mnnchas

Jetties is becoming one of those places that frustrates me but for some reason I keep going back.  I have fond memories of trekking into town to their Foxhall location years ago and I was thrilled when they opened a Bethesda shop.  The roast turkey in particular i feel has dropped in quality.  What was once moist and full of flavor has become dry with a leathery exterior...but still we find ourselves there whenever we want something more casual but don't want burgers/pizza/burritos.

While I am venting, I don't understand why they cannot produce an itemized receipt.  If you are going to charge per item when people build their own sandwiches or salads, how hard is it to have your register print out the receipt showing how my two sandwiches ended up costing $22?

M&N's is a funny location for sure.  Tucked into a small office complex with no parking (public garage is across Old Georgetown).  Does anyone know the original use of their castle-like building?

 As far as mediocre convertor belt pizzas in Bethesda, the prices are a bit on the high side, but we definitely prefer M&N to its competitors in the area (Tempo; Naked; Besta; Bel Piatto or whatever they call that place now).  The gentleman running things has left an impression with me as well: exceptionally helpful when we had an order mixup.

When we are too lazy to pickup Vace, M&N's is our preferred delivery pizza here.

Bethesda location last week and I came away with a similar feeling on value.  I liked my burger and sweet potato fries (burger was on par with Elevation - which I have found to be quite good).  The bite of my dining companion's chicken burger was tasty as well and certainly a less greasy way to go about things.

Time has wiped away my exact recollection of the cost, but I came home and told my wife that the burger was slightly better than Five Guys, but I don't see myself making a habit of going to Smash Burger.

That is a tough location.  No visibility from Wisconsin.  No street parking.  Nothing else on that block.  The people in the office building across the street who look down on it are pretty much the only people who are even aware it exists.  No one has been able to make it work in that space since Uncle Jed's left in 2006.

If memory serves me, it was Gator Alley for a brief while, then I think there was an Asian place in there whose name I forget.  Then it sat vacant for a while.  Most recently it's been The Box (after MoCo Liquor Board denied their initial request to name it the "Liquor Box" (say it out loud).)

Good luck to Tyber, but the spot seems cursed.

I think "Dry Fried Wings" was in there for a minute too.

I'm not particularly proud of this, but I have been there, numerous times.  Cookout in North Carolina"¦In-n-Out in California"¦Whataburger in Texas.  

I can't quite put my finger on it, but that PDF menu just strikes me as curious"¦will need to revisit later.  Maybe the way they spell "ceaser salad" or calling the lunch steak a "steak dinner" but something else just seems off.

Getting slightly off-topic, can someone remind me of the economics of charging less at lunch?  It makes perfect sense if the lunch portion is smaller, but this menu shows what seems to be the exact same option for lunch or dinner, with the lunch option $5 less.  Strikes me as more generous than typical for a lunch discount.  Not sure why I feel the need to type about this on a Friday night...

Stopped in to Chevy Chase Pavillion the other day and saw some signage indicating that Lunchbox would be opening up on the lowest level of the complex.  In related news, it seems like the Frederick location has closed (http://www.voltlunchbox.com/).

PS7 did a really nice hot brown (at lunch anyway)"¦has there been a Peter Smith siting lately?

I was in the Penn Qtr. location again today, and I couldn't help but notice the cups and take-away bags carried the 'Taylor Charles Steak and Ice' branding.  I'm probably reading too much into this, but could the Taylor hoagie shops start offering their cheesesteaks?

I haven't really had a chance to fully explore yet, but they updated their menu a few weeks ago.  Not that I have anything against sandwiches with "garlicky spinach," kale or avocado, but I feel like the Taylor guys keep moving further (changing roll suppliers) and further (wheat rolls, kids meals) away from their original concept and product, which was awesome.

I actually stopped in yesterday morning.  My cappucino was free given it was opening day and enjoyable; nice foam.  I was struck by the wide, wide, wide variety of breads and pastries.  I would be surprised if they continue to have such wide offerings, but would love to be wrong.  I chose a honey popover ($1.50) which was a touch burnt, but that didn't stop me from inhaling the treat.  Look forward to coming back and trying some of the other offerings.

For a quick and easy weekend breakfast, I think Parkway is becoming our go-to; worth driving past Tastee and Old Georgetown Grille in Bethesda*.  The hash brown omelet [bacon, cheese, hashbrowns] was mighty tasty and will probably be my standard order every time going forward.

Don't bother opting for the bagel that you can get with breakfast dishes.  They are better than Panera/Giant/Safeway quality, but not much.

Someone mentioned upthread a lack of a kid's menu, which I agree is a shame.  That said, 2 eggs w/ a side ($5.65) or 2 pancakes ($4.95) probably get you to the same place at breakfast time.

*I probably need to give Louisiana Kitchen another shot

I was stuck in Virignia on Saturday morning, trying to think of someplace to kill time with a toddler.  I started to head towards Buzz Bakery in north Alexandria until I remembered this thread.

A trip down Telegraph Road was rewarded with a nice cup of coffee and a sampling of their almond croissant and cinnamon pecan roll.  Around 11am the pastries were still warm (and regular croissants sold out).  Almond croissant was just a bit flakey (which was fine with me); if you like a more flakey pastry letting these cool to room temperature might do the trick.  Cinnamon pecan roll was tasty as well.  If I were to quibble with anything, the pastries could use a bit more filling.  While these are some of the better offerings I have come across, my gold standard for an almond croissant remains Tout de Sweet in Bethesda with Praline a close second, but Grounded Coffee will certainly do the trick.

Would love to make a return trip to try the regular croissants, and give them a compare to Best Buns in Shirlington, which I love.

What struck me the most about the experience was the proportion of customers with young kids in tow (90% maybe).  This gave me plenty of cover for my oft-misbehaving little one, so I was happy, but FYI if you are looking for a different scene.

I've been to Bold Bite a few times recently, getting a burger and fries every time (I know...just not a big hot dog guy).  Solid burger every time.  Fries have on occassion been excellent - hot, crisp but not burnt, true potato flavor.  Most recently fries were way over salted, but your mileage may vary there.

I stopped by WTF earlier this week to finally try one of their sandwiches and was prevented by a sign announcing a fried chicken special...well damn.  The chicken (3 pieces as I recall) was nicely moist with a super thick, crunchy coating.  One of the better offerings I have had in town.  $9.99 for the chicken, which came with a biscuit (good but not especially memorable) and a side.

Highly look forward to making the trek back for a normal lunch and possibly breakfast on the way into work one of these days.

I heard (from an employee during a recent visit) that the shopping center is slated for redevelopment in about a year.  Has anyone else heard about this?  It wasn't clear if this would be the type of redevelopment that the restaurant could operate through or if relocation would be necessary.

Walking down Cordell earlier today, I saw a sign advertising a 21st Amendment (craft beer co.) dinner at Grapeseed. For various reasons, I cannot recall the exact details. All I remember is Hell or High Watermelon beer (already in my fridge, thank you), korean fried chicken and espresso rubbed steak. I'm sure that is less than 100% correct, but the lineup sounded delicious.

Anyone at Grapeseed have the full details?

P.S. - I love this restaurant, but their website ...

Lemon cruller today was light* and spectacular, practically inhaled within seconds of sitting down. I tried the grapefruit campari cake donut which seems to appear in all the early writeups: too dense for me and a tad too sweet, I expected the citrus to cut through more than it did. Minor quibbles though. I was in and out slightly after 9:00, but I'm sure they are jammed during morning and lunch rush right now.

*not in a caloric or fat-content way, certainly

Old Bethesda (is this a thing? or is "Woodmont Triangle" the preferred term?) might have a few options. I would think rents would be at a discount vs. the new part of Bethesda. Is the old Uptown Deli location taken?

The new Penn Quarter location (7th and E) appeared open today, but lacking signage. If the nearby City Vista location is any indication, this store should do pretty well. The local sandwich market has already lost the nearby Potbelly, for better or worse.

I did hit the City Vista location last week. Despite the rapid expansion, reduction in bread quality, and often careless sandwich assemly, the Vine Street (Prosciutto, Pesto,Sharp Provolone) remains my favorite lunch option.

Went for lunch a week or two ago, pretty good but not racing to go back (except maybe to take home something from the desert counter). Waiter explained that the menu was the same for lunch, except the lunch menu had the addition of a burger (there might have been one other difference, but I cannot recall).

City Paper has a small post about places with snow specials, seems light (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/).

I'm stuck near Chinatown and already dreaming of lunch options here or metro accessible.

[second best chain sandwich shop in the Dining Guide, right? Well behind Earl's, and well ahead of everything else? I think it's a pretty comfortable slot.]

I see Taylor is labeled as a Deli in the Dining Guide [not sure I really understand the distinction], and Taylor's quality has dropped significantly in the past few years, but they still make a mean sandwich.

I've seen them at a few Five Guys locations for a while now. Apparently they did a big roll out.

http://www.coca-colafreestyle.com/#!/news-updates-buzz/post_panel/five-guys-coca-cola-freestyle

I really like it. I've grabbed lunch at the Penn Quarter location a few times now. The portions are a bit smaller than your other burrito/bowl places (Chipotle, Merzi, etc.), but I can't remember prices to judge the value.

I've enjoyed the quinoa/spinach/pesto/chicken combination they have in burrito and bowl form. The spinach isn't cooked, which makes the bowl a little difficult to eat (but I understand cooking spinach causes it to lose some nutritional value). I actually really like the quinoa; I prefer it over white rice you get at their competitors and it doesn't feel like you're eating "health" food.

Avoid the brownie deserts. The cappucino brownie I had sounded good but was dry and average tasting, plus it cost almost $4 [for a brownie!]. The deserts did appear to be packed with protein if you're looking for that, not sure how they accomplish the feat.

New location in Chinatown on H Street has a sign stating they open Thursday January 3 @ 6am. I've always like their chicken noodle soup. They used to have a toffee chip cookie that was pretty good too.

That stretch of H Street also has a Yo Sushi that looks close to open and the Walgreens finally is making progress.