TomA

Claudio has done a lot of things right lately at Bebo, simplication and execution are paying off and the current servers are gracious and helpful.. one thing, we have always been able to tip on our AMEX card, so I find that mystifying, I do know that at times there have been card processing issues, but for us this was many, many months ago. The other night, our orachiette with sausage and broccoli rabe was outstanding as was our artichoke pizza (these artichokes were fine -- I really don't always like the marinated kind anyway)...the crust was incredible...and I agrre with the other poster that the salt contant of the pizza crust has come down a few notches....I talked with the one of the chefs from M&S down the street (and a former colleague of Jamie Stakowski) who was in the Bebo bar on break and he thinks very highly of what Claudio has been doing.

We have had some pretty solid pies the past few weeks at Bebo..it looks like they have a new pizza maker; at first his pies were a bit underdone compared to the previous guy, but lately they have been close to perfect. Also had the Rainbow Trout, which was very fresh and nicely executed, and a few decent pasta dishes, as well as the very good Bebo burger. Arturo is indeed a fine waiter, and while we always eat at the bar, service seems to be a bit "warmer" of late. Hopefully this will continue. The menu has been simplified, but if the execution continues to be consistent, this is not a problem.

Overwood's previously solid Sunday Brunch has gone way downhill...the house smoked salmon was actually unsmoked salmon soup! It was watery glop and perhaps unsafe to boot. Their "Mediterrean" salad is currently all mixed together into one large pile of slop...no more rich egg strata, just watery scrambled eggs...french toast is now very dry...and the previously great service is now fairly glum. This is a drastic, not creeping, drop in quality that is very disconcerting for a place that did not have that far to drop in the first place!

We went to Bebo today for a quick lunch...the pizza with ham, ricotta, mozz and tomato sauce was very good as usual, not the best we have had here but right up there....I varied from pasta for the first time in months and was pleasantly surprised by the grilled Salmon with fennel salad...very fresh piece of fish cooked perfectly and a nice light accompaniment. prices are creeping but with 20% off for rewards network a good value lunch for $38 for two. Service at the bar was very good today at 11:30..time-of-day may be important..the place was doing a good lunch business when we left at 12:15. I agree with Don, Bebo can deliver the goods for simple, honest Italian cooking..I wish others on this board had better luck with the service because that can color an experience to say the least.

As imperfect as the "old" Indigo Landing was as nouveau Low Country, the early reports sound horrible of the "new"....a return to the bad old days of Potomack Landing...we had some decent meals at the old Indigo landing, nothing spectaular, but coupled with the view, a nice overall experience. My bigggest complaint was the price/quality ratio..often decent entrees were in the high $20 range....the new place just sounds dreadful

Very nice lunch at Bebo today at the bar....the pizza with arugula was as good as most of the best pies we have had here...the crust was lighter and "airier" than usual but still crisp..maybe the best tasting crust we have had, in fact. The toppings were applied with care and there was no "wetness". The orchiette with shrimp and spicy tomato sauce was exceptional this week..many more shrimp than the last time we had it several weeks ago, when it was still very tasty. The portion size was quite generous and and excellent split for two persons. Service at the bar was better than average...Our Saturday lunch experience at Bebo these days has been very good, the staff is not overstressed and you can have a very relaxed casual lunch. IMHO...best pizza of its style in NOVA right now and we have had many, many pies with only one misstep.

The burger is a "real sleeper"..maybe not Central or Palena level but at $9.99 with parmesan fries and home ketshup it is a great value...It is juicy, on a good-to-great roll, and is distinctively seasoned. Hopefully more people will try it.

Mac and Cheese that comes with the Roast chicken breast at Farrah Olivia is first rate..it is on the brunch menu

Back to Bebo for lunch today and the pizza was back to its superb self...had the rolled ham with ricotta pie and it was perfect in every way..we also had the simple and very fresh tasting shrimp with orachiette (SP?) pasta...the shrimp pieces were very tasty, the pasta perfectly done, and the spicy tomato sauce excellent..a simple and well-executed trattoria dish. A new waitress, Zana, has added energy to the service staff. Yesterday was indeed an aberation for the pizza oven. Bebo is putting out some of the best pies in the DC area and the best pie (IMHO) in NOVA. The new chef Claudio is transitioning nicely from Amy.

Mixed lunch review....the good (or great): tried the Bebo hamburger (12oz) for the first time...fantastic...cooked medium rare as requested and seasoned like what you might find in a Turkish or Lebanese ground meat mixture..served on a great crusty ciabata (Sp) roll with a side of good parmesan fries..great deal for $9.95 and truly a distinctive burger..also had the endive/arugula salad with the spinach fritta which was very good. Now the bad...for whatever reason, the pizza oven was not up to temperature today..our olive and eggplant pie was not cooked to the point where the crust had risen to appex, and is both crispy/crackly and chewy...no blister marks and the underside was not done...I could sense that the oven was not up to its usual heat level (more cooking would not have solved the problem)..other pies I observed coming out also looked like they had the same problem..this past Saturday at lunch, we had two excellent pies with the requisit crispy/chewy crust and blistering..hopefully this was a one-time logistical thing with the oven..the sauce and toppings remain first rate, however and service was fine.

Our meals the past month have been very good to outstanding..the pizza has been the star, but mussels have been very good as well as the veal ravioli with sage butter...Chef Donna informed us that a new pasta "maker" (human) from Italy is now on his staff. I think the new menu is more focused than the past format; it now changes daily for both lunch and dinner. We were there last Friday evening and the place was full and they seem to do a solid lunch trade. BTW...most tourists to CC don't make it past 23rd St RR. or Legal seafoods/Chili's. but I am sure that Spring aleays brings and uptick for Bebo and Jaleo, who do get "spillover" business.

Wife and I had a fine meal at Bebo last night..the place was packed as we have ever seen it...service at the bar was topnotch...great steamed mussels, nice pizza marinara and a very good Veal Milanese....RD was manning the oven...the crust coming out of this oven now is amongst the best in the area IMHO. Considering the crowds, things looked like they were running smoothly.

Thanks Don...I get concerned when I hear "death rattle" in a post here...My impression is that Bebo may not be drawing the crowds it did after opening, but that the quality of food and pizza has reached a good level of consistency tha past three months..and the service is atl east competent now (aside from the experience of danfishe). We have always liked the place and been treated very well by Chef Donna and the staff.

Chef update from Bebo..."Our new Chef is Claudio. He and Roberto have been friends for years. They went to school together and they used to work together at Galileo..."

Hopefully this doesn't indicate trouble, but who knows?

I just called Bebo..they are no longer opened on Sundays..cost cutting?

yes..forgot all about that..one of the best versions I have had anywhere..the alligator chowder is also good. Shrimp/crawfish beignets are a must appetizer.

Went to this old standby last night for Mardi Gras..indeed the crawfish ettoufee is still very good here (not NOLA good, but certainly NOVA good!)...solid crabcakes and fine drinks...Hurricanes, Bourbon Fizz and Mint Julip. A good neighborhood feel to this place..I have been going since the 80's and the quality has been reasonably consistent through the years for this kind of fare. Their Death by Gumbo can, on a good day, be a reasonable facsimile in these parts for cajun food. Also note. on Monday nights .... $29.95 for two entrees (six choices) and a bottle of House wine.

We also went last night to the bar...better than usual service with excellent spacing between courses....great as usual pizza marinara and excellent Gnocci with eggplant, smoked mozz and tomato sauce (huge portion at $19.95 which we split easily).

After all the gnashing of teeth about Bebo (some of it perhaps deservedly) on this and other forums, they seem to be finally settling in nicely "under the radar"; RD was not their Friday night when we dined and every aspect was very good to excellent, from the escarole/veal meatball soup to the veal stew on polenta and pizza marinara (could have used anothe minute in the oven, but otherwise excellent). The key is the comfort food items, which they are doing very well at lately. No better pasta or pizza in NOVA, also, right now.

I agree with Don. living in Crystal City makes you appreciate this place more and more, especially once you become a regular or semi-regular. The pizzas have been better than ever the past few months, once the winter formula has kicked in. They are no longer given excess doses of olive oil as they has earlier this fall a few times..also we always get them precut by the bartender. The spaghetti pomodoro is the best plate of plain ole' pasta in town, also. Also don't forget the pizza marinara for the lighter side...it seems that service, while still quirky, is settling in a bit.

My wife and I lunched at Domaso yesterday....concur with the last post, the Gnocchetti were excellent and very light, the Ravioletti were very good in themselves and the sauce was first rate, however the shellfish, as they are want to do in this type of dish, were a bit overcooked and limp, except for the excellent shrimp..I would delete the shellfish (unless they were kept in the shell), add more Ravioletti and shrimp, and this would be a great classic seafood pasta. Bread was really good, in the that warm, soft sort of way..and the apple pie desert was not two sweet and very flavorful. All in all, this place has promise and is great addition to Rosslyn...the lunch paninis that came out also looked incredible

More spectacular pizza from Bebo at lunch today...we had two Marinaras, one with basil and olives..again. perfect crust and vivid sauce...no wetness..one of the secrets we have learned is to always get the pie precut before serving...also Chef Donna informed us that the change in seasons had required a reformulation in the dough...the results the past two weeks bear this out...perfect cooking also..blistering without too much char and that crispy, yet chewy texture. Service at the bar was fine, although we were there off peak :(1:30PM).

Piizza Perfection at Bebo!! My wife at a leisurely lunch this Saturday at the Bebo bar..after a few less than perfect pizzas our last visit (a bit wet in the middle due to excess olive oil and sauce but stiill very tasty), we got two pies...an olive and eggplant and marinara with pancetta...these were a perfect balance of sauce, a little oil and cheese (on the eggplant and olive)...the toppings and sauce were vivid as usual but there was no wetness and the crust was perfecly blistered, crisp and chewy. These may have been the first 10.0 pies we have had at Bebo and when they are perfect, they may be the best in the area. We also had a perfectly nice salad of endive, frittata andf arugala to start...service was excellent (place was not busy, however).. if Bebo's pizza makers can avoid over saucing and "oiling", there product can be incredible. generally. I find Bebo, warts and all, to be quite good for the money and an asset to the NOVA scene. Even when they misstep. you are not going to drop alot of $$ at Bebo, and when they do hit it out of the park, it really is a great value (just check Sietsma's review of the new Italian place in Reston as comparison).

Had an interesting (and positive) experience at the Bebo bar two Sundays ago...my wife and I stopped by the bar at about 1:30 to get a pizza and some pasta...evidently, the bar was rented out to a party for the Redskins/Eagles and Giants/Dallas gamewatch (no soccer today!). The bartender let us sit anyway and order several pizzas (which were fine, a bit wet from excess olive oil applied , but otherwise very good). We were then given a nice bar snack "on the house" as well as the "loaded" cider which the party was imbiding in...he finished us off, literally and figuratively, with two shots of rum! Bebo gets some deserved and oftne undeserved scrutiny on this and other boards, but our experience as semi-regulars has always been positive.....again, for the $$, Bebo can be excellent if you go to the bar and relax! Don't be in a hurry and perhaps don't have expectations of disaster or perfection and you can have a pretty good to outstanding meal.