Simon

I had a very good, but not faultless, Margherita Classica today. I agree with you, Don: definitely too much cheese, and I didn't care for the olive oil finish. It wasn't quite the perfect balance of fat, acidity, and crust (it also could have used more basil), but there's great potential here. Also, I'd observe that the serving platter was cold, thereby allowing the pizza to cool too quickly (can't the plates be kept under a heat lamp?). That being said, this was an excellent exemplar of the Neapolitan tradition (what a tasty crust, and deliciously wet but never soggy), and I'm happy to see them in Bethesda.

I ordered from the counter and then picked up my tray when they called out my name -- kind of like at Fuddruckers (or, at least, that's how it was when I went for the first and last time 14 years ago).

Chris, if you guys had table service inside, that'd be worth that last 10%. I'd love to have that lobster roll at Grapeseed. I'm definitely taking you up on the byo slaw offer if I come back.

I stopped by for lunch today. The fried belly clams were outstanding and immensely satisfying. I enjoyed the cold lobster roll a little less -- the mayo sauce isn't quite spot-on, and it was a little small for the price (there was less meat than in Choirgirl's photo). The quality of the lobster meat itself was excellent. I didn't care for the hot lobster roll, but that's just a matter of personal taste. The fries were good but not superlative. In general, I felt everything was about 10% over-priced, particularly given the bare-bones nature of the setting.

Same here (see upthread)

Last night, I asked the kitchen to cook me three courses, Chef's choice. I was greeted with a trio of starters: the panzanella was a light, refreshing salad topped with flavorful, but not overpowering, sardines. Il tonno (tuna tartare) was almost distinctive enough from other renditions to make me want to order it again. The burrata was rich and creamy, as one would expect (and perhaps a touch oversalted, but only just), well accompanied by roasted tomatoes and pesto. The spaghetti with crab and sea urchin, as others have written, is a delightfully complex dish: the sweetness of the crab, the richness and distinctive sea urchin flavor, and the chili spice all come together in a harmonious whole. But all that was to be expected: any self-respecting Italian kitchen should be able to turn out good antipasti and pasta. What was revelatory, however, was my main course: grilled turbot, with a "scafata" of artichokes and spinach. The turbot, meaty yet delicate, had a subtle smokiness that brought an additional layer of complexity to dish. The scafata, with a hint of spice, was the perfect accompaniment. It's the most satisfying main course I've ever had in an Italian restaurant. Almost everything about the cooking was perfectly judged, with real sophistication to its rusticity and a wonderful sense of balance in its flavors. What was most surprising was the subtle yet insistent use of spice in several of the dishes. Merely as a point of reference, the cooking here is both more complex and more consistent than at Galileo III. The service was warm and attentive, though perhaps not expert. I will return soon and next time save room for dessert.

1. I also had the soft shells with pork belly, dandelion greens, and citrus brown butter. I enjoyed the dish but thought the dandelion greens were much too bitter. I understand you want to cut through the richness of the dish, but it should be done without masking the sweetness of the crab. 2. I asked for the 2008 BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien by the glass (citing your precedent!) but was refused. Disappointing.

I'm in. A Tuesday should be ok.

Footnote to my earlier review upthread, a brief report from lunch on November 4: Gnocchi -- the gnocchi were cooked perfectly (delicate, creamy, not overly rich) but did not go with the tomato sauce. Ricotta and spinach agnolotti -- as good as ever. The service was not as polished during the lunch service. Tenative conclusions? The classic Donna dishes, like the agnolotti and raviolini del plin, are still wonderful and eminently rewarding, but newer dishes have not been thought through nearly as well. They often lack harmony and a certain rigor. The shortcomings of the kitchen are those of conception rather than execution. All that said, Galileo III puts out some of the best pasta dishes in town, and I hope Donna's brilliance will soon extend beyond his core classics.

I ate dinner at Galileo III twice last week -- Thursday at the bar, Saturday in the dining room. The restaurant seemed determined to put its best foot forward -- there's no margin for error here -- and there was also a real sense of good will from the diners (which also comes through in the comments here). They're glad Roberto is back and want the restaurant to do well. The service was gracious and mostly correct. With orders in before 6pm both nights, I had no problems with pacing, though I could see how orders could pile up later in the evening. The kitchen appeared slammed by 8pm on Thursday. The Food: Breads: The home-made grissini were irresistible. The other breads (not home-made, I believe) were also nice, particularly the olive bread. The herb spread was novel but didn't go well with the bread. I would have preferred a good olive oil. Starters Budino Di Parmigiano: Rich, certainly, but it's the truffle and porcini mushrooms that carry the dish, rather than the cheese pudding, which was one-note and didn't sustain my interest. Tonno Delle Isole: The tuna three ways, with the blood orange dressing, was bright, fresh and flavorful, but the fregola were cooked much too al dente for my taste. Capesante: The scallops were sweet and correctly seared. The black polenta had a nice complexity. Cotechino: The perfect starter. The pork sausage had real depth of flavor, and the stewed lentils and green sauce made it an earthy, complete dish. Special. Pasta Taglierini Neri All'Aragosta: I have to register a dissent. The black taglierini was subtle and delicately flavored, and the butter-poached lobster rich and sweet, but the two elements didn't work well together. The sauce didn't do the work it should have in uniting the pasta and the lobster. Less than the sum of its parts. Raviolini Del Plin: My favorite of the pasta dishes. The ravioli were ever so delicate, the three meat stuffing and veal jus light yet deeply flavorful. Agnolotti: Another resounding success. Again, the pasta was quite delicate, and perfectly set against a creamy, rich, but never overpowering mascarpone sauce. Ravioli Verde: Merely good, though the pasta and butter and sage sauce were undeniably classic and well-executed. Mezzelune: More about the tomato orange sauce than the crab stuffing, which was overpowered. Not my favorite. Pappardelle Al Cinghiale: A deeply satisfying, earthy dish. Fettucine All'Anatra: Like the pappardelle, less ambitious than some of the other pasta dishes, but again a unified and gratifying plate of pasta. Mains Aragosta and Calamari: Butter poached lobster, as in the taglierini. The stuffed squid was nice, the calamari contributing more texture than flavor. Dessert Gianduja Semi Freddo: The foam didn't add much, but the gianduja-flavored semi freddo was delicious nonetheless -- the chocolate, coffee, hazelnut, banana, and rum all in harmony. Zuppa di Gorgonzola: Not a successful dish. The saltiness and bite of the gorgonzola threw off the balance of the dish. Perhaps it could work with a less strong blue cheese. Overall, good, but not always great, cooking, with the pastas the clear stars of the menu. A solid beginning -- I look forward to greater ambition from the Laboratorio. This is the most idiomatic Italian kitchen in town today. Simon

I had this dish last night, and it was as described. I wonder, however, if the egg yolk defeats the aesthetic of the consomme, which should be about intensity through the crystalline clarity of flavors. The egg added a measure of richness and texture, yes, but was it at a certain cost?

Sigh. I'm being taken here on Sunday (no choice). What should I order?

I don't know about great, but C.F. Folk's BLT is pretty damn good.

Could anyone suggest a good source for pecan chips? Thanks!

Hello - Does anyone know where I can buy whole, packer-cut brisket, in the area? Thanks.

I had a rather mixed dinner Saturday night at the new Sushi-Ko location in Chevy Chase. The cooked dishes were generally good to excellent: I can only add to the praise given to the tempera-battered soft shell crab and the seared lobster tail, and the age tofu (in a lovely broth) and the ebi-su (a refreshing and reposed cold starter, a nice counterpart to the hot dishes) were quite fine. As expected. But, quite frankly, the quality of the sushi wasn't very good. We asked the chefs at the sushi bar what was fresh (and looked over the fish ourselves), and most of what we ordered, we were told, had come in today: yellow tail, sweet shrimp, Spanish mackerel, orange clam, uni, and flounder. (We didn't order the toro because it didn't look very good.) Aside from the uni (which, for 8.50 for two pieces, better have been good), the sushi lacked the sparkling clarity and depth of flavor of good, fresh fresh. The flavors were wan and muddled. I've had far superior fish from Tako Grill just up the road. For dessert, the panna cotta was excellent, the fried banana a bit uninspired and bland. As for the interior - a bit of a vulgar mess all-around. Late Manet meets a poor man's Nobu, and not in a good way. The sushi bar is positioned right in front of the entrance to the dining room from the bar, but it doesn't really create the sense of drama intended. The sushi bar probably should have been the center of the visual experience of the restaurant, much like an open kitchen, but it's weirdly off-kilter and at a relatively far remove from most the diners. But perhaps the biggest disappointment was the wine list. The Glover Park location has a fantastic Burgundy list, and I booked dinner here not realizing (as I should have) that the new location was just over the county line. What a difference a half a mile and the most obscene liquor laws in the region make! Understandably, building a list from scratch through MoCo is very difficult, to say the least, explaining the reliance on current vintages and less sought after producers, but still, very little of interest, and what's there is rather overpriced. I was told that Freddy Mugnier plans to send through some wine through the county, but that's a ways away. Rather unfortunate, but very little to be done, alas.

Don, Will Corduroy be open on the 27th? I thought they were closed on Sundays.

Meal report from last weekend: First time dining at Central. Bold, playful, inventive cooking familiar from Citronelle. Great fun, but the brash, over-the-top style works better in smaller bites than in the entrees. In larger portions, the richness of the cooking often becomes excessive and monolithic. The entrees sometimes lack the attention to detail that is the hallmark of Michel's cuisine. Starters: -Gougeres: Wonderful, of course. -Onion and lardon tart: The single most satisfying bite of food I have had in months. The richness of the bacon and the sweetness of the onions combine into something quite special. -Oysters on the half shell: Meaty, briny. Correct. -Duck rilletes and "faux gras" terrine: Genius. -Mushroom pearl pasta "risotto": Another of Michel's trompe d'oeil tricks. Too rich. We shared it as an appetizer, and one bite was enough. Main courses: -72 hour braised short rib (sous vide): An intriguing dish. Remarkably cooked to a perfect medium rare. Not as flavorful as your typical braised short rib dish, but it's not trying to be. Better to think of it as a steak alternative. Wonderfully tender, yet has more flavor and complexity than your typical filet. Tangy steak sauce gives it a nice kick. -Lamb shank with creamy polenta sauce: Fatty and rich. Too much so. -Scallops with tagliatelle: The scallops were nicely sauteed, but the tagliatelle -- the main component of the dish -- was simply too salty. Sent back. -Loup de mer: Best entree of the four. Meaty, with great depth of flavor. Desserts: -Chocolate mousse: Very good. Creamy and satisfying. -Banana split: Deconstructed. The sides of ice cream were actually more tasty than the banana/cream. -Kit-Kat Bar: Captures the sweetness and crunch of the original, while lifting it to an incredible level of refinement and richness. Wonderful. I'd be more than happy to go back -- and soon -- to sit at the bar and just order appetizers.

Apologies, Don, I can't attend at all -- I forgot I had a final exam that night!

I'd like to attend, too

Does anyone know where I could buy sorrel locally? I called my local Balducci's and Whole Foods, with no luck.

I don't know if anyone else caught the Season 1 v. Season 2 one-off (the top 4 from each season competed for charity and cooked for the judges & the new Season 3 cast), but apparently there are several "Marcel disciples" in the incoming cast. It was not at all surprising that Season 1 wiped the floor with Season 2. Also, funny story about Stephen Asprinio, the sommelier. A chef I know taught him in culinary school and said he was quite the character -- exactly the same as we see him on the show. He came into school with stages at places like Nobu and Daniel listed on his resume -- some impossibly impressive credentials for a twenty-something. When pressed, he admitted that he had only eaten at all those places! He was told to calm down and realize that he was a little fish at a place like Cornell (where, for example, the son of the Barclay's chairman had a suite in the hotel and ordered room service every day). At first, everyone else hated him for being pompous and arrogant but after while people realized that Stephen was just being Stephen and really came to like him. I have to say, he put in the most impressive showing in the Season 1 v. 2 showdown.

Waitman, Thanks for your kind words - and someday, indeed, we'll have to gun through Charles County in search of that perfect BBQ pairing. Simon

Hello. I'm the author of the blog post that Mark Slater linked to. And I absolutely agree that there's a happy medium between the industrial wines written up in the Post article and my "unbearably upscale" counter suggestions. My post was deliberately reactionary -- to bring out the big guns that would still pair well with barbecue in taste, if not necessarily in spirit. I'd probably prefer a beer or two with Charles County 'cue, myself. I just found it incredibly frustrating to see the Post's wine writers trotting out four seemingly arbitrary "factory wines," as someone called them, without any discussion of where they come from, how they're made, or how they relate to other wines. Of course, as Mark pointed out, they weren't that arbitrary after all. If I had been writing in a more temperate frame of mind, I probably would have suggested something like Tempier's Rose or Mordoree's Tavel Rose. Usually, my co-blogger Jeffrey and I try to stick to writing about wines $20/under. There definitely is a sweet spot to be found for the Post's audience of reasonably priced, artisanal wines, particularly given, as someone noted, DC's lax importation laws and quality retailers. But, again, it's frustrating to have these writers based in New York with little apparent knowledge of or curiosity about the DC market -- on their website, they ask distributors sending in samples to New York to document that these wines are available in DC stores, which puts the onus on the wrong party. It's not surprising that they ended up with three Constellation wines.