Bob Wells

We had a great family meal at TV last night. Not perfect -- drink orders were somewhat botched and the highly touted lobster ravioli was a bit of a disappointment -- but the atmosphere is great, the desserts are superb and the appetizers are strong. I'd just skip the entrees and make a meal out of smaller plates.

On 7/22/2023 at 5:04 PM, curiouskitkatt said:

In my humble opinion, Roast pork def needs to be the quintessential Philly Sandwich. Cheesesteaks should be honorable mention. Debate with me. lol

No debate here! Juicy roast pork, broccoli rabe, aged provolone, and long hots is sandwich perfection. A ten-napkin glorious mess!

My son (a rising fresser) stopped at John's Roast Pork yesterday on his way home from Maine and loved it.

This place is on the same block as my office. I plan to try it with a friend when I make my next visit to the office. Menu looks good!

2 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Taim and Shouk are both great.  I've never had Falafal Inc. but they're super cheap. 

 

D'oh, forgot about Shouk. Of course. It's near my office and is my go-to lunch on my rare office visits.

Is there any good felafel left in the area? Cafe Max is gone too.

3 hours ago, Escoffier said:

Went with Grover and some friends to a 4-course with paired wines dinner arranged by one of the friends on Wednesday night.  We were seated in the private, small dining area which is conveniently close to the rest rooms but far enough away that we weren't disturbed by others.  The food was okay, nothing really special.  We started with Bruschetta topped with burrata.  This was probably the most interesting dish presented.  (I'm going to avoid the wine pairings because they were okay but not outrageously outstanding.)  The second course was rigatoni with an unusual sauce which I can only describe as similar to bread crumbs.  Interesting and tasty. The third course was a small filet with broccoli.  I don't, as a rule, eat much beef so I had duck.  I had a bite of the beef and it was quite good, closer to medium than to medium rare but tasty.  The duck was actually the best part of the meal.  Nice and pink centered and well seasoned.  Dessert was tiramisu. Not really surprising or unusual but pleasant.  The final tab for two was over $400.   Yep, $200 a person.  While the food was good, it wasn't quite that good as the price to value ratio was not quite in sync and definitely not in the Roberto category. If we happen to be in the Centerville area we might go for pizza but for fine dining, I think we'll stick with Roberto's Ristorante.

Dang. We have enjoyed Ciao's pizza in the past, but $400+ for a meal in a strip mall two doors down from where I get my hair cut.... pass

We had a great family meal at the OG in Great Falls. Everyone was happy. My son the picky eater had the lamb chops and loved them. The rest of us pretty much made a meal out of the extensive appetizer selections.

Thanks Keith -- sounds like we need to get back to the Chantilly outpost.

Meeting an old friend for dinner next Friday downtown and thought about trying this place. I'm looking forward to riding the Silver Line extension from Loudoun Gateway.

So, need intel. Is it a good choice? He considers me quite savvy in the food realm so the pressure is one!

I'm guessing they made Chef an offer he couldn't refuse.

Had a super date night dinner there with Mrs. W a few weeks ago, and our now college lad (GMU) tagged along and loved it too. He's pretty picky but he is a bolognese connoisseur and loved it. He even tried the goat cheese ice cream and deemed it tasty.

I recommended it to a friend who took his wife for their anniversary last week and they loved it too.

The word is getting out!

He sounds like a real tool.

6 hours ago, ElGuapo said:

The owners of Zinnia have announced the opening of The Restaurant at Zinnia planned for the site, completing the foursome of dining experiences at the Colesville Road location where Mrs. K’s served area patrons for 90 years.

https://www.sourceofthespring.com/silver-spring-news/2797104/the-restaurant-zinnia-now-open-owners-announce/

Thanks -- with Chef Danny Wells at the helm I expect good things. 😀

12 hours ago, Simon said:

As someone who recently moved back from New Haven and made the rounds one last time, I can confirm the best places now are Zuppardi's (for the clam pizza) and Zeneli.  Modern has held the line the best of the big three.  My last plain tomato pie at Sally's was shockingly poor.

Zuppardi's offers a very generous cannoli too!

1 hour ago, Mark Slater said:

Holy conspicuous consumption, Batman!! This is a ludicrous price to pay for fine dining without any of the traditional ingredients of luxury dining. Is this all ego driven? Imagine paying a month's worth of grocery shopping for 1 meal. I don't get it. 

Snowballing off Pete Wells's (no relation, nor is Patricia Wells) classic review from last year, $365 can buy a buttload of beets. For comparison purposes, the current price of a meal at Inn at Little Washington is $328.

The recent price hike is probably making reservations easier to come by too. https://ny.eater.com/2022/7/7/23198636/eleven-madison-park-tasting-menu-price-increase-august

6 hours ago, dracisk said:

Doh! Didn’t see that pras had already broken the sad news.

Just learned on my neighborhood listserv that Max’s is closing later this month. 😭

Terrible news! Best felafel around. I will make sure to stop in before 7/28.

On 4/25/2022 at 9:29 PM, dracisk said:

Aw, man, stuffies. They make a Rhode Island gal nostalgic. 🥰

This Rhode Island guy too! 🥰

Smack dab in the middle of the pack -- just where the team is likely to be this year. https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/mlb-baseball-stadium-fast-food-snacks

Anyone else get to the legendary Clyde's Farm Dinners on the plaza back in the 90s? I think there were 2 or 3. For $10 all the food you could eat, and we're not talking crap. It was mind-boggling.

14 hours ago, saf said:

Here the tv show referenced every time we get a big sandwich is Wings.

Big sandwich in I Love You, Man too!

On 6/9/2020 at 9:45 AM, Bob Wells said:

Thanks, harissa mayo sounds great!

Just to circle back, I went for the mushroom shawarma sandwich and got a cup of harissa mayo for dipping. BOOM. 

Having made one visit to my new office only because my boss was having that excellent team holiday dinner at Yardbird, I will now make a second when the Silver Line extension finally opens -- only so I can have another lunch at Shouk. It's that good.

13 hours ago, Tweaked said:

The fried chicken at Parker's is excellent... arguably better than their bbq. 

I was actually going to say that! So yes.

Here's a tip that sadly I have not been able to take advantage of for many years now. Eastern NC barbecue places like Parker's in Wilson have GREAT fried chicken. The family-style dinner at Parker's includes two pieces of chicken along with unlimited everything else.

Had dinner at Yardbird last night. Perhaps it was the fact that the boss picked up the tab, or the excellent blackberry bourbon lemonade, or the convivial company, but I really enjoyed the food. We got a family-style dinner - three apps, three entrees, and two desserts. Highlights included the biscuits, deviled eggs, fried chicken, and key lime cheesecake. Note: It's very expensive, but if you can swing it or someone else is treating, I think you'll have a nice meal.