mojoman

We went yesterday and the pizza was very good. So far, we have favored Comet due to proximity to our house but this could be worth the drive.

We had a salumi platter that was meh but worth the $14 for volume.

The dessert (Concerto of tiramisu or something like that) was meh. My wife (who loves tiramisu) liked but I did not like the strawberry and lemon bastardizations.

I guess the non-response set me off because we have received marginal service from FWC in the past.

First, their booth reservation policy, which I can respect to a certain extent.

On the visit that was the impetus for my post, the server was disinterested. Perhaps not coincidentally, the server was also the person who "greeted" us and, as far as I could tell, did not properly record our visit, despite the fact that I told her that we had a OT rezzie.

Wow, this sounds a bit bitter. You were going every two weeks and then suddenly realized that it wasn't as good as you thought? Can you expand on this a bit?

Obviously they should have responded to your e-mail, but OT fixed the problem...it's not like they've overcharged your credit card and you're out of money or something.

Sorry...if you don't like the place very much, that's cool...it just sounds like there's more to your anger than you're describing here.

As any DR knows, food in Bethesda is not that great. We were initially very hopeful that this would be a place to regularly frequent. As we ate through the menu, especially the pizzas, we learned that the food is good but nothing great.

My "bitterness" pertains to why they did not respond to an email (sent 17 April) which clearly documented that they were wrong. Since FWC decided not to respond, this is my only recourse so let the record show that someone who has eaten there at least 10 times over the past year (again, we slowed down our visits after awhile), did not even get a response to a valid complaint.

We were Food Wine & Co (FWC) enthusiasts for awhile until we learned that their food is just pretty good and not anything to get excited about. We were going to FWC about every 2 weeks until we learned this. Also, despite being frequent diners, do not expect to get a booth for two people after about 5:15 PM.

I do not plan to return to FWC. Why?

Recently, I made a rezzie via Opentable. Even though I clearly announced our reservation when we arrived, OT notiified us that we were no-shows. I objected to the "no show" classification and OT gave us credit.

I emailed Food Wine, with a pdf of the credit card receipt. The disputed incident occurred on April 15 (documented with a pdf of the credit card receipt).

Food Wine & Co has not responded, acknowledging their mistake, despite my producing proof that we showed.

In a follow up emai to FWC, I said I would report this on DR.com so I don't want to hear any whining from FWC.

I cooked for myself.

RE: unexpected illness...no sign on door or anything.

I waited for the relatively cool weather today and was there at 2:30. The sign said that it was open until 3:00 as does the website.

Door locked, no one came to the door.

Bad form Ren's.

Can you get takeout at Ren's?

My wife and I ate there on V-Day (7-course tasting menu).

It is 6 days later now but I've mainly forgotten what we ate.

I recall an oyster shooter (OK).

The sushi course was two nondescript rolls one of which was topped with a General Tso's shrimp kind of stuff.

There was a nice baked bass with two sauces (a sweet sour concoction for the lady, a hotter, squid laden one for me). The squids looked like they'd be tough but were delicious.

There was a surf and turf (steak and lobster) that was mainly forgettable.

The bill was ~$450 out the door with one cocktail and we shared the wine flight.

I think one can do better at a number of places, most notably Komi.

We grabbed a quick bite off the bar menu yesterday evening.

Chicken wraps

Satay

Calamari

Sliders

Shredded duck springrolls

The only dishes I would call good were the calamari and springrolls. The calamari were tender and small and served with a slightly oily sauce that was slightly spice. The springrolls were hot and crisp although the mango chutney tasted more like cheap duck sauce.

The satay themselves were nicely seasoned and cooked (although I think they were griddled, not grilled). The peanut dipping sauce was one-dimentionally salty...a common complaint.

The chicken wraps were terrible. The ground chicken tasted like it had been seasoned with shoyu only and the dipping sauce was saltier yet.

My wife liked the slider but I found the meat to have a slightly odd, squeaky consistency.

Thanks kt and Pat.

DR rocks. I need to be a better contributor.

We have an event at the Ripley Center at 6:45 tonight and I'm wondering what to do for food.

TIA!

I was at the Gaithersburg Costco and found chanterelles for $8.99/lb.

We like brunch at the Kennedy Center.

We stopped by last night; our first time.

Everyone is right about the nice prices.

I had a carne pizza. It was gawdawful. Undercooked, pale crust and actually raw around the edges. Greasy and not in a good way.

She had a tahini salad. It looked and tasted like a green salad with cardboard tomatoes.

A big "Thank You" to ktmoomau for the great suggestions. We had two dinners and brunch off the list and we visited King Family and Jefferson Vineyards.

The Ivy Inn was great. We shared the beet salad (with blue cheese "fondue" and arugula) which struck the right balance of sweet earthy beets and the peppery, bitter greens.

She had the trout; I had the tenderloin. Both were excellent to superb, the short rib raviolo was perhaps a touch dry. For dessert, we had the sampler (chocolate torte, semilina cake, don't remember the third). Solid desserts but nothing I'd try to make a home. They had several extra courses including a salad with a basil dressing and shrimp and grits. Oh yeah, the amuse of pimento cheese was very nice. A great bargain here compared to DC prices.

We had brunch at Maya. She had the vegetable cakes with smoked salmon and creme fraiche; I had country ham and eggs on biscuit. Very solid dishes. Good Bloody Marys. I was sorta bummed that they didn't have any dessert.

Dinner after Monticello was at Fossets. Incredible room and view of the golf course and a wedding reception. Food was solid. I had my first Polyface pork chop which was very nicely cooked. We shared an angel food cake with strawberries and thyme for dessert. I thought there was too much thyme...the only meh dish.

Thanks kt!!!

Do you need it =served=, or just made?

I always just go with bagel and fish platters for group breakfast.

Maybe Bethesda Bagels?

Served would be better but made is sufficient. I'll check out Bethesda Bagels.

My fiance cooked.

Coq au vin.

Potatoes

Don Rockwellians,

Can anyone recommend a caterer servicing Chevy Chase that can serve a breakfast for maybe 15-20 people on a Saturday morning?

Thanks in advance!

I should update that thread I go to Charlottesville all the time to see my inlaws. I seem to be posting a lot recently on Chowhound about Charlottesville though.

Places worth checking out:

Zocalo- dinner

Maya- brunch

The Local- dinner

Blue Mountain Brewery- lunch

Duners- dinner

Breadworks- (if you need picnic lunch for wineries) or The Greenwood Gourmet Grocery which is a fun stop anyway

I used to love ThreeNotchGrill in Crozet, but I heard it might be slipping.

Bodo's Bagel- breakfast

Crozet Pizza- pizza with great crust

Sheebeen- pretty good, but not as good as some of the others

Guadalajara- a small Mexican chain in Charlottesville that if you order more off the gringo path has some really good things, and on the gringo path the tacos al pastor are great too.

The Ivy Inn is pretty good for a nicer dinner, but I kind of like going more low key as they do mid-range very well in C-ville.

Splendora's- coffee and wonderful gelato

Places my in-laws like, but I haven't been:

L'etoile

Mas

Fellini's

Ten

Zinc

BTW: you might see if King Family Vineyards is doing anything special. They normally have events on holiday weekends like polo matches or etc.

Wineries I really like:

Flying Fox

White Hall

Barboursville

King Family

Veritas is ok, but I find a lot of their wines overly sweet

Jefferson Vineyards

Wow! Awesome list kt. Thanks and will report back.

Hi,

We're heading to exotic Charlottesville for Mem Day weekend.

Any tips for breakfast, lunch, and dinner places. Any kind of food and any price point would be appreciated.

TIA!

I would think so. A close friend of mine who keeps kosher at home has basically resigned himself to being a vegetarian outside the home. Kosher restaurants are few, far between, usually not very good, and almost always expensive.

Thanks HP!

"Jewish" or "Kosher" is going to be hard on a Friday night. Eli's in Dupoint (which isn't very good, but is overpriced) closes at 2:30 on Fridays. Same with Max's out in Wheaton. If you just need a place that has something other than pork or shellfish, well, that's a very long list.

Good point. So, I could just suggest some of our favorites (we know Bethesda well) since a real Kosher place wouldn't be open?

I don't know of many kosher restaurants around here, but those that there are tend to be closed for Shabbat on Friday nights. Would vegetarian do?

I was told "Jewish" or "Kosher" is preferred. I suppose veg is OK or, actually, any place that has non-pork/non-mollusc/crustacean options.

I can definitely handle the Bethesda and the price point ($100 pp).

However, the Kosher preferred throws me.

Any suggestions?

We ended up having plenty of time and ate on the bistro side of Restaurant Eve.

I had the veal headcheese; she had an andouille salad

I had the braised pork belly; she had the pulled pork.

I had the cannoli; she had the butterfinger.

The first courses were excellent.

The pork belly came with turned turnips and brussel sprouts. There was much to much orgeano or marjorum on them....bleeech. I tried her pulled pork. As unlikely as this sounds, the polenta had too much butter.

I am not recommending the cannoli...too thick...too hard.