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dwt

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Everything posted by dwt

  1. dwt
    pan roasted rockfish -- New Heights skate wing -- Pesce wines by the glass -- Jaleo
  2. dwt
    All of you who have been witnessing for the food of Logan Cox -- thank you. Two of us dined here a little over a week ago and the food was simply wonderful. I can understand the deserved comparison to Palena up thread. We enjoyed duck terrine, buttercup squash soup, barramundi and rockfish. I believe the online menu accurately describes the current preparations of these dishes, except the terrine, which is not listed. We'll be back.
  3. dwt
    The food at Royal Mile Pub has seriously gone downhill over the last couple of years. When Ian first took over the kitchen, and for several subsequent years, I could count on the pub grub being at least solid and the weekend specials being consistently pleasing. Unfortunately, both the pub fare and specials have suffered in quality. I first abandoned the specials and sought refuge in fish and chips, beef and Guinness pie, etc. But when I ordered the F&C a few weeks ago, my plate contained sodden, limp fries, obviously cooked in dirty oil, and cod that tasted mostly of ammonia -- two bites and I was done. Perhaps you are safe with a sandwich, salad or burger, but that's as far as I would go. They've eliminated the regular entrees (steak, grilled salmon), so there aren't many choices. It saddens me to say this, because RMP was in my regular rotation for at least 10 years and I had genuinely enjoyed dining there with my family. I need a new pub.
  4. dwt
    We've patronized them thrice, once at the Bethesda Farm Womens' Market (baguette, plain croisant), twice at the Rockville store (sandwiches, plain croisant). Everything was really good. The croisant is the best I've had and the baguette is almost ethereal compared to the local competition. FYI, received an email notice that they are now open in Rockville on Saturdays and they've added a couple more sandwiches to the menu.
  5. dwt
    They've been operating out of the new location (formerly Johnnie's/Monmartre) this week. Dined there last night for the first time and everything was up to standard. They seem to have adapted perfectly to their new space and they had a good crowd for an August weeknight. With a full liquor license, they won't have to be met with frowns of disappointment when a new customer starts off by ordering a cocktail. We shared a mixed green salad (goat cheese, walnuts, vinaigrette) and a pleasantly moist, sweet, minimally battered soft shell. Mains were rockfish fillet (sorry, forget the prep details) and whole grilled branzino -- both cooked just right. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to ask about the old location, which now has a sign in the window announcing a soon-to-open Turkish tapas restaurant.
  6. dwt
    This place has been around for a while. I've wondered about it every time we go to Moby Dick across the street. Anyone have an opinion?
  7. dwt
    Had dinner here for Bastille Day. Kicking myself for having not dined there for (exactly) one year. Service and food were both excellent (quenelles, caprese salad, red snapper, beef tornados). They were busy and everyone around us seemed equally happy. We really must return before another year goes by and sample the tripe and casoulet. Softshells were one of the specials -- might have to go back before the season is over. Free valet parking at the Four Seasons is a nice perk.
  8. dwt
    Agree. I hate that garage and fully sympathize with Rock's rant. There's a public garage about 3 blocks up Woodmont, at the back-side bus entrance to the Bethesda Metro station. It's much easier to park there and walk.
  9. dwt
    Based on your report, I have to give it a try. Am I correct that they serve beer and wine? That wasn't the case when they opened.
  10. dwt
    I concur. Last sampling was lunch on the patio during the recent Silver Spring blues festival. Not only was the food bad, but their already uninspiring draft beer lineup now has no viable options, imho, since they've deleted Sierra Nevada.
  11. dwt
    Hmm. Astute in what sense? Is the rent lower? The space seems about the same size, if I recall it accurately from the days when it was JHS. And it's more of a cave, lacking the side windows of the current Pesce location.
  12. dwt
    Agree. Have been going with the family to Paolo's maybe twice annually for many years and find it a consistently pleasing and reasonably priced. We've visited all 3 locations (Georgetown, Reston, Towson) with equally good results (is the one in B'more's inner harbor gone? It's not on their web site.). The bread sticks/tapenade and minestrone are indeed winners. For years they had a grilled rockfish entree, served with a tomato-asparagus salsa and buttered tagliolini, that I could not resist. Unfortunately, that dish has gone by the wayside, replaced by the ubiquitous Atlantic salmon. When ordering pizza, keep it simple -- stick with the margherita and I think you'll be happy.
  13. dwt
    My SO ordered the lamb bolognese once and I have to say it was bland, though the pasta was well made and cooked correctly that one time. She hasn't ordered it again, so she didn't care for it either. But everything else we've tried has been great. I tried the veal cheeks last night for the first time and thought they were wonderful -- meltingly soft with a reduction sauce that was appropriately lighter and brighter than one you would ordinarily make for beef. Unfortunately, I didn't ask about the periodicity of the offering, but they had a separate prix fixe menu, a subset of the regular menu offerings, from which an app/main or main/dessert combo could be ordered for $25. The mains included the bouillabaisse, gnocchi, and a steak. Don't recall all the apps.
  14. dwt
    Up thread, a little over a year ago, I complained about the noise and, honestly, it deterred me from returning in spite of the good food and service. I've caved in. After three dinners over the past month, I'm a fan. I wish the dining room could shed several decibels on a busy night, but the food is so stellar that I'll willingly sacrifice my ear drums. My dining companions and I have sampled the bouillabaisse, scallops with black ink fettucine, grilled waluu, gnocchi, lamb bolognaise, salads, and shrimp bisque (soup du jour this past Saturday) -- all were excellent. We live nearby an would normally need to travel downtown to enjoy food this well prepared, so it's especially nice to have Nicaro at hand when we don't feel like travelling too far.
  15. dwt
    Yes, they are still "decent," based on one visit. We were prompted to try them by this WP article in last week's food section: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8123000605.html We shared a special chicken satay appetizer which everyone enjoyed. I had the Spicy Seafood main, which included some excellent, plump mussels. I think my dining companions were too timid in what they ordered, so I didn't try any other dishes, but all 3 of them were happy with their food. Service is very friendly. Over all, a solid neighborhood place that will be in our regular rotation.
  16. dwt
    Glad to see this thread bumped, reminding me that I should have witnessed for Zaytina after our third visit last Friday. We arrived late afternoon/early evening to sample a few plates at the bar. Don't know diddly about Greek wine, so always ask the bartenders to suggest something, within a few parameters, and they consistently come through with pleasing selections. For food we enjoyed peynirli pide (a little too salty, but still good), swordfish kebab (nicely sauced, pink in the middle), dolmades, and olive oil salmon (a little dull this time compared to previous samplings). The food is on average better than Jaleo IMHO, and the bar area is lively without being hectic -- nice atmosphere all around. It's on our regular Penn Quarter rotation .
  17. dwt
    It has been far too long since we last dined here. So we took the opportunity of a rare day off to celebrate Bastille day with a late lunch at La Chaumiere. We had quenelles de brochet, wild Alaskan sockeye salmon, fricasee de pecheur, and blueberry tartlette. Everything was wonderful. The quenelles alone were worth the price of admission. They have a New Zealand pinot noir (Maven) by the glass that complemented our food nicely. There are so many appealing items on the menu that it was hard to decide what to order. Must go back for cassoulet on a Thursday when the weather turns chilly.
  18. dwt
    Don is correct. But let's not belabor the point. I am always treated well at Pesce and only remarked on the pacing because an earlier poster (Pancho) had done so and my impression is that timing is not on par with the kitchen as it was constituted under the 2 previous chefs. But it's still early in the game for the current chef so he deserves a pass. And in fairness, we were there on Saturday at the height of the rush, with every table full and folks waiting at the bar. Even if the pacing doesn't improve, I'll return for the food, atmosphere, and personable front-of-the-house staff.
  19. dwt
    We had a good dinner here last Saturday, with 2 minor caveats. Veteran waitstaff was on hand, with one new busboy who was clearly learning the ropes (no problem with that). The new chef is doing good work. We had an arugula salad and soft-shell crab as starters. The salad was good, lightly dressed, with bits of ham scattered through it. The crab was excellent: light tempura batter, plump, sweet and moist. May be the best soft-shell I've ever had. It's accompanying fennel salad was just OK. For mains we had salmon and Spanish mackerel fillets, both prepared well. Sorry, I don't recall details of the mild sauces that accompanied the fish, but they were nice additions. And the skin on the mackerel was crisped beautifully. Wish this species didn't have mercury contamination problems, because it is delicious when prepared correctly. And I'm tired of seeing branzino everywhere. The caveats were pacing and temperature. Apps came quickly, but mains took longer than expected (maybe 20 minutes after the apps, though I didn't check my watch). Not a big problem, since we were happy to linger. On this very warm night, their AC was having trouble keeping up, so the room was probably 5 degrees higher than it should have been, but I imagine they have that fixed by now. Over all, a good experience with the food and service making the negatives insignificant. Hope to return soon and often to see how the kitchen evolves.
  20. dwt
    Apparently Bernard Marchive has left. Had dinner here last week and noticed that all of Marchive's dishes were gone (e.g., the dumplings filled with shrimp, crab and pork). I heard the waiter mention that there is a different chef in the kitchen, someone who had worked there before, but I didn't catch all the details. Thankfully, the food was very good, as usual.
  21. dwt
    Went Saturday, 12/8. It is LOUD! I think next time we will sit at the bar. Butternut squash soup was excellent. Tasmanian sea trout very good. Prosciutto with pecorino, raisins and arucola -- unremarkable Duck Breast cooked properly to order (medium rare), with barely-above-bland lentils. Service very good
  22. dwt
    Another vote for Brewer's Alley based, unfortunately, on only one visit. Stopped in a couple weeks ago on the way back from Summit Point. It was early Friday evening, pleasant weather, so we sat outside on their patio overlooking Market. The fried oyster appetizer was excellent, with lightly breaded oysters cooked just right and two very good dipping sauces (pesto and tomato aioli). We also tried the Mediterranean version of their wood-fired pizza and pronounced it a success. I'm looking forward to a return trip to sample more of the menu. Oddly, the beers we tried (Kolsch, India Pale Ale, and Nut Brown Ale) were not as impressive as the food.
  23. dwt
    So far, no mention of Schmidt's, which was cheap and had a slightly sweet flavor. This was an option for poor PA college students in the '70s and earlier. Schmidt's also had a lesser (how low can you go?) brand that was once and independent brewery -- Valley Forge. If you really needed to economize, you would go for the VF in returnables, assuming you had enough cash on hand to buy a case.
  24. dwt
    Has anyone dined at Le Gaulois since February. I think Tom Meyer had a friends-and-family "re-openning" some time in February. I would appreciate hearing about atmosphere as well as food (e.g., is the place filled with coats and ties during dinner?). Thanks.
  25. dwt
    We live nearby and patronize MR maybe 2 or 3 times yearly. The patio is nice, though noisy when crowded. Staff are always pleasant. Food is so-so, though I've never been disappointed by the grilled fish entrees. We stopped by last weekend and my rockfish fillet tasted very good. Wine by the glass offerings are swill. As mentioned previously, Margaritas are good. I'd rather give them my money than the chains across the road in Silver Spring. Just wish I could stop eating too many tortilla chips when we go.
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