baczkowski

Serendipity led me to Bryan Voltaggio's blogfor his upcoming restaurant Volt in Frederick, MD. It appears that they are targeting mid-July for an opening date. I only had lunch once at Charlie Palmer's when Voltaggio was there and my friend and I had a very good meal, but nothing exciting. I have to say, though, that his blog makes me excited for Frederick. They need this place, so I hope they support him. Check out the cheese they're planning on using! Someone needs to give the Tasting Room a kick in their ass b/c I think they became complacent a while ago.

If you go to page twoof the blog entries you can see a video of the space post-demo and pre-construction. It was neat to see the inside of the bay window that I longed to be part of my apartment; looks like it'll be used as a private party room for 10 people. In general, it looks like this place will be small. The video said the restaurant will seat 38! They'll have to have a pretty high price point to pay for the real estate and renovations to this place on top of the high quality of ingredients and staffing I'm sure he has planned. The Tasting Room thrives b/c the swanky fishbowl environment draws in the trendy drinkers who like to be seen. Volt won't have that to fall back on. They'll just have to knock folks' socks off with damn good cooking in a cool, seemingly more quiet atmosphere. Best of luck to them and I look forward to making the trip back up 270.

ETA: Looks like the total capacity is more like 100.

Pax,
Brian

I'm curious where Don ate...

Pax,

Brian

You know what, this doesn't make me change my mind about the food or the service I've received at Burger Joint, but I can't say it makes me feel comfortable: Gazette Article. In my opinion, everyone is free to make up their own minds with public information.

Pax,

Brian

I am a Bethesda resident (and clearly a fan on this board of Burger Joint)- and just wanted to weigh in on the other selections as well. I had been tentatively sticking to cheeseburgers (medium really, please) until last week. My dad requested a trip to burger joint on fathers day so my family met up there. we ordered 3 burgers and split them (my sister stuck to her own plain burger, medium). We tried the cheese burger with bleu cheese, tuna burger and lamb burger. and I was totally impressed.

I've since ordered the tuna burger again- a wonderful more healthy option with grilled pineapple. Cooked medium rare. and I think I am in love with the lamb burger- I love the yogurt sauce and the sliced cucumbers.

Just thought I'd provide a few more details in case anyone was hesitant to move beyond the hamburgers as well. love the burgers, but nice to switch it up, right?

I continue to be a fan too. The last time I went my burger was cooked more medium well than medium rare, so I let them know and they fired a new burger while only hesitating to figure out what toppings I had specified. It was the first time I was there when they were pretty busy so I think that contributes to quality deviations, but I appreciated there willingness to make things right--and the second effort was spot on. One wish I left with, though, was that they could have worked out a way to serve serve this month's Eliot Spitzer specialty with only one patty. I realize it would probably ruin the food pun, but I just didn't want to eat that much food.

Pax,

Brian

P.S. I got the fries again recently, too, and I liked them much better this time even though I still prefer a thinner fry.

The downstairs area has the same prices as upstairs for lunch; I'd say expect $15-18. There is also a $35 prix fixe menu at lunch.

I didn't read this thread before heading to The Source for lunch yesterday, so I was surprised to learn that the normal bar menu is not available for lunch. I got the prix fixe menu b/c basically 2 courses off the regular menu puts you at $35 anyway, so why not get some cheesecake "for free"? And what damn good cheesecake it is! So soft and sweet, it would normally steal the show from any other course, but that half organic chicken is ridonkulous. Palena has a worthy competitor (though for twice the price). The accompanying fried rice I wasn't crazy about--especially the rice's firmness--until it accidentally mixed with the chicken's sauce/broth; once that happened, it amazingly had that familiar stir-fried rice taste. At most places my starter of Arctic char would be the highlight with it's crispy skin and successful chutney pairing, but the dessert and entree were so successful that the char was relegated to an afterthought. Really pleasant meal--but it had better be for $48 lunch (with tax and tip but an iced tea instead of alcohol). Don't make the same mistake I did by expecting to pay half that before heading off to the Newseum.

Pax,

Brian

monterey bay fish grotto got a very positive "First Bite" by Sietsema a few weeks back for the Tysons location. There's on in Monroeville and on Mt. Washington overlooking the Burgh. I haven't been in 4-5 years but we always enjoyed our meals at the Monroeville location.

Pax,

Brian

Ground zero for Herlocher's Dipping Mustard (sweet, very mildly pungent, great with a soft pretzel), but that's about all I know.

They were my landlords when I lived above McLanahan's senior year. Bastards "stole" $35 from all six of our security deposits for wiping down the counters. I shun their mustard.

Pax,

Brian

The food excitement now for me when I return to Happy Valley is the Wegman's. Even back in the day, the food highlights were on campus: the Creamery and late-night cheesesteak runs to Louie's at Redifer Commons. Largely b/c both took your dining points. Whenever my parents came to town, I always struggled to find a "nice" place to go eat. We too often ended up at the Deli and the Allen Street Grill (where I talked with Jack Ham after one Homecoming parade). But neither is anything that anyone would want to seek out. Most people said that the restaurant at the Toftrees Country Club was the best restaurant, but I never went. Clem's Barbecue, a roadside stand/shack in Port Matilda, is a favorite spot (I met someone in DC who had them cater their rehearsal dinner) but I've always been in too big of a hurry to start drinking so I've never stopped there either.

Pax,

Brian

Yesterday I took my three assistants to lunch at Bice to celebrate the end of the school year. It was my first time, but two of the other three had gone a couple months ago shortly after they opened and reported that they had liked it. I have to say for a nice, more formal lunch than what Booeymongers offers, the bar's "express" lunch is a nice deal despite a few cooking missteps.

The lunch is a choice of 2 courses for $14; a small dessert serving of bread pudding with ice cream was an additional $2. The ambiance is a mixture of classic and modern, which I personally found quite attractive. The meal starts with a generous and quite delicious bread basket served with two spreads and a rosemary olive oil. I was surprised to see that our two courses arrived on the same plate; I could see that being an "express" approach if we hadn't waited almost a half hour to be served despite no other soul in the place beyond the wait staff. I ordered the calamari and the rosemary beef strips, so I can only speak authoritatively about those dishes. The calamari was excellent (the best I've had in a long time) but the beef strips were merely edible since they were cooked well-done and served in a gray rosemary sauce that was quite strong. In fact, this place loves rosemary b/c it was in all the breads and the dipping oil, and I think the bolognese sauce had it, but I could be wrong. Anyway, my companion's crab cakes looked over-fried and they reported their salmon to be a little dry, but I can't blame the kitchen for the salmon b/c they requested it be cooked medium-well. Regardless they say they enjoyed their meals and would like to come back. The dessert portion was small but sufficient for a lunch as well as the $2 price tag.

Overall, I'd recommend the bar's express lunch for the combination of the affordable price tag and great ambiance, even if the cooking wasn't fully even. It's certainly not Lickety Split, but not a terrible Bethesda option. I'm not sure they can entice me into the more expensive dining room though.

Pax,

Brian

Tonight I thought I might further the Bethesda dining discussion and after trying Assagi for the first time, I was left with several positive and encouraging impressions. First off, the rustic bread is wonderful, so much so I asked for a couple pieces to take with my leftovers (too bad though that the 13 or so colors in the accompanying butter didn't equate to even one discernable flavor). For a starter, I chose the three mozzarella and four condiment plate ($18). The cheese was very good, but not roll-your-eyes-back-in-your-head good that I've had at places like 2 Amy's. The condiments, however, were the highlight: a slice of a wonderfully ripe tomato with a basil leaf, a tomato marmalade (my personal favorite even if it could be improved by dropping the sweetness a notch), (grilled?) eggplant, and roasted peppers. I did not try the fifth condiment option--a marinated zucchini--but for me the condiments outshone the cheeses. For my entree I had the perfectly al dente pappardelle ($15) covered in a fine meat sauce with an assertive but not overpowering rosemary flavor. This dish really beckons winter instead of face-melting heat and oppressive humidity, but I enjoyed it within the comfort of air conditioning anyway. All in all, I'm very intrigued by this place. The pasta dish didn't have the depth of David Craig's, but it's a better value considering the bigger size for a comparable price. Considering all their pasta is homemade, there isn't another place in Bethesda I'd go to if I'm craving pasta. I'm really intrigued to hear what others think though because the rest of the menu is rather expensive. Every entree is $24 and up with most in the upper 20's, lower 30's. Before I start paying those prices, I'd prefer others do the recognizance first. Especially in a glorified strip mall location that I never once considered frequenting when it was Centro. But that's my own prejudices and hangups, unfair as they may be.

Pax,

Brian

The only thing that's clearly missing is a "top 10 in the DC area" destination restaurant. We don't have a Komi, Eve, CityZen, Citronelle, etc. Lots of cheap eats a few minutes away in Rockville, and there are many very good moderate-to-expensive places, but nothing top-tier. Maybe that also drives the mediocrity reputation.

Didn't Michel Richard say in a local magazine/newpaper (Bethesda Magazine?) that he was looking to open a restaurant here? I swear I read that somewhere. And I wonder if it would be more like Central or his new place in LA. But maybe there was just interest and no commitment.

Pax,

Brian

Sans power Thursday night, I went to Black's for the first time since my post back since last June. I have to say that though Rocks just moved this place down in his dining guide, I had the best meal I can remember here and the best thing I've had in Bethesda except for some really great pies at Mia's. Six pickling point oysters were wonderfully briny, the melon and almond gaspacho was amazing (asked for the recipe but got denied), the bread and biscuits were wonderful (and salty enough that the sea salt butter was overkill), and my sea bass composed plate was extremely moist and flavorful to the point that there was no half eaten carcass to be added to a wastewater treatment facility, an incinerator, or a landfill. Service was pretty attentive, too, and they fixed an issue for the gentleman to my left at the bar, who ordered the tuna. When it arrived, he promptly alerted the bartender that it was "tough as nails." Five minutes later they brought him a new dish that he said "cuts like butter." Everyone was happy. Great meal that makes me want to return more often.

Pax,

Brian

We had a generous gift certificate to West End and finally got to use it last night. I have to say that I was not excited by the online menu and was slightly discouraged by the lack of chatter on this board in general (good or bad), but I'm happy to say that everything we had was excellent. Nothing was blow your mind inventive, but everything tasted damn good. My wife loved her arugala and baby artichoke salad and I was impressed with the tuna carpaccio. We both enjoyed the depth of her Chesapeake Bay stew and my flatiron steak was a perfect medium rare, very tender, and well-paired with an intense reduction sauce. The earlier post's tip to ask for the aioli for my fries was a wise one, though I alternated my dipping between the aioli and my steak's sauce. We were pretty full but ordered dessert b/c of the gift certificate, so we chose the walnut bourbon tart and the nougat glace. Again, we couldn't have been happier, though the nougat was most intriguing since at Easter I usually pick the chocolate shell off my dad's candy nougat Easter eggs.

Rocks is right: this place is all about execution. We'll definitely be accepting more gift certificates.

Pax,

Brian

I visited Sunday afternoon with my daughter - a major critic - and we both had perfectly cooked, medium rare, well seasoned, delicious burgers. For the quality burger I had I have no problem paying $7.50 - 8.00. I look forward to returning often.

We went last weekend and my burger was even better than the last time, including the bun being much softer. Luckily both times I've gone the environment was rather calm, which certainly helps attention to detail. I'll keep going back.

Pax,

Brian

My aunt wants to have a family function at Dutch's Daughter in Frederick. I've never heard of it. Before trekking all the way there--- any positive reports? Thanks everyone!

I wouldn't get excited. It's plenty big enough to accomodate a large party but I stopped going years ago after several mediocre or worse experiences while being towards the top of Frederick's highest price point. Last time I went was for someone's retirement party and the buffet food was pretty terrible. The decor is kinda wierd, too. It is, however, THE Frederick institution for special occasion restaurants. I'd expect a lot of blue hairs.

Pax,

Brian

I hope he doesn't do this. It's a personal quirk, I guess, but I don't like prix fixe only menus or meals that go on and on all night. While it could benefit from changing a little more than it does, I like that the menu is reliably the same.

I agree. Making it prix fixe would be a deterant (not a disqualifier, though) for me to go back simply because some nights I'm hungrier than others and prefer to make my consumption a game-time decision. In general I like to have flexibility, and if I was to bring friends and/or family to Corduroy (which is probably the likely way they'd go since I'm more interested in exploring food than most of my friends), I'm pretty confident they would appreciate that flexibility, too. If they do go the prix fixe route, I'd recommend that they take a Palena or Eve approach where the diner still has choices within their courses*. I even loved that Charleston will let you order different numbers of courses. Gotta be a headache for the kitchen though.

Feel free to move to a separate thread if it's not Corduroy-focused enough.

Pax,

Brian

*Does that technically mean then it's not "prix fixe"?

I walked in today right when they opened at 11 AM and walked out very satisfied with my meal. Before I ordered, I mentioned that I was from DR as mbucher requested, though I generally try not to talk about DR in a restaurant unless it's in a quiet, conspiratorial tone (then I feel it's fair game). I ordered my burger medium rare with bacon, blue cheese, and sautéed red onions and it couldn't have been prepared better: Char-grilled on the outside and pink to red throughout the middle. The burger was very juicy, as my wet stainless steel platter could attest. My only quibble with the burger was that I thought the bun was too dense (and I mentioned that to the counter person when he asked about my thoughts). Palena has a big, high caloric bun, that stands up to its messy fillings without being overly firm. If I hadn't read on here that the buns are made and delivered fresh daily, I'd have thought it was stale. Otherwise, the burger is the best I've had in Bethesda, and I would even say [ducking] I liked it better than Colorado Kitchen's.

Before I run away from poison darts about to hurtle in my direction, I have to say that I'm not a real fan of the fries here, but that's b/c of my own strong personal preference for thin, crispy fries. These are like thicker steak fries. Personal preference, I know, but I try to avoid ordering fries unless they're so phenomenal I'm impelled beyond my will power. These don't do it.

Otherwise, a very good lunch and I will be back.

Pax,
Brian

Beth and I were looking at the website for Good Stuff last week and on one of the pages he had some quote like "being top-chef isn't the most important thing, it is the journey" (not exact but it was something along those lines) We both thought this sounded like something a non-winner would say.

I think smart money is on Jimmy Neutron. Marcel made it to the finals with the same schtick and less talent. The only possible kink in that prediction is that I think when Molecular gastronomy fails it fails in a really big way. Given the way they supposedly judge, on a challenge-to-challenge basis I could see him completely bombing one challenge when some xanthum gum creation doesn't set right or something and he is left with some tasteless shapeless slime on a plate. Despite that risk I still maintain that if Marcel can make the finals, so can Jimmy.

I think he's also a slimmed down version of Ralphie May.

Fair to middling, but economical and close to the house.

That's pretty much how we felt when we went to the one in Bethesda for the first (and probably last) time last weekend. It was the least amount of money we could remember spending on a sit down, dine-in meal that wasn't fast food, but we knew what we were in for quality-wise when I asked if any of the pasta was homemade and the server replied, "Well, everything's cooked here." It was as if he couldn't wrap his mind around the possibility that an Italian restaurant might actually make it's own pasta.

Pax,

Brian

Hook last night was terrific. The highlights were definitely the pasta carbonara, the black and yellowfin tunas, the tautog with an awesome fried potato/hashbrown/Tator Tot with Gigantism, and Kona Kampachi crudo. The only real disappointments were the desserts in general, except for the cookie plate, which was excellent (much better than the last one I had at Palena). Aren't the donuts supposed to be hot, or at least warm? Mine were cold and it made all the [negative] difference. But that's too much negativity which was overall great cooking. And, boy, did it remind me how perfectly cooked, high quality fish makes a restaurant meal extra special for me.

By the way, Tackle Box next door opened today. Last night it was open to just family and friends. Our waiter gave us a menu b/c we asked about it. Looks very intriguing.

Pax,

Brian

Curious if anyone has been in the past month. My family is going for the first time tomorrow evening.

Pax,

Brian

Not as eccentric as thai x-ing, this seems to be a good source of authentic thai home cooking that is better, and that can be more intriguing, than just everyday.

I ate here once a few months back and found it quite good with a high starter level for spicyness, but probably a better testimonial came from the instructor of my Thai cooking class at L'Academie de Cuisine. Someone asked our instructor Somchet Chumpapo the obligatory question, "What are your favorite Thai restaurants?" She listed a few that she liked but ended with Nava Thai about which she said, "If you eat here, it's as if you're eating in Thailand."

Pax,

Brian

The recently unveiled consomme is special and an surprisingly perfect warm soup for this beautiful spring weather.

Pax,

Brian

Greensburg; Jeannette

Does anyone here have any familiarity with the area southeast of Pittsburgh? Specifically, New Stanton and Greensburg. Please tell me there's hope for a half decent lunch so I can make it a half-decent day...

I grew up in Murrysville and I take the New Stanton turnpike exit to get to my parents' house. It's been a few years since my last junior high basketball game in Greensburg, but you're looking at a lot chains. But 7-8 years ago my parents took me to Vallozzi's restaurant. I remember it being good, but my palate has become more seasoned since then so I wouldn't trust it. One thing I do remember, and my parents' still talk about it, is an excellent white pizza that is small and expensive but with a dough similar to a pie crust (in a good way). That's probably worth a try. They don't go that often b/c they consider it expensive, but Pittsburgh has a different price point than DC.

At Christmas, my parents took us to the town of Jeannette and the original (it's now franchised locally) DeNunzio's (for you college football fans, both proper names should ring a bell if you followed the Terrelle Pryor sweepstakes). Unfortunately, I didn't like it but it is a place people talk about. My parents love Atria's, which is also a local chain that supposedly does mostly home cooking, and there's one in Murrysville, but I've been and it's just really ok. Dining options are SO limited in the Pittsburgh area. In all reality, you have to drive to Monroeville for shear volume of choices (I went several times to Monteray Bay several years ago and really enjoyed it; it opened up a branch in Tyson's for some reason) or Pittsburgh. You're probably a 45 minute drive to Pittsburgh (and the wrong direction back to DC) from the Greensburg area. At New Stanton you can jump on the turnpike and get to Monroeville and then onto the Parkway to head "dahntahn." I was on the North Shore of Pittsburgh this past weekend for a bachelor's party and we had very good steaks at the Hyde Park Steakhouse. Everything else was just alright.

Bottom line though: There ain't much even in the Burgh.

Hopefully that's something to go on. Good luck.

Pax,
Brian

happy to report that the fry plate is back on the menu.

Pax,

Brian