lmnop

http://www.levelsmallplateslounge.com/index.html It's small plates so they would have to be comfortable sharing or each of you could order a few plates of your own.

My husband's birthday is this weekend and we're spending our first night away from our son. I have reservations at the Monaco in Penn Quarter, and dinner reservations at Bibiana, but I'm now second-guessing Bibiana. Is this a good choice? I can't get a good feel reading through the thread, and the online menu isn't working. For some background: he loves Italian. Usually more Italian-American than anything else, but it's definitely his favorite type of food. I would like some type of romantic ambiance given that nights out are few and far between lately. I'm also a vegetarian while he is decidedly not. Some other special-occasion restaurants we have enjoyed are Vermilion, Ardeo, The Oval Room and Proof. I know it's late in the game, but are there better choices I'm overlooking?

We went for lunch on Saturday and sat at a table in the bar area. Remembering your post, I asked if I could sub the chowder for a side salad (lunch deal) and was told that they couldn't do it. Since I didn't want the chowder, we asked if my husband could have both cups (he also ordered the lunch RW special) and we were also told no. I ended up paying for a side of fries (2.50). I should have just taken the cup of chowder and given it to my husband, but I was a little surprised when they wouldn't let him have mine. Kind of put a bad taste in my mouth. Luckily the lobster roll was delicious. My husband grew up in Maine and Massachusetts and said the lobster roll was pretty authentic, so he was happy although still hungry after his meal.

I haven't yet been to Taste, but I've heard it can get very loud because of many tables in a small space. Also, keep meaning to get to Al Sospiro. Ricciuti's in Olney might work. They have some small plates and it's usually pretty quiet in there. Upstairs tends to be a little more quiet than the downstairs room next to the bar.

I've enjoyed the coconut cake at Sea Pearl.

I just bought the Geshmak half-sours at the Gaithersburg Costco yesterday if that's more convenient for you.

Volt? I haven't been yet for brunch, but I know people who have enjoyed it.

Same here. I'm assuming that's what the chatter meant too. I'm pescatarian and usually love fish and seafood, but now the smell completely turns my stomach and I can't even look at it when my husband eats it. He had calamari one night and I had to leave the table. I also usually love the smell when my husband cooks on the grill, but now it smells horrible to me. Thank goodness week 13 is next week! Fingers crossed I'll be able to to eat in restaurants again soon!

I've seen it freshly squeezed at the Wegmans in Sterling. Not sure about other locations or whether they always have it.

Sea Pearl is a consistently enjoyable experience for us, although we do tend to order almost the same thing every time we go. My husband loves the preparation of their mussel appetizer and I could eat the broth with a spoon. I usually stick with the sea bass and my husband really likes the baked Alaskan cod. Service is always gracious and helpful and it's a visually pleasing space to dine.There seems to be some sort of private party almost every time we go. Sea Pearl and Passionfish are our two "destination spots" in Virginia.

We went for dinner last night. Right off the bat I liked that most of the two-tops are high-tops (is that the right word?) on the outskirts of the room by the windows. Much more comfortable and private than two-tops squeezed together along bench seating. When we arrived there were only a few tables seated, but the bar in the middle of the room was almost full. As more tables filled up, the room got progressively noisier but not unbearably loud. Service began a little bit slow but I appreciated that our server had been notified of my allergies (I made a note on our OpenTable reservation request), and apparently had already had a conversation with the kitchen about menu items that contained allergens. She answered a few of our questions about the menu but left without taking our drink order. A few minutes later she came back to take our order and we asked for a recommendation for wine by the glass based on our individual preferences. The wine arrived a few minutes later and while her recommendations were excellent, the (white) wine was pretty warm. She was apologetic and took my husband's glass back to the bar. I opted to keep mine because it had been a long day and I really wanted that glass of wine! It took about 10 minutes for the wine to be chilled and although my husband was eying my glass thirstily, he was glad when his wine finally arrived chilled to his satisfaction. Our appetizers arrived: a mixed green salad ($7) for me which was presented with 2 pieces of cucumber cut lengthwise wrapped around the mound of salad. Everything seemed fresh but I don't think it was tossed as well as it could have been. I hate when salads are overdressed, but I couldn't taste any dressing on about half of the salad. My husband had ordered the moules frites ($18) which was listed as an entree, as his appetizer. There was a choice of three preparations and he chose the white wine, garlic & tomato version. The broth was light and tasty, but the mussels were overcooked. We really enjoyed the frites with ketchup made in-house. Our entrees were pan seared diver scallops with fennel and leek risotto and potato gaufrete ($28) for me and bone-in duroc pork chop with vanilla bean shallot reduction and pommes gratin ($28) for him. Mine consisted of 3 huge nicely seared scallops over a pile of the risotto with the gaufrete perched on top of the scallops. The risotto was creamy but not overly so with a nice al dente bite. However, I couldn't detect much fennel or leek. The gaufrete was almost impossible to cut, and I was left wondering if I was supposed to leave it as a garnish although I eventually conquered it. My husband was pleased with his entree, and his potatoes were delicious--decadent without being overly rich. Portions were a bit on the smaller side, which is not necessarily a bad thing. We shared the chocolate mousse ($8) for dessert which was light and creamy and a nice end to the meal. With tax and tip we spent about $150, with 2 glasses of wine each. We would return, but would probably give it a few months to settle in before doing so. Right now, for the same amount of money, we felt like The Tasting Room is the better option for "finer dining" in Frederick but we're glad that we tried Shab Row.

Rehoboth We also love Lupo di Mare. We eat there almost every time we're at the beach. Last weekend we decided to check out a few places in Lewes for the first time and really enjoyed Kindle and Fish On. Fish On is owned by the same group that owns Lupo di Mare. It was definitely worth the short drive to Lewes from Rehoboth. My husband loves mussels and orders them nearly everywhere we go and their version was especially enjoyable due to the spicy broth. I tried the steamed shrimp and scallop dumplings and while the flavor was good, I found the wrappers to be a bit limp and slimy for my taste. I had a crab pasta special for my main and my husband had the night's biggest winner with the pan roasted salmon. It has a sherry maple glaze that seemed like it would be too sweet, but it wasn't at all and the salmon was perfectly cooked. I would definitely order that the next time we're there.

I haven't eaten there yet. I noticed it a few days ago on OpenTable. I showed the menu to my husband who said he would rather go to the Tasting Room for the $$ but I'm sure I can convince him to check it out for a glass of wine and a snack at the bar. I will report back if/when we go.

http://www.shabrowwine.com/

That idea does make sense, and it sounds like that could work for schools lucky enough to have room parents. I think the problem with schools providing birthday treats is that schools aren't allowed to spend county, state or federal money on things that don't have a direct educational impact and birthday snacks don't fall into that category. I'm sure some principals out there have done it in the past and gotten away with it, but lots of principals are extreme sticklers for the rules. If the onus was put on schools to provide the snacks, who would pay for them? Good luck trying to convince the county to add that to their budget I'm glad to hear that the school wouldn't be liable unless a teacher committed gross negligence, but that also usually means that the teacher is put on unpaid administrative leave while the case is investigated. This is all, of course, worst case scenario, but it would just be a horrible situation to be in all around.