Dino, Dean Gold and Kay Zimmerman's Italian Enoteca in Cleveland Park with Beverage Director Fabian Malone - Closed

[pidgey]

From the menu:

Bistecca alla Fiorentina per due

Full Bone Cut Ribeye {1 Kg. - 36 oz} - for two (or one really big appetite) all natural Meyer Angus, potatoes & greens

Last Thursday, my husband ordered this after seeing it being served to a teenage boy. The teenage boy had to get it wrapped up. My husband? Not so much. Really, I can't believe he ate the whole thing.

It was also the first introduction to Dino for a friend of ours, who ordered the lasagnette. She looked mournfully at her plate when she was done, and wished that she could relive that experience.

[deangold]

If the forces of the universe are with us {ie if the fish are biting and FED EX doesn't lost the box} we will have wild white sturgeon from the waters off the Washington State coast. We think its going in a lime caper butter but we shall see. THen, straght from one of the farmers of the Santa Monica farmer's market, we are getting a small batch of purple baby artichokes. We will grill or fry them depending on how we feel when we get them. Supplies will be limited on each as this is just a first order from these particular purveyors, but we are hopeful the system will work and we will do more next week.

The wild sturgeon is due Wednesday and the artichokes Friday. We also have puntarella flown in weekly from Italy This is a form of chickory, very popular in Roma and a weed elsewhere, with a bitter taste and a lemon anchovy dressing. This may be joined by country mate Treviso wrapped in pancetta and grilled.

[jaimetown]

Definitely recommend the puntarella, especially if you order a lot of rich dishes.

[sphere777]

I'd like to go to Dino's tonight and I was wondering: do you think I'll need a reservation before 6:30? I am a party of one and Dino doesn't seem to accept reservations for singletons in OpenTable.

[Scott Johnston]

Call them! Tuesday nights can be light, but simply call them and ask.

I'd like to go to Dino's tonight and I was wondering: do you think I'll need a reservation before 6:30? I am a party of one and Dino doesn't seem to accept reservations for singletons in OpenTable.

[sphere777]

Fortunately, the Open Table system worked for me the second time around so I dropped by last night for a fine meal. The puntarella was amazing and the dressing was a perfect match for the greens' bitterness. The antipasti platter was quite good (especially the mozzarella) and the lamb pasta was delicious. The cherry tomatoes in the pasta sauce were particularly tasty. I had a glass of the "spicy" red and enjoyed it much. IIRC, it was a 2005 but for the life of me I could not tell you what region it was from.

I was a very happy camper when I left the establisment and there's a good chance I'll be back again. Total damage for the night: $45.19 before tip and worth every penny.

rob t.

[angelo]

I made a last minute reservation last night to satisfy my craving for Dino's delectable fare. The 3 Cheese Polenta with Braised Pork was luxuriously creamy last night, with just the right amount of cheese for a nice depth of flavor. The pork was nice although I think I prefer the mushroom version of this dish. My +1 ordered the Balsamic Porcini Flan, which was amazing. I loved the texture, temperature and the way the flavors melded and melted in your mouth. I was tempted to order this again instead of dessert, but was talked out of it(several times...). For my entree I tried the Triple Rack of Wild Boar and my +1 had the Hanger Steak(nice tender cut with some delicious rabe). The only noticable problem with our meal last night was the length of time for our entrees compared to appetizers, which was most likely due to a mixup in the kitchen since the dish I was originally served consisted of fish. The waiter quickly took care of this and my entree appeared after only a few more minutes. It was a bit on the tough side, despite having ordered it medium rare to avoid what naturally happens to boar when cooked, but it did have that gamey boar taste that is so hard to come by in the US along with a nice flavor rub. For dessert, I ordered the Vanilla Ice Cream with Balsamic Vinegar after reading the rave reviews from others. I wouldn't have thought it would work, but it was a truly delicious combination of flavors that probably only works when made the way Dino's does( with vanilla ice cream(that tastes of vanilla beans) and properly aged, thick Balsamic vinegar).

[deangold]

Fortunately, the Open Table system worked for me the second time around so I dropped by last night for a fine meal. I had a glass of the "spicy" red and enjoyed it much. IIRC, it was a 2005 but for the life of me I could not tell you what region it was from.

Bocadicgabbia Rosso Piceno from Marche.

[KeithA]

If the forces of the universe are with us {ie if the fish are biting and FED EX doesn't lost the box} we will have wild white sturgeon from the waters off the Washington State coast. We think its going in a lime caper butter but we shall see. THen, straght from one of the farmers of the Santa Monica farmer's market, we are getting a small batch of purple baby artichokes. We will grill or fry them depending on how we feel when we get them. Supplies will be limited on each as this is just a first order from these particular purveyors, but we are hopeful the system will work and we will do more next week.

The wild sturgeon is due Wednesday and the artichokes Friday. We also have puntarella flown in weekly from Italy This is a form of chickory, very popular in Roma and a weed elsewhere, with a bitter taste and a lemon anchovy dressing. This may be joined by country mate Treviso wrapped in pancetta and grilled.

Coming to Dino tonight and hearing good things about this dish I wanted to know if this is how the chef is preparing the puntarella - sounds good, but some of in my group don't eat pork so wanted to be sure. Also curious if the sturgeon is in yet? Artichokes in early by any chance?

Anyone try the veggie pasta dish I see on the menu? It seems more and more I'm eating with vegetarians and so I'm always on the look out for good dishes for them. Thanks.

[turbogrrl]

Also curious if the sturgeon is in yet? Artichokes in early by any chance?

sturgeon is in. we didn't have it, but a table near us last night did and were raving about it. Have not had veggie pasta, either (sorry, can't stay away from the boar), but the bean risotto was nice. I don't think there was any meat added to it...

[deangold]

Coming to Dino tonight and hearing good things about this dish I wanted to know if this is how the chef is preparing the puntarella - sounds good, but some of in my group don't eat pork so wanted to be sure. Also curious if the sturgeon is in yet? Artichokes in early by any chance?

Anyone try the veggie pasta dish I see on the menu? It seems more and more I'm eating with vegetarians and so I'm always on the look out for good dishes for them. Thanks.

We only got 1 sturgeon... 24 orders of which 12 are gone already. I will find out this AM if I can get more for the weekend. We may be able to get halibut from the same source if there is no sturgeon, but I hope I can get the latter.

The puntarella is with anchovy, lemon & olio, no pork.

ETA: We ahve 2 sturgeon swimming our way for Saturday AM delivery. We will run out tonight or tomorrow night, Different fisherman, same waters. The run is smaller than expected (low sturgeon limits, no halibut landed so far) so the price is up but the quality is just as high. The artichokes were just delivered to the ship point and will be here tomorrow morning!

ETA: The artichokes are here and are being served fried with black Hawaiaan salt & lemon.

[u-bet!]

We only got 1 sturgeon... 24 orders of which 12 are gone already. I will find out this AM if I can get more for the weekend. We may be able to get halibut from the same source if there is no sturgeon, but I hope I can get the latter.

The puntarella is with anchovy, lemon & olio, no pork.

ETA: We ahve 2 sturgeon swimming our way for Saturday AM delivery. We will run out tonight or tomorrow night, Different fisherman, same waters. The run is smaller than expected (low sturgeon limits, no halibut landed so far) so the price is up but the quality is just as high. The artichokes were just delivered to the ship point and will be here tomorrow morning!

So if I show up for dinner at around 6 tonite (no res, so I would be dining solo at the bar), my chances of snagging an order of the sturgeon are...?

[Sthitch]

So if I show up for dinner at around 6 tonite (no res, so I would be dining solo at the bar), my chances of snagging an order of the sturgeon are...?

Since they are not open for lunch and open at 5:30, I would say that you can be assured that they will have some left.

[deangold]

Since they are not open for lunch and open at 5:30, I would say that you can be assured that they will have some left.

5:30 on Saturday & Sunday, 6pm monday thru Friday.

Don... look, I'm single spacing!!!

[KeithA]

Thanks Dean for a nice meal last night and for your detailed explanations on your suppliers. We started with the vegetable and cheese antipasti plate which was alright. It is one large plate that could be an big app for one or small app for 2. The pecorino and mozzarella cheese slices, roasted mushrooms, and funky berries (like big capers) were very good. The rest (bean salad, roasted squash, artichokes, red peppers, and olive-caper salad) were just ok. We also had the always good, we order every time, misticanza salad of greens mixed with cheese. 2 of us also tried the puntarella salad - I liked it, but my buddy didn't. It is a bunch of very large leafy green stalks with a bitter flavor, which I thought went well with the anchovy dressing. My friend thought the anchovy was too strong (and he likes anchovies), maybe some lemon to cut it would be good.

For an entree, I had the porcini-truffle flan app. After reading so much about this dish, I had to try it. I always seem to try unusual and new things at Dino which one reason it is so much fun. The flan was pretty good and its texture being like a normal caramel flan worked but was odd to have the earthy savory flavors with. The aged balsamic drizzled around it was great and really complemented the dish nicely. I do have to say it is not a pretty looking dish - basically a gray gelationous blob with pale cheese shaving on top and dark balsmic on the side. Its ugly duckling appearance was a shame because it turned off my fellow diners who despite my hmmm and ahhs wouldn't try it. I'm not sure how to pretty up this tasty, yet gray dish, but maybe a garnish or two.

We also had the veggie pasta which was eaten so fast and joyfully that I didn't get a bite, and the 3-bean risotto app as an entree portion which was very good and light tasting. The last entree was the lamb pasta which I tasted and was even better than the last time I had it a few months ago. Very flavorful lamb. I thought the gramigna shape was better this time, but my friend who ordered the dish had the same thought I originally had that the pasta is too long and it curves make it not go as well with the lamb and sauce. Still a very enjoyable dish.

I would definitely recommend Dino with its current menu to any vegetarians, as you can see 4 of us shared 3 apps/salas and 4 entrees and only 1 was meat, and we didn't even order any of the handful of cheese polenta dishes that I've enjoyed in the past.

[deangold]

Dino is offering Easter Brunch this Sunday. So far, we are getting killed on reservations and I will likely be beat up by my wait & kitchen staff if we don't get a good turnout! I know for some, that may be reason enough to stay away but take pity on Kay at least!

From 11:30 am til 3:00 pm, in addition to our regular menu, we will have an ala cart Brunch menu. Your choices include Pane {Fruit Bread French Toast with Vanilla Bourbon Maple Syrup & Applewood Smoked Bacon}, Funghi {Roasted Wild Mushrooms on Texas Toast with Crispy Speck} and Chesapeake {Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Hollandaise & Frisee Salad with Warm Pancetta Vinaigrette}.

Dino will be taking reservations from 11:30 am til 7:30 pm for Easter Sunday. Wine Madness {33% off of wines over $50 a bottle} WILL be in effect all day. We hope to see you there!

[eating out]

One of my favorite parts about Dino is the little dish of green olives to start. Dean, could you please tell me what type of olives they are? They're delicious. I think Mendocino does the same thing with a little dish of green olives that are heated up - does anyone know if these are the same type? I'm hoping I'll be able to find them somewhere in the area to purchase. Thanks!

[deangold]

One of my favorite parts about Dino is the little dish of green olives to start. Dean, could you please tell me what type of olives they are? They're delicious. I think Mendocino does the same thing with a little dish of green olives that are heated up - does anyone know if these are the same type? I'm hoping I'll be able to find them somewhere in the area to purchase. Thanks!

Of late they have been Castelvetranos (bright green & buttery. We also have Taggiasche (misspelled I am sure) from Liguria and Gaeta. We have been doing Greek olives for a while but are now going back to all Italian.

[genericeric]

Went to the Dino Easter Brunch today, and just made me wish they served brunch more often. Started with the always good Burrata and took our first swing at the fried artichokes, which were not what I expected, but were creamy and tasted wonderful.

I have a hard time getting away from the Boar pasta for anything, but I tried another's fruit bread french toast, and it was amazing. A little crispy on the outside and incredibly creamy on the inside with a great syrup sauce and berries, I wished I'd ordered this. Another got the pork sausage - I admit I'm not much of a sausage fan but if Jimmy Dean made this I could become a convert.

They handled our incredibly early arrival for our reservation time very well, and the service was as great as always. I only wish more of the tables had been full, I'd like to see this brunch option more often. The only negative of the brunch is one in our party really wanted eggs and there weren't any options, but I think the french toast won her over.

[JLK]

Thursday night, I was able to sample the dessert that will (or has by now?) replaced the nutella crepes. Although I love nutella, I had been lukewarm on the crepes. I am, however, in love with the nutella mousse. Thursday night it was served with bourbon-soaked cherries in the bottom of the cup, and the "mousse" seemed more like a pudding to me (a good thing in my book). Creamy, rich and heavenly.

[hillvalley]

Dinner last week at Dino was a pleasant surprise. It's has been a while since I was last there because I felt the food was not living up to Dean's dream. I'm happy to say the food is once again.

The fried baby artichokes brought me in and will bring me back. The are about the size of big brussell sprouts, cut in to quarters, and quickly fried. The result is a lightly cooked artichoke full of nutty goodness. Topped with salt they were easy to inhale. Nothing more needs to be said about the burotta, other than it kicks ass. The four cheese polenta with pork in tomato sauce was perfect for the chilly evening. I was a little disappointed in the cheesiness factor of the polenta, you couldn't taste the cheese, but with the pork it was perfect. Another spring special, puntarella salad, is not to be missed either. The salty anchovy sauce is the perfect compliment to the young bitter green. This is a perfect example of a dish that lives up to Dean's vision.

When I finished with the above I was still hungry but didn't know what I wanted. Chris, using his magical powers to read my mind, suggested a charcuterie plate to go. Perfect suggestion. A generous helping of three different meats, two types of salami and a cured meat, were perfect an hour later curled up on the couch. Thanks Chris!

[Waitman]

Best pasta dish in 18 months. Hoping that one of the many others I was with at the time can remind exactly what it was, because I woke up early this morning thinking about it. Oh, btw, once one of my compatriots reminds what it's called, order it, have two glasses of good wine and walk across the street for Shine a Light.

[Mrs. B]

Best pasta dish in 18 months. Hoping that one of the many others I was with at the time can remind exactly what it was, because I woke up early this morning thinking about it. Oh, btw, once one of my compatriots reminds what it's called, order it, have two glasses of good wine and walk across the street for Shine a Light.

Pappardelle ai Cinghiale - Boar Pasta the pappardelle were perfection that I will strive to acheive next time I've got the pasta thing happening at home.

In Waitman's defense, he was not there when we ordered and had to kind of inhale it in order to get across to the Uptown in time for the movie. We will dine at a less barbaric pace next time.

I would also like to shout out the fried artichokes and the pencil thin asparagus rolled in cured meat and baked (and I really don't usually care for asparagus at all). I liked the sauce for the white aspargus on its own but felt it rather overwhelmed the veggie. The seedy bread is fantastic too.

Great dinner, great company.

[chickenlover]

Dino last night. The cheeses, especially the burrata, were excellent. I'm afraid I can't share others' enthusiasm for the cooked food though.

[Banco]

Dino, at the bar, for an early dinner on Tuesday. Chris's drinks are imaginative and some of the best in town, but I was underwhelmed by the fried artichokes (a bit gristly) and the porchetta, which was rather tough and tasted reheated.

[cajcaj]

Friday night on the late side at Dino. Chris took care of us with wine suggestions and we had a few small plates - a great salad of raw porcinis (the Ragusano (?) went great with them) with just the right amount of salt, the proscuitto, the meatballs and the flavorful grilled veggies.

Hi Dean! This is Courtney, my boyfriend Chuck and I enjoyed meeting you and chatting with you a bit before you headed home for the night.

[Al Dente]

Please allow me to introduce myself; I'm a man of wealth and taste. I've been around for a long, long year, but never actually sat down to dinner at Dino's. I've had a bite at the bar way back when, but that's about it. So, last night before the Stones movie at the Uptown, I dropped in on Dean and Kay.

My meal was as jet set as Jagger! Burrata and Branzino flown in from Italy, baby artichokes air-freighted from California, and some of the freshest porcinis this side of my private villa in Mustique.

Miss You already. I look forward to the opportunity to Rip This Joint again. Wild Horses won't keep me from making Dino's a more regular stop.

Satisfaction.

[deangold]

Due to problems with our gas service, Dino will be closed today. We expect to be open at our normal time tomorrow. If you know of any virgins that I can sacrafice to appease the Gods of the gas company.......

[legant]

At least is bar open, right? Plea-ze let the bar be open.

[turbogrrl]

A long day; a failed midterm, and other vagaries. Met my good friend in Dupont, and our wandering feet led us first to tea, and then to the rock creek, where we fished out some trash and watched ducks. Then we walked up the long hill to the zoo, where we mocked an ostrich and ogled a pygmy hippo and meowed futilely at the big kitty cages. Finally, we turned even further north, and settled in at the bar at Dino, where Chris made us some very fine drinks and we tried not to terrorize people *too* much.

For the record, we weren't the ones who held up and attacked a ribeye like it was a large lollipop. We didn't even suggest it; they did it all on their own. But the char was lovely. As is a bar where perfect strangers will offer up bits of their food.

[food.fiend]

Made it to Dino last night after a slightly disasterous dining adventure beforehand. Luckily for us, it was a gorgeous night and there were empty tables outside... That, along with a campari and soda, wine, burrata, and some wild Boar pasta were just what were needed to unwind (and fill our half-full stomachs from the previous meal)... All was delicious, and it was great to just sit there and enjoy ourselves... only gripe was that it seemed that our waiter was MIA much of the time... which was actually fine in the end, though, as we had a most delightful busser bring us bread, water, olive oil, and all those other things that had been left out... Definitely will be back to enjoy more nice nights sitting outside with such good food...

[deangold]

we had a most delightful busser

His name is Alex. He works in restaurants 7 days a week with 2 jobs. I tild him of your comment and he gave me a smart-alecky reply but he walked away 10 feet tall. Thanks for taking the time to notice and comment!

[food.fiend]

His name is Alex. He works in restaurants 7 days a week with 2 jobs. I tild him of your comment and he gave me a smart-alecky reply but he walked away 10 feet tall. Thanks for taking the time to notice and comment!

Oh, Fantastic! I was hoping you would! He really was great!

[Woodleygrrl]

Hey, are you all still using opentable for reservations? I can't seem to find you all on it anymore. what's up with that?

[Sthitch]

Hey, are you all still using opentable for reservations? I can't seem to find you all on it anymore. what's up wih that?

The profile is still there but with the message that the restaurant is currently offline temporarily.

[Woodleygrrl]

The profile is still there but with the message that the restaurant is currently offline temporarily.

thanks! I didn't even get that message. When you put in Dino as a restaurant name it doesnt come up. So I hope it is just offline as you say.

[Sthitch]

Click on display all restaurants (or it says something like that), and you can choose it from the list.

[deangold]

Hey, are you all still using opentable for reservations? I can't seem to find you all on it anymore. what's up with that?

Our open table needs to be rebooted. We had some electrical problems the last two night and I fear that the circut breaker went off over night. As soon as someone gets in, we wil be up and back online. Try calling and leaving a message for a reservation. You will get a call back around 4pm.

[KeithA]

Any truth to the rumor spread by Tom Sietsema today: "owner Dean Gold -- who, rumor has it, is doing the cooking there these days. True? We wait with bated breath for the answers."???

[deangold]

Any truth to the rumor spread by Tom Sietsema today: "owner Dean Gold -- who, rumor has it, is doing the cooking there these days. True? We wait with bated breath for the answers."???

Yes. Starting February 15, Stephan went on leave. He relocated to Florida for family obligations with an open ended return date. We evolved with the current staff and parted compny with Stephan around Easter. Stephan is back int he DC area now and we wish him well in his future food ventures.

I have been running the kitchen and doing the recipe development since he left. I would say that the menu began evolving starting April 1.

[dinwiddie]

I have been running the kitchen and doing the recipe development since he left. I would say that the menu began evolving starting April 1.

So what kind of menu did you "evolve" for the dinner with Adam Lee?

[deangold]

Our menu is available online. With the 36 wines of Siduri, Novy and too many others to contemplate, we had mostly stuff from the menu with a broiled scallop in the shell dish that will be going on the menu shortly. Grilled veggies, wild boar pasta, veal breast, sable fish, cheese, prosciutto wrapped asparagus with Saba.

[JLK]

Tonight's dinner at Dino is "evolving" nicely in my belly. A friend and I shared the much lauded burrata and then each had a half order of the lamb pasta (her) and the wild boar (me), swapping bites of each. Both were delicious, not to mention very, very filling. And yet we each got a dessert. I returned to the terrific Nutella pudding, or whatever it's being called, with bourbon cherries. I could eat that every night for dessert and die happy. My friend's tiramisu was also very good. The wine selections proffered by Chris were, as always, wonderful. I miss living close to Dino!

[turbogrrl]

Chose to send myself off on my stupid road trip (Alabama to DC in a little over 24 hours) with some drinks at Dino, a movie, and then a dash back across the street for dinner at Dino. The bread, the burratta, the spring risotto, and the hangar steak were all spot-on. It should be noted that there was green matter underneath the steak, and Nick ate it- all of it. He also happily consumed some of the spring risotto despite the obvious green and mushroom matter in it. I managed to restrain myself from licking the bowl, but only barely.

But man- the stories I heard Monday night. *shakes head*

[turbogrrl]

Dino. Birthday diner for N's mom. Food was wonderful. I had five drinks, not nearly enough. Dear god, I hope they let us back in.

[gks_eats_dc]

Does Dino's Monday 'wine madness' still stretch into the night? I want to drink Valpolicella or Amarone tomorrow and Dino is a good place to do that, but can't until 9 or 10 pm......

[updated]--got my answer--lasts through the last seating

[Marcus Aurelius]

Any truth to the rumor spread by Tom Sietsema today: "owner Dean Gold -- who, rumor has it, is doing the cooking there these days. True? We wait with bated breath for the answers."???

I think the restaurant (Dean + staff) is doing a fine job. On a recent visit, the vegetable "stew" was so tasty that I wanted to lick my plate. I also enjoyed the seafood soup.

[deangold]

Join us in July as Dino celebrates its thrid anniversary with special tasting menus and special wine flights. Click.

[deangold]

Three years ago today, we opened Dino. To those of you who have supported us in the past, thanks!

[Walrus]

Three years already! Congratulations, Dean!