Jeff Heineman

Going to be expecting a haka next time I come in for dinner.

I do the 1987 All Blacks version, Don't do it often. Hell on the hips and back

 The Spinach Artichoke dip and burger always hit the spot.

That with a 20% tip will set you back $40. I have a hard time with that.

Thanks, Don.

While it is nice to read about yourself, the first time you see "(1965-)" you feel a bit different

In order to make Good Friday a Great Friday I have worked up a nice meat free menu and paired it with some Phenomenal wines from the Spire Collection. AND the wines, most not normally offered by the glass, will be half price. Basically you can get a taste of each of the four wines for 18.50 when a glass of the Mt Brave cab would be $26 alone!

Oh, and we are open for brunch on Easter.

Menu

"‹

Not many people wanted Spanish Tapas, so,  Let's try Brazil. Friday 6-9 . $45

Brazil 2016 Menu

Paulista Cocktail

A Taste of Oranges and blueberries muddled with cachaí§a, over crushed ice and Topped with Port.

Acaraje

Black-eyed Pea Cake stuffed with Shrimp. Topped with vatapí¡

Moqueca

The traditional Capixabas Seafood Stew with Shrimp, Fish and Coriander

Tambaqui Ribs

Grilled Tambaqui Fish, Sweet Chile Sauce, Purple Potato

Feijoada

Traditional Black Bean and Assorted Meats, Rice, Farofa

Assorted Brigadieros

Delicious Sweets with Various Fillings

All served with freshly baked Pao de Queijo

FWIW, now that restaurant weeks and V-Day are behind us, i can do things on Friday nights again. So...

Assorted Pinxtos $8

Salt Cod w/ black olive, Onion & Gruyere Croquette, Spicy Mussel

Tapas

Endive, Apples, Walnuts,  Honey, lime and Thyme Vinaigrette $8

House Cured Ossabaw Ham, Guava $8

Beef Tartare, Pimenton Aioli  $8

Tortilla Espanol $8

Beets, Sumac, Cheese, Pistachio Vinaigrette $8

Grilled Octopus with Paprika  $8

Mussels and Ham in Chile Sauce $8

Garlic Soup, Soft Egg  $10

Platos

Grilled Duck, Radishes, Banyuls Sauce  $20

Fideos with Chorizo and Clams  $20

Dessert

Cinnamon Churos, Chocolate Sauce  $8

I will be running this same menu this Friday and Saturday, as well. 

The Pinots we ran with last week which change, and will change included:

Lake Chalice, Angeline, Forefront, Nuedorf, Wildaire, Chandon and Cambria. So we are using pretty good stuff for only $5 a taste.

Each dish is $10, get all 5 for $40. I will have a Pinot Paired up that will be $5 each, so make up your own tasting menu:

Pork and Pinot

Pork Belly, Kimchi, Korean BBQ

Pork tenderloin, Pulled Pork Bread Pudding, Cleveland Sauce

Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

Buccatelli Carbonara, With Pancetta

Milk Braised Pork Shoulder, Gnocchi, Thyme

 Reservations are nice.  301.986-9592

I am restarting our Friday dinners and adding Saturdays while the food lasts.

this and next week I am doing Pork-y Goodness

Each dish is $10, get all 5 for $40. I will have a Pinot Paired up that will be $5 each, so make up your own tasting menu:

Pork and Pinot

Pork Belly, Kimchi, Korean BBQ

Pork tenderloin, Pulled Pork Bread Pudding, Cleveland Sauce

Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

Buccatelli Carbonara, With Pancetta

Milk Braised Pork Shoulder, Gnocchi, Thyme

 Reservations are nice.  301.986-9592

I have enjoyed our Friday dinners. I like to cook the food. This week I will go ahead and rework a Seafood dinner without all the pesky Sardines and Octopus that kept people away last time. $45 for 4 courses, a bit of a steal. As always it goes from 6-9 on Friday. I take the leftover seafood home as a treat for my kids on Sunday, so it won't be around Saturday. 301-986-9592 for resos.

We will have Eric Platt of Pacific Prime Wines pouring New Zealand wines if you want the pairings for $17.

le menu:

Scallops Ceviche, Pineapple, Spicy Peruvian Yellow Pepper

Sesame Tuna Tataki, Wakame Salad, Macadamia Nuts

Royal Sea Bass, Tender Broccoli, Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce

Pan Roasted Black Cod, Miso, Maryland Crab Fried Rice

The only thing left is a few Lobster bodies.

It seems France won. So We will restart these dinners in January with France vs. Maryland/Virginia. Should be fun.

My last Friday Fall thing will be a BBQ here starting at Noon on Black Friday. A la carte or AYCE, plus stuff off the regular menu. See you Friday.

We will also have a wide assortment of our regular dishes available

Appetizers:

Fried Oysters, Fricassee, Gnocchi, Grilled Broccoli, Mussels and Pork Belly

Entrees:

Rockfish, Steaks, Filet, Scallops, Crab Cakes

And all of our Delicious Desserts

i had thought about that. The Maryland thing. they will be included even if it has to be a three way battle!

Will you be in to vote in this prelim???

YESS

I think the winner vs. Virginia is a Fantastic Idea. I will do that and give you full credit for the idea.

here we are. France v. California Wine Throwdown on Friday.

Nothing weird. No small, bony fish, no cephalopods.

Scallops, Duck, Lamb and a bit of Lobster.

 if you say you don't like Merlot, you should try some of the Merlots they are making now. They have changed a lot.

Reserve anytime 6-9, it is NOT a formal wine dinner, rather a menu that anyone may partake of from 6-9

Please mention this dinner when reserving. And yes, it is all only 55 bucks

Reserve Friday anytime from 6-9

France vs. California

Wine Throwdown

Wild Mushroom Hazelnut Crostini

Franco-American Cider Cocktail

Scallops, Lobster Mashed Potatoes, Pine Nuts & Lemon

Brown Butter Vinaigrette

Two Chardonnays-

Chanson Bougogne (France) and Two Sisters (California)

Duck Cooked in Riesling, Lardons, Roasted Potatoes

Two Rieslings

Willm Cuvee Emile (France) and Chateau Montelena (California)

Duo of Lamb-

Grilled Chop and Shepherd's Pie, Turnip, Local Mushrooms

Two Merlots

Chateau Lyonnat (France) and Celani Family Siglo (California)

4 Courses 1 Cocktail  6 Wines all for"¦

$55

11/20 France vs California Wine Throwdown

11/27 BBQ returns!!!

I am doing the Shrimp as an entree, and the oysters are $2.50 a piece. They are good size oysters, bigger than you would want to gulp raw.but it is a grilled dish anyways, Think Drago's in New Orleans.

I have plenty of portions. the menu didn't sell as great as i had hoped.

Honestly and unfortunately, if you put Sardines and Octopus on a tasting menu you lose a number of potential customers. People around here seem to only want Sea Bass and Rockfish and Wild Salmon and aren't too willing to explore foods that have more interest than just their blatant uniformity,  I could have written a menu with  Shrimp, scallop and a 2x2 square of Sea Bass, Halibut, and Salmon, and it would have been a damn lot more boring. And it would have been more than $50 for 5 courses. $10 a course kind of means you have to cost average and get some Sardines in there,, Those fuckers are $6.50 a pounds whole too, and you get 25% meat off of them if you are lucky. The damn Octopus is used to cost average down, too. 20 pounds of that shit at 7 bucks a pound turns into about 3/4 of a gallon on cooked product, too.. And people should eat more sardines, octopus and Mackeral, and the like. They taste good. if you don't like them, maybe the last person who cooked them for you messed them up.

It is strange that as i was cleaning them, my African and Central American employees all stopped next to me and we talked about how these fish are important to their culture, and how they used to cook them with their families at home. Then I get first world people who don't want a 5 course seafood tasting menu for 50 bucks and order the shrimp app and a rockfish for their meal. First world issues.

Sorry, it gets aggravating. I am going to take my sardines and go home.

Seafood was Delightful, thanks to all that came.

The Good News for anyone who couldn't make it the Char Grilled Oysters and the Big old Nigerian Shrimp will be available Tonight! Since those things come in Big Cases.

Here is this week's Seafood menu. Please mention it when you reserve, I sold out of 48 portions of Goat so I am thinking this might go quickly.

Friday's in the Fall  Dinner Series

Seafood

Sardine Escabeche, Pine Nuts, Raisins

Oyster Grilled with Pecorino Cheese

Octopus, Grilled with Pork Belly

Head on Shrimp, Shrimp Fried Rice

Scallop a la Grapeseed Filet

$50

Drink Pairings Additional $20

11/13  Seafood

11/20 France vs California Wine Throwdown

11/27 BBQ returns!!!

That was some really tasty lamb Friday night, every course a winner.  Sadly the only chance I had to do one of these dinners, but you're missing out if you don't go.

Glad you enjoyed it. these are fun to cook.

Next up ...GOAT.

Really nice tour of Mexican, Texan, Indian and Italian takes on goat here, and a dessert to round it out. Just $40. drink Pairings are $20

Jaliscan Birria Stew

Grilled Barbacoa, Camp Bread

Indian Goat Korma, Pappadam

Moist roasted goat, Pasta, Carrots and Potatoes

Goat cheesecake, Roasted Berries

Well the first two Friday Dinners have been popular. We have made some changes to keep up, on the reservation side, production side and service side. So we should be spot on for Lamb. After this is Goat, then seafood, then a California vs. France wine battle and BBQ the day after Thanksgiving. then a break.

Friday's in the Fall  Dinner Series

Lamb

Friday 10/30  - Accepting Reservations from 6-9 pm

A little BLT

Honey and Coffee Glazed Lamb Lollipops

Greek Style, Slow Cooked Shoulder, Orzo

Braised Neck, Parmigiano Polenta

Moroccan Tagine, Preserved Lemons

$40

Drink Pairings Additional

Good to see some smiling DR.com faces here Friday Night. Thanks for bearing with us as we figure out the five course dinner system and deal with fragile servers no showing at the same time.

 I have the Pork Menu done. here it is:

Friday's in the Fall  Dinner Series

Pig

Friday 10/23  - Accepting Reservations from 6-9 pm

Pig Candy and Snacks

Charcuterie Plate

Smoked Ribs and Belly

Gnocchi with Milk Braised Shanks

Porchetta, Salsa Verde, Warm Potato Salad

$40

Drink Pairings Additional

10/16  Duck - too late!

10/23  Pig

10/30  Lamb

11/6  Goat

11/13  Seafood

Duck Tongues, Too

I am cooking up some Whole Animal Dinners for each of the next 5 Fridays. They will be 4 or 5 courses for $40 with drink pairings extra. If enough DR types were to make up a table for any dinner I will do an extra course for you all. We are taking reservations for any time from 6-9 on these Fridays for this spectacular. We will start with Duck.

Whole Animal Dinner Series

Duck

Friday 10/16  - Accepting Reservations from 6-9 pm

Duck Canape

Liver Crostini

Neck Stuffed with House made Sausage, Lentils du Puy

Braised Leg Ravioli, Foie Gras

Roast Breast, Sour Cherries, Chard

$40

Drink Pairings Additional

10/16  Duck

10/23  Pig

10/30  Lamb

11/6  Goat

11/13  Seafood

Stopped by for an impromptu Date Night with my wife last night.

The place has been redone numerous times over the years and i don't think any of the iterations have changed the layout since one of them moved the little bar from up front to the middle section. The space remains interesting since there is not much up front, and you walk through the skinny little Bar/bathroom area to the bulk of the restaurant is out back. These downtown Frederick restaurants tend to be deeper than you think. I didn't know they even had a patio.

Thursday turns out to be Taco Night ($3 tacos, Margaritas and Coronas) as is Tuesday. they say it is inspired by a trip to Peru and most items are Peruvian to a pretty large extent. They offer freshly made Choclo, quit nice.  We started with two Pisco drinks and a trio of dips served with tortilla and yucca chips. The dips are not going to change anyone's life, but are a pleasant diversion while enjoying the cocktails. The Causa with crab was beautifully plated and had nice clean flavors, maybe a bit too much purple potato but a well thought out and carefully assembled dish. We finally had an assortment of tacos. again, all thoughtfully plated in their metal carriers. A mix of really good to ok, but overall a lot of quality for $3. We really liked the Lengua, Veg Chaufa and the kung pao; Fish and Chicken Aji were ok, and Pork and Chorizo should be reworked. there is better chorizo out there.

My wife got a real nice margarita that the bartender gladly turned into a spicy one with Jalapenos after we found out those should have been offered to us. The server said he didn't know they did spicy until he saw it too. The service was just fine but not too quick (as the server warned). I worry about that since the joint was essentially empty. $78 with tax and tip. quite a steal for all this

This could be a nice addition to our Frederick dining scene if the keep up their obvious efforts to put out quality. the operators always seem focused on quality at their other places, so I hope this is no exception.

Brisket just went into the smoker so, the BBQ is on. Ribs start in the a.m., chicken etc, too.

If you need a last minute reservation call me at the restaurant ( I spend the night to tend the smoke) 301-986-9592

Or walk in anytime between 12 and 7 tomorrow. see you then.

it should be pretty easy to say "hi" since the brisket, ribs and sausage are served on the chef's counter right next to where I will be standing!