baczkowski

Our trip was a couple of years ago so I won't try to elaborate too much for fear of poor memory or overstatement, but I thought I'd share the place where we ate b/c several posters have mentioned not have great dining experiences in Rome. We actually ate by far the best in Rome compared to Florence, Positano, and Sorrento (which, food-wise, was a complete whiff), so maybe others will have some luck with these places. I found all of these places from the reviews on the NY Times travel site. Roscioli Restaurant--I swear I saw this place on No Reservations when Bourdain goes to Rome, but I could be wrong. Simple cooking with delicious ingredients. I think this was my wife's favorite (this place was also recommended by a colleague teaching in Rome and Frank Bruni recommended the affiliated bakery about 15 steps away on another street). Felice a Testaccio--The raves about this place's Cacio e pepe are not hyperbole. I've never been able to recreate it. There is no printed menu, which was pretty frustrating b/c our server spoke zero English and we spoke less Italian, so we mostly guessed at our meals. But everything we had was delicious. This was my favorite b/c it equated to the quality-to-value ratio that I love about Palena Cafe. It happens to be way out of tourist territory. I actually remember my wife thinking I was an ass for insisting we go there our first night in Rome without fully understanding the bus situation yet. She was probably right. FWIW, a Times author called it "the best trattoria in Rome." Crap, there was another restaurant rec from the Times that I can't seem to remember the name. If I ever remember it/figure it out, I'll add it later, but it happened to be the most haute/modern meal of our entire 10 day Italy trip and it was really quite good. It was the type of restaurant that took pride in its beautiful platings. One regret of the trip: not convincing my wife to try Da I 2 Ciccioni. She was certainly intrigued, but she was also 6 months pregnant and thought the trip itself was enough of a chance without wandering into some clandestine illegal "restaurant." Hopefully something above helps someone else in the future. Pax, Brian

Since our good friends had to bail on a reservation they couldn't get refunded, we will be taking their room in St. Michael's for President's Day weekend, two days with baby and 1 day without. MD crabs are obviously impossible ([nervously asking] right?). If you were eating out for every meal in St. Michaels and everything was casual except for the one night sans baby, where might you go? One night might have to be a take-out option since that poor kid goes to sleep at 6:30 PM (part of the problem of jobs that make you wake up stupidly early) so we might be eating that first night in the hotel room after traveling. Pax, Brian

I was in Tuesday and got a large pita with lamb instead of the minis this time, and the lamb was dryer than the last time I had been in. Actually most of the meats looked dryer, but of course I only tasted the lamb so can't say for certain that they were. I still enjoyed my sandwich and still think it's a good deal, but I had a stronger experience my first time. I'll still be back. pax, Brian

Anyone have a good estimate as to how long it would take to go from Bethesda to Trummer's on a Saturday night? Never beeen to Clifton. Google maps estimates 44 minutes door-to-door but I don't always believe those estimates. If it's around 45 minutes, we could go here in a few weeks; it can take us 45 minutes to get to DC restaurants depending on weekend traffic and/or metroing. Thanks for the advice. Pax, Brian

Thanks for the reply Brett. Based on your description, I swapped the identification of the pork and the lamb. That means I DO like the lamb best! Pax, Brian

I stopped in for a very early dinner (3 PM) on Tuesday and experienced many of the same things as jandres374. I had similar motivations and wanted to try multiple things at once, so I also got the three small pita options, and as jandres374 said, the pitas are woefully inappropriate for this wonderful idea. They're too thick and small in diameter to hold barely any of the ingredients that are so tempting to have dumped on them. I'm not sure what they can do though if they want to allow people to have multiple proteins (I guess you could ask them to mix the meats, but I'm not sure people would think to ask that; I never have at Chipotle), but it's an awkward eating experience at best. I also confirmed something that I had presumed before I started assembling my pitas: rice--no matter how tasty--is even more superfluous on a pita than it is on a burrito, but they offer it to you here just as they do at Chipotle. But I have to say there were certain things that I really liked on this first visit: The pitas tasted great, the feta cheese is outstanding, and the meats were all flavorful and juciy despite all being cooked to a dark greyish brown. The different spread options also tasted pleasantly familiar from our several visits to the Rockville Cava as well as buying some of them in the grocery store. And probably most importantly, all the different combinations tasted really good together. I also saw what jandres374 was saying when he considered "the ingredients to be fresh and tasty"; I think that's b/c the different relishes/salsas/whatever-you-call-them-in-Greek are all raw vegetables that had clearly been finely chopped very recently so all the water hasn't had time to leech out. But the tomatoes are a predictable out-of-season pink, and when paying under $8 for a meal in Bethesda in a place clearly aiming for high customer volume, I don't presume they'll get much rosier in August. I'm ok with that though. I'll be back. It's an interesting idea that expands my fast-food options in Bethesda. Do I like Cava Mezze Grill as much as a fast food option as I like Cava as a sit down dining option? Hmm...too early to tell. Pax, Brian P.S. I PM-ed jandre374 to ask which meat options he picked to see which he preferred. I ended up getting the lamb (a sausage), the ground beef, and the pork. My favorite was the pork despite that grayish brown color I referenced above. If the lamb was more of a cubed option, I bet I'd love that too, but lamb sausage is probably a more marketable option.

This place is closed, right? I think it's been dark for months now but maybe someone else can confirm. Pax, Brian

Any other reports? I've seen Plume mentioned two different times in Food & Wine magazine over the last serveral months (one was a mention from Dana Cowin as a place she enjoyed when in DC), which has put this place back on my radar. But the menu prices are steering me more towards Proof for a different kind of experience for my birthday instead. That is unless Plume's investors want to make up the difference by putting a deposit into my son's 529 account... Pax, Brian

I haven't noticed line issues at the Bethesda location as this place is still catching on, but everyone else is right: The Pattison Ave is worth waiting for. Delicious. I craved a little bit more salt (which is only available from the box kosher salt used behind the counter--they poured some into a ketchup cup), but it was the best non-burger sandwich at a casual eatery that I can remember having locally (certainly Bethesda and maybe in DC). I just wonder if I'd like any of the non-pork options anywhere near as much I liked the Pattison Ave. But the bread does give it a wonderful edge over any other place. And I, too, love the Boylan fountain. Despite the dozen chip options, I'd prefer a different brand than Herr's, but you can't have it all. This will be a frequent option for us. Pax, Brian

I've driven and walked past Fresh Grill at least 20 times since it has opened and I really never had any interest in trying the place. The "look" and vibe screamed "CHAIN!" even though I really had no clue if that was true. I started to reconsider my aversion after skimming Brian Patterson's review in the Gazette (no other reviewer for the Gazette is even worth skimming). The review was quite upbeat, so I figured it was worth trying. Boy, am I glad I did. Though the review and the menu touts several types burgers that they offer, I couldn't eat a burger for a third day in row. So I picked the Porkalicious. I saw the cook grab a fresh piece of pork from the glass meat case, season it, and toss it on the grill while he also toasted my bun. I took the sandwich to go, hopped in my car, and planned to take one bite before I drove off. Instead, I didn't drive away until I finished the sandwich. The pork was juicy and the grilled peppers add a medium spicy kick. Very simple preparation but really good. Not close to being the best sandwich I've ever had, but certainly the best "fast-food" type sandwich I've had in a long time*. As I said, I drive by the place all the time it always seems barren. It shouldn't be. I only had one dish on the menu but my superficial take is that this place will not blow your socks off, but it lives up to the simplicity of its name of being fresh and grilled--and tasty, too. Give this place a try for a casual and affordable meal. Pax, Brian *Since it's grilled to order, I wouldn't call the service "fast", but neither is BGR. Also, the "best recent sandwich" title clearly goes to the Pattison Ave sandwich at Taylor Gourmet Deli...

I like this place but these would be two of my quibbles. I have to admit, too, that the heat of the pork belly caught up with me halfway through the sandwich, but I didn't find that a negative. Pax, Brian

Only time for a quick post, but a few weeks ago we did make it to Craigie on Main and it lived up to our expectations. We even brought our little guy with us and the staff was extremely accomodating. They tucked us in the corner of the bar and we were quite happy, but I don't recommend our cavalier parenting to others unless you, too, grab a 5:30 reservation and you don't mind wiping up smuggled squash-sweet potato puree off the dark-stained wood floors. Food highlights were an octopus salad (I could probably eat the every day), a sour-milk panacotta (I don't like panacotta but I loved this), and a pork three ways with several layers of flavor per rendition (and a huge profit margin for a single rib, a decent size piece of pork belly and a fairly small piece of suckling pick for $36). The only "ok" item were my oysters with lemon mignionette foam. If we had the luck to get back to this place, I'd definitely try to reserve 2 seats (yes, leaving our little boy home) at the marbled bar that is smack-dab in front of the kitchen. I can't think of a restaurant seat that would let you see more action so close without locking you into to a crazy expensive tasting menu (which this place also has by the way). Hopefully by the time of our return visit I also be able to talk my wife into sharing the roasted pig's head. It looked fantastic! They were also serving pig's tails as an app for the swine inclined. Another quick note: On our previous trip in June, I forgot to mention that we had lunch at Coppa, which is a fairly new and supposedly up-and-coming small Italian eatery in the South End by noted chef Ken Oringer but executed by Jamie Bissonette. Boston Magazine awarded their pizza Best of Boston a month or so later. We had the pizza and liked it quite a bit. Excellent flavors but our crust wasn't as crisp or charred as many on this board would like, but I did notice more char and blistering on other diners' pies. A benefit for those who go now is the addition of air conditioning, which was coming 4 days after our 97 degree adventure. The only thing I remember getting that I wouldn't recommend was the roasted and marinated peppers and goat cheese app. Not bad, just very ho-hum. Pax, Brian

They had a booth at the Landon Azalea festival and I really enjoyed the Connecticut style roll, too. At the booth they kept promoting their future truck and for some assine reason I've been waiting for them to drive around my suburban neighborhood to give that damn ice cream truck some competition. A guy can dream...

Went here for lunch yesterday and left as encouraged as I was optimistic about this place. It was just me and my 9 month old so we didn't linger long, but I enjoyed my spicy Thai mussel dish, which is completely in this place's wheelhouse. The frites were very good but not the reason to return like some restaurant renditions. The restaurant seemed to have a lot of staff for an only half-empty place, but everything was smooth and the staff was very friendly so I appreciated the strength-in-numbers approach. Places like this (i.e. relatively affordable, good ingredients, and strong execution) are welcome everywhere, but it's especially a blessing for Bethesda. This place should make money hand-over-fist. The only problem I see for them is I don't remember seeing a beer under $7 and most were $12+. That should increase table turnover but not their profits. It's possible, too, that folks won't like how dark it is (I wasn't a fan of the dark wood on dark stained concrete). Couple other helpful notes people considering a visit: 1) the lunch and dinner menus are exactly the same, 2) they are open Saturday and Sunday for $12 egg-centric breakfasts, and 3) ugghh...something else that slipped my mind. I'll edit the post if I can remember it. I'm just glad this place is here.

Oh, and by the way, Salts is not on Open Table. It made me wonder if that hurts a place more than helps especially if you aren't filling your dining room on a Friday night.

I hear you about Hungry Mother. Salts was actually the fallback after the fallback. We had reservations for Hungry Mother for the night before we went to Salts, but we had to cancel b/c a sickness in the family ruled out our babysitters. I've heard/read such great things about Hungry Mother that we'd be equally excited to land a reservation again there, too. Can you comment about the atmosphere of Hungry Mother?

We were in the Boston area a couple weeks ago and made two worthwhile stops. The first was the Hingham (South Shore) branch of Summer Shack, which is a small chain that started in Cambridge. Hingham is a pretty upscale place, so the restaurant's environs are (I think) less casual than its main outpost, but the food was relaxed and flavorful. One thing I fear when I eat at a chain is the availability of quality ingedients, but our heirloom tomatoes salad, french fries (that went with an ok corn dog), and raw oysters were all fresh and well-prepared. The best part was actually the oyster deal: 10 for $10 all through June. We almost went back a second time just for that deal. For our anniversary, we wanted to go to Craigie on Main, but we looked at Open Table and couldn't get a reservation until 10PM, so we looked elsewhere and landed at Salts, which coincidentally was a half block from Craigie on Main. The chef at Salts was a Food and Wine Magazine Best New Chef in 2007 and his bio touts his influence by Ferran Adria, so I was intrigued. When we arrived for our 8:30 Friday reservation, we were surprised to find the place half empty. Our first courses--a $10 simple salad with a little feta cheese and a $16 gazpacho that was just fine--made us fear that we had made a mistake. But our entrees were perfectly cooked (seared scallops and halibut with a risotto) and full of flavor. Probably the highlight, though, was our shared lemon souffle dessert, which was spectacular. What a way to end. Our take aways from the meal were that 1) the chef seems to have toned down the gimmickery of molecular gastronomy so that these touches were more complements than the main feature, 2) most of the dishes were visually overwhelming with an overuse of edible flowers, 3) service was friendly and attentive, and 4) though the space is decorated with the first four items they saw at a Michaels craft store, it was a quiet and pleasant place for a romantic anniversary meal. I would recommend the restaurant. When we saw that Craigie on Main was so close and still open, we decided to take a quick peak inside. As soon as you walk in the door, your senses are assualted by luscious and sensual food that is passed to the servers on a counter directly in line with the front door. Despite being stuffed, I started to drool. The next assault on the senses was the noise: lively and energetic, it probably wouldn't have been the best anniversary venue. But OH, that food! When we are back in town, we are definitely using the in-laws to babysit so we can go back and actually taste it. Before we left that night, we talked to the hostess and a server who both told us that not all their tables are available on Open Table (I should have thought of that and called); they leave all the bar area tables as well as the gallery-view booths that wrap the main dining room open for people to call in and reserve. This place was loud, lively, packed and serving lots of food after 11 PM when we left. Put this on your must-visit list when you're in town. I am.

Even though this probably should be posted under News and Media, this is a pretty big F-ing deal. Congrats chef. I think Johnny Monis was the last DC area chef to earn this honor. Hopefully he sees the same career propulsion for it. Pax, Brian

Lewes I enjoyed a large sandwich of homemade bread, fresh mozzarela and imported italian meats at Touch of Italy Salumeria & Pasticceria (33A Baltimore Ave). When you walk in it looks like they just sell deli meats, cheeses, pasta, and Italian cookes to go, but they actually make several sandwiches. As you walk in the door there's a narrow sign advertising the sandwiches right in front ofand above you. Don't just look there though. Turn around and look above the door and you'll see about 8 more sandwich options. I didn't notice this sign until I was walking out. There were at least 3 more sandwiches I would have tried from that list. They have a paper takeout menu that lists all these sandwiches, too. I talked to one of the owners on the way outside and he said the family is from New York and is trying to create a authentic Italian experience. I'll definitely be back there. Another "secret" that locals seem to mostly know about is that Grub Grocery (owned by the Cultured Pearl owners) does daily lunch specials like Roast leg of lamb and 2 heaping sides for around 7 bucks. easily worth the price.

You know, Continental Pizza in Kensington is such an established institution that it's a shame that it doesn't have a thread yet (and still doesn't no thanks to me), but tonight we got take out for the second time in a couple months and both times we've come away disappointed. Tonight was the worst. It tasted exactly like the pizza you buy "fresh" in the grocery store and then cook in your oven--the same cheese, the same canned ingredients, the same under-doneness from a weak home oven. When I moved to Montgomery County three years ago, Continental quickly became my hands-down favorite non-gourmet pizza place--the crust was always an enticing crisp, greasy cracker and the mediocre quality cheese got a chewy brownness that I actually liked--but my esteem for them has to be rethought now. Did the renovations on that strip mall throw them off their game? But who could replace it as my favorite non-gourmet pizza? And for those Colesville dwellers, don't offer Dominic's. I needed ibuprofen for my sore jaw after I ate their pizza. But I have to say that Dominic's must be the friendliest place in the world b/c that place gets filled with four generations of patrons every night and, boy, do the servers have a good time with each of them. And from the kids dressed in uniforms and the plaques and trophies on the wall, Dominic's has certainly earned its rep as a community institution in its own right. I have to admit, that atmosphere alone is worth going for. Not to mention to arcade games from 1986. Pax, Brian

You're probably more accurate, even if the original news dates back to October 2009. The Bethesda magazine section was a small box that listed recent restaurant closings, and at the end of the list it the writer threw in that Rock Creek had closed at the end of 2009. There probably wasn't the article space or the writer's interest in sharing the distinction of being open for the general dining public and just being open for events; most readers of that column would care about them being open for lunches and dinners.

This month's Bethesda Magazine reported that the Friendship Heights location closed (I think) at the end of 2009. The restaurant web site also only lists the Bethesda location.

With a new baby, we haven't been out much in that last 6 months, but Saturday the in-laws offered to babysit so we jumped at the chance to go somewhere nice without blowing little Bobby's 529 plan. We decided on CityZen lounge even though we had been to the main dining room a year and a half ago for my birthday. Our previous experience was excellent, but nothing mind-blowing enough to make us want to spend that much money again on a return visit. So the lounge seemed like a good pick for our needs: excellent cooking at a relatively good value in a setting that helps you forget that barf-stained shirts and blown-out onesies. What we experienced exceeded what we needed and actually gave us what we wanted: Oh-My-God mouthfuls of exceptionally crafted food with intelligent conversation with our service. We actually preferred this meal at the bar to the previous meal we had in the main dining room. And the lobster pannicotta amuse might have been the best food I've ever put in my mouth. What a wonderful night. Pax, Brian P.S. I forgot to ask the bartender, but can you eat at the tables far off to the side of the lounge, or can you only eat at the bar?

A friend and I went here in the fall and had a wonderful lunch of mussels and charcuterie. I'm excited for the mussels place planned to replace Levantes in Bethesda. Pax, Brian

A few weeks ago I found jars of Rasika brand sauces. Intrigued, I picked one up and turned the label to see that it was jarred in D.C. I bought all three--Makhani, Kashmiri, and Goan Curries--and have made all three at home. Each jar has simple preparations suggestions for each sauce. When I used the goan, I followed the suggestions on the jar exactly and used shrimp. Pretty good but not my favorite. For the other two I combined the jar suggestions plus some internet recipe ideas for even better results. We've really enjoyed them and will certainly keep a jar of the Makhani and Kashmiri in our pantry. It's been too long since we've been to Rasika to really compare them to what you get at the restaurant, but I find these sauces to be excellent bases/shortcuts for the home cook's forays into Indian food. I found the sauces at both Whole Foods and Giant, and surprisingly WF was cheaper ($6 vs. $8). Neither is cheap, but it's certainly cheaper and more convenient than heading to Penn Quarter. Pax, Brian P.S. After searching I didn't see this posted anywhere, but please merge this if I missed something.