schulju

A group of five of us had brunch at the Stanford Grill this past Sunday, sister restaurant to the Copper Canyon Grill in Gaithersburg. I really like the space, it feels very open with lots of long sight lines and modern furnishings. There was a piano and base duo between the hostess stand and bar, but the space is small enough that the music could be heard throughout the restaurant. It may have been a bit overwhelming if you were eating at the bar, but in no way impeded our table conversation from the other side of the restaurant. They seemed a bit slow this Saturday, compared to previous weekends where I couldn't even get a reservation. We arrived at 1pm (brunch here ends at 2pm) and the restaurant was about 1/3 filled. The menu is typical brunch/lunch fare which attempts to appeal to the masses. The ubiquitous chicken and waffle that seems to be a required menu item in DC these days in included. But the menu attempts bits of originality here and there with buckwheat pancakes and brunch sliders (a trio of bennie, bacon, egg& cheese and bbq sliders served on brioche buns). Everyone in our group tried something different. The standout, frankly were the sweet potato french fries that were served alongside most of the egg-centric dishes. Shoestring and crispy outside, creamy inside. Absolutely the best rendition of a sweet potato fry that I've ever had. I ordered the brunch sliders which were probably better in concept than execution. I found the buns overwhelmed whatever was served in them. I gave one of the trio to my husband, ate half of one of the others and most of the fries that came piled on my plate and I was over-full. Also making an appearance were the aforementioned buckwheat pancakes, which didn't garner any rave reviews; the breakfast burrito, which was huge and seemed to be enjoyed; traditional eggs Benedict and a spinach omelet. Walking away impressions were that the food is all at least "good" if not excellent. The service was good. The space very nice. Given MoCo doesn't have the greatest selection of lunch locations I'm sure this will make it into our rotation again. Although I expect it will happen the next time that neither Sugo nor Founding Farmers can accommodate our reservation.

Heading to Alborz for lunch today. Don't see a thread on it yet, will start one later today if lunch is as good as I was promised!

Really enjoyed my first visit to Osteria Morini last night. Met a very old friend from college days that I hadn't seen in 25 years...he cried, I cried...I think even the hostess cried. Once we stopped making a scene in their entry way (it was before 5pm so there really wasn't anyone else in the restaurant yet), we were quickly shown to our table. The room isn't that large, but even though we were at a 2-top, I never felt crowded and I didn't feel like I had to raise my voice to speak to my dinner companion. We enjoyed amazing service, our waiter was engaging and all of his recommendations were spot on. Glasses were never empty, dirty plates never sat on the table and we never once had to "look" for him. The food was all good to very good. We shared 4 courses including the house-made burrata, which at $16 seems expensive, but is worth every penny. This was a very generous plate and it was absolutely the BEST burrata I have ever had. Not served in a ball..so there's none of the too hard on the outside, too wet on the inside. This plate was the perfect consistency for spreading on the good (not great) bread that accompanied it. Really a lovely dish. Next we shared one of the $10 pasta specials,the Cappeletti, which are ravioli filled with a truffled ricotta. These were good, but a bit under seasoned. They are also very rich, definitely a plate to be shared. We also shared the duck breast which was AMAZING. I don't know that I've ever had a more tender plate of duck in my life. The duck is served with a side of spaetzle mixed with mushrooms and spinach. I didn't really try the side as I was pretty full at that point. We shared the Tortino for dessert which was delicious, but I'm happy I had someone to split it with. This is a warm chocolate cake filled with liquid ganache and served with gelato. If you're a chocolate lover, you will love this dish. All of this amazing food, plus three beers and two cocktails came in at under $140 before tip. The Monday pricing definitely helped keep our bill reasonable, but I didn't think any of the prices on the menu were out of line for DC and the quality of the food and service. I am looking forward to my next visit to the little gem!

Matzo Balls??

I don't know which CAVA you visited. If in/near MoCo, did you consider SUGO? Everything you asked for is available at SUGO in the same bottomless format. SUGO is a go-to of ours for Sunday brunch. I've never had a guest leave their brunch dissatisfied. (Unless you count dissatisfied with themselves for over-indulging!)

Heading to Frederick for dinner with friends in two weeks. We head up there a couple times a year to meet with another couple as it's pretty much half way from both our houses. We usually eat at Family Meal, but are looking to try something different. Still want that casual vibe and mid-priced menu. Right now, Tasting Room and Monocacy Crossing are both on the target list. Can anyone make any additional recommendations or suggest which of these might be more appealing? --- The Wine Kitchen (dinoue) South Market Sandwich Co. (lion)

We've been watching the windows with baited breath...we've been told "when the paper comes down, we're open".

The proliferation of beignet-everything... (Cafe Du Monde excepted, of course!)

Second visit to Unum last night for the last evening of Summer Restaurant Week. Unum's rendition of Restaurant Week included one appetizer, two 'small plate entrees' and dessert or cheese course. I ordered the beet salad which was quite nice, but could have used a touch more acid. We also had two heirloom tomato salads and a soft-shelled crab. Every plate that comes out of that kitchen is a piece of art. While composition doesn't make up for bad food, it certainly enhances food that is already tasty. For "mains" we tried a bunch of dishes including the crab cake, hanger steak, short rib pasta and goat cheese raviolini. The short rib pasta was a favorite as was the crab cake. The real star of the show however was a side of truffle mac n cheese that was so decadent and delicious. I love when restaurants use the RW promotion to highlight what their kitchen is capable of and instill a desire to return soon. This small, unassuming restaurant is turning out some really great food at a reasonable price point given the neighborhood. Check this little gem of a restaurant out next time you're in Georgetown, you won't be disappointed.

The Hamtrak thing has been killing me for years!!!

Unrelated, but what the heck is a "Hamtrak"? (shows up in the thread at the top of the restaurant forum)

Another vote for ensuring there is better location info at the top of the various restaurant threads; I often wind up having to go out to google to search the restaurant to figure out if it's in a location I'd travel to.

Let's not forget that PnR has arisen out of the ashes of what use to be called "MID Pike Plaza"...this is Rockville, plain and simple.

Three of us had a nice meal at Mintwood last week. Starters were the deviled pickled eggs and the iceberg salad with blue cheese. I thought the egg whites were overcooked and a bit rubbery, but my companions thought they were fine. (In full disclosure, I always think that the egg whites are overcooked. Gypsy Soul and Founding Farmers being the only exceptions to that rule.) For mains we ordered the 5 grain risotto, oven roasted chicken and pork chop. All were well received, but I think the chicken was the best entree. It was so incredibly moist. The prize for best side is a toss up between the spaetzle that accompanied the pork chop (otherworldly) or the lentils, which were earthy and very satisfying. I could have just eaten the lentils for dinner and been quite happy. The only truly off note was the service. It started out enthusiastic, but once our order was placed we couldn't get our waiter's attention the rest of the evening. We had to rely on the attention of other table's servers to get glasses refilled or our leftovers packed up.

Thank you, Sir!

With a chef in the family, big holiday meals like Easter are covered, lucky me! However, I am always on wine duty. Generally I'm pretty confident in my pairings, but this one has me scratching my head. I usually reach for a Gruner Veltliner with Asparagus, but I'm not sure if it's peppery notes will compliment a cream based soup. Anyone have a suggestion? FYI, the wine for this course will be sandwiched between a sparkling blanc de noir and a petite sirah.

I generally only join lists where I've been to the winery (or tasting room in Kistler's case) and know the wines that are being offered. While I'm currently on the Kistler list, I expect to be dropped since I rarely buy. I buy occasionally from Paul Hobbs I buy most often from Nickel & Nickel, Caldwell and Vincent Arroyo. (Yes Mark Slater...there's a lot of your influence on that list)

Wish I had seen Scott's original post in June when I was still working in Tyson's Corner....will need to make a special trip for the duck...and apparently, just the duck.

Tried the new Gaithersburg location two weeks ago. We went in for a lat lunch at around 2. I certainly didn't think to make reservations, but there was a 20 minute wait for a table. We found a spot near the bar which was up for grabs. The menu is fairly corporate, but I like the idea of being able to order breakfast all day. My breakfast fare was fine...not unlike what you'd get from an IHOP except for the home-made pop tart. Flavor of the day was salted caramel and it was great. Hubby had the meatloaf, which as stated above, was okay, but nothing special. We did have a small hiccup in service in that the bartender who was serving us originally put our order in at a station that appeared to have a problem and realized about 15 minutes later that our orders never made it to the kitchen. He was very apologetic, as was the manager who stopped by to check on us. Our food came out shortly after, and our bill was substantially adjusted. We liked the space a lot, and in the vast wasteland of MoCo, even a mediocre corporate restaurant is welcome. We will probably visit again, but probably limit our order to standard sandwich or breakfast fare.

Nick, you had me at Crab Beignets! We will miss you in Potomac, but will be sure to visit in Bethesda. Please keep us up to date as your opening approaches and best of luck to you!

My first visit today was for lunch. Arrived around 12:15 and the dining room was only a third full, but it was closer to 80% by 1pm. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful, with a great view into the kitchen. The double doors at the entry are simply gorgeous. I was pleased to discover that the lunch crush was available at tables and not just the bar. Today's crush consisted of a pumpkin bisque, crab cake and chocolate pudding. An absolutely amazing deal. Hurry and take advantage before RJ figures out he's not charging enough. I will not be able to describe the bisque in a way that does it justice...it was so rich and complex. The crab cake was a nice size and served with house made chips and slaw. I don't know why it took me so long to make it to GS, but I will be back again soon.

Yes please! I have the same issues Marty describes as well.

Don, I just grabbed a quick and dirty clip from the web site as an example. Better quality art work could be scaled to whatever size you want. However, I do think if you're planning something for the back, then it makes sense to just have a small logo on the front.

Because Don asked... Those of you paying very close attention may have noticed that I recently changed my signature line to include my maiden name. It was my attempt to address the etymology of my own screen name. No great mystery, it's just my "5&2" (first 5 letters of last name plus first 2 letters of first name) which was my assigned user ID at a long-ago company. I started using it as my default username for every web site that required one, and did so when I signed up for this web site. At the time, I didn't realize my log-in name was going to be so widely displayed. If I possessed the creativity to come up with a better "foodie" related handle, I would ask Don to make a change, but alas, I am creativity challenged.

Custom Ink can do T-shirts for approx $15 per (adult large) and they're a local area company.