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Showing results for tags 'Olney'.
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Ricciuti's is located in the historic Olney House, on Route 108, just off Georgia Avenue in Olney MD. It started out years ago as a pizza and Italian sandwich restaurant, but over the years has transformed into a nice restaurant with great wood fired pizzas and a fine dining menu (Italian for he most part) with a very good wine list, especially for Montgomery County. (They have a Wine Spectator award) The core of the restaurant is still the wood fired pizza oven. Pizzas come out crisp and hot, with lots and lots of toppings available. While they are not cheap, the pizzas are nothing like what you get at the usual Pizza joint. The restaurant is located in the Olney House, a large historic house in Olney, MD. There main dining room is upstairs, with two smaller dining rooms, a bar, and the carry-out space on the first floor. The food is excellent, reasonabley priced for the type, and the service is pretty efficient. There are always specials, and the chef has a nice list of standard fare that is very tasty. Most of the menu is Italian but I have enjoyed some excellent soft shelled crabs there when they were in season. My wife loves the eggplant Parmesian, but the star, and biggest draw, are the pizzas. They have a long list of speciality pizzas and you can compose your own. They never have a problem substituting toppings for you, and the list of toppings avialable is about thirty items. The wine list is excellent and for the County, very reasonably priced. There are always 7 or 8 wines by the glass, some half bottles, and full bottles that range from the ordinary to the sublime. Stemware is very good, not those little glasses that so many places use. Wine service is professional and discrete. Nobody tries to keep filling your glass when you don't want them to. They are on OpenTable for reservations. They get very crowded on weekends, so make a reservation. If you live in the area, you already know that they do a huge pizza carryout business. In the summer they have a soft icecream window outside. On nice days you can eat outside on the patio in front of the restaurant. Parking is ample behind the restaurant. -
I am not a huge fan of pho, but my wife and son are, so we have eaten at Pho and Grill in Olney many times. (They have a restaurant in Gathersburg too, I think). The pho is very good, and a huge bowl (according to my wife and son). I ordered the grilled steak on a salad that was also huge and very good. Summer rolls were excellent, with a nice dipping sauce. Prices are very good. The folks are friendly and efficient. The dining room is pleasant, clean, but nothing fancy. You order at the counter and the food is brought to you (so be sure to leave something in the tip jar.) Last night the place was packed and our meal still showed up quickly. They also do a pretty big carry out business it would appear. Prices are very good. Two orders of rolls, two orders of Pho, the grilled steak, and a bubble tea (also good) came to under $42.
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Last night my son and I were in Olney trying to decide where to eat when we noticed a new sign for al Sospiro Trottoria and Wine Bar. Being a major wine geek, I immediately turned the car around and stopped in. The restaurant is in the downstairs of the building that Domino's Pizza occupies at 18035 Georgia Avenue just before the intersection. The restaurant is small, probably 48 seats or so, but very nicely done and very much evokes memories of trotterias from Italy during my college years. The menu is small, 6 Antipasti (all $8), three salads ($8), three soups ($7), three contorni ($6),4 Pastas ($14) and 9 Secondi, ($17-23). My son started with the Polipetti Affogati, baby ocopus sauteed in white wine, while I chose the Carciofini alla Griglia, baby artichokes marinated and grilled. Both were excellent, the octopus grilled to perfection with a wonderful sauce, it wasn't too chewy but it had enough firmness to be just right. The artichokes were long stemmed baby ones, lightly grilled and arranged on a very nice bed of greens. They were not over dressed and tasted wonderful. I ordered the Bucatini alla Gricia in Pomodoro (tomato sauce with pancetta). The pasta was cooked perfectly, al dente, just firm to the tooth without being to soft. The tomato sauce was light, and could have used a little more of the pancetta, but very flavorful and just the right amount. My son had he Gamberi ala Griglia, grilled shrimp with polenta and asparagus. While I would have liked another shrimp for the price, the jumbo prawns were grilled perfectly and had a wonderful smokey flavor . But the reason I went was because I am a wine geek as well as a foodie, and finding a good wine list in Montgomery County is rare, and still is. I was disappointed that a place that called itself a wine bar didn't have a better selection, though to be fair they just opened and it is Montgomery County that they have to buy from. The wine list had offered a prosecco brut and a vin santo by the glass, along with 9 offerings of the "Sospiro" 250 ml carafes. The choices, 5 white, and 4 red, were also on the wine list, in fact they were the cheapest wines on the list, and all cost $9 except for the McManis CS which cost $10, mostly Italian (one CA Chard, one French CS and the McManus) The list was again primarily Italian, with the prosecco and 11 whites, ranging from $25 to $44 ('06 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio) and all from 2004-2006 vintage. There were 19 reds, ranging from $25 to $98 ('01 Da Vinci Brunello di Montalcino) with half under $30. There were no Rosso de Montalcinos however, and all but 3 were from the 2004 or 2005 vintage. A very reasonable wine list for MC, but I was hoping for more in a restaurant that has Wine bar in its name. Service was very good, efficient, friendly, and not intrusive. So, bottom line, the food we had was very good, there is enough wine to match the food for most folks, and if the prices are alittle high, it is because MC jacks up the price of wine about 35% over what it should be as the wholesaler. I certainly will go back and I am hoping they do well. As Olney restaurants go, this isn't in the class of Mannequin Pis or Ricutti's, but it sure fills a nitch that wasn't there before. I recommend it to anyone who wants that trotteria feel.
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Looking for restaurant options before or after a show at the Olney Theatre Centre. Something with a lively but old-fashioned atmosphere is preferable. We'd also like to avoid anything in a commercial strip mall. Has the Olney Ale House improved at all? I think the Brookeville Inn might be too boring for us. Are there any other options to consider? Any nationality of food is fine. We'll be traveling west from Greenbelt, going up 95 to the Intercounty Connector, so anything along the way would be welcome even if it's a diversion.
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Please move this if I am wrong, but I did not see a topic for the Corned Beef King. The king has a food truck and sells full time from the Exxon station in Olney. My parents still live there and picked up sandwiches this afternoon, and I was very impressed. We split two sandwiches between the four of us and it was plenty of food for the non-famished. They aren't Carnegie deli style, but definitely ample for the $10 price tag per sandwich. The meat leans toward moist rather than lean which made it more enjoyable at the time and slightly less so later, when cool (though those who don't mine fattier meat would likely have no problem). The mustard was spicy and the slaw (a side) was sweeter and vinegary, just the way I like it. The pastrami was cut a bit thicker than the corned beef. They sell around MoCo I believe from the truck- I think it's worth seeking out in our deli-starved area. http://cornedbeefking.com/ -
I am from Olney and recently returned from a trip to Peru- so my parents invited me to join them at Sardi's Fusion, a Peruvian "fusion" restaurant in Olney. The space is the recent home to Taste Gastropub. We ordered solely from the Peruvian section of the menu, but I was impressed. First- they make their own chica morada, (a Peruvian drink made from red corn and warm spices.) It wasn't the best I've ever had, but absolutely acceptable and the effort is commendable. We ordered the Lomo Saltado (skirt steak sauteed with fries, onions, tomatoes, with rice), Arroz con Mariscos (rice with shellfish), and Aji de gallina (chicken with aji sauce). To be fair, I did not eat in mainly higher end places in Peru- but all dishes at Sardi's were really great and better in quality to many I tasted there. The aji de gallina was not a stewing hen as they have there, but a nice yellow aji sauce over chicken, rice and potatoes (Peruvian food never spares the carbs.) The lomo saltado was cooked REALLY well to a medium rare with a nice sauce and all the traditional additions. My favorite was the arroz con mariscos- fresh tasting seafood (mussels, shrimp, bay scallops, calamari) with a nicely cooked rice with red pepper, some tomato and a spices. I would happily order any of the 3 again. We did not explore the fusion section of the menu or veer from the entres, but there looks to be some good things there as well as some ways to appeal to all palates. Note- we went at 6:15 wtihout a reservation and got a table. By 6:30 it was packed. 7- a few parties were waiting. Here's the menu, a large .pdf file: 3d85a9_8c7e82b7decf4a3da976ce3fd0ce8a2c.pdf
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My wife and I decided to try this place since it is nearby and we generally like small plates when dining. Several first impressions. First, Olney needs more places of this level, i.e., non chain, not geared to the beer crowd. Second, the place could use some carpet to hold down the decibel leve. We ordered six items. ARTICHOKE BRUSCHETTA - Grilled baby artichokes, pesto bruschetta topped with pecorino. I enjoyed it, my wife thought the pesto was a bit strong. It came as one bruschetta with two stem on baby artichoke halves. Fairly good flavor, nice mound of salad with pecorino on the side. CANNELLINI WHITE BEANS with Fresh mixed herb pesto and migas. Very tasty, not over cooked, nice herbs. FALAFEL with fresh herbs and tahini. 5 nicely sized falafel. They had good flavor but were somewhat creamy inside. My wife thought them a bit undercooked, I liked them a lot. I'd have liked a little more tahini to go with them however, CALAMARI FRITTO served with gazpacho sauce. Nicely fried, light touch with the batter. The gazpacho sauce was slightly spicy/peppery. However, the whole dish was oversalted, a problem several of the dishes had. The next two were specials for the evening. SHRIMP WITH GRITS - the shrimp was way overcooked, and the sauce while very flavorful, with nice chunks of sausage, was again, somewhat salty. The chef sent out a second serving upon us telling the waitress the shrimp were overcooked (Hey, she asked) and while they were better, they were still a little chewy and salty. GRILLED WHITE TUNA over a risotto topped with some very tasty onion relish. Again, a heavy hand with the salt however. Dessert was baklava and coffee. Very nice, not overly swimming in honey. Service was excellent. Our server was very nice, very efficient, and helpful. We didn't have drinks, as I'm a wine guy (geek actually)and the wine list was not at all interesting to me. It was however, fairly inexpensive by the bottle, not so much by the glass. Several Greek wines on the list. Prices ranged from $22 to $45 by the bottle, with most under $30 or so. They have a lot of"signature" drinks, after all it is a lounge as well as a restaurant (which might have been part of the noise problem) and they looked good if that is your thing. Bottom line, I would hope they learn to get a much lighter hand with the salt, because Olney needs some restaurants of this level.
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We went to GrillMarX last night for dinner. Located in the new Fair Hill Shopping Center in Olney, they opened six days ago. If yesterday was any indication, they will do well. They were packed. The only problem we had was that they were so popular that they were not able to seat us until 8pm even though we had a 7:30 reservation. I think that they are still getting the hang of how to time their reservations. They were doing a thriving bar business and the raw bar was very busy. Dinner started with a dozen Wellfleet oysters. Very fresh, briny, plump and well presented. They were served with lemon, hot sauce, freshly grated horseradish, and a grapefruit mignonette. My son ordered the Kona ribeye, which is marinated in Kona coffee, brown sugar, spices and herbs. Very flavorful if not to my particular taste. He ordered it rare, and it came rare. I ordered the regular boneless ribeye, asking for it to be on the rare side of medium rare. Again, it came exactly as ordered. We ordered baked potatoes to go with them but though seriously about the classic paring of creamed spinach. The steaks are 14 ounces and were quite good. My wife ordered the crab cakes, asking for the mustard sauce to be on the side. When they arrived, the sauce was on top of the crabcakes. When she said that she had ordered the sauce on the side, they whisked them away and replaced them with new ones, sauce on the side, in 90 seconds. They came with a very good salsa of corn and red peppers. The wine list is not large, but well selected for the menu and considering that this is Montgomery County, well priced. Unfortunately, as in most restaurants, the wines are fairly young. We ordered a 2006 Franciscan Oakville Estate Magnificat that at $65 was the oldest, and one of the most expensive bottles on the list. A fair price for the wine for MoCo restaurants. We later added a half bottle of 2007 Stonestreet Cab that was not nearly as good as the Magnificat. Glassware was adequate and they brought us new glasses with the second bottle. Dessert was the Amaretto Mascarpone Cheesecake for my son and the Apple Crisp for me. The Apple crisp was huge, came with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and was quite tasty. I didn't taste the cheesecake, but he didn't seem to dislike it as it disappeared quickly. Service was friendly, and efficient. Because my son ordered iced tea in addition to drinking the wine (actually, my wife had less than half a glass of the Magnificat and we drank the rest), the waiter brought him two glasses at a time due to how packed the place was. All in all I think this is a great addition to Olney, which needs more restaurants of this category. I look forward to them ironing out the scheduling, but I can't say that it was their fault, folks seemed to want to linger. If I had any complaint it was that the place was quite loud, but that is to be expected when there are that many people there at the bar. We will definitely be back.
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I don't know where you live, but Pho and Grill, with two locations (Gaithersburg and Olney) have a vegetarian bowl (confirmed that they use vegetable broth) that my wife loves. You should check it out. Regular Pho is near the top of my list as well. -
I searched but I did not see a thread about this place specifically (although there were a few mentions of it in other threads). Mrs. TJ and I headed there twice in the last couple of weeks while our kitchen and two bathrooms were being remodeled and we really enjoyed the place. The mussels are fantastic and there are quite a few different variations to the preparation. The frites are some of the best I have had, especially paired with the mayo/aioli/whatever. The 'Frisee Salad with Bacon' is so much more like 'Bacon Salad with Frisee' and it is unbelievably good. It was the main reason we went back a 2nd time within a week. The other dishes are very nice, some nice buffalo, duck and other entrees are all very tasty. We even had room for chocolate ravioli with raspberry sauce the 2nd dinner. The Belgian beer selections are quite good, I really liked the Watou Tripel particularly. Their wine list is good if you know European wines, French in particular. Definitely recommended. I suggest you call to make reservations, especially if you plan on a weekend dinner. Both times we went without reservations, but were seated reasonably quickly at the communal 'chef's table'. Bernard is a great character and we had good service each time we went. -
Just another sandwich shop
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Caveat - I have never been to this place, the only thing I have tried are the Saltenas and they were brought to a DC United tailgate a couple weeks ago by one of the employees (may have been the owner) But, I can say the Saltenas were one of the best things I've tried all year. I've never been to Olney...not sure I ever will...but I would go to have these saltenas again. Little smaller than a baseball, golden brown, insanely juicey (like dripping down your arm juicey), delicious. Anyone in the Olney area? You should go and report back. http://elantojitoinc.com/index.html 18068 Georgia Ave. Olney, MD 20832 Tel: 301-570-3331 Tel: 301-570-3351 Judging from the photos on their website, appears to be located in the Olney Center (same as Mannequin Pis)
