hillvalley

Yes, there is a bar. I didn't take a close look but I think there are about half a dozen seats. Along the opposite wall are your classic bar tall tables and chairs.

It was a long day. Cooking dinner is not going to happen. All I really want to do is sit, have a glass or two of wine, a few small plates, maybe some cheese or prosciutto. If it wasn't Tuesday, the day they are closed, I would head down to Dino. I had the pleasure of getting a sneak preview this weekend and was very pleased with what I found. The menu has half a dozen primi and secondi plates (forgive my Italian if I spelled that wrong) but the highlights for me were the antipasti and cichetti (small snacks). The meat and cheese plate had a nice assortment of four or five meats, some cheese and a slice of fritatta. Our scamorza (smoked, melted mozzarella) was excellent and the saltimboca (Venetian for meatballs) were as good as your nona's. I am looking forward to a cool rainy day, or this winter, when a warm plate of their lasagnette will hit the spot. If this were a more pretentious restaurant they might call it deconstructed lasagna, but fortunately they are as down to earth as possible. It is layers of excellent pasta, creamy meat sauce and melted cheese floating in between. Dessert. We had a hard time choosing which one to try so we went for almost the whole menu. My personal favorite, and it was all I wanted during recess on this hot, muggy day, is vanilla ice cream topped with aged balsamic vinegar. Brilliant, just brilliant. Other highlights included the pine nut, thyme and honey tart and the fresh fruit macerated in something wonderful (at this point we were beyond taking notes and just enjoyed ourselves). On my next visit I cannot wait to try the nutella and marscapone pannini. On to the wine list. You oenophiles will have to chime in on whether you like it or not. For a complete wine novice who relies on others to choose for her the wine list is a dream. It is broken up into sections describing each variety of wine. Within each section there is a selection or two available by the glass. (Here's my favorite part.) The glasses are available in 3 or 8 oz. pours or by the bottle. We were able to sample a number of different wines without running up a ridiculous bill or leaving completely intoxicated. Justin (the maitre 'd) and Dean (the owner) are looking forward to our taking over the bar for a happy hour in the next few weeks. When you stop in mention that you a Rockwellian. A lot of work and research (including a trip over to Italy that sounded divine) went into the menu and they are eager to share their work, especially with those who will appreciate it.

I had lunch today at Daruma, the Japanese market/lunch counter in Bethesda. They offer a variety of udon, ramen and rice dishes as well as Japanese curries and a small assortment of sushi. Many of the dishes come with traditional Japanese sides such as pickled vegetables. They also have a hamburger and fries served on rice. They recently expanded their seating counter and rearranged the market to focus more on the lunch counter. There is also a great Japanese bakery, handmade tofu and some fish for sushi, not to mention everything else you would want out of a Japanese market. The soft drinks are worth the small splurge. They have flavors such as peach and milk that we rarely see in American sodas.

There was been talk of taking advantage of the half price special and putting together a group to check it out on a Sunday evening. If you are interested in joining in please contact me and let me know which Sunday in July works best for you.

A few stands had corn at Arlington yesterday. There should be some at Dupont next week. Who says you can't get anything done in Washington? Our complaining worked. Half of the meat cooler was filled with flat irons. They also had a couple of uncut flat irons in the truck that were huge. It was the last week for favas (chianti anyone?) but berries were everywhere. Tomatoes from the field and peaches are starting to pop up as well.

I can happily report that while dining upstairs at Vermillion I had no clue that people were smoking away downstairs. Once you get downstairs it doesn't smell worse than any bar or lounge in DC. Actually, the only real smoky part was by the bar. The tables up front were fine. For what it's worth, I'm ready for smoke free USA. I'm tired of going home with my hair smelling like somebody elses habit.

schlepped out to Colvin Run a few months ago and it was not worth it. The only memorable part of the meal was the prime rib of beef and that was because it was so overcooked and dry. Save your gas money and order in a pizza instead.

You never know who you are going to end up sitting next to at the bar Palena

I was really disappointed with Old Siam. It did not live up to my expectations (which weren't that high in the first place). The only decent dishes we had were the Thai spring rolls, that were a special, and their version of Laab. The soft shells were bad and left me feeling sick. The green curry, which was supposed to be hot, wasn't.

That's for last year. The proper dates were up a few days ago, which is strange.

Clams baked in tomato sauce Sautéed zucchini and artichoke bottoms in couscous Big bowl of blueberries with strawberry sauce and whipped cream

There is no reason why it can't be both Tuesday and Thursday if there is enough interest.

You can use open table's list to book your reservations. If you find yourself with an extra spot or two during RW and are looking for someone to fill it please feel free to post it here.

Shouldn't you be getting married right now or something

Stick with the booths, they are much more romantic

This is a lot more expensive than its Anandale counterparts, and while I did not find the service more unfriendly than anywhere else (which doesn't say much), it does tend to get more crowded. I too would stick to Hee Been and Sorak Garden. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I agree about Woo Lae Oak, overpriced and not worth it. Can't agree with you on the Sorak Garden though. I was there for dinner in late December an was very disappointed. The food did not live up to its reputation and we did not receive the same level of service as other people dining that night.

Sigh, men. You sit next to each other so you can make your move. The booths work well too

The D4 runs a similar route throughout the day. If transportation is holding anyone back I am sure we cab work something out. A word of warning, MacArthurs Blvd. is full of speed traps. There's nothing like coming home to 2 $100 speeding tickets you got 'cause you were late for a date at Kotobu ki

Is Breadline too informal? What about Eve?

Who is in for Kotobuki tomorrow night?

Sounds like an excellent idea. Let's do the planning here and then reoprt back.

The artichokes were at Dupont on Sunday. The produce stand right on Mass. Ave. had them. He often has a couple of items that the other stands do not.

According to this link the market is at 3219 O St. NW. Is that where it was last year? Berries are here I have black raspberries, blueberries and a ton of strawberries awaiting me in my fridge. Hopefully the strawberries will make into a puree to freeze for the winter. The other exciting find, which I didn't splurge on, where baby artichokes. They looked georgous, nice and tight. The same stand had purple cauliflower, as well as regular cauliflower. It's roasting time.

Word on the streets of the Hill from a reliable source is that the deal is about to go down the drain....

Nope, they aren't. I haven't bought any meat there but there is the buffallo guy who is at Dupont on Sundays and I think one other meat stand. I just found out about the Fresh Farm market in Georgetown. Anyone checked it out yet?