Julii, Chef Sasha Felikson's French-Mediterranean at Pike and Rose - by the Owners of Cava Group, Inc.

[stockwatch_1999]

Website is active and menu posted here. I think they open this week. I have a reservation for next weekend that was booked through open table.

[pras]

As told by Bethesda Magazine.

[DonRocks]

On 12/6/2018 at 8:59 AM, pras said:

As told by Bethesda Magazine.

Julii may be the opening that turns Cava Group, Inc. from an endless source of financial wealth, into an unfocused company.

I hope I'm wrong, and you know what they say about unsolicited advice. Still, my initial reaction is: Stick with Cava, and only Cava, and make everything the same name (no more Cava Mezze; no more Cava Grill, etc.) - the name Julii is very confusing to me.

I wonder if they got more funding money than they know what to do with.

Venture capitalists, if you have this much to invest, you could have a ton of equity in donrockwell.com/dcdining.com, and you know where to find me - there isn't that much difference between our business model and that of numerous multi-billion dollar companies (Yelp, Reddit, etc.). Think about it: Yelp with a much more intelligent user base, and legitimate experts moderating what would otherwise be a free-for-all - it's a better way, it just is. Alternatively, think of the potential for leasing this community on another website - instant mega-content that's also (this is a very important point) well-organized and indexed. A 13+ year track record, solid name recognition, 300,000+ posts and tens-of-millions of page views - with the right type of PR, we could be at a million posts and 100 million page views very quickly. Hell, just the London Forum, which didn't even exist until a few months ago, and is a microscopic fraction of 1% of our total content, is going to be indispensable to Americans traveling to London once it's complete - you have perhaps the most qualified restaurant critic in the world working his own turf, and all we're doing is indexing his brilliant work - he will get all the credit, and he deserves it. Our Washington, DC Dining Guide is BY FAR the single-largest, single-city dining guide in the world, and nothing else is even close. Every single thing on this website is evergreen content, and will continue to have value years and decades into the future; we just need to give everything a face lift and a new look, and to make sure every single thread is indexed (which is our single-biggest strength and cannot be replicated). I'm not getting any younger, and don't want to wait until I'm too old to do this - let's make this happen.

[bookluvingbabe]

I don’t see what is going to lure me there instead of any of the other places at Pike and Rose.  

[dpamlin]

Had dinner at the bar at Julii a few weeks ago.  It was . . . fine?  Got French Onion soup, the lamb dish, and a souffle.  The French Onion soup was a bit breadier than I am used to.  Pretty good, but not at the level of Mon Ami Gabi.  The lamb dish was pretty tasty.  The souffle was also good, but seemed to be a bit non-traditional (aren't these things supposed to be "airy").  I think there is potential there, but my meal recently across the street at Nada was better (and a better value).

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French Onion Soup (zgast)

[Lori Gardner]

I ate there a couple of weeks ago and think it has potential.  The salmon crudo was excellent.  I've heard good things about the lamb but we were there early and it wasn't ready.

I was not a fan of the roasted duck.  But Sasha Felikson is a talented chef and I think it's a very nice addition to Pike and Rose.  

[Ericandblueboy]

5 hours ago, Lori Gardner said:

I ate there a couple of weeks ago and think it has potential.  The salmon crudo was excellent.  I've heard good things about the lamb but we were there early and it wasn't ready.

I was not a fan of the roasted duck.  But Sasha Felikson is a talented chef and I think it's a very nice addition to Pike and Rose.  

did someone pay you or pay for u to eat there? 

[jrichstar]

Went there a couple of days ago with another couple.  Most of the items were winners.   The French onion soup and shakshuka were excellent appetizers.  Had the lamb dish which I thought was the dish of the night.  Nice portion of lamp atop rice, crispy chickpeas and pickled veggies.  Agree with above that it seemed overpriced.  The lamb dish is $30.  Though the food is good, given the competition at Pike and Rose is somewhat cheaper, Julii may have trouble at the price point.

[Lori Gardner]

6 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

did someone pay you or pay for u to eat there? 

No one has ever paid me to eat anywhere although I occasionally attend media previews or events where meals are comped.  When I write about those on my blog I acknowledge that fact.  I paid for my meal at Julii.  Because I know the chef- as I interviewed him for Jewish Food Experience- I provided him with some feedback on what I liked and didn't like.  I plan to go back next weekend and will try the lamb.  Again, I will be paying for that meal.

I agree that prices are high here- but I think are comparable to City Perch.  For a less expensive meal at Pike and Rose, I just ate at Nada and found the prices quite reasonable and the food is good.  

[Lori Gardner]

Hi all-I'm sharing my blog post about Julii. I did like the lamb very much- and the stuffed cabbage was a very pleasant surprise.  I was not a fan of the duck. The chef says they have changed the preparation and are now serving crispy duck confit.  

"Julli: Stepping It Up on Route 355 in North Bethesda" by Lori Gardner on beenthereeatenthat.net