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Showing results for tags 'Wood-Burning Pizza Oven'.
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Cross posted on eG: gnatharobed and I planned to dine off the cafe menu tonight at Palena. We looked forward to trying the Monday night menu and comparing dishes together. We both left work, excited to enjoy the food and ready for some great dessert. BUT IT WAS CLOSED TONIGHT! Ai ya, I shoulda called before I drove all the way from Montgomery County to NW. We were *so* disappointed! It was a bitter way to end a Monday - no Palena! And we had been planning this for 2 weeks! No burger, no chicken, no lime tartlet... <mock sob> Sidebar: We ended up at Sorrio's across the street. Overall, substandard food. We had the pizza, homemade pasta with wild mushrooms, seafood stew and creme brulee. The pizza with wild mushrooms, spinach and onions was solidly decent - they could've caramelized the onions prior to adding them, used a lighter hand with the cheese and made the crust crisper. The base for the seafood stew lacked the essence of seafood - the broth was mostly tomatoes. I'm waiting for the mussels to kick in - let's see if Bourdain was right about Monday and seafood. The homemade pasta could've been stellar had they actually used wild mushrooms, less herbs, made a sauce and added more pasta. (For $17, the portion shouldn't be something that's as small as my fist. Note: my fist of fury not that big.) The kicker was the creme brulee. 'Twas more like creme anglaise. Who knew creme brulee could run? Run, creme brulee, run... Yes we ate it (hey, we don't waste food!), no we didn't complain 'cause it wasn't horribly bad, just not great enough for us to come back. -
I told myself not to expect too much. Most of the carry out I've had from this area has ranged from mediocre to downright awful. But I was tired and hungry, and in the mood for something different. The staff were polite, both on the phone and in person. The restaurant was pleasant enough, and about 75% full on a Wednesday night in north Springfield (nearly Annandale). I ordered Calamara Grigliati and Spaghetti Porto Venere. It sounded good at the time. The calamari was packed in a black styrofoam container. When I opened it, the food looked pretty--attractive--maybe even beautiful. The squid was coated with a red seasoning, flecked with black grill marks. It was laid on sliced tomatoes drizzled with pesto, over a bed of chopped lettuce. It tasted as good as it looked, and maybe better. It is my new favorite calamari dish, supplanting Kinkead's grilled calamari appetizer. San Vito's grilled calamari was perfectly cooked--tender, tasty, flavored with smoke and gentle spices. The pesto enriched the flavor of the tomatoes, and set off the squid nicely. Wow! I wanted a second helping, not because the serving size was small, but because it tasted that good. The mussels were nicely presented, all in their shells atop spaghetti draped in marinara sauce. It was a generous portion, with plenty of mussels. It tasted like mussels, and the sauce was rich, tomatoey, and sweet. Many otherwise good dishes, including seafood, lose a lot as takeout. I'm figuring that, if this food was so good at home, it's probably really good in the restaurant. I'm already contemplating my next order. I don't know why I waited so long to try this place. It's only half a mile from home. Finally: decent carryout! ETA: I'm talking about the Kings Park/Springfield restaurant, and to fix spelling. -
As a side note, it appears that Red Tomato has also been closed due to foundation/structural issues caused by the huge apartment tower being built rightnext to it. Not sure if they are open elsewhere in the meantime. "Red Tomato Cafe Closes Amid Construction Controversy" by Aaron Kraut on bethesdanow.com
