jhermes

I really hope this is the case, they are by far the best Silver Spring ice cream option.

I went here for dinner this past Saturday and the place exceeded my expectations. Of course, my expectations were fairly low given that I had not heard anything good about its sister restaurant and FF's menu, in both it's breadth and look, came across to me as mid-level chain. First, the place is a very nice space and was already quite a popular scene in just its first weekend of full operation. The website called its look something like "modern farmhouse" and there were cute decorative touches throughout but overall it was a sleek, comfortable (and big) place. We ate upstairs and despite being full, sound levels easily allowed conversation. We started with the deviled eggs, one of the cheese plates and cheese puffs (yes, a lot of cheese). The eggs, as other have mentioned, were basic but tasty. They also have a fancier version of the dish that involves various types of seafood. I enjoyed all the selections on the cheese plate, which were alas not labeled or identified, and I don't really remember what they were, but it was a good range. I thought the portion, for the price, was a little on the stingy side. The cheese puffs were also tasty, with a little kick of heat to them. They don't compare favorably to the gougeres at Central, but are good nonetheless. For a main dish I had the meatloaf with the macaroni and cheese. After recovering from my self-induced shock that, on a rare night out without the kids, I had just ordered two staples of our home dinner rotation, I enjoyed the dish. The meatloaf, which, IIRC, included beef, veal and wild mushrooms, was just moist enough and had a nice flavor. The mac and cheese was definitely on the thick and gooey side of the spectrum, but I don't mind that. It did suffer a little bit from the fact that one of our party's entrees arrived well after the others and there was some cooling off while we waited to start. My wife had the skirt steak, which came topped with some sort of pesto or chimichurri, and seemed properly cooked to order. Our friends had two of the main course salads which were huge (The Biiiig Salad!) and they seemed to enjoy, but salad for dinner is not really my thing. Service, as might be expected this early on, had some rough spots, but was overall decent. I must say that, despite all the talk on their website and menu about being green and sourcing locally, etc. (almost to the point of being off-putting), I didn't really see much evidence of this in the dishes on their menu.

I dined with the family here last weekend. Red Dog is a neighborhood place for us that we used to patronize regularly, but had not been to in several months because of a string of disappointing visits. We had not been since they revamped them menu a bit to add some pricier (around $20) entree options, but most of the old favorites also remain. They have more appetizer choices than before, and are offering several more wines by the glass, most of which are decent if not overly exciting. I made a meal out of two of the new appetizer options. One was a trio of fried risotto cakes topped with pesto that made for a satisfying snack and the other was a cup of "White Truffle Chili" or something to that effect. While I did not sense anything truffle-like in the chili, it was still a nice cup of chicken chili with spring onions and pinto beans, if memory serves. My wife had the lemon chicken ripieghi, which she enjoyed, and the kids had the mac and cheese, which has always been good here and still is. None of us had the pizza, which at its peak I would have rated just below the top places, but it had declined in quality. Based on this last visit, I am encouraged enough to give it a try soon.

Two taqueria visits recently. First was to Distrito Federal, which was a bit of a disappointment for my second visit there. I had three tacos - lengue, goat, and carnitas - and while all the meats were tender they all struck me as bland, and adding the various salsas on the table did little to help. Yesterday, my second visit to Taqueria Nacional was more satisfying. The fish taco was solid, if not overly exciting, and the pork taco had the deep flavor that those at Federal lacked. The salsas are better here, as well.

Shared a "Jimmy" pizza here with my son last Saturday lunch - a meatball, cheese and tomato pie. The outside crust was very good but the middle of the pie was a soupy mess. The flavors were still good, and the meatballs were decent but nothing to write home about. I've been here three times now and they're batting .333, but I'll try again from time to time.

I asked the guy at the Dupont location shortly before the holidays (right after they reopened), and he said the Silver Spring location would open in about two months. The fire at the Dupont location definitely set the timeline back.

Maybe not so outrageous after all - according to their website their chef is, in fact, "Joe," original owner of Joe's Noodle House.

I don't know about new ownership, but the original chef left some time back to go to the Morrison Clark Inn, and in my opinion, Red Dog has declined since then. At its best, they put out very good pizzas, and I also greatly enjoyed their salads. Both have been disappointing in several recent visits.