dwt

We were there for dinner on Saturday, the 20th (not restaurant week). I also had the veal cheeks, which were excellent. In a previous incarnation, this dish came with 2 cheeks and 2 sea scallops. So the current iteration with the gnochi are sort of a visual play on the earlier version (my SO thought the gnochi were scallops, at first). SO had the whole roasted Loup de Mer, which was also very nice. Service was very good, though our waiter seemed to be at capacity. I think we were there at the peak hour (8pm). We had the black-haired gentleman, who I believe has an English accent -- very personable. The back room is the place to sit if you want a little more buzz. Tables are closer together, so the noise level is higher than in front. You really can't see anything other than the heads and shoulders of the kitchen staff through the window, so it's not really an exhibition kitchen. The front room is better for quiet conversation. I believe there are only 1 or 2 four-tops in front. The rest are two-tops arranged in a line along one wall, providing a bit of isolation from your neighbors. David Craig has suceeded in pleasing us consistantly over 3 or 4 visits and has entered our regular rotaion.

The new chef started end of September/early October, so the menu has been changing gradually, though within the bounds of the restaurant's long-standing traditions. When last I was there, a month ago, I had skate wing as my main, which was execellent. This is a dish that has appeared on the menu off-and-on over the years with minor variations in saucing and accompanying veggies. What was new this time was a fois gras raviolo in place of the usual mashed potatos or celery root puree. That raviolo was stunningly good. Whole roasted fish is always a safe bet, and they will offer to fillet it for you when they bring it to the table (if they don't, just ask). I've never hit a clunker here: raw oysters, tuna tartare, fried calamari, salads, any of the fish preparations have been consistantly good-to-excellent. Never tried the pastas or risottos, so can't vouch for them.

Another mail order option is http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/. They are not cheap, however. I splurged on a Berkshire Boston butt this past summer and was very happy with the product (had a friend smoke it for me). But I think it was a try-it-once experience, given the cost.

SO, son, and I stuck our heads in one Friday night 2 weeks ago and the place was jammed, so we ambled on down Fenton to Adega. This past Saturday, I stopped in for lunch. There was one 2-top, 1 guy at the bar, and me. The staff was very nice. The space is snug but attractive. Now, look, this is my one and only visit, so give this place a chance and report back on what you find. I was disappointed. I ordered Ngiri: tuna, eel, saba, yellow tail -- i.e., nothing challenging. It was all disappointing. Nothing was out-and-out bad, just not pleasing. The saba was the worst: it appeared desicated. I am not a sushi snob. I'm perfectly happy with the offerings at a modest place like Matuba in Bethesda. But my take on this Sushi Jin is, for now, that I might try other items on the menu, but won't order sushi again unless someone reports a better experience than I had. Please, remember that this was just one visit. Go, give them a chance and let the rest of us know what you find.

Cesco? I've only eaten there once a couple years ago, so my opinion doesn't count for much. Thought it was good but didn't feel compelled to go back. I would like to re-visit the little French place on the opposite corner, Brasserie Monte Carlo. Also only ate there once, but enjoyed the food and atmosphere. I second Rhone 1998's David Craig recommendation, though I'm not sure it fits the "moderate" criterion in mr food's original post. David Craig is in my top 5/regular rotation group, so I highly recommend it if you can swing $11/12 apps, $21-30 for mains.

These folks are still taking orders: http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/ Don't know how their prices compare to other sources, but that is one expensive turkey!

Since there has been no mention of it, I will witness for the onglet with red wine and shallot sauce at Lavandou. in Cleveland Park. I thought the steak was very good and perfectly cooked, the sauce intense (hmm, a little demi glace in there? can I have a bucket of this to take home?), and the fries excellent. NB: I think the chef may have changed since I was last there, though it's hard to believe that they would mess with their execution of this classic dish.

Soft shell crabs -- just a few weeks left in the season. Pesce has a wonderful appetizer. On one side of the oval plate is a perfectly cooked, good-sized softshell, it's breading almost ephemeral. On the other side is a baby spinach salad, with a few ornange slices and thin shavings of parmesan. One bite of crab and your tongue becomes enveloped in it's rich, moist flavor. One bite of the lighly dressed salad and your palate is refreshed, ready to return to the crab, and so on ... I sometimes succeed in self-discipline, telling myself to not order the softshell every time I go, to explore other items on the app list, and I've never been disappointed in anything else I've had. But Tom Meyer has a real winner in this soft shell prep. I've enjoyed it at least 3 times this summer. My main last night was no sleeper. Butter fish cooked so that it was still moist and barely opaque in the middle, served over a "crab hash" of roasted carrots with some flakes of crab meat mixed in, complemented by a mushroom jus. This dish combined the refreshing lightness of the butter fish, the caramelized sweetness of the roasted veg, and the earthiness of the mushroom jus. Excellent!

Ahh, French comfort food. This was our first visit and won't be our last. Yesterday we had an early dinner at Bistro d'Oc, after attending a matinee at the Shakespeare Theatre and paying a brief visit to the recently re-opened American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery. Madame: mesclun lettuces w/ a subtle mustard dressing, followed by the roasted chicken w/ black truffle sauce and truffled potatoes. I'm afraid that my own roasted chicken will henceforth suffer in comparison, and deservedly so. The chicken was moist, its skin golden brown, and the sauce deeply flavorful. Moi: salad of fresh anchovies, which had a nice balance of fishy and, from the marinade, citrus flavors, with roasted peppers and mesclun lettuces. I could eat this nearly every summer day. Main was a special of braised beef short ribs in an intense red wine/stock reduction, with portobello 'shrooms, savoy cabbage, and a potato "cake" enriched with cream and sweet with onions. Every flavor note was perfect pitch. Service was friendly and attentive (endearing, really), without being intrusive. I don't know anything about Languedoc wines (OK, I don't know much about wine at all. Of Chianti, northern California/Oregon/Washington Pinots, Bourgogne Rouge, and Cote du Rhone, I know a little, but outside those regions I'm lost). So I asked for a recommendation from the list of Languedoc reds and was rewarded with a very nice bottle from Minervois, for $36, which provided a satisfying complement to our mains. Damage was $120, with coffee for madame and cognac for me. Tourist, overheard at the host station: "We ate here our first night and we're back on our last night because this is the best place we've been." The interior is dumpy but, as noted above, if good food and service are what you're after, then skip the lines at the fashionable boites in the quartier du Penn, and please visit d'Oc -- they need and deserve your patronage.