Providence Gourmet

Our first time in D.C., staying in North Bethesda, so we stopped at the Bethesda Jaleo for our first meal. After a long day of travel + sightseeing, we were too tired to pore over the menu - too many dishes! So we opted for one of the tasting menus, the least expensive (and, hopefully, least filling) one. It was $36 apiece, supplemented by 1 1/2 glasses of wine for each of us, and we found the meal - outstanding! We were served 9 courses: a 'cold pizza' with a slice of manchego on top was paired with some wonderful serrano ham; 2nd up was a calamari that was well-above average, paired next to ham fritters. "Ham fritters" sounds terribly declasse' and down-to-earth, but this dish was simply devine! Next up was the omelet with potato and onion, alongside a nicely spiced shrimp dish. And somewhere in between there was a "gazpacho shot" full of sweet peppers and other goodies. Next came a warm spinach salad, chorizo with whipped potato, and the finishing touch was an excellent flan. Service was knowledgable, friendly and timely; the price was excellent value for what was received; what more could you ask for? If we get a chance to return there before we leave town, I'm sure I'd like to try one of the paellas on the menu.

April 15th, returning April 18th, $180 round-trip per person (as I am seeing in real-time right now). Anything closer in time is much higher, I'm afraid. Plan ahead!! . Once in awhile you can get $49 (one person, one way) - but usually only the first day or two that SW opens up a new block of the calendar (right now booking through early October - they stay 6 or 7 months ahead). The early bird gets the worm. Sadly, air fares will never go back to the way they used to be, any more than 10 cent cigars or gasoline for less than a buck.

1) I'm flying Southwest Air into BWI, then driving to a Marriott in North Bethesda that's right next to a Metro station (But renting a car is cheaper than the van rates from BWI to Bethesda - go figure!). If you book them 6 months ahead you can usually get $140 round-trip, and then progressively higher as time gets closer. It will probably cost you around $200 for something in the next few weeks. 2) Hey, I just started "scouring" yesterday . Being in the "sweet spot" of life (retired, but still healthy enough and financially able to travel ), we've got 8 separate destinations planned this year (of which D.C. is the 2nd). So planning sometimes gets 'backed up'. I sincerely hope you make it to "Little Rhody". There are probably 100 restaurants worthy of eating in here! Not bad for a city of 200,000. Enough, anyways, that I'll never get to them all - new opens open faster than I can check off the old ones. And some need to be visited quite often, of course. the other great location for dining in New England is Portland, ME. Not as many places as Providence, but it's a lot smaller - and the quality is fantastic. 3) Bottom Line - if you're coming up here for sure, let me know, and I'll try to steer you to some nice places.

I'm a "food fan" who lives between Boston and Providence, RI. And (just in case you've never been there) Providence is a much better dining destination than Beantown! But that's a story for another day. My wife and I will be in D.C. next week, from Tuesday through Sunday night, and I've been scouring the web to find "honest" sources for good eating experiences. We enjoy everything from "haute cuisine" to "diner heaven". Hopefully I'll find lots of input on this site, and I'll report back on how well we fare (but give me a week or two - we won't be back home until April 12th). BJC (aka "Providence Gourmet")