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dinwiddie

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  1. dinwiddie
    To answer my own question, I sent an e-mail to Mark Furstenberg and he responded with: Yes, we will charge a fee, $25, but welcome your wine. Pool Boy? T-Rep?
  2. dinwiddie
    Last Night Jake and I decided to go to Mannequin Pis for mussels and Belgian beer. It has been a while since we had been there and we were curious as to whether things had changed. Jake and I used to be regulars when this place opened and Bernard Dehaene owned it as was the chef (starting when Jake was about 8 years old). The two chefs there now trained under Bernard and have continued his menu and style. The best (and probably only) reason to go to Mannequin Pis is for the mussels. I didn't feel like them last night and ordered the steak frites. It wasn't bad, an 8-ounce Top Sirloin with Bearnaise sauce, cooked exactly as I asked. But when I have steak frites, I am expecting a hanger steak, no sirloin. The frites were, as usual, wonderful. Jake's mussels on the other hand were fantastic. He ordered the Bebert, a kilo of mussels cooked in celery, onion, herbs, Smoked Salmon, leeks, Delirium Tremens (a Belgian golden ale) and horseradish. It had huge chunks of smoked salmon in it that flavored the broth. Absolutely delicious. Monday thru Thursday they have a three course meal for $34. An appetizer (the sausages count as an appetizer) entree, and dessert. I started with the smoked salmon plate. A large portion of house cured salmon, a little salty, but still good, served with huge capers, a Parmesan croustade, horseradish creme fraiche. I ended with one of my favorite things, bread pudding. Jake opted for the pheasant sausage over wilted spinach, and ended with an excellent chocolate mousse. We washed it down with a large bottle of Duval. And the big news, now they have a corkage permit, so you can bring your own wine if you want. I think the corkage fee is fairly high, $25, but nice to know.
  3. dinwiddie
    And I don't live in Olney, I live on Norbeck Road! That shopping strip, which is almost all restaurants, is in a tough position to name a place. Is it Olney, Rockville, something else? In essence, it is the land that once belonged to White's Hardware (which has been there since before Don Rockwell was a little boy). Of course, White's calls itself White's Hardware of Olney, but has a Rockville address. I guess I call that area Olney because it is just as easy to get to Olney from there as to Rockville Town Center. Actually, I had a very much more detailed post that I deleted and edited out for reasons I won't go into. Yes the sandwiches are good, and they have a fairly decent (for MoCo) selection of craft beers, but the parking is cramped, as is the restaurant. There have been gliches in service that I found to be annoying, and as good as they are, there are places I would rather eat. I hope they do well, but am not holding my breath, nothing seems to do well in that space.
  4. dinwiddie
    My wife and I decided to try Trapezaria last Sunday. We arrived early and there were very few people in the restaurant yet. lekkerwjin and I must have very similar tastes because we ordered fairly closely to what they did, only less. Service was attentive, but the waitress, who was very personable and friendly was wearing a lot of perfume. So much so that the odor lingered and you could "taste" it. A real no-no in my book. My wife even commented on it every time the waitress caqme to the table. We started with the Trio of Dips opting for the Melitzanosalte, Hummus, and Tzatziki. All were very good. Next we got Iman Baldi ("House Specialty" Baked Eggplant topped with caramelized onions, tomato, mint,Parsley, golden raisins & pine nuts) which along with the Htapodi Skaras (Grilled octopus with olive oil, lemon & oregano). I enjlyed the Iman Baldi, but found the octopus, while cooked properly, to be somewhat underwhelming and bland. Even the lemon didn't help that much. I would have preferred a little more char and spicing. The house salad was quite large, with a huge slab of Feta on top. However, it was also very salty. Not because of the Feta but the actual dressing was too salty. We came away with the impression that while this may be authentic Greek food, it is not going to be in our rotation. Just nothing to wow us and the odor of the perfume just made dining unpleasant.
  5. dinwiddie
    Just another sandwich shop
  6. dinwiddie
    My son and I decided to try Hollywood East Cafe again after not having been there in several years. In a word, we were disappointed. It had become too "White Americanized" was the way we put it. There was nothing that was "unusual" like we get at other dim sum places. There were not duck feet, chicken feet, jelly fish, etc. When the cart with tripe came around, we were never told that it was available, she just asked if we were interested in the congee. All the servers described what was in the dumplings, etc. instead of saying what they were. I've eaten enough dim sum to know what zing gau, siu mai, char siu bao, fun gor, har gow, etc. are. I also like to try different and exotic things that many Americans don't. However, there were not any there. The most exotic dish was the tripe, and as I said, we weren't even offered it. What was available was ok, but nothing special. This is nothing like what HWEOTB used to be, and is not nearly as interesting as even Good Fortune just down the street. At least at Good Fortune, nobody thought that just because we were not Chinese they didn't have to let us know about all the dishes available. We won't be back, there are plenty of other dim sum places to go where the food is better, and the selection much more interesting.
  7. dinwiddie
    I love the food here but the last time we went I had a disturbing experience. I made sure to check that Il Pizzico was on the approved corkage list for Montgomery County. It was on the list that is on the county's website. So I took a nice bottle of Italian wine with me, not the best in my cellar, but nothing shabby. When I got there, the manager informed me that they do not allow corkage and that they do not have a corkage permit. When I showed him the list on the county website (see smart phones do come in handy sometimes) he said that he would know, and they did not have a permit. I don't mind if they don't want to permit corkage, but the county is not in favor of corkage (Maryland made it legal on a statewide basis just because MoCo had always blocked it when it was a county option) and I doubt they would put a restaurant on the list that did not complete the required paperwork to get a permit. Say you don't want to permit corkage, but don't lie to me. I made a point of checking with the county the next day by phone and was informed that yes, the restaurant applied for and was issued a corkage permit. We ended up having a great meal, and I bought a bottle off the list, but I can get great meals lots of places where I can take a bottle of wine with me. I will still go to Il Pizzico, but I won't go as often as I would if I could bring a great Brunello or Borolo from my cellar.
  8. dinwiddie
    My wife, son, and I have been back to Taste twice in the last couple of months. Both times the service was slow, the room very loud, and the food just ok. Some things were very good, but some where just OK. I don't think we will make it a point of returning, but might drop in if we have no where else to go and are hungry.
  9. dinwiddie
    We occasionally stop in to bring sandwiches home. I love pastrami and theirs is pretty good. Well spiced, and a lot on a sandwich. My son always goes for the corned beef and he likes it a lot. Given that my other option is to drive to Rockville or Potomac to buy a pastrami sandwich, I am very pleased that this is close enough to be an option when I want a deli fix.
  10. dinwiddie
    The Rockville location now permits corkage. I don't know what the fee is (probably $25) but it is now an option.
  11. dinwiddie
    I'm going to have to disagree with DanielK. My son and I ate there last night. We were looking to try it because it is closer to home than going (and parking) in Silver Spring. We made sure to try the Kifto (properly raw) and ordered one of the platters (Doro Tibs, Sheba Special Tibs, Minchet abish, Gomen with a side of house salad) as well as the Bedergan (eggplant wot). I found all of them to be equal to or superior to what I get at Addis Ababa. We also had a bottle of the mead (honey wine) which may have been a factor in our enjoyment. But the bottom line was, it is closer to home than any other Ethiopian place and well worth going to when i want my Ethiopian food fix.
  12. dinwiddie
    Exactly right. Once the initial pour has been done, I will pour the wine for the table. Not everyone drinks at the same pace. My wife has no interest in having her glass "topped off" as it were (nor do I) and once I tell the server to let me pour from now on, I expect the bottle to be left alone. In this case, I had to tell him twice. It wasn't a big deal, just a personal quirk of mine. I recognize that servers are trained to pour whenever they see the glass getting low, but I prefer to do it myself and don't think I should have to remind a good server once I have let my wishes be known.
  13. dinwiddie
    My son and three of his friends raided my cellar and took the results to Cedar for dinner. They let the Chef prepare a tasting menu to go with the wines as normally do. What resulted was a fantastic meal for them if their report is to be believed. What is also pleasing is that a group of four twenty somethings could go to a nice restaurant like Cedar and be treated so well. Too often younger patrons are treated like second class citizens because the staff things they won't tip well or for whatever reason. All four of them said the service was fantastic, the chef took the time to come out and explain each course (7 courses I believe) and they were never rushed or made to feel that they did not belong. They were greeted warmly and everyone from the GM to the bus staff went out of their way to ensure that they had a fantastic meal.
  14. dinwiddie
    My son and I decided to try Taste Mezze after not having been there in over a year. In a word, the food was excellent. The salt problems I noted in my review of June 2011 were not evident. We ordered 5 items: dip sampler - roasted eggplant, sweet, spicy, lots of complex flavors; a very good hummus; tzatziki, very good; spicy feta, excellent braised lamb sliders - served on small pita rounds open face with tomato, feta and tzatziki. One of my son's favorite dishes of the evening artichoke, roasted pepper, and whipped goat cheese flatbread - very good flavors, served with a very nice small salad. falafel with roasted garlic mousse - wonderful. Light and crispy, with a creamy center. Just the right amount of herbs, and the garlic mousse was the perfect foil. Both my sone and I thought this was one of the stars of the evening. grilled pork belly, apple glaze, and spicy slaw - my favorite of the evening. The porkbelly was perfectly cooked, tender with a crispy exterior, and the slaw was to die for. My favorite dish of the evening. The owner came by to talk to us and we had a long discussion about the area, how things have gone for him this year, and the need for him to get the new corkage permit. He sent out a couple of things for us to try: stuffed eggplant with a ricotta/feta mix - wonderfully done, crispy exterior breading, perfect blend of cheeses, and a very fresh, well seasoned tomato sauce. I love eggplant and this was done very well. greek style green beans and greek lemon potatoes - the beans were excellent, and the potatoes had a very subtle but noticeable lemon flavor. We enjoyed them very much. There is a wine list, that while is nothing special, is inexpensive, very drinkable, and well matched to the food. Service was excellent and friendly. The only complaint I have is that it is still loud, but that is to be expected in the space as it is set up. They specialize in martinis, something I don't drink, and there is a nice bar along one side of the restaurant that was getting some good business. I'm pleased that the issues I had with them when the first opened appear to have been fixed. Olney needs more good restaurants and this appears to be well on its way to filling a much needed hole in dining in this part of the county.
  15. dinwiddie
    The fried chicken was pretty good, and the roast beef from the carving station not bad at all. But what amazed me was how good the salads were. And of course I saw lots of folks pigging out on the chocolate desserts (personally, I liked the lemon bar better.)
  16. dinwiddie
    The only way to eat well at National's park is to buy the $150 to $170 Home Plate Box or PNC Diamond Club seats. Then you get unlimited free food delivered to your seats or you can go back into the PNC club and get a drink at the bar (decent selection of drafts) go through the buffet line (lots of salads, a carving station, dessert station) and bring the food back to your seat or eat it there in the air conditioning.
  17. dinwiddie
    I've never eaten there for lunch, but several of my co-workers did during Restaurant Week and loved it.
  18. dinwiddie
    The list of MoCo restaurants that permit corkage is on the county website at: http://www6.montgomerycountymd...rovedwinecorkage.pdf Unfortunately, as of today, it had not been updated since July 20th.
  19. dinwiddie
    I don't go out of my way to find a coffee shop when I want coffee, for me it is all about being able to get good coffee at my convenience. And that does not mean going to Starsucks. I patronize the Firehook at Judiciary Square because it is right across from my office and they give me a good latte every morning, just the way I want it, and I can get a good cup of coffee in the afternoon if I have time.
  20. dinwiddie
    To each their own Joe. I respect your opinion. Much as I like Taberna, I find it to be somewhat dated and staid. I must admit the service is excellent and the food very good, just somewhat stuck in the past. Besides, I'm more into modern American cooking than I am Classic Spanish. I still go to Taverna, just not as often as I used to. I like the basement feel of Cedar and I love the innovative cooking that is coming out of the kitchen. What I loved about them the most however, is the way they will work with me to tailor my meal to my wines. Every time I take wine to Taberna I feel like they are somewhat miffed that I didn't want to buy off their list.
  21. dinwiddie
    Spend last week dining in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties in California.
  22. dinwiddie
    Make sure to come over to the table for a glass or two yourself.
  23. dinwiddie
    A couple of weeks ago my wife, son, and nephew went to Cedar (at my nephew's request). As usual, I brought wine (2009 Karl Lawrence Chardonnay Aldin, 2007 Dain Wines Pinot Noir American Beauty Amber Ridge Vineyard, and a 2002 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon). My wife had three courses, but the guys decided to let Chef McCloud build a 7 course tasting menu around the wines. After taking the wines back to the chef for a taste of each, the food began to arrive. Only the second course (foie gras), third course (rabbit sausage) and 6th course (cheese plate) were the same for us. Each of the other courses was a different item for each of us. As usual, the pairings were spot on, and as usual, delicious. Service was exceptional and we could not have been treated more warmly.
  24. dinwiddie
    So, does anyone know of any restaurants in MoCo that are taking advantage of the recently passed corkage law? Effective July 1, corkage is legal, based on state law, not MoCo's inane practices.
  25. dinwiddie
    I must say that the service I have received at Cedar both times I have dined there has been fantastic.
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