scj32

Thanks for the report. Any word on what they have done with the bar ?. It was nice to be able to walk in there and get great oysters, a great burger, or other quality bar food.

My wife is hooked on the "cotton candy with gummy bears". She is amazed that the bears stay gummy in the ice cream. I am amazed that a grown adult can eat blue cotton candy ice cream. My favorite flavor has been the coffee with chocolate chips in it.

We finally made it down to Taste of Jerusalem. It really is a nice dining room and we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. As was mentioned they could go a little heavier on the spices. The owner was very hospitable. He took the time to get feedback, including any constructive criticism from all the cutomers in the restaurant (unfortunately, there were only 10 at the time). I had the lentil soup to start, which had a delicious texture, but a little too much sumac. For an entree, I had the Shik Barak filled with lamb. The lamb was delicious and the little raviolis were generously stuffed with the ground lamb. My wife had an assortment of mezzes. She loved the Moussaka. It was a little different than Greek moussaka, and unlike many of the other dishes it was bursting flavor. The spinach pies were also delicious. My wife also raved about the lebneh (which is yogurt with cucumber and other spices). She is Persian and they have similar dish. She said this was on par with much of what she had eaten. As far as drinks, the beer list was a little generic. For all those that complain about the overexpansion of Lebanese Taverna on this board and for all those that complain about the excessive chains invading Silver Spring, this is definitely a place worth supporting.

We used to be crazy about Matamora as well, but were disappointed on our last couple visits ( how many times are they going to repaint that place anyway). We had been relying on Samanthas for our Savadorean/Mex cuisine, but I have alway been curious about Sergio's. I look forward to trying it now.

sorry to mislead...No Gelato at Moorenko's but the ice cream is so damn good that I prefer it over Gelato. But there is close by Gelato at Mamma Lucia on East-West Hwy in Silver Spring. Haven't had it but they have about 15-20 flavors.

It is Kefa Cafe that has the big gelato sign. haven't been there in years and never tried the gelato, but there usually seems to be a small growd outside. We usual flock to Moorenko down the street instead.

I am cursed to work close by, where there are limited lunch options. I ate a shrimp poboy that was overpriced and mediocre about a year ago. I haven't been back.

Sichuan Garden is not in the food court. The entrance is right off the street. They do have a lunch buffet though where they charge by the pound. The sit-down restaurant is downstairs from that.

There is a great Chinese restaurant on K Street b/w 18th adn 19th. It's in the basement of International Square -- Sichuan Garden. I have eaten there for lunch many times and it is alway packed with business. I have also ordered in dinner from there when working late. I am sure that it is quiet for dinner, but is great food and should fit your needs.

I have been reading these posts for a long time, but this is my first real one, so forgive me if I get carried away.... The Mrs. and I had tickets for the Strathmore last night, so we needed to grab a quality Valentines Day meal close by between work and the 8 pm show. We had originally had reservations at Addie's but cancelled when we saw what looked to be a rather underwhelming and overpriced fixed price menu. We decided to roll the the dice and try to get seated at Black Market Bistro (hoping that arriving early (6 pm), would help. We were disappointed to find that Valentine's Day is one of the few days where they do take reservations and they were booked solid. As I glanced in the dining room, I saw two open seats at the bar, and decided to grab them quickly as I thought leaving to try somewhere else on Valentine's Day might not fit into our short time window. While sitting at a bar with strangers may not be the most romantic meal, the food as always was great. The menu was $45 for three courses, but almost their whole usual menu was available, without the burgers and pizzas. The menu was $65 with wine pairings but I was happy with a beer. The food was all top notch and the service at the bar was great. I had the fried oyster appetizers. The corn breading was so crispy around the oyster which just seemed to melt as you bit into them. The remoulade sauce was perfect with a spicy tang was as good as any remoulade I have had oustide New Orleans. The Diver Scallops were cooked perfectly and sat on top of delicous, mushroom mashed potatoes, with bits of pancetta. I followed with a chocolate pot de cream, which tasted somewhere between a mousse and pudding, but better than either I have ever had. My wife ate the Rockfish which she also loved and had a the fall fruit (I though fall ended months ago) platter for dessert which was a streudel, a baked pear, and something else I can't remember. The meal had that perfect balance for valentines day of a nice, cozy, quality meal with out going for the top just for the sake of the holiday. It was just what we were looking for and the other dining at the bar seemed to be looking for the same thing too.

Anyone have any word on the "Indique Heights" to be opening by Friendship Heights metro? I saw a banner this weekend.

We have also been disappointed with both the food and the service at Jackie's on a couple of occasions and am still struggling to figure out what the hype is all about. The only thing that it appears to have going for it is that the concept is somewhat unique to Silver Spring (not many new, trendy places). We are always pleased with the service and food at Cubano's. Their plaintain chips are delicious, all their steaks are always cooked perfectly (my wife also loves the Chicken Fricasse), and their mojitos are damn tasty (and strong).