadn't done much damage to it, knew immediately why, and took it upon himself to toss out my drink and give me another with some sriracha/Tabasco/lime mixed in to punch it up.  The second one was much, much better.  Kudos to him.

[JuneBacon]

Dean, did I see a special Easter Sunday brunch posted somewhere?  Trying to decide if I am going crazy or not.    

[TheMatt]

Dean, did I see a special Easter Sunday brunch posted somewhere?  Trying to decide if I am going crazy or not.    

 

There is this page on his website about the Easter menus. They look good!

[deangold]

Dean, did I see a special Easter Sunday brunch posted somewhere?  Trying to decide if I am going crazy or not.    

 

Several special events

March 25 thru April 1 Passover at Dino
Passover Feast served family style for $59 per person.  Ala carte Passover items starting Thursday April 28

 

March 31 Easter

$39 brunch and ala carte dinner served all day.  Wine madness {wines $50 and over are 33% off at Dinner {Starting at 3pm}  Bottomless Mimosa and Bloodys are $12.  Passover feast and Passover freindly items will be on the menu as well.  Lots of Broder Springs Lamb, Truck Patch Pork Leg, fabulous local veggies will be highlights on the menu.  

 

Tuesday April 9
The Big Pig Dinner Parte Due ~ Only the Squeal Survives! 
Reception with snacks and a welcome beverage at 6:30, Dinner 7pm.  
We are buying a Mangalitsa Pig from Bryan Weaver at Truck Patch Farms.  Mangalitsa are an almost vanished breed of woolly  "Lard Pigs" from Hungary now back in favor for curing in Mangalitsa Prosciutto.  We will be eating "low on the hog" as we use the hocks & trotters, head, neck, belly & shoulders to make an extensive tasting menu for $69 per person.  Cocktail & wine flights are $30, beer flight is $20.  As always with a dinner of this style, we reserve the right to change menu items as we see fit, because we may come up with a better idea.  You can reserve for this only by calling the restaurant and you will need a credit card to hold your spot.  Bryan Weaver will be there to talk about his favorite subject: Pigs!  

Wednesday April 10 'til shes gone:
To be read in a Paul Harvey voice "Mangalitsa: The Rest of the Story"

Mangalitsa Pig Bolognese, Mangalitsa Pig Loin or T Bone Chops, Mangalitsa charcuterie will all be on the menu ala carte as we finish the rest of the pig.  

[DanielK]

I'm at Dino fairly regularly, but I rarely post about my meals unless it's reviewing one of the special lamb, pig, etc. dinners. I consider Dean and Kay personal friends, and don't want my reviews to be tainted by any favoritism, real or implied.

 

That said, I want to report on a specific dish. Dean has been bugging me for years to try the 1 kilo Roseada Farms Bistecca Fiorentina. I'd resisted - I never wanted to have just the steak as an entree for 2 people, I wanted to have pasta, I wanted other Italian dishes, I already had steak places - there were a dozen excuses.

 

Saturday night, we were dining at Dino before seeing a friend play a show at a bar nearby, and how about that - we were actually in the mood for a steak.

 

It did not disappoint. I'm sorry I didn't listen to Dean sooner.  This dry aged wonder was full of flavor, and the crispy roasted potatoes and kale that came with it were stellar. It's easily a 2-person entree, and though not cheap at $57, that's still in the upper range for the cost of two secondi at Dino. We had 2 small appetizers before, and were absolutely stuffed (though still made room for a few bites of dessert.)

 

This won't replace going to Ray's for my occasional steak fix, but the quality of meat and preparation are definitely in the same ballpark.