pjnewman

I drove by there today in that I was involved with the design for the renovation of the Lake Forest Animal Hospital next door and thought that the construction that you saw was a part of that expansion. There was a sign on door saying that the restaurant will be closed as of August 12th for renovations. I know that as of a year ago, the owner was interested in selling the restaurant but have no idea how this may or may not be affecting the current renovations. - P

I wanted to give credit to the management based our recent experience at Bistro Bis. We visited Bistro Bis on a Sunday evening (the last day of Restaurant Week). We ordered steak tartare (see the steak tartare thread) and mussels (which always warrants an extra basket of bread to soak up the broth) for appetizers. We ordered the lamb shank and duck confit with duck sausage and vegetables as a main course. I do not recall the exact wording on the menu for the duck confit description but I expected a duck leg and a duck sausage with vegetables as a side. What I received was the duck leg with vegetables and a little bit of sausage in the mix. I was a bit disappointed but didn't mention this to our waiter at the time. Everything was delicious and would not have deterred me from visiting in the future (we have been at least a dozen times in the past although I don't expect that we would have identified as a "regular" by any member of the staff). My wife emailed the Bistro Bis contact email address the next day noting our disappointment. She received an email apologizing for our experience. We ultimately received a letter with a hand written note from the general manager, Sean Applegate, which included a coupon for a free entrée on our next visit. Given that our experience was during Restaurant Week (which I expect is a low profit time) and that I didn't immediately mention my disappointment I didn't expect any reaction. I can only credit this response to a class philosophy of management. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due. - Paul

My wife and I are saddened to hear of Chef Itoh's passing. We've eaten at Makoto over a dozen times, reserving dining there for special occasions, over what I believe to be the last 20 years. We ate there as recently as this past July and thought that the quality of our experience never diminished in all those years. We always chose the chef's multi-course menu in order to sample the widest variety of their offerings. We initially sat at a table but quickly learned that the place to sit was at the bar so that could enjoy the show, watching the chefs prepare the dishes. All of the chefs behind the bar were always quick to comment when my wife and I would discuss a dish's preparation and identify an ingredient for us that we were at a loss to identify. Our thoughts go out to the chef's family in this difficult time and will miss the artistry, flavors and passion that he brought to DC dining.

We dined at Bistro Bis two or three Sundays ago (the last night of restaurant week) and ordered the steak tartare (which I believe was an upcharge). The preparation was what you would expect with capers, onion and cornichons and I thought the flavors were excellent. The garlic chips that were included complimented the dish and it also included an apple slaw, the light freshness of which (not too sweet) was a perfect compliment to the bold flavor of the meat. This is still a go-to place to sample the dish.

I received an email from a group "Professionals In The City" that advertises a traditional seder and passover ceremony. Info: First Night Passover Seder WHEN: Friday, April 6, 2012 from 07:00 PM - 10:00 PM WHERE: B'Nai Israel Congregation 6301 Montrose Road Rockville, MD 20852 (Next door to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington) Nearest Metro: White Flint on the Red Line PRICE: $55.00 Link to their website where you can purchase tickets: http://www.prosinthe...ver-seder-10723

I have purchased two tickets to tonight's Les Dames d'Escoffier Chinese New Year Dinner at Hollywood East (see flier below) but because of illness will be unable to attend. I haven't been able to contact Les Dames to see if there is a waiting list but did call Hollywood East who will try and contact them on my behalf. If that falls through Hollywood East said that I could call them with the names of two people who could substitute for me. I'm checking with one person in my office to see if they're available but since there's no sense in wasting what I hoped to be a good meal I'd like to possibly make these tickets available to a Don Rockwell member. The first person who posts gets the tickets free of charge (if I can't get rid of them first). Just make sure that you have your arrangements in place (child care, transportation, etc.) before responding because I hate to see good food wasted.

This may be too late for your event, but we hosted an event similar to what you describe and used Stone Soup Catering in Gaithersburg. They were able to provide a bartender for the event as well. a Link to their site is: http://www.stone-soup-catering.com/ Everything was delicious and some of my guests ending up using them for events of their own.

This week (April 11th - 17th) is Bethesda Spring Restaurant Week. A list of participating restaurants and menus can be seen here.

Two of us went for dim sum yesterday and had a good experience. We stuck to our usuals of stuffed eggplant, deep fried taro, shu mai, pastry filled with barbequed pork, and a couple of other dishes that I know by sight but not by name. Nothing disappointed. We don't order any of the sweets so I can't comment on those. Our trick is to get there early (about 11:15am) and ask for a table near the kitchen. That usually ensures that you won't miss a dish that might otherwise have run out after getting halfway across the room. The dishes are also hotter as you can see which ones have just left the kitchen. The other thing to know is that when the servers reload their carts they take whatever is left on the top shelf and move it to the bottom shelf. So it often occurs that anything selected from the lower shelf won't be as warm as it should. I've had dim sum here on weekdays a few times and find that it is never as good. The selection is less and the turnover of items is much slower so you run the risk of selecting something that has been carted around for a half hour. They have increased their prices since we were last there (maybe a few months ago). The least expensive item is now $2.95 (up from $2.75) and nearly all of the price categories increase. With tea for two and no "premium" items (but plenty of leftovers) the bill (before tip) was $30 where the same meal in the past was always in the low 20s. This will not prevent me from returning however.

I've found the Germantown location to be disappointing and will no longer go there. The Rockville location just off I-270 at Route 28 is considerably better.

My wife and I ate in the bistro section of The Classic's last evening and enjoyed everything that we had. We stopped in after a meeting nearby and at just after 5pm the bistro was nearly empty. After being seated we were greeted at the table and with a snack of spiced cashews and bread. The bread wasn't served with butter but was so rich that butter wasn't missed. We typically get the hanger steak bistro special but the special of the evening was smoked pork ribs which is what I opted for. We started with the crab bisque soup and the devilishly good eggs which we shared. The soup is rich and creamy with plenty of large chunks of crab. The eggs were two halved hard boiled eggs with the yolks removed and replaced with steak tartare. The eggs were arranged in a square each sitting on some crumbled yolk. They encircled chopped red onion and capers and were surrounded by halved cornichons at the corners. Both dishes were delicious and we would happily order them again. The smoked ribs were accompanied by either lightly seasoned regular fries (which I chose) or sweet potato fries and cole slaw. The ribs were well trimmed, tender and were completely permeated with the smoke flavor. I didn't detect any dry rub but they were served with a sauce which was sparingly applied (my preference). The fries were good with the right amount of crunch on the outside while soft on the inside (at least while they were still warm). The slaw was good, not to much dressing and not too sweet. I thought I had ordered the perfect meal until I tasted the hanger steak. I had forgotten just how much flavor this meat can have. The char was just right and the meat was done perfectly (medium for my wife). It was absolutely delicious. We had asked for some brandy mushroom sauce on the side which complimented the meat well. The steak was accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes and creamed spinach which is chopped a little more coarsely than some steakhouses that I've been to. Both were good although between the richness of the soup, potatoes and spinach I was finding myself filling up quickly. This was all accompanied by a bottle of Antis Malbec reserva which at $36 was very good. Both my wife and I were surprised when we were asked for ID as we are both in our early 50s. We found that neither of us had room for dessert and we both took leftovers home. The big surprise came when we got the check. I always expect that the evening's specials will be priced on the high side of the range of the other entree's prices (I know that I could ask the price but I rarely do). The smoked pork ribs turned out to be $14.99 which meant that they and the egg appertizer ending up being the same price as the bistro special. Service was helpful and attentive. The meal with the wine, tax and tip was $107 which while not inexpensive was a lot of delicious food for the price. When we left at about 6:15pm there were only a few tables available in the bistro and a few single seats at the bar. Next time I would probably go back to ordering the beef but last night we both walked out satisfied and satiated.

I stopped in at the Rockville location for lunch this past Monday and enjoyed the meal. I arrived just before 1pm and it seemed as though there were plenty of tables available. I was by myself so I opted to sit at the pizza bar located in front of the ovens. A good seat on a chilly day as you can feel to warmth from the oven. Probably not the greatest seat in the house in the middle of summer. I had a small Matchbox meat pizza and iced tea. I thought the crust was the right thickness and had the right crunch. The ingredients were flavorful and proportioned correctly for my taste. The service was good and the pizza arrived at my seat relatively quickly. Admittedly, it was probably after the main rush for the lunch service. I would return to try other varieties of the pizza as well as other offerings. The downside to eating alone is that you don't get to taste as many dishes. The cost was $20 with tip.

A list of restaurants that have extended restaurant week is More Restaurant Week. It's often easier to get a good reservation the second week as fewer people realize that some establishments do this. So far this week we've had good dinners at The Oval Room and Vidalia. Dinner tonight at Cafe Du Parc (although the menu posted on their website seems quite limited) and dinner on Sunday at Ris.

Thanks for arranging this. My wife and I would be interested in the tour but won't be able to make lunch.

$40 of food for $20 at Hwaro-Norito; good on either side today at living social. http://livingsocial.com/deals/10118-50-off-asian-cuisine?ref=MOCODeal111510_230_2778email

Not open yet. They regularly update their twitter account with their progress. http://twitter.com/HWoodEastCafe

I've been in the past and felt that it was worth going to. It is similar in format to "Taste of the Nation DC" which is April 12th at the National Building Museum. Walk around with multiple samples from the various restaurants along with multiple wine and drink stations.