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Dino, Dean Gold and Kay Zimmerman's Italian Enoteca in Cleveland Park with Beverage Director Fabian Malone - Closed


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I have a friend in town from London and we're having dinner at Dino tonight. It's my first time, and I'm excited to finally get a taste of Dean's food!

I see the pig and wild boar have gotten a lot of rave reviews. Both sound awesome to me, but my friend is a less a carnivore than I am. What are some other "not to be missed" dishes we shoudl look for?

Dean, I hope I get a chance to say hello!

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I see the pig and wild boar have gotten a lot of rave reviews. Both sound awesome to me, but my friend is a less a carnivore than I am. What are some other "not to be missed" dishes we shoudl look for?
There a lots of good non-meat apps like the burrata and 3 cheese polenta with mushrooms. As for main courses, I usually enjoy the non-meat pasta - the pesto was good and the garlicy tomato one looked and smelled good. Any fish dish is usually very good too because the product is fresh. I haven't had the risotto currently on the menu, but in the past I've enjoyed their risottos too. So while this isn't a list of not to be missed non-meat dishes, I would assure your friend that he/she will eat well and have lots of options.
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Come join your fellow Rockweilers at Dino on Tuesday, September 16, at 6:30 pm for a 5-course meal by Chef Dean Gold!

The cost is $55/each (prepaid), which includes small tastes, an antipasto course, pasta, entree, dolce, tax, and tip!

There are several wine options that Dino is offering:

33% off all bottles of wine -and/or-

free corkage -and/or-

$25 (prepaid) for a wine flight, including tax and tip

There are only 30 places available for this event, so sign up now! PM me with your name and the number of people in your party. I'll put you on the list and give you the PayPal payment information.

The menu will be posted closer to the event.

For more information about Dino, see http://www.dino-dc.com.

See you there!

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You have to try the Maialino - milk fed suckling pig cooked on the rotisserie and served with a fantastic pig stock sauce. It's my favorite addition to the menu.
First off, I second the recommendation. The meat was tender, moist, flavorful, had crispy skin, and melty fat. All you want to ask for when ordering suckling pig! Second, THANK you Dean for creating such a family-friendly atmosphere and dining place. Although we were early diners at 5:30pm, it was still nice to see how accommodating and super-friendly the staff was to two toddlers and how patient they were when gebaby (fka DS) went up and down the stairs between the dining rooms.

Bimbap, Mr. Bimbap, Babybimbap, two friends, gebaby, his dad, and I took advantage of Dino's RW continuation tonight, and boy, was it wonderful! It was a nice gathering of old college friends going onto the next stage of lives (toddlerhood and newborn) and seeing them enjoy "adult" food. Gebaby and Babybimbap certainly enjoyed the Spaghetti with Meatballs (ok, Babybimbap enjoyed his meatballs more), as well as gebaby enjoying Calamari, Maialino, and a bit of Wild Boar Pasta. The squash blossoms bimbap had also looked delicious. I really enjoyed the complimentary limoncello. All in all, a nice way to end the weekend -- a family-style dinner.

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I have a friend in town from London and we're having dinner at Dino tonight. It's my first time, and I'm excited to finally get a taste of Dean's food!

I see the pig and wild boar have gotten a lot of rave reviews. Both sound awesome to me, but my friend is a less a carnivore than I am. What are some other "not to be missed" dishes we shoudl look for?

Dean, I hope I get a chance to say hello!

We had a fabulous dinner at Dino on Friday night! Dean, thank you for putting up with my very tardy friend and accomodating us even though we were almost an hour late for our reservation!

Three of us shared the burrata and squash blossoms to start. The burrata was wonderful, my comapnaions had never heard of it before. As an avid lurker here on DR.com, I was able to impress with my burrata knowledge :lol:

Dean stopped by with a sample of a new melon salad which included several types of seasonal melon, tomatoes, salami all in a vinagrette. Very interesting texture and taste. Thanks Dean for that extra treat.

I ordered a half order of the wild boar pappardelle, it was amazing! My friends were so jealous! They ordered the gorgonzola pasta and the mahi mahi in parchment. Everyone enjoyed their entrees.

The house made black peppercorn vanilla gelato was wonderfully received too.

I also appreciated being able to order 3oz pours of several wines which allowed me to have three different wines as the evening progressed without spending a fortune or getting a DUI on the way home!

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I also appreciated being able to order 3oz pours of several wines which allowed me to have three different wines as the evening progressed without spending a fortune or getting a DUI on the way home!
These small pours are one of the great things about Dino (and some other restaurants especially wine bars) making it affordable to try multiple wines. Last night I had a really wonderful 3oz pour of Masciarelli {Montepulciano} d'Abruzzo for $3. I had this with the very large antipasti verdure which has many types of flavorings from sweet (balsamic onions) to sour (house made pickled veggies). This red went well with some of the richer foods, but was completely wrong for the pickled items, so my waitress, Tina, I think, brought me another 3oz pour of Le Rote white (also $3) which was much better at cutting all the acid in the pickles. So for $6 I had almost a full glass of wine, but had 2 very different tastes to go with the varied food flavors. Very nice! I would recommend the Masciarelli especially it was great just sipping on its own.
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A special offer for Rockwellians, Rockweilers and other sundry folk reading this:

We are extending our Restaurant Week offer until September 18. You WILL have to mention it when you place your order so we can get the pricing right. Any three courses for $35.08. That included a splash of grappa, Limonsardo or Moscao to end your meal. The only upcharge if for the Bistecca Fiorentina.

Also, we are offering our tomato menu starting Tuesday: 5 courses for $45 with a tomato friendly wine pairing for an additional $25.

We will be closed Labor Day.

So come on by now that its a little mellower and say hi!

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Thanks to those who reminded me of Dino when I posted in the 'help needed' thread. I ended up heading there on Friday night and meeting up with my three friends who were flying into DCA over the evening (arrivals from 3 different cities starting at 6:00 and ending at 8:15). Everybody trickled in as I and the first friend relaxed at the bar.

I had a great roasted beet salad that was a really good complement to the 3 cheese polenta with mushrooms. The salad had a great dressing (and not too much of it, a pet peeve!) and was a good acidic counterpart to the incredibly rich polenta with delicious mushrooms on top. Total comfort food (although the weather on Friday night wasn't really begging for comfort food). On the negative side (insert sad face here), when the last friend arrived and we all sat down together at a table, I decided to order a veggie plate off the appetizer list. I wasn't into at all. Seemed like a bunch of too cold roasted veggie salads that didn't really complement one another, a slice of some boring cheese (Swiss?) that felt a bit like it had been out a bit too long and some fresh mozza (which was the high point). Was it terrible? No. But it felt a bit like an afterthought and not well composed. To end on a good note, we had some gelato for dessert, which I loved. The hazelnut gelato (was it hazelnut? I don't remember, there were hazelnuts in the dish) was delicious. I love hazelnuts.

My friends all said they liked their dishes. I didn't try any of them (lasagna, gorgonzola dressed pasta, pasta with pesto), so can't comment.

It was a lovely evening, good food (although I wished I had stuck with the polenta and the roasted beet salad) and good service.

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I went to Dino's last night. They had some problems with the gas so we got a free round of drinks to conpensate for having to wait 30-45 minutes before we could order heated entrees.

I finally tried the burata, it was rich and creamy and delicious. My Chantrelle risotto was also creamy and delicious but the cheese to rice ratio was so high maybe it should be renamed "grana with chantrelle risotto?" The other stars of the night were my husband's big garlic dish, that was excellent and my mother ln law's potatoes with her steak. (okay the steak was good too)

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I went to Dino's last night. They had some problems with the gas so we got a free round of drinks to conpensate for having to wait 30-45 minutes before we could order heated entrees.

Kafkaesque: the experience of sitting on the emergency parking area of Route 50 just outside of Easton dealing with the Gas Company trying to get them to fix their own mistake before we have to close the restaurant for the evening. And, after 5 phone calls and an hours time, finding out you have been dealing with residential services all along and thet they cannot do the job whatsoever. Never did get that call from the supervisor who was supposed to be telling me what was going on!

A special thanks to my kitchen crew and floor manager last night for keeping their cool and getting the restaurant operating in less than an hour after we got our gas service restored!

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One of things that both Mr. BLB and I agreed on when BLBaby was born, was that we didn't want him to be a trained seal. He's a boy, not a circus performer and no matter how cute his antics are, we don't want him to perform on command.

After a week of our telling him we were going to Dino for dinner on Saturday, he would excitedly chant back Dean-O. In the car on the way there, he happily kept saying Dean-O.

Did he say it once while we were there? While he gobbled down the pickled garlic like it was the best thing he had ever eaten? While he had the grilled veggies including the eggplant that he got all over his hair? Or when he ate some of the stinky cheese? Or how about when we said good bye to Dean? Not once.

Half way to the car, he said it again.

I'm telling you, getting the child you want can be a curse.

Great dinner. The duck pasta dish was the standout of the evening for me. It was great to get out somewhere with the little guy and have him so delighted to eat from the menu.

Thanks to Dean and crew!

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As with the change in seasons, comes a change at Dino. It is with a heavy heart, but with new direction in mind, that I want to let you all know that I will be leaving Dino. I'm not going far- right up the street actually to Enology, where I will be the GM and be behind the bar as well. Its hard to leave a great place that you've had the opportunity to open, build and take ownership of. I feel it is time to challenge myself with another project and make life a bit more interesting. I want to thank Dean for the last 3 years and for adding to my wine knowledge immensly.

A restaurant is defined not only by the food, but by the people who work there and the feeling of inviting you into our home for the time you spend there. I love what I do and the people I get to meet and show hospitality to. There is great satisfaction in making someone a fantastic drink, recommending a wine, or just making someone laugh. It is a very personal relationship that I could'nt imagine not doing.

I will be making all my drinks and then some at Enology and I hope I will be seeing many of those that I know and those that I have yet to meet. :lol:

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:lol: We always made a point of grabbing a drink at the bar before sitting down for dinner just so we could get a taste of Chris' exceptional drinks and chat with him a bit. It's always been one of the (many) reasons we enjoy going to Dino.

Lisa and I are sorry to see you go, Chris, but we'll come visit you at Enology. Best of luck with the new job!

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You have to love babelfish:

Ho tartuffi bianchi oggi!

"I have tartuffi white men today!"

Mamma mia!
Che farÄ… lei con loro?

"Mother mine! What will make she with they?"

Risotto Bianco con Tartuffo o Pappardelle con Burro e Grana con Tartuffo. Mai troppo caro unsure.gif

"Risotto White man with Tartuffo or Pappardelle with Butter and Grain with Tartuffo. Never too much beloved" unsure.gif

---

Voglio avere sesso con Paris Hilton.
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There's comfort food, and then there's something that goes beyond comfort food. Call it primal food, maybe? My primal food is buttered noodles. It's what I ate as a little girl when I wouldn't or couldn't eat anything else. It's the first thing I learned to cook for myself (unless Spaghetti-Os counts). It's what I made for myself as a teenager when my family wasn't around, it was frequent dinner during college when I blew my food budget at the Chinese restaurant down the street, it's what I cooked for myself on cold, rainy days when my husband was traveling on business, and almost forty years after I started playing in the kitchen inventing dishes when Mom wasn't around, I still make buttered noodles because I just love buttered noodles.

Well, yesterday we had cause to celebrate but no inclination to fancy ourselves up, and anyway it was Sunday and our special occasion places are either closed or fully booked, so we went to Dino, which has become our neighborhood restaurant even though it's a 25 minute drive away at best. And I had a lovely glass of wine, and...

Buttered noodles. Granted, they had grana, and white truffles shaved over them, but still, I celebrated by going to Dino and spending 44 bucks on a plate of buttered noodles.

What I'm trying to say, really, is that in some ways this dish is nothing special. Who the hell would buy buttered noodles in a restaurant (other than parents of a finicky child)? But shave some truffle on top, and it's the perfect platform for showcasing one of the world's most expensive foods. Plain and simple topped with the simply extraordinary.

The pappardelle con tartuffo bianco is glorious if you like that sort of thing.

The new house-made sausage is kick-ass, too. Go get some before Dean decides to fiddle with the recipe again.

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The new house-made sausage is kick-ass, too. Go get some before Dean decides to fiddle with the recipe again.

The grinder's been in for like all of a week...he's only just begun to fiddle! Go, big D, go.

And big congrats to porcupine on her first visit to the top of the podium, and for locking in a solid second place finish for the season in a highly competitive class.

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The grinder's been in for like all of a week...he's only just begun to fiddle! Go, big D, go.
Pork Belly sausage as soon as I get the sausage stuffing horn.
And big congrats to porcupine on her first visit to the top of the podium, and for locking in a solid second place finish for the season in a highly competitive class.
Since I got a big hug because of her win, I say go Porcupine!
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While we are saying goodbye to Chris this week, we also want to welcome our new Beverage Director, Dr.Com member Scott "Scooter" Palmer. Scott comes to us from Corduroy and Palena where many of you tasted his wonderful libations. We are certain that Scott will uphold the Dino tradition of good drinks. Just ask Porcupine! Scott will be behind the bar starting Saturday night.

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Just wanted to tell all of the DR crowd that it has been a great pleasure meeting and serving many of you while I have been at Dino. Tonight is my last night and Scott and I will be working together tonite. The official changing of the guard :P . I hope many of you will stop by tonight and say hi. I'm also going to make a shamless plug for the Roasted Pekin Duck that we just added to the menu....it is to die for and they go very, very fast. Quite possibly one of the best things we've ever put on the menu!!

Looking forward to seeing you at Dino and at Enology :)

NUTMEG - 8 hrs and counting :lol:

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Just wanted to tell all of the DR crowd that it has been a great pleasure meeting and serving many of you while I have been at Dino.
Just not going to be the same without seeing you behind the bar, Chris...many thanks for some fine drinks...you'll be missed at Dino but I'm sure you'll be a great addition at Enology.
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I'm also going to make a shamless plug for the Roasted Pekin Duck that we just added to the menu....it is to die for and they go very, very fast. Quite possibly one of the best things we've ever put on the menu!!

I would love to agree with this, but... Tonight to celebrate commiserate my birthday I headed to Dino with my wife. We both scoped out the menu before hand and decided on what we wanted. She was excited for the artichokes and the duck, I was pining for the suckling pig. While she said that she enjoyed the artichokes (her absolute favorite food item) I think something was missing since she left a couple on the plate untouched, I still have not gotten a concrete answer as to why. The entrees arrived, and what we were expecting from the duck was succulent meat shrouded in crisp skin. What we found was a slightly dry breast and flabby skin (the legs were also covered in flabby skin, but the meat was spot on). The meat of the pig had a wonderful gelatinous texture and a nice flavor, however, like the duck the skin was flabby, and the sauce congealed not long after the plate hit the table.

Both of these disappointed me since such fine ingredients, and you could tell that the underlying meats were top quality, deserved better. Duck and pig skin are delicious, however, to achieve this they must be made crisp, and in neither case tonight was this evident.

While tonight's meal was not the best that Dino has offered me, I will still go back, especially to continue sampling the wine list and because I think what Dean is trying to do it commendable, I just wish that the execution was a bit better.

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I didn't feel like cooking this year so Wednesday night we went with a group of friends for Kol Nidre dinner at Dino. The challah crostini with chopped liver was fantastic. From afar it looked like challah french toast- but was actually toasted challah with a thin smear of chopped liver. I was the only chopped liver eater in the group, but everyone enjoyed it. For me, that was the high point of the meal. Our only real disappointment of the night was the chicken soup. It was perfect chicken broth with some thinly sliced vegetables, but was served luke warm and in need a kreplach to round it out. The soup was too rich for a matzo ball. The risotto, chicken and mahi mahi (we were so much happier that it was mahi mahi rather than the salmon as posted on the website), tzimmes and apple cake were all delicious, as we would expect from Dino. All in all, a sinful way to start our day of atonement and a steal at $37 per person.

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Scott "Scooter" Palmer and Kay and I are happy to announce our new Happy Hour. Officially starting October 26 , every Sunday thru Friday from 5:30 to 7:00pm we will offer our Italian style happy hour. Every day we will have 3 or more food items available for your snacking pleasure complements of Dino. These will include house made pates and sausages, crostini with assorted toppings, salumi and cheeses just as you would find during "l'ora d'aperitivi" at some of our favorite bars in Italy (especially Bar alle Logge in Montalcino) We will put out our selection at 5:30 and its available in a help yourself basis. We will also offer a 25% discount on all spirits and wine purchased during the happy hour including Scotts new cocktails as well as Dino's favorites. This happy hour will be available at the bar and the tables in the bar area.

For DR.com, we will offer a preview of the cocktail hour Wednesday thru Friday this week, October 22 thru 24 as we try out some of the new dishes. We would appreciate your feedback! So please come by and join us.

Dino's happy hour will not be offered holidays, or on evenings when we are only offfering a special menu (such as November 16 when we will be offering our 2nd annual truffle dinner). You cannot combine the 25% discount with Wine Madness so on sundays and Mondays, if you buy a bottle for $50 or more, you will get the 33% wine madness discount.

We are also extending our Restaurant Week offer to Sunday thru Thursdays: 3 courses for $35.08 including a glass of dessert wine, limonsardo or grappa thru December 4.

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Awesome, thanks for the update Dean. Going to stop in tomorrow for the mushroom tasting, so now it looks like a pre-dinner cocktail/wine will be mighty nice!
I am coming back to DC this weekend for the Marine Corp Marathon and was thinking about hitting that special menu up as a pre-race dinner. Just FYI Dean, the link on the website for the mushroom tasting goes to a Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur menu. I think my mind is already made up but I just wanted to make sure there was a good dose of carbs on there.
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Just FYI Dean, the link on the website for the mushroom tasting goes to a Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur menu. I think my mind is already made up but I just wanted to make sure there was a good dose of carbs on there.

Thanks. Fixed. Mushroom Menu has a huge risotto course and a shortrib & polenta entree option.

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Scott "Scooter" Palmer and Kay and I are happy to announce our new Happy Hour. Officially starting October 26 , every Sunday thru Friday from 5:30 to 7:00pm we will offer our Italian style happy hour. Every day we will have 3 or more food items available for your snacking pleasure complements of Dino. These will include house made pates and sausages, crostini with assorted toppings, salumi and cheeses just as you would find during "l'ora d'aperitivi" at some of our favorite bars in Italy (especially Bar alle Logge in Montalcino) We will put out our selection at 5:30 and its available in a help yourself basis. We will also offer a 25% discount on all spirits and wine purchased during the happy hour including Scotts new cocktails as well as Dino's favorites. This happy hour will be available at the bar and the tables in the bar area.

For DR.com, we will offer a preview of the cocktail hour Wednesday thru Friday this week, October 22 thru 24 as we try out some of the new dishes. We would appreciate your feedback! So please come by and join us.

Dino's happy hour will not be offered holidays, or on evenings when we are only offfering a special menu (such as November 16 when we will be offering our 2nd annual truffle dinner). You cannot combine the 25% discount with Wine Madness so on sundays and Mondays, if you buy a bottle for $50 or more, you will get the 33% wine madness discount.

We are also extending our Restaurant Week offer to Sunday thru Thursdays: 3 courses for $35.08 including a glass of dessert wine, limonsardo or grappa thru December 4.

Went to Dino's last night to check out the happy Hour. Very nice and informal. Don't think its ever going to be a huge party scene, but I am guessing that was not the plan. Bunch of interesting olive and pickled type of things set in big bowls on the bar and a cutting board with some pate and a salami. Great warm bread brought to the table. It was a bit hard getting to all of the items on the bar- as all seats were filled. Felt kind of like I was stealing someone elses treats.

Overall fun night...would recommend it.

Thanks Dean, and I will be checking out the Pig BBQ place.

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Please join us Sunday November 16 for our second annual truffle dinner. With current pricing, you will enjoy over 1/3 of an ounce of white truffle plus a goodly amount of black and/or burgundy truffle. We will offer two wine flights featuring wines of Montalcino and Barolo/Barbaresco, among others, to accompany your meal for $49 or $99 per person. The cost of the 7 course meal is $140.00

The Menu

Per Entrare...

Crostini di Cannelini con Tartufo Bianco

white bean crostini with white truffle

Poi...

Patatinette Fritti con Mascarpone e tartufo nero

fried shoestring potatoes with mascarpone & burgundy or black truffle

Antipasto...

Insalata di Porcini e Tartufo Bianco

wild boar prosciutto atop a raw wild porcini mushroom salad with pecorino, celery, olio, sale & white truffles

Primo...

Risotto con Tartufo Bianco

Carnaroli rice, onion, grana cheese, white truffle

Mare...

Capesante alla "Fiaschetteria Toscana"

Scallop in the shell broiled with our own burgundy or black truffle butter

inspired by Fisachetteria toscana restaurant in Venezia

Bosco...

Maialino

Our special milk fed pig cooked on the rotisserie

with rosemary jus & white truffle & truffled mashed potatoes

Formaggi

Fontina Val d'Aosta Alpeggio

high Alpine raw milk Fontina gently baked & topped with white truffle & honey

All menu items subject to availability

Please reserve by calling the restaurant. 202-686-2966

There will be no Wine Madness on November 16.

Reservations held by credit card only with a 7 day cancellation notice required

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We stuffed ourselves silly last night at Dino. Two of us ordered 4 appetizers, split a primi and a secondi.

The Gamberetti in Saor (rock shrimp), Collo d'Anatra (duck beggar's purse), Salumi platter, and meatballs all arrived at the same time. Everything was good except the duck beggar's purse, which was outstanding. It was duck pate wrapped in duck skin. The pate was roasted until slightly crispy on the outside. I especially loved the skin, which had soaked up the flavor of the pate. My wife did not touch the skin (she's afraid of fat).

We ordered the risotto with shaved white truffle as our primi and Storione Selvaggio (sturgeon wrapped in pancetta, pan roasted on a bed of Sicilian flavored cous cous). We were pretty full by the time the risotto came out but we still finished every bite. The sturgeon became dispensable at that point and it turned out to be our least favorite dish. I like pancetta but I've never had fish wrapped in pancetta. It's an odd combination to me.

I like Dino for it's diverse menu and ever changing specials. We might go back soon for the feast of 7 fish.

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We stopped in a few weeks ago and had a wonderful time. There are few restaurants as gracious as this one. We had great food, wonderful drink, and a really nice time talking to Scott and Kay. Violet was there during the early hours, and they could not have been more accommodating. I am so happy that this place is around!

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In December, we have some special events at Dino.

The week leading up to Christmas Eve is our Feast of the 7 Fish. This is our take on the Italian American traditional Christmas eve meal. We will feature baccala, fried fish, mussels & clams in red sauce and more.

The feast is served family style for $49 per person and $20 for kids.

Feast of the 7 Fish Menu & Details

For the week between Christmas and New Years, we are featuring Cena dei Bolliti - a traditional Italian Boiled dinner similar to the French Pot au Feu. Ours is inspired by a dinner we attended in Montalcino. There will be lots of varieties of meats and sausages, served with a pasta course, veggies, various sauces and accompaniments. The meal will run $39 per person and $15 for kids. We will offer a trio of Rosso di Montalcino for $21.

Cena dei Bolliti Menu & Details

Our New year's Eve menu is up. This year our 5 course meal is $60 if you reserve by 6:30 and $79 thereafter. Wine flights will be available.

New Year's Eve Menu & Details

We have added the option of chosing any 3 courses for $59 per person. By the way, the meal starts off with prosecco and a caviar treat.

Our menu has a real winter warming bent to it right now! Duck neck, lamb ribs, wild mushroom soup are all highlights.

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Have you had a work week where Friday afternoon was an accomplishment reached panting your last breath?

This Friday, the savior was: Mozzarella in Carozza

Fried Mozzarella - fresh mozzarella di bufala di Campagna & Sicilian anchovies sandwiched in egg washed challah bread, with a spicy red pepper & tomato sauce.

This antipasto is a made-to-order, crust-trimmed piece of challah sandwiching fresh moz, with [for us] substituted roasted red pepper instead of anchovy, dipped in egg wash, deep fried and diagonally quartered. The spicy red pepper/tomato sauce is served on the side -- just big enough to dip in a corner of the crispy triangle and get the different textures of comfort and warmth [spice & temp]. Next life, I'll be Italian with a cucina mama.

It was invigorating to see the enthusiasm and synergy between Scott & Dean.

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In December, we have some special events at Dino.

The week leading up to Christmas Eve is our Feast of the 7 Fish. This is our take on the Italian American traditional Christmas eve meal. We will feature baccala, fried fish, mussels & clams in red sauce and more.

The feast is served family style for $49 per person and $20 for kids.

Feast of the 7 Fish Menu & Details

Sunsen,

Sorry if the layout of the post was a little difficult to follow, but the feast is $49 per person.

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We celebrated our anniversary last night with the Feast of the 7 Fish, and it was great. Very earthy, appealing cooking from start to finish. The Italian wedding soup with fish meatballs was a real highlight for us, as was the red snapper, which was just perfectly done. We drank a bottle of the Da Silva Lagrein, recommended by Dean, and found it an ideal complement throughout our meal. We've now been to Dino maybe 10 times, and have always left happy and very full.

We love to go to restaurants to try things that we would never do (or be able to do) at home--liver sashimi at Citzen, for instance--but what I like so much about Dino is that the menu is simultaneously accessible (at dinner last night, I was thinking that I could maybe make the whole red snapper at home) and confidently executed at a high level (yeah, I could make the red snapper at home, but would it turn out this perfect?).

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Went tonight and had some good specials: the mushroom soup with duck stock was very good - thin flavorful broth with lots of different kinds of mushrooms and garlic and the duck breast for entree. Duck breast was a very nice medium rare, but needed a bit more oomph - rolling bites in the accompanying semi-citrus sauce helped a lot to make this a a yummy dish. Also had a taste of my wife's ribollita which was very good. For dessert had the "bread pudding" which was more like a rich, creamy custard with a bit of pastry bread and some dried fruit. Notwithstanding, the dessert was really good especially with the whipped crema on top. My wife's tuscan apple cake with caramel sauce was very good too (she loved it). Thanks Kay and Dean for another nice meal.

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Neglected to post about my Friday night dinner at Dino... the Zuppa di Pesce is addictive. Oh lord. I could drink that broth for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The chocolate chip-vanilla gelato is heavenly. The only thing I wasn't in love with was the vegetable anitpasto plate- and that is because I enjoy summer vegetables more. But the service and company were delightful. And I can't wait to get back for more of that zuppa!

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... the Zuppa di Pesce is addictive. Oh lord. I could drink that broth for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Seconded. A trip to ZooLights last night for the kids was just an excuse to go to Dino. Between a cup of sickly-sweet cider at the zoo, and an entire plate of "Fantasia di Macelleria" (prosciutto, country duck & wild mushroom terrine, house made duck liver mousse , rustic duck liver spread, slow braised duck meat, mostarda & house pickle) for my appetizer, I assumed that I would have a few bites of the main and call for a take-out container. Nope, drained the whole thing to the plate. Full but happy.

My wife also cleaned her plates of the Burrata and Wild Boar Pasta, and my 11-year-old strayed from the kids menu and went with the Calamari Fritti and Lasagnette al Ragu, which he prononced the best lasagna he'd ever had.

Once you include dessert and a glass of limoncello, $35 remains a hell of a deal.

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