dwt

They still do

I don't recall the formal name back when we were regular patrons in the mid 80s. We just always referred to it as "Seibels." Back then it was in its current location. As for "Uptown" I find it hard to think of Burtonsville as a town at all, even given all the development it has seen in the past 3 decades.

Now sporting the name "Seibel's Restaurant and UpTown Pub." It's been about 30 years since I'd visited. My SO and I lived close by all those years ago, back when she commuted to Baltimore and I to Bethesda. We ate dinner at Seibel's many times. A friend was car shopping at a dealership on Briggs Chaney last Saturday and wanted to meet for lunch, so we headed to Seibel's. Nothing much as changed, except for the addition of a bar at the rear of the large dining room (Uptown Pub). They had an OK selection of 6-8 drafts (Loose Cannon for me). The Maryland crab soup, crab cake sandwich, and fries I had were all decent. I wouldn't go out of my way to dine here, but it's a good, relaxing option if you are in the area. If the place is still in the same family, they must be into the 3rd generation. It was good to see they are still going strong.

Mea culpa -- for not posting. I ate here 2 or 3 times a few years ago and never got around to writing about my experience. The owner/chef is from Rome and al Sospiro features dishes from the Lazio region. I remember the food being very good (2 stars on the Sietsema scale). The owner's wife worked the front of the house with the help of 2 other servers. Everyone was very nice. I haven't returned for various reasons, primarily because we could only patronize the restaurant during busy hours on the weekend which can make for an epically long dining experience. I suspect the kitchen is small, probably staffed by only two people, and gets into the weeds when all tables are occupied. But if I were in the area on a week night, I wouldn't hesitate to stop in for a hearty plate of trippa alla Romana.

Here's a series of photos on the move.

Remember all the fuss about preserving the Silver Spring branch when redevelopment of the downtown was imminent? For those who don't, the diner was located on Georgia Avenue where Discovery headquarters now stands and was moved to its current location on Cameron. I sit here in amazement recalling how worked up some folks were about saving that dump (note that its outward appearance is much changed (sanitized) since the move). The Silver Spring location has beer and wine. You should have chugged 6 or more brewskies with your dry meatloaf!

We hit the Silver Spring location once yearly in summer to sit on the patio and enjoy a family meal. I don't think the food is awful but then I always order the rockfish or snapper (offered sporadically as a special). It's hard to screw those up unless over cooked 'til dry, and even then it can be salvaged by throwing it in a tortilla with guac, pico de gallo, and sauteed onions that come on the platter. And, yes, there is a tortilla machine just inside the front door.

That's sad. Not that it even cracks my top 10 list of local establishments, but they've always done right by me and my family.

Best octopus ever. Period. Do yourself a favor and order it: polpo alla piastra. Everything was very good last night, but the octopus stood out. We also enjoyed the trota crostini, casarecce nero (we can't seem avoid ordering this dish every time) and swordfish. Service was excellent -- a total team effort. We must have had 6 folks stop at the table to bring us food and drink or just check if we needed anything. We were in sight of the host stand and someone from there even came over when they noticed we were between courses, cleared our plates and asked if we needed anything. Everyone was friendly without being intrusive.

Saturday: mahi mahi fish tacos with WF pico de gallo, home-made guac, sour cream, and arugula. Sunday: stracotto alla fiorentina, inspired by Pino Luongo's recipe from A Tuscan in the Kitchen -- one of my favorite cookbooks. Also spinach salad w/ the leftover pico de gallo and black olives thrown in the mix. Tonight will be some sort of pasta, using the prosciutto that's been sitting in the fridge for a couple weeks.

You have it right. Same rules apply to pronunciation of letters "g" and "c" with regard to the presence or absence of an immediately following "h". So the first syllable of "Chiarello" is pronounced like the word "key" in English, while the first of "cippollini" is pronounced "chee" as in the word "cheese".

Had dinner Sunday at the Silver Spring location for the first time. Because the two of us had skipped lunch, we dined at 6, which is earlier than normal. Nearly every seat at the long bar was occupied with folks watching the last quarter of the Giants/Cowboys game. We were one of only three parties seated at table. The TVs (there are many) were turned up pretty high and the crowd in the bar area became boisterous whenever a big play happened. But we were seated far enough away that it wasn't annoying and we enjoyed checking on the game now and then. We shared the lemongrass crispy shrimp, which came as 4 nicely fried shrimp accompanied by ponzu dipping sauce. The shrimp were crispy as advertised, not greasy, and the ponzu sauce had a nice little kick to it from hot peppers. My SO had the crab cake, with was a special. It came with so-so shoestring fries and a mixed green salad. The crab cake was just OK. Not as good as the ones we enjoyed at Nick's Fish House last week. I had the gumbo, which is missing from their online menu. It included 3 shrimp, 2 quarter-size slices of andouille, and about 1/2 dozen mussels, along with rice. It was not a generous portion but tasted quite good, the sauce having a nice balance of flavors/spiciness, and was adequate for my needs. Overall, I'd say the food was enjoyable and we will probably be back, but not before trying Sligo Cafe, of which I've heard good things.

They've upped their invasive species game with snakehead cakes! I didn't sample them but my SO seemed to enjoy hers. I probably should have ordered the snakehead instead of the mediocre crab cake sandwich (I think I'm 0 for 5 on crab cakes this year -- none that I've had were sufficient to scratch the itch).

excelente! might be the only restaurant website that i didn't turn the sound off :-)

Several years ago, we had dinner at a Bethesda restaurant that we had previously enjoyed for lunch. When done with our mains, the owner came over to clear plates and asked me "how was the dorade?" I said, "it was OK." He then proceeds to discuss it with me, even offering excuses as to why it might not have met expectations (the season). My beautiful wife was embarrassed -- "why couldn't you have just said it was good?" I wished I had said exactly that. There was nothing wrong with the fish other than being bland. Now when asked about my food I say it is good even when I think it's disappointing -- just trying to reduce the wear and tear on everyone's nervous system. Looking forward to trying Barrel & Crow...

We enjoyed our dinner at the Petworth location last night. I had the snails (very good) and the braised short ribs, which were terrific. There wasn't much of the promised polenta, but I didn't mind. The portion of rib meat was large enough that I couldn't finish it (a true test of will power because it tasted so good). My companion had the onion soup and filet of salmon (missing from the online menu). I didn't try the salmon, but it looked great -- a thick fillet with crisped skin served over lentils and a red wine reduction. I would order the Bastille cocktail again (Dry curacao, aperol, lemon juice, el dorado) -- refreshing citrus flavors -- but not the by-the-glass Cote du Rhone. There was nothing wrong with it other than being dull and not standing up to the ribs. My companion liked the Domaine Jacourette rose enough to order a second glass. Service was excellent. I only wish they would expand the menu to include dishes available at Chez Billy Sud. But perhaps the Petworth kitchen isn't large enough to handle a larger selection.

I think Towson is closed too.

They are absolutely a good option for lunch. I haven't worked in Reston for a year, but I used to hit that location about once a month. BTW, most of their sandwiches are quite large. Half of one of their pita sandwiches would be enough for a smallish person such as myself.The spinach melt with chicken was my favorite, because it tasted good and it was much smaller than the others I'd sampled.

I second the Hersch's recommendation. I use my LamsonSharp slotted turner almost exclusively for fish and find it nearly indispensable. I'm not sure we have the same model. This is mine: http://www.lamsonsharp.com/product/4-x-9-jumbo-chefs-slotted-turner-right-hand Here's another that looks like it might work well with eggs: http://www.lamsonsharp.com/product/3-x-5-slotted-turner I don't think mine is hard to clean and I throw it in the dishwasher frequently. It has held up well for several years now.

We had dinner here last night. Managed to dodge the downpours coming and going. The place appeared to be full, except the bar which had at least 1/2 dozen stools free. At the host stand we were offered a table in the bar area or, with a short wait, one in the dining room. I asked "what's the difference?" Hostess said the dining room is quieter. We opted for the dining room. If the bar is noisier, we would not have been able to hear each other across the two-top. We were seated in the front corner, right next to the window, and had to speak with raised voices. On to the food... Clam chowder: The broth was tinted tan? Probably because of all the bacon used in the prep. And bacon is what I tasted -- no discernible clam flavor. Chorizo clams: Chorizo herb crumb topping was well executed. The six clams were the tiniest littlenecks I've ever seen (micro necks?), and I cook them quite often at home. Fish and chips: This was a big plate of food, with a generous portion of fish atop fries that covered nearly the entire plate except for the portion taken up by a corn muffin and an ice-cream-scoop-sized serving of cole slaw. The fish was good, moist with a crisp batter coating. I did not try the slaw or muffin. The fries were dull (I really don't enjoy fries unless they are the double-fried variety served at any competent bistro). Crab cakes: Two generous cakes that were, unfortunately, devoid of flavor. The pepper shaker couldn't revive them. Maybe these were made with pasteurized meat or maybe I'm just a crab cake snob who is hard to please. The accompanying spring succotash tasted mainly of the butter it was swimming in. Service was excellent, from the friendly greeting at the host stand, to the charismatic waitress, and the helpful wine program director, who guided us in choosing a very nice Falanghina. I thought their list of whites was pretty creative and diverse for a MoCo restaurant. The food, one cocktail, and the wine came to $130 after tax, before gratuity. You could certainly dine more cheaply by forgoing the most expensive entrees (crab cakes, steak, and market price for the rockfish were $34-35) and sticking to beer. It was a nice evening, even if the food didn't shine. I'd be willing to give them another shot but will order differently next time.

Well, counting it's predecessor, perhaps. I think it was called something like "Italia Deli and Salumeria." It was run by Marco's parents. Can't recall the father's name. The mother is Maria. Marco and his two sisters would help out on weekends. I think both sisters and the parents moved to Italy while Marco stayed and took over the business. It was what Marco wanted at first. He waited on the Filmore deal to get done before he committed to a new lease and renovations to turn the deli into a restaurant.

Closed. I think the landlord's proposed rent at lease renewal time was too much for the business to bear.

We've been happy with this Cuisinart for everyday use: We are actually on the second one -- the first lasted for many years (it actually had a stainless steel rather than the current plastic body panels). I think our current one is at least 5 years old.

Croakers are bony, which is why I avoid them. The clams should not have been bitter -- methinks they were past their prime

I love Saturday 4pm Nationals games (especially one that ends with a walk-off homer). We can skip the over-priced, mediocre-at-best ballpark fare and treat ourselves to dinner afterward. Last night, we made our first visit to Osteria Morini. Here's what we sampled: arugula salad w/ shaved speck, hazelnuts, capra: This was a very nice salad. Arugula is my favorite salad green (I could eat it every day of the week and not tire of it). The speck, hazelnuts and cheese nicely complemented the greens and light dressing. rigatoni w/ braised wild mushrooms, rosemary oil, parmigiano: Pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the braised mushrooms were good, though milder in flavor than expected. Really didn't detect any of the rosemary oil. branzino w/ fennel and green beans: This was two small fillets (surprised they don't prepare the whole fish). I didn't sample the fish because I didn't want to take away from my partner's less-than abundant portion, but I tried and really liked the fennel and green bean mix. brodetto: The bowl offered a nice mix of mussels, clams, shrimp and fish, not dominated by any one species. The clams were especially good -- small and sweet. Broth was good if a bit mild -- maybe could have been punched up with a little hot pepper (very little) to add another note. Not much evidence of fennel flavor, though there were a couple small pieces lurking in the broth. "‹Everything was very good. Nothing was outstanding. When we pay a second visit, I will definitely order differently. On a trip to the bathroom, I saw a nice-looking veal chop on the grill that I wished were headed to my table. And many of the salads, pastas, and grilled meats I saw pass by looked equally appealing. Service was excellent! There was no "screed" about how to order, as reported by Sietsema in his review. We were attended to by at least four different people, all of them extremely gracious and helpful. I discussed the Ribolla Giulia and Ribolla Gialla wines with beverage director Kristi Green. She really didn't offer any reason, nor did she press the case, to double our cost with the Gialla Vinnae Silvio Jermann, so we went with the Ribolla Giulia SUT, which at $35 was very pleasing (I have a soft spot for whites from Friuli). The atmosphere was lively. We had a reservation for 7:30 and elected to sit inside (45-minute wait for a seat on the terrace). There were several Nationals fans gathered at the bar. Our friendly waiter sported a backwards-facing, red Nationals cap. The room seemed to be in constant motion with the swift movements of the wait staff. It was noisy, but not disruptively so. A television over the bar was showing the Wizards playoff game, the crowd erupting into cheers when Pierce hit his buzzer beater (Yes! Give me a side of buzzer beater along with my walk-off!). The only minor glitch, which turned out to be in our favor, was the waiter's 10-minute-or-so absence after dropping off the dessert menus. We would have ordered something, but I looked at my beautiful companion and said, "I'm done with sitting in one spot, it's lovely outside, let's go." And so we settled our bill and headed out to Yards Park on a refreshing evening stroll. I'd never seen the park at night before and it was close to magical with lights reflecting off the water and a cool breeze blowing across the river -- better than any dessert we could have ordered.