Rhone1998

So...anyone eat here and is it any good?

I had dinner at the bar last Thursday night. It's a nice looking place, that offers a friendly and welcoming environment. As you can see from the menu above, nothing earth shattering or even particularly exciting about the offerings. The Fullers ESB on tap put a smile on my face right to start. I only tried 2 things from the menu - a crab cake appetizer, and a burger. The crab cakes were well made with little filler, but maybe a bit underspiced. The burger was a burger. Cooked the way I asked for it (nothing to sneeze at) but nothing all that exciting.

Just one visit, and I'd certainly go back and try a few other things, but my overall impression is - a nice addition to the neighborhood for a casual, good quality meal, but it's not a destination place.

A visit to Nhu Lan, which is hidden among the innards of the shopping center revealed a just okay banh mi, in my opinion. It was warm, and the pate was solid.

But I don't get why all these places use the same crappy sub rolls from the school cafeteria. They're way too wide and you end up having to move the filling around or take multiple bites across to get at at all the flavors. Narrower, more caramelized bread is the way to go. Given how large a proportion of the sandwich is bread, it should be taken more into consideration.

I also just went to Nhu Lan after reading about it in the recent Washington Post article:

"The Banh Mi of My Dreams" by Walter Nicholls on washingtonpost.com

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of the bread there, it had some texture to it and was much better than the soft rolls most of the sandwiches I've gotten from the other places in the Eden Center use. What I can't get past is the quality of the filling. It's all very tasty, and I love the combination of meat and sharp, spicy flavors from the cilantro, chiles, and dressing, but I'm consistently underwhelmed by the quality of the meats used. I'd happily pay a few dollars more for not having to deal with gristle and fatty chunks of meat.

That said, Nhu Lan was the best of the bunch over there in the Eden Center IMO.

Cesco? I've only eaten there once a couple years ago, so my opinion doesn't count for much. Thought it was good but didn't feel compelled to go back.

I would like to re-visit the little French place on the opposite corner, Brasserie Monte Carlo. Also only ate there once, but enjoyed the food and atmosphere.

I second Rhone 1998's David Craig recommendation, though I'm not sure it fits the "moderate" criterion in mr food's original post. David Craig is in my top 5/regular rotation group, so I highly recommend it if you can swing $11/12 apps, $21-30 for mains.

Cesco, yes, that's the place I was thinking of (not Olazzo, which isn't on the corner). And while it wasn't me who recommended David Craig, I was very happy the one time I went there. Not moderately priced though (neither is Grapeseed, as I should have mentioned originally).

So long as your first decision is not to eat at Flanagans, then you're off on the right track.

As noted, Passage to India and Faryab are both really good. So is Grapeseed, and I've heard good things about (though haven't tried myself) the Italian place at the corner of Cordell and Norfolk (name escapes me). If you're really in the mood for Thai food, Sala Thai, closer to Wisconsin, does a decent job.

I'd love to start a thread about favorite local (say, within 50 miles of DC) farms that welcome visitors and offer their own produce, meats and dairy for sale.

This time of year, of course, I'm thinking apples, and would particularly like recommendations of farms that bottle and sell their own (is it too much to ask for unpasturized?) cider. But please share any favorites, no matter what they specialize in. Contact information would be great as well.

Thanks!!

This cutting board is apparently a few years away from commercial production, but when I saw it this morning I had one of those "Oh my God this is so cool I need this yesterday" reactions. What do you think?

Cutting Board Scale

My wife and I are headed up for a romantic week long vacation in Montreal the last week of August. We already have reservations for Toque and Au Pied de Cochon. Besides these two places, which have been recommended to us by many, what are the one or two "must-visit" restaurants in this wonderful food city? Anything goes here, from hole-in-the-wall to 4 stars, breakfast joint to dinner only.

Thanks so much!!