baczkowski

Recently returned from a trip to Florence, where we had some wonderful food (natch). Some of the highlights included:

Il Pizzauolo, where we had an appetizer of burrata and a plate of fried accompaniments. You could not believe the size of this ball of burrata, probably a good 7 inches around, and just delicious. The pizza was good too, if a bit greasy, but the app is what stood out.

Mario’s serves an amazing bisteca, as advertized, and left me wishing we had gone there more than once.

Da Camillo served a ribollita that was among one of the best dishes my wife and I have ever had, anywhere, of any kind.

Cibreo Trattoria was easily the best meal, beginning to end, with not a single miss. I’ve been to the fancier restaurant twice before, and since they both appear to share a single kitchen, there was no let down at this cheaper alternative. Am I right that they lack an oven, given that the food is served either cold or at room temp? This is an amazing feat given the quality/type of food that comes out of that kitchen.

Anyway, nothing earth shattering here, but figured I’d share.

You overlapped some of our summer journeys, which I never shared. Mario's was easily our best meal in Florence, so thank you to Dino for finding and recommending this place. The many article cuttings from major gourmet magazines in the shop's window showed us that it's not as well kept of a secret as I had thought, but there were lots of locals there. One important note: Mario's is only open for lunch. And don't expect much English or a menu other than the hand-written one Scotch-taped to the wall. I enjoyed the food here so much that I asked the manager for a dinner recommendation of a place similar and he suggested Antico Ristoro di Cambi. We never went but that might be a place for future travelors to explore/compare.

We tried to go to Cibreo Trattoria but it must have been closed for summer hours, though there was no sign or message on their web site indicating as much. Il Pizzauolo was across the street and had a long line after 10 PM, so we went back the next night. The pizza had good meats, sauce, and cheese and a tasty crust, but the disappointments were a soggy crust and clearly canned mushrooms and artichokes. Definitely above average in the net experience though. Yes, the burrata appetizer is an absolute SHOW! No human should ever try to ingest that much dairy. But it looked decadently good.

We also found La Giostra on the web and had seen some good reports on Chowhound; that's where we went after seeing Cibreo Trattoria shuttered. We also enjoyed our meal here with fresh pastas and a romantic setting. We sat next to two NY honeymooners and had a great 3+ hour interaction that night (We happened to bump into them on the train from Naples to Rome, too). Nice night at La Giostra with large servings of quite good food and wine. I betcha Cibreo Trattoria is better though. I think we found it to be worlds better than most of Florence's tourist-driven options.

One place we went that we would suggest avoiding is Il Latini. A couple friends and co-workers recommended this place after a recent visit and I found it on certain tourist web sites like www.10best.com. We thought we were at the Pines of Rome in Bethesda. Overall not terrible (I remember liking a ragu and a meat and cheese plate), but not much heart or skill. I also thought it was pretty affordable for the amount of food and free house wine that they offer, but someone looking for very good to great food should try somewhere else. I think this is more tourist-friendly without screaming in four languages, "Hey, you in the bermuda shorts and the camera hanging from your neck! Eat here!" (Though our waiter did speak did amazingly speak 4 languages).

I would also suggest people taking a bus ride out to Tuscanny during one of their days in Florence, presuming you're not spending more time in the countryside. Several of the bus trips stop for lunch at farms where you eat what is grown and raised on the grounds. Our was a farm and vineyard, so we got beautiful pictures on top of good food and fairly good wine. Our tour http://www.walkaboutpass.com/ which was recommended by someone we talked to on another tour. I think Tuscanny is their only tour right now and, according to our tour guide at the time, they are the only group that does four cities (Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, and something I'm forgetting). Pisa was not worth seeing and it just made the day too long, but there are other similar tours out there.

All-in-all, we just ate pretty OK in Florence. Nothing great, though I did yearn elsewhere for Mario's as The Delicious did. The food in Florence was much better than the Amalfi Coast but not nearly as good as Rome. For us, food took a back seat to sights here, though we couldn't have afforded some of the super expensive places that Joe H recommended.

Sorry for the delayed sharing.

Pax,

Brian

The Connaught Place, may it rest in peace, used to do that.

I'm glad I talked MrP into giving SpiceXing one more try, because after a so-so carryout dinner and a blah lunch buffet, it was off his list. But our recent dinner there was really good. The lamb in the rogan josh was well trimmed, though the sauce was a bit lighter and less complex than I've had before. And I'd say the same about the paneer makhni. But the tadka spinach, though very salty, is one of the best spinach dishes I've ever had - smokey, and a little picante with cumin seed and hot pepper. I've never seen anything like it in other Indian restaurants.

Also, they have excellent rasmalai.

Your experiences give me hope. I've only been for the lunch buffet and my assessment ranged from "meh" to "blah." Everything was so bright and colorful that visually I was intrigued by the dishes but everything tasted very one-note. Amazingly the only dish I did like was a steel-wool gray lamb dish that at least had some flavor that invoked the restaurant's name. We've gotten take-out from Passage to India twice in the last week so we know that part of the ownership can regularly satisfy our tastes, but I think I'll have to come back to SpiceXing to try the regular menu to truly assess what their kitchen can do.

Pax,

Brian

I am ONLY writing about Table 21 which are four seats in the kitchen. The unique 21 course menu is ONLY available at the kitchen "counter." There is a different ambience, a different experience and different menus seated in one of the other two rooms. If you want to sit at Table 21 you must ask for this specifically.

The taping of the television show is complete. He is not able to report how he did.

Joe, what was the per-person cost of Table 21? Were you disgustingly full after 21 courses? I often feel ridiculously oversatiated after a tasting menu. But I wasn't after Minibar, which is more courses, so belly explosion can be avoided.

Pax,

Brian

I think their cole slaw is quite unusual. Large chucks of cabbage in a very creamy slaw sauce. It tastes like a little blue cheese in there?

It is unusual. To me it's at best ok, but it is worlds better than the previous recipe they used which was even more bland and really a waste of produce. It's never made sense to me how everything else is so good and that coleslaw has always been bad.

By the way, I've always wanted to say this: The male server with the long braids makes us smile everytime we go there simply b/c he's such a nice dude. I wish I could be that pleasant and chill.

Pax,

Brian

I'm sorry that this post helps absolutely no one other than myself, but thank you for mentioning steak tartare b/c it stimulated one of my favorite taste memories of Trabocchi's dual steak tartare and carpaccio at Fiamma. I really don't think I long more often for any other restaurant-created taste. But that longing is probably enhanced by Fabio's prices, location, and uncertain employment putting my re-experiencing this dish perpetually out of my reach.

Pax,

Brian

Frank's I'll give you, but Vincent's? Ugh.

Mineo's has long been acknowledged as one of the (if not the) best in the 'burgh.

eta - go to Mineo's and you can go three doors up to Aiello's for a comparison. Get the Italian sub at Aiello's to cap off your meal. I have to have at least one every time that I'm back in town.

Because it was closer to where I grew up I've had Vincent's far more often than Mineo's and I've never had Frank's, but I have to say that I have a soft spot in my stomach for the salad bowl full of grease that no amount of paper towels could soak up from a Vincent's pizza! The original Vincent's pizza and Smartie Artie's wings were our only reasons to cruise the Golden Mile in despised Plum. Oh, and avoid Plum's version of the O. It misses the few (but powerful) things that make Oakland's O a charming dump.

Pax,

Brian

This is belated and not very descriptive, but we had a very expensive but underwhelming lunch (i.e. $130 for 2, four courses each) at Palladio. The food was good, but not great and contrasted in price and execution to the $50 total I spent on 3 course lunches for 2 at Volt the day before. Dinner at Mas Tapas, however, was excellent. The most positive tapas experience I've had in a very long time. The Paleta de Jabugo with Spanish bread and Manchego cheese for $15 almost made the trip to Charlottesville worth it by itself. It was a great few days in a wonderful town.

Pax,

Brian

Even though I had a great experience last week at Eve's Lickity Split lunch, I don't think there is a better dining deal--regardless of meal--in the DC area than the super-extended Restaurant Week lunch deal at Volt. For $20.09 each, a friend and myself had 3 courses of amazingly complex dishes that did not sacrifice taste for dazzle (though there clearly was molecular gastonomy in my intensified oyster bisque and art held an important priority in the presentation of my apple dessert). The lunch service is also surprisingly as detailed as their formal dinner service. Anyone who has any flexibility in their weekly schedules should make this a priority for their lunch plans. You will leave with no regrets. And, yes, don't worry about a charge if you choose the sparkling water.

Pax,

Brian

We're just going up for an evening and probably will pick Palladio for dinner, but no one has mentioned anything about Keswick Hall's Fossett's. Does anyone have any experiences or knowledge? Any more recent lunch recommendations (we'll be up there for two possibilities)? We're open to all ideas.

Pax,

Brian

We went about a month ago on a Saturday. Though we could not get reservation, they did put us on a waitlist (they said they'd call if someone cancelled) and they did encourage to stop by b/c they might open the back patio b/c it was so warm that day. We had dinner at Marvin beforehand and our waiter said "leave it to me" b/c he works there occassionally and he escorted us over after our meal. We got four seats at the bar that happened to have just opened up and we enjoyed the drinks and the show. For what it's worth, there were at least two booths empty for our entire 2 hours there, so it may be ok to just stop by just in case if you don't have reservations.

Pax,

Brian

We've eaten at Nark Kara a couple of times in the last few months on Thursday nights----our "date" night. The second time was because my wife and I liked it so much. What was disturbing was that both times, we were only one of two parties in the place at prime dinner hour. This is very good Thai food and certainly the best that Bethesda has to offer for Thai.

Everything we've eaten has been excellent. For the salads, we've had the yum talay and the pla goong (shrimp). On the entree side, we've had the ginger fish, a seafood combination called "z-food" and both times, the drunken noodles. We've had drunken noodles at several Thai establishments, and this is the best.

Not affiliated with the restaurant but really hope this note will put the restaurant on your radar. Nark Kara has been positively rated by Zibart and is in the most recent Cheap Eats from the Washingtonian. We'd just hate to see a fine place like this go under and have to subject ourselves to Tara Thai when the urge hits us.

I've eaten there twice over the last year and a half and I also was the only party there both times. Every time I walk past this place to go to Mia's or Caddies or the drycleaner, the place is empty. I'm shocked they're still around honestly, though the food has been fine those two times but nothing exciting or impressive. Yes, Kliman has written positively about them in the past. But on my way up to Westminster tonight I slightly veered towards Wheaton to get Nava Thai. I want a Thai place in Bethesda that makes me and others veer off path.

Pax,

Brian

The best solution for my "Dining in Westminster" query was to stop at the Crisp & Juicy in the Leisure World shopping center off 97. I've probably stopped here 10 times since last year and I've never thought this location came close to El Pollo Rico or my experiences at Don Pollo, but it's still the best take out option on my route from Bethesda to Westminster and I'm glad it's there.

Pax,

Brian

Is the pasta made at the Cleveland Park location? I'm pretty sure they have a kitchen in Gaithersburg out near the airport where they make their stuff, unless it's a different Vace. I stopped by there once and peered through the window at the guys inside preparing food, but the doors were locked and it didn't seem open to the public.

I can't say for certain, but that is what the counter woman at the Cleveland Park location told me. She said people come in and say that the pizza at the CP location is much better than Bethesda, but don't worry about the pasta b/c it's made "here" and shipped up to Bethesda. But maybe it is produced centrally and shipped to both.

Pax,

Brian

I've been once each to the Bethesda and CP locations for pizza and CP was far superior. I've been several other times for the pasta (which is made in CP and taken to the Bethesda location) and agree with the positive posts.

Pax,

brian

I have taken cooking classes here and can attest that the ingredients used in all the recipes are fresh and authentic.

I took a cooking class from her, too. She's a tough lady! Her pad thai recipe is the one I make at home, but what she had typed for us and what she cooked were fairly different, so I have a ton of scribbled notes. I actually prefer her pad thai to Nava Thai's, though I prefer Nava Thai overall--and it's much closer to me.

Pax,

Brian

My in-laws have a place in Scituate and we head up there 2-3 times a year to visit. Scituate is a small fishing town that was historically a lower-priced (than the Cape) beach town with a very large Irish population. It's grown to be more of a year-round community as signaled by the arrival of a train to Boston, but it's still a small town with limited dining offerings. The fine dining establishment here is the Barker Tavern, which is quite charming and actually pretty good, though I find the popular Baked Stuff Lobster (the menu bragging that they use Ritz crackers) an abomination. There's a sub shop in the harbor called Maria's that doesn't use a single ingredient that seems to be local even in summer but carries about 40 years of nostalgia for residents and actually doesn't create a bad Italian sub.

Our trip for this year's holidays brought us probably our best meals in the South Shore, and we found the establishments in Hingham. The Square Cafe in Hingham's town center was beautifully decorated and served gorgeous and tasty food, including my Thai Basil mussels in lobster broth ($10) and my wife's Tuna Two Ways (seared and tartar $14); both are served on the lunch appetizer menu. The Scarlet Oak Tavern was appropriately named Best Comfort Food for the region south of Boston. The building has seen several incarnations over the years but this one seems to have staying power. I had a great hanger steak and frites ($21) and my wife had a tasty potatoe-crusted haddock ($18).

The best breakfast we've had in the area is at Arthur and Pat's in Marshfield. It's only open seasonally. One of the owners is also a sassy waitress, who supposedly was wooed to go on tour with and cook for Aerosmith* few years ago. Good tasty grease here.

Pax,

Brian

*My closest brush with celebrity was 2 Decembers ago when I hung out with Steven Tyler for 2+ hours. OK, so by "hung out" I really mean I happened to have sat next to Stevie during a showing of The Good Shepherd while he took about 8 phone calls during the movie. But he did seemingly follow us home in his yellow Hummer until after several miles...ok, whatever...But PM me if you want to know what's on his phone's screensaver.

It's interesting to see all the things that Barbara Lynch is doing in Boston. She's really making a number of dining destinations in the city that are really worth visiting. I decided to return to The Butcher Shop on my last night, and I had a nice conversation with our server. Each restaurant in the group has an expertise that requires extensive training. The fellows at B&G can look at an oyster tell you whether it came from the Pacific or Atlantic. I'm not sure if that's complicated, but it sounds impressive. The Butcher Shop focuses on wine and characuterie - they have weekly wine and cheese classes that the servers are required to attend. At No 9 Park they start you out on the cheese cart which has approximately 24 cheeses that change quite frequently and should be recognized on sight.

But aside from that... they have the temerity to put marrow bones and boudin noir on the same plate with some matchsticked apple. And it worked. The bones were pure white on the outside - all the flesh had been scraped off. And the fat was still quite firm. The boudin noir was light and airy. It could have maybe used a touch more fruit, but for someone with a head cold it felt like healing. And the boudin lent the right amount of salt and flavor to the marrow. And one less bone probably would have done the trick or someone to share. Ended with cardamom pot de creme, which was delicious. Though I would have suggested it be a touch more firm. Nonetheless it was a pleasing environment and comfort food. I am looking forward to checking out Sportello the next time I am up there, and there will be another restaurant that is even more fine dining than No 9 Park to visit.

My wife and I checked out the Butcher Shop and really enjoyed our meal sharing an order of antipasti (which is really a charcuterie platter anywhere else--$15), selection of 3 (very small) cheeses ($12), marinated olives ($5), and farfalle with No. 9 Park bolognese sauce ($16). The only real disappointment was heading to the basement to use the restroom and noticing the plastic packages of farfalle pasta and commercial-sized jars of gerkins sitting on the shelf next to the bathroom door. At a small shop like this, we had the false impression that EVERYTHING would be made completely in house, but their supply shelf shows that's clearly not the case. But that didn't make any of the food any less tasty. I'd eagerly go back even if those packages said Chef Boyardee because the food was damn good.

synaesthesia, I wasn't sure on how to interpret your last sentence, so to possibly clarify for others, our waiter told us that Sportello is a very casual place. The waiter, who hasn't been yet, says everyone keeps coming by saying, "You've got to go just to try the braised rabbit pasta!" Anyone going to the children's museum should stop by and try to confirm!

Pax,

Brian

I went here a few nights ago and had the all you can eat special. The wings themselves were medium-sized and perfectly fried--crispy skin outside (with, I think, a light dusting of flour or batter) and moist, juicy meat on the inside. The sauces, though, were pretty underwhelming. I got 6 each of Old Bay, Old School (i.e. traditional buffalo style), and Blazing barbecue. There was nothing blazing about the barbecue sauce and there wasn't enough of the buffalo style sauce, which really wasn't spicy at all either. I had room for a few more wings and hoped for some more spice by upgrading to the next level of heat called "Red Hot" (there was only one other sauce hotter and that was called "Reckless and Dangerous"; I wasn't feeling that precarious). These, too, could have been much spicier and had more sauce. I hope they tweak the saucing some b/c the wings themselves were the best I've had in a long time and the owner was very friendly to everyone I saw; I'd like to give them more of my business.

Pax,

Brian

After almost a year since my first and only visit, my wife and I went to back to Il Pizzico for an early dinner Thursday. We were stupid for waiting so long. I can't think of a place with better pasta outside of DC. Our salads were great too. And no worries about wait time: There was one other table filled in the restaurant when we left Thursday night at 6:45. People should really consider putting this place back in their rotations.

Pax,

Brian

I echo what Marty said. Don Pollo was definitely quite good when I went, but didn't hit the benchmark that EPR Arlington has set for me. If I lived in Bethesda, I would most certainly have this in the rotation, but since it is equidistant for me from EPR, the choice is pretty easy when I crave chicken.

I've been here three times since Don Pollo's first mention on here (speaking of which, didn't Scott Johnston create a thread for this already?), and I've had 3 juicy and flavorful whole chickens. It is now my go-to place for cheap eats b/c of its proximity, quality. and the fact that the full bird and two sides stretch into 2+ meals for both my wife and me. But I have to say that I still fondly long for the long-lost charcoal flavor of the torched El Pollo Rico of Wheaton. The saving grace, though, is that Don Pollo's is much more convenient and doesn't have any apparent ethical storm cloud lurking above it. This place is a welcome addition to the area and, GOD, if only the Nava Thai rumors could just start swinging back towards Bethesda again I'd another Christmas present.

Pax,
Brian

Tasting Room has a small private back room that might be perfect. It even has a private door to the outside if the kids get restless and need to move.

I think that's a good suggestion. Seven might be tight in that room even if 3 are little. I'd ask about it if you call for reservations and they can help you judge. Just realize, though, that the menu might have limited kid options (depending on how young they are) and you might consider whether the cost for the kids will be worth it. Volt has a great private room, too, and for whatever reason MAY be more flexible to create something for the kids if you ask ahead of time. I'm not sure what I'm basing that thought on--maybe it's b/c their kitchen is so versatile to serve so many different menus--but it's a thought worth exploring. . It'll be pricy regardless Volt is worthy of a special occassion.

Pax,
Brian

Anyone know of where to find them in the area? several queries at the Dupont Market left me with nothing but blank stares?

favorite preparations/recipes welcomed too!

I actually bought some from a Dupont Farmer's market vendor about 6 weeks ago. I don't know the name, but it was the meat vendor nearest the metro escalator and the side where the guitar player hangs out most of the time. The vendor sells pork and beef, but mostly pork. Unfortunately, though, I only saw them on the board once. Good luck.

Pax,

Brian

They are going to be moving to the Rockville/Bethesda area to a bigger place. I didn't get any details but I was put on their e-mail list to be notified once they have moved.

This is the best food news I've heard in a long time! I can't tell you how often I crave the quality of Thai food from Nava Thai or Ruan Thai, but I haven't found anything close in Bethesda or Rockville and I hate cutting over to Wheaton during rush hour traffic. Some dishes from Amina Thai have been fine stand-ins, but I'm excited to not have to settle for much longer.

Pax,

Brian

I can't rate the entire restaurant bold in the dining guide, because I'm well aware that people dining in the dining room aren't dining at this level.

This is exactly what I was wondering as I continued reading. We actually cancelled a reservation next week because of the hard hit of the economy, but it was for the regular dining room. Your qualification makes it a little less disappointing. But we hope to go someday. What are the best directions to go in the regular dining room?

Pax,

Brian

As a final aside, coworkers in my office have indicated that another joint around the corner, Crossfire, is as good, or (in their opinion) arguably better and for less money. I believe further investigation is in order so that I can come to my own conclusions.