danathan

As a Takoma DC resident, I'm very, very excited for Avenue Oven to open up. Anyone heard any updates about whether or not it's on track to open around year's end? It sounds like the General Store has been a nightmare, and I would imagine the extra energy that that's taken would hurt Avenue Oven's proposed open date. Also, I know that this is off-topic, but being a DC resident, I must say that I'm a bit miffed/jealous at Old Town Takoma Park's ability to attract new, interesting restaurants. What's stopping a sit-down restaurant with table service from opening on the DC side of the line? Is it liquor laws? Lack of governmental incentives? Bad spaces? Differences in income? Bad elected officials? I find it to be incredibly depressing that the walk from the Metro station to Old Town Takoma Park is a tour of windowless buildings, surface parking lots, empty lots, and above-ground power lines punctuated by outdated office buildings, a CVS and a 7-11, both with a suburban-style set backs. What food establishments we do have seem to be really undercapitalized -- it's hard for me to understand how the Drifting Nomad is going to make it with a very limited menu of sandwiches and coffee, even if they are nice and tasty. The Red Line Grill seems like they could make a killing selling wings and beer during skins games, but it doesn't seem like they have access to a liquor license... Anyway, a bunch of my neighbors and I are excited to see Avenue Oven open.

They do indeed have a bar. The place is partitioned such that there is a bar area that has the bar, a few of the really tall two tops (where your feet can't touch the ground) and then some couches. Having not been there during bar time, I don't know how full up the area gets, but I'd imagine eating oysters at the bar would be a perfectly lovely thing to do.

My wife and I stopped in for brunch yesterday morning. The staff was really wonderful and friendly; they were laid back and conversational, knowledgeable about what they were serving, and very attentive to the flow of the meal. We sat in the bar area, which is partitioned from the main dining area, and has a couple of large screen TVs that were both playing college football. We had the Tasso Ham Benedict and the House-made Merguez Sausauge with poached eggs. The ham and sausage were both really excellent; both sets of eggs were lightly sauced, which helped the meat to shine through. I had a bloody mary, which was served with pickled green beans It was well balanced and not-too-spicy. The bartender told us that he makes mean mojitos; he was excited enough about them, in fact, that he brought us out a small one gratis. The mojito was really good. They also serve their take on a Bellini, called a "Brillini", which was available in a couple of different flavors that have escaped my memory. By the time we finished our eggs, we were having a good enough time that we decided to stay for dessert. They had an upside-down pear cake that we split; it was fresh and tasty. All in all, we really loved the place. The service was head and shoulders above what we're used to, the food was really solid and interesting, and the restaurant itself was very comfortable. We're looking forward to heading back for dinner sometime soon. The brunch dishes were $10 - $15, if I recall correctly. They open at 11:30 AM on Saturdays and 11:00 AM on Sundays. The menu is not terribly vegetarian friendly. Also, they have a full (2 page) wine list at this point, and it looks good.

Does anyone know which of the butchers mentioned in this thread also sell the more offbeat products that independent butchers often carry? I'm thinking of stuff like veal bones, beef leg bones (run through a band saw on request), and chicken backs and necks. Basically, cheap stuff that's good for stocks, stews, and roasting, but doesn't cost much and is generally cut to order with an onsite band saw. My experience has been that supermarket (even those with butcher counters) generally have no interest in carrying this stuff. Does anyone know who does and who doesn't carry this kind of thing?