When Cheesetique opened in its new location last month, one of the most exciting developments was not yet in place.  As I mentioned in my write-up, proprietor Jill Erber's big plans for the new space included a cheese & wine bar at the rear of the shop.  This week, those plans came to fruition with a Tuesday night opening.

Fans of the cheeses and charcuterie sold at Cheesetique can now enjoy them paired with wines by the glass in a casual dining environment.  Reminiscent of a small bistro or cafe, the space is dominated by a white marble bar that runs the length of the left-hand wall.  Behind the bar, large smoked-glass mirrors and red shelves give the space a warm and friendly character.  The remainder of the cozy dining area features table seating (marble makes another appearance on the unadorned tabletops) for roughly thirty guests at any given time.

And those guests are in for a treat.  Chef Cat's menu goes beyond meats and cheeses in delicious, if predictable ways.  Several salads and sandwiches are available at very reasonable prices, with none of the entree offerings coming in over $10.  Artisanal quiches and panini featuring a variety of fillings will rotate on and off of the menu on a regular basis - the prosciutto panini we ate on our visit was definitely a highlight of the meal.  And the gazpacho that accompanies the upscale grilled cheese packs a delicious chili pepper heat in with the crisp, cool chunks of cucumber that swim in the tomato base.  The soup is available on its own for $3, a bargain compared to standard restaurant fare.

Even so, the stars of the show are naturally the meats, cheeses and wines that you would expect to feature prominently in this setting.  Though you might anticipate the entire catalog of cheeses to be avialable in the bar, there is actually a small but diverse selection of ten different cheeses. They are featured on the Cheese Cart that stands at the ready beside the bar and can be wheeled to your table to show off the goods.  Our choices included a triple-cream brie, a honey goat cheese, a raw-milk aged cheddar, and a pair of blue cheeses among others - enough to give us pause, but not as many options as we might have hoped. 

These cheeses can be enjoyed on their own or in groups, and they come served with fresh, crusty bread.  If you're looking to make a more substantial plate, a variety of charcuterie choices are also available.  They range from the familiar (prosciutto, soppresata) to the more unique (lomo - a cured, pressed pork loin that was rich and flavorful).  A combination of three cheeses and three meats that comes with cornichons, olives, grainy mustard and bread runs $25, and it is a great way to experience a diverse group of flavors in one sitting.  The advice of your server can be invaluable as you try to balance your order - but don't hesitate to focus on your favorites if you know what you like!

Cheesetique's bar offers almost two dozen wines by the glass or the bottle, with prices starting at $7 per glass.  They run the gamut from sparkling wines to dessert wines, with a wide range of reds and whites to choose from.  Some basic pairing notes are included on the menu, but again your best bet is to ask your server for a recommendation to make sure your pinot noir and your Parrano don't clash.  A selection of beers that match up well with cheeses is also available, and the connection between the restaurant and the retail space is reinforced by a 10% discount offered on the purchase of wines that are featured in the cheese bar.

As with any completely new venture, there are still some small kinks to be worked out - the most noticeable is the Cheese Cart's inability to navigate the spaces between some of the tables when filled.  Additionally, my wife's order was inadvertently delivered to another table, resulting in her sandwich arriving just as we were finishing my panino. But the service was very friendly and quick to respond, and the team at Cheesetique seems like they are already off to a great start with only one night's service under their belts.

Cheesetique's Cheese & Wine Bar is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 PM to 9 PM, and they do not accept reservations.  They are located at 2411 Mount Vernon Avenue, in the heart of Del Ray.  Street parking is available, and there is a small lot on the block for patrons.
www.cheesetique.com

At the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Pershing Drive in north Arlington, a bright green and red sign emphatically entreats passersby with the simple appeal "EAT." This same sign has been greeting customers for over 25 years to the old Arlington fixture Whitey's, which shut down about five years ago. In its place, Tallula restaurant has been providing Arlingtonians with nouveau American cuisine since 2005.

Housed in the bar area of the now well established Tallula, EatBar is the DC area's first "gastropub." All the rage in London and the more cosmopolitan cities of Europe, gastropubs are built on a simple philosophy: to provide innovative but familiar house made food along with fine brews and vino. Having experienced mixed success as Tallula's lounge the restaurant re-branded the bar early last year, and though they've experienced their share of growing pains and setbacks, the new concept seems to be taking off.

Built on the 'Amuse Yourself' program employed by the restaurant, EatBar's menu shines best with its sizable assortment of 3-bite treats, ranging in price from $2.25 to $6.00. In keeping with the gastropub philosophy, everything is made on premise, all the way down to the condiments. Included in the array of artery-clogging treats are a crispy risotto fritter in a green curry sauce, warm house roasted olives (which I like but my girlfriend finds odd), onion rings with homemade mustard (which we both agree are greasy and sub par), and an extraordinary trio of bacon wrapped figs in mascarpone cheese (which we both would eat a dozen of it wouldn't prompt instant cardiac arrest). The frites are well prepared, crispy shoestrings and make a great snack when paired with a couple of "baby burgers," which are great as long as you enjoy the taste of truffles.

In addition to the apps EatBar offers a simple but well chosen menu of full size entrees ranging from about $8 to $15 dollars (note: for several items this price does not include a side). Vegan dining is right out, but those who eschew meat won't starve: the EatBar salad is a fresh and simple selection of baby greens and shaved fennel, and the grilled cheese panini is gooey and delicious. Come springtime they will hopefully bring back the tomato and cornbread salad, which is an amazing light-but-filling salad, perfectly balancing the saltiness of feta and olives with the sweetness of the cornbread and tomato.

Anyhow, back to the meat. The house made hot dog is easily EatBar's greatest contribution to the DC area's  culinary culture. More bratwurst than ballpark, this all beef sausage is huge, with perfect consistency and just the right amount of grease and salt, served in a toasted bun that is actually the right size! Though I've read of people having mixed experiences with the dog, in several outings I have never had one that wasn't plump and fully cooked.

Items come out as they are finished, so if you are one for traditional three course dining, you might be better served elsewhere. However, this breezy sort of service leaves one plenty of time to sample the substantial wine list. EatBar offers a staggering 70 wines by the glass, differentiated by color, weight and style. Prices range from about $7 to $17 a glass and the wine is served in full size Bordeaux glasses at much closer to proper temperature than you find at most wine bars. While there is a sprinkling of restaurant standards on the list, by and large it is an eclectic mix of wines from all over the world, ranging from crisp Loire whites to heavy Spanish monsters. Though there is no real sommelier that I've ever met, the bar staff is friendly and will usually let you sample before you take the plunge. The bottle list, too, is quite lengthy and surprisingly wallet friendly-- I found a 2000 vintage Cotes du Rhone on there a few weeks back that was drinking very well for about $20! The beer situation is unfortunately a bit touch and go, and both beer and wine selections could stand to be rotated more often-- that said, the very breadth of selection will not leave you wanting for something new, as long as you are on the adventurous side.

Problems of drink and food rotation aside, I find myself going to EatBar again and again, not only for the addictive snack foods, but for the fun and welcoming vibe as well. While paper menus may be few and far between, all you have to do is refer to the framed blackboards behind the bar, a cute and innovative homage to your friendly neighborhood deli. Sunday night is movie night, so if you find yourself free on a weekend night and don't want to shell out $10 on a ticket to Hollywood's latest piece of schlock, swing by and see a classic--a glass of Cab is a far better investment in my opinion, and the truffle popcorn and candy are on the house! It’s these little touches and more that make what could be an intimidating venue into a rather comfortable affair-- more reminiscent of Whiteys really than is evident at first blush.

EatBar
2761 Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA
Map
703.778.9951
http://tallularestaurant.com/barandlounge.htm
Dress Code: Casual
Non-Smoking in the Front Bar, Smoking Allowed in the Back

I stopped in at Lia's for lunch the other day, sat down at the bar and had a few appetizers and a meat-and-cheese plate. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience and I think that it's a good addition to the very average restaurant scene in Friendship Heights.

While none of the food we ordered was anything to go crazy over, everything we had was pretty good. Appetizers aren't cheap and most are from $8 to $10, but they're also large enough to share. Two people can easily get away with ordering an appetizer for each and a cheese plate to share. The lobster risotto appetizer that Amy ordered was a little "soupy" although the menu said it was a creamy risotto so maybe that's what they're going for, but the rice was tender and not overcooked. Amy commented that the lobster was a little chewy...I had the mushroom gnocchi which was a little oversalted, but otherwise good.

We also ordered a meat-and-cheese plate. The cheeses were good, although nothing that you couldn't pick up at Whole Foods or Balducci's (as far as I could tell -- I'm no cheese expert), and the bread  was a warm sliced Italian-style white loaf. The prosciutto, speck and bresaola on the meat plate were fresh and not too dry.

I think the jury is still out on whether or not Lia's is worth a special trip, but if you're in Friendship Heights, it's probably worth checking out.

You don't usually expect to find good food at a bar. A bar is where you typically find great munchies like nachos, cheese sticks, mini-burgers, and maybe...maybe if you're lucky, you'll find some Asian-inspired potstickers.

Café Saint-Ex isn't your typical bar though. 

The first time I went to Café Saint-Ex, I mistook it for your everyday bar. It was when I first moved to DC, long before I started this site, and I think at the time I was looking for a place "to party", or something like that. I believe it was after a 9:30 Club show. My friends and I waited at the bar nursing some beers while we waited to get in downstairs, but ended up leaving when that took too long.

Little did I know, five years later, I'd be returning for a completely different reason. This time, it was before a 9:30 Club show (Carbon Leaf to be exact), and we were there for dinner...instead of a party. Amy and I were having a night out on the town without Noah, our first in about three weeks! We were looking forward to a relaxing, casual dinner and that's exactly what we got.

We enjoyed the experience so much that we returned two nights later for dinner, but this time we took Noah with us. When we were there the first time  we noticed that there were some other people there with children, so we wouldn't feel out of place with him. Also, the louder atmosphere made it ideal if he decided to throw a tantrum or scream out loud, which only happens occasionally, but you never know when that shortened afternoon nap will catch up with him.

As far as food is concerned, Café Saint-Ex is definitely doing things right, and after reading Chef Barton Seaver's Bio on the Café-Saint-Ex web site, it's not surprising. You can get an extremely good meal there for a very reasonable price. For appetizers, the wood-grilled calamari (or actually anything wood-grilled) is tender and makes you wish everyone was making calamari like that. If you're expecting those typical rubbery rings of calamari that you get everywhere else, however, you'll be sorely disappointed. This calamari is served whole. The beet salad rivals that of any that I've had at other restaurants, with a goat cheese that doesn't overwhelm the beets, but also isn't so bland that you can barely taste it. And a horseradish vinagrette punches up the entire dish.

As I said before, anything wood-grilled or maybe anything that's cooked close in proximity to where the wood-grilling happens is very good. Most of the fish is cooked this way and I'd recommend you try it. I don't think the smoky and spicy flavor will be to everyone's taste, but you've got to try it once to see. So far I've tried the salmon and flounder and both were a big hit with Amy and myself.

For desserts, the smooth and creamy goat cheesecake comes looking like a giant scoop of ice cream on top of a crumbled graham cracker crust. OH MY GOD was it good. This rivaled Ann Amernick's cheesecake I tasted at Palena not long ago. Seriously people, if there is one reason alone to go to Café Saint-Ex, it's this cheesecake. I hope they don't take it off the menu anytime soon.

I should mention that the price fixe option that Café Saint-Ex offers is a very good deal. Before 7, three courses are only $28 per person, and after 7, they are $32. Our bills have consistently been below $100 with a bottle of wine. The wine list at Café Saint-Ex is very European with the occasional appearance of a New Zealand of California wine. Prices for bottles range from $24 to $75 with a majority of them falling in the lower end of that price range.

The host/hostesses are friendly as are the servers, who don't seem to have enough time to be overly congenial, but are quick to help you with the menu and point out the price fixe option to save you some money.

Café Saint-Ex
847 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC  20009
(202) 265-7839
Web Site
Map

Corkage: I didn't check. Call the restaurant to see.
Dress Code: Casual
Parking: Street:  Street Parking. I found it pretty easy to find a parking spot on the streets in the area.
Closest Metro: U Street.
Reservations: Not Taken. First come, first serve. Dinner rush starts at about 7. If you get there before that, you probably wont have to wait long.
Baby friendly rating: 3 Diapers. The atmosphere is loud, which makes it great for children, and the waitstaff and hosts seem to really love babies.

It's pretty rare that I write about a restaurant that I visit during Restaurant Week. Restaurants are so packed at this time of the year; they're often not in top form; and it's hard to tell if the hurried service and slow kitchen are a normal occurrence or just a result of...Restaurant Week.

When I was at Viridian on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (yes, all three days) during Restaurant Week, I didn't witness any of those complaints. Other than the "Restaurant Week" heading on the menu pointing out the special, you wouldn't know...and not only was the full, normal menu available, but there were no up-charges.

Servers were gracious each time we were there, even on the second night when we took Noah with us. Noah was in a rare (for him) cranky form and was being a complete pill -- impatient, squirming, and screaming out often. Despite this, every waiter or bus person that went by made it a point to say hello to Noah and smile at him. I know he's the most adorable baby in the world and all, but I've never witnessed this at any other restaurant.

We were rushed to finish our meal, and our server recognized that we were a little stressed. Our waitress handed us dessert menus while we still had our entrees: "Please don't take this as a sign that I am hurrying you out, but you look like you want to get out of here."

"Thank you! Yes we do!" We replied.

Our check was on the table soon after we received our desserts.

The following day for brunch, our server was again very friendly to Noah, and even took the time to make an origami crane for him...BWAH?!? What world have I suddenly been transported to? Some perfect world for diners with children?

Okay, so the service was great. Get it?

Got it.

The food was refreshingly good, and fresh, organic ingredients are the highlight of the menu at Viridian. While so many other restaurants serve their steak with some combination of mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and/or spinach, Viridian serves theirs with cippolini onions, figs (not dried -- there's an amazing difference), crispy watercress and a sweet port mustard sauce. Ok, so it's not super dramatically different from what you can get elsewhere, but it's kind of like that change-up pitch that you get after three straight fastballs.

A barramundi with crispy skin like it came out of a deep fryer, beet risotto, lobster and an original beet-ginger reduction sauce was a highlight. Order the cool and refreshing (yes, I used that word again) watermelon soup if you like cold soups. It's given a creamy texture by adding a champagne sorbet to the bowl before pouring the soup in front of you.

I didn't love everything I ate at Viridian, though. I'd suggest ordering the tartare appetizer for the steak and not the tuna. While the lean raw steak is 100% creamy and salty goodness, the tuna is a letdown in comparison in its blandness. And while the beat salad sounds (and looks) like it should be a sure winner, it falls flat on the taste buds.

However, I have yet to try all of the dishes on the menu, and sadly the menu changes on the first of every month, so most likely I won't be able to try the trout with gazpacho and blue crab or the gnocchi with chanterelles. Or maybe I'll luck out and the chef will still have a variation of them on the menu again.

Either way, I don't think that Chef Antonio Burrell is trying to make every diner love each and every dish they eat, but rather he's trying to go for a wide variety of tastes. I'm sure when I return, and the menu has changed, I'll find something new that I'll love -- like the flat iron steak or barramundi -- and there will probably be dishes that I'm not as crazy about. But I imagine that I'll leave happy either way.

Viridian Restaurant
1515 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
Map
202-234-1400
Web Site

Details:
Corkage: Allowed
Dress Code: Business Casual
Parking: Street: Street Parking or Park in the lot for $10.
Smoking: Not Allowed.
Closest Metro: Dupont Circle or U Street. It's a hike from either.
Reservations: Taken.
Baby friendly rating: 3.5 Diapers. As I said before, the servers seem to love kids.

It's not every day that you walk into a bar for the first time, and get treated like a regular, but at Restaurant Eve, it seems to be the usual experience. Two weeks ago, Amy and I went to Restaurant Eve for the second time and sat at the bar instead of eating at the Bistro or Tasting Room. (Our first visit being for the chef's tasting room, where I had the nine-course tasting menu and nearly passed out from the amount of food I consumed.) 

We sat at the far end of the bar for a bite to eat and I observed the people at the bar, who all seemed like a regulars, carefully. This seemed odd to me. The bartenders were conversing with everyone at the bar like they had been there many, many times. I wondered what the likelihood was that all 12 or so people sitting at the bar were regulars.

It's probably not too significant, but it made an impression when one of the bartenders (her name was Tammy) came over to greet us, we didn't get the standard, "What can I get you?", but were greeted with "How's your evening going so far?" 

The bartenders even treated the insufferable woman sitting next to us with a level of patience that I've only seen once before at a restaurant. I won't go into too much detail about this person except to say that when you're sitting at a bar, and you talk to someone sitting next to you, please take a hint when they don't reply to you with anything other than, "Thanks, that's nice." Also, if you feel that it's your purpose in life to tell those sitting next to you what wine to order, and when they decide NOT to listen to you, please don't get all pissy and laugh under your breath about what they actually did order.

Ok, so do you get the point? The bartenders are cool.

As the first night progressed, we went through our usual exploratory dining, sampling different dishes from the menu, and taking the bartender's advice on what food to get. A succulent softshell crab appetizer deep-fried in a light tempura batter and roast duck breast, duck sausage and with duck foie gras and were the highlights from this evening. However, the beef short rib entree that I had was fatty and skimpy on the meat. This was despite the fact that my friend told me the night before to order the beef short ribs because they "were the best short ribs he'd ever eaten." Perhaps I got a bad batch.

The other thing I remember vividly from that first night at the bar was that towards the end of our meal, Tammy (who by the second course managed to tell us where she lived, what her neighborhood was like and the name of her dog) was making secret trips back to the wine cellar to "find the good stuff."  This made for an interesting night to say the least, and led to me having to spend another hour at the Starbucks sobering up before Amy or I could drive home.

My second trip to the bar at Restaurant Eve was probably one of the most decadent meals I've ever eaten. More hyperbole: the night began with some of the best fried calamari I've ever eaten. Rest assured, if you find something as common as fried calamari at Restaurant Eve, you'd better order it. I don't think I've ever tasted such tender squid.

Ok, so fried calamari isn't so decadent. I'll continue.

For entrees, we had pan-roasted veal sweetbreads and confit of braised house-cured pork belly. My portion of sweetbreads was gigantic --if your normal portion of sweetbreads was a 9oz. filet mignon, this would be a 28 oz. porterhouse. I appreciated the preparation of the sweetbreads, pan-roasted instead of fried, you could actually taste the flavor of the sweetbreads. The pork belly, which Tammy told us was a "chef's specialty", was a very unique dish. While I thought that our serving could have been more tender, the complex, smoky flavor of the pork with the cannelini beans more than made up for that.

We returned a third time to Restaurant Eve, but I won't go into too much detail, except to say that you should definitely order the monkfish if it's on the menu.. I'd say that of all the entrees I ate there, this was my favorite. Perhaps it was the uncharacteristically tenderness of the monkfish, or the complexity that the spicy chorizo sausage added to the ragu it was served in. I'm not sure exactly, but it was well worth the $28.50 that it cost.

Our desserts each evening were very good and changed every evening we were there, but my favorites were the chocolate mouse cake, which...ok, you just can't go wrong with a good rich chocolate mouse, and the strawberry panna cotta which had a very delicate flavor and pleasant texture.

The cost of each of our meals at Restaurant Eve were pretty expensive -- ranging from $200 to $225 before gratuity. Keep in mind though, that each time we were there, we probably had at least three or four glasses of wine each, and with prices ranging from $8 to $15 or so per glass, this can have a serious impact for on your bill. Don't be a stupid lush like me. Ask the Sommelier to recommend a good bottle to go with your apps and entrees. So a normal person  -- who only drinks a glass of wine with dinner -- will probably be able to keep the cost of the meal down a bit, especially considering that most entrees are below $30 and the appetizers are between $10 and $15.

So I know that this is news to no one, but Restaurant Eve should be on everyones list of must-visit restaurants in this area. The food is original and unlike anything you'll get at other restaurants and you certainly won't be disappointed by your meals there.

Restaurant Eve
110 S. Pitt Street
Alexandria, VA
(703) 706-0450
Map

Hours:
Bistro
Lunch Mon - Fri: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Dinner Mon-Sat: 5:30 PM - 10 PM
Tasting Room:
Dinner Mon - Sat: 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Bar and Lounge
Mon - Thu: 11:30 Am - 11:30 PM
Fri: 11:30 AM - 12:30 AM
Sat: 5:30 PM - 12:30 AM
Closed Saturday Lunch, Sundays and all major holidays

Dress Code: Business Casual
Parking: Street parking in Alexandria isn't too hard to come by, except on weekends. There are also parking lots all over the place. No valet.
Smoking: Not Allowed.
Closest Metro: King Street and it's a hike.
Reservations: Taken in the Bistro and Tasting Room and are recommended.
Amy's Bathroom rating: Very clean and well taken care of.
Baby friendly rating: 1 diaper. Yeah, babies don't belong here during dinner. The only time I think it may be appropriate to bring a baby is during lunch in the lounge.

Disclaimer: I have to admit, I want Dino to be good and therefore I might be slightly biased. This place is in my hood, and my hood needs a place like this with an adventurous menu and a decent wine list.

Before ever dining at Dino, I fell in love with the menu -- full of mouth-watering descriptions of small plates and the sense that one can spend the entire night eating with a few glasses of valpolicella. The first time I read the menu, it was 11 PM and despite having just eaten a huge meal, I found myself longing for the taste of some rich lasagnette or salty proscuitto. Like I said when I posted about the upcoming opening of Dino, the menu reminds me of the 2Amys wine bar, only with a much broader selection.

When I found out they were opening last Wednesday, I knew I had to be there opening night. It was lunchtime on Wednesday when I called Dino to try to make a reservation, only to find out that they only take reservations for parties of 6 or more. "Do you expect to be crowded tonight?" I asked.

"Well, one can only hope," said the voice on the other end of the line.

Lucky for me, there was only a short wait when we arrived around 7:30 PM -- just a mere 5 minutes. When we visited Dino again the following night (Thursday), there was no wait at all, but that time we didn't arrive until 9. Both nights the restaurant seemed hopping, but there wasn't that air of frenzy that you see at some newly-opened restaurants. The kitchen is open to the public and looks very calm and composed as well.

I tend to wait at least a month to try new places, mostly because the service tends to be so rough, that it makes it hard to enjoy your meal. This was not so at Dino, where I found the timing of the food to be well-paced and the service friendly and knowledgable. There are the inevitable kinks to work out, but nothing that made my meals unenjoyable.

I have to admit though -- my service might have been better than most. As soon as I sat down the first night, our server brought over two cocktails for our table (Amy reluctantly sent her's back) and said that they were compliments of "Finch." (If you don't get the reference, I'll give you a clue -- look for a certain post that Amy did back in the early days of DCFoodies). I wont go into the details here, but we'd been outed so I don't want to give anyone the sense that I had any anonymity.

The menu has many different sections, and just when you think you've read them all, you turn over that last page and you find a couple more. The crostini section (my favorite) contains a list of 7 types of crostini. Each crostini is $1.75, or you can get a plate of 5 for $8. If the topping for the artichoke crostini came in a jar, I'd buy a year's supply. The topping contained fresh-roasted artichokes, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and fresh basil, and the chunks of topping were soft, but  not overcooked. It was by far the best crostini. On its own, the chicken pate had a slightly bittersweet flavor to it, but with the dollop of (what I thought was) kiwi jam added to the top of the pate, it finished with a very slightly tart flavor to it. The blue cheese and anchovy on the Crostini alla Dino was a salty combination. I recommend eating it with a good red wine. Perhaps the Tomasso Bussola Valpolicello , which I found complimented it well. The last crostini on the menu, which Dino calls Fettunta, is actually not crostini, but bruschetta (toasted bread rubbed with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper). Oddly enough, what most people are used to ordering as bruschetta (usually with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese) is really crostini. During our first meal, we only ordered two crostini, which was just enough to make us really hungry.

OK. Enough about the crostini already. On to the Cicchetti.

Cicchetti, as defined by the Dino menu, are small snacks. There are five of them currently on the menu, each costing $4.75. My favorite of these are the Polipo alla Griglia (baby octopus, braised in red wine and grilled, and served with lemony chickpeas and olive oil). I ordered this dish with much reservation, because octopus tends to have a rubbery texture to it, but the technique that Chef  Johnny Neilsen uses to cook the octopus leaves them very tender. The combination of flavors, between the chickpeas, lemon, fresh tomatoes, olive oil and braised octopus, makes for a lovely combination. Another Cicchetti which we had a chance to try was the Saltimbocca which has nothing to do with veal saltimbocca, except for maybe that it contains ground veal. Quoting the menu:

Saltimbocca means "hops in the mouth." In Venice, what hops in the mouth are lightly braised meatballs in tomato sauce.

These loosely-packed meatballs tasted very homemade, like I wish Mom used to make, but I've had better meatballs. The meat flavor was very mild -- I thought I tasted more pork and veal in them than beef. I could tell the sauce that they were served in was very recently made and didn't come out of a container in the walk-in that morning.

We've only had a chance to try one dish, the Scamorza (smoked mozzarella roasted and topped with tomatoes, roasted garlic and basil), from the Antipasti section of the menu, and it was wonderful. The smoked mozzarella didn't have that overly smoky flavor to it, but what made up for it was the roasted garlic that you could spread on the bruschetta that came with it.

I had a couple conversations with Dean Gold about the menu, and one thing he seems especially proud of is the proscuitto, which like the other meats, he orders directly from Italy. I had the priveledge of trying this 500-day-aged proscuitto, and I will admit, it was one of the better proscuittos I've ever tried. Dino's prosciutto isn't overly salty or fatty and it has a delightfully tender texture. I also had the chance to try some of the other meats, in the Affettati Misti, a combination of meats, cheese and a piece of the frittata (which is also found in the Cichetti section of the menu). Our plate came with mortadella, salami, and provolone, and more bruschetta on the side. The salami and mortadella were both very good -- both being some of the best I've ever tasted as well. Short of taking a trip to Italy myself, I wonder if I'll find better. All of the meat plates are available in two sizes, a piccolo for $12 or a grande for $18.

We have yet to be able to accurately try the cheese plates, or Formaggi, in all of their glory. Dean Gold is BIG on non-pasteurized (or raw milk) cheeses, which are a big no-no for pregnant women. I'll update this post later after Amy gives birth in late September. From what I've seen though, they look excellent and are served with chestnut honey, blackberry jam, and another condiment that I couldn't identify. I overheard Dean talking to the table next to ours about how the Tallegio they offer is the only raw-milk Tallegio available in the U.S, and they are the only place you can get it. Perhaps this is due to Dean's history as a buyer for the Whole Foods corporation.

If there's a dish on the menu that I don't like, it has to be the Sapori D'Estate, a summer bean and veggie soup with meat broth, speck, and a pesto crostini in the "Primi" section of the menu. The menu states that the soup has a touch of pesto in it -- my definition of "a touch" is a lot smaller than a heaping tablespoon. The pesto contained way too much garlic and overpowered the rest of the soup. About halfway through eating the soup, Amy stopped and stated, "If I keep eating this, I'm going to smell like garlic for the rest of the week."

Dishes from the Primi (main course) section of the menu definitely worth trying are the Lasagnette and the Pinci al Cinghiale (they're actually the only two I've tried so far). The lasagnette contains an veal and pork ragu, fonduta, and smoked veal bacon. To call the ragu "rich" is an understatement, but it's still wonderful. I'm going to have a very hard time not ordering this dish every time I eat at Dino. Keep in mind that the lasagna at Dino is not your typical lasagna that's cooked in a baking dish and served in a block. The only thing that technically made it lasagna is that it was made with lasagna noodles. Other than that, it looked just like any other pasta dish you'd eat.

Pinci al Cinghaile is a pasta dish with noodles similar to lasagna noodles, only not so wide. The Cinghaile is wild boar with onions and herbs. Unlike other wild boar that I've had recently, this is juicier and more flavorful. People use boar in dishes because it's leaner and a little gamier tasting than typical pork, but it can also have a tendency to be a bit dry. This was not the case with the boar at Dino. The mixture also contained fresh tomatoes, chives (or possibly spring onions) and shaved pecorino.

This is turning into a long post so I will try to wrap things up.

It's hard for me to give a fair review of the desserts, because by the time I got to them each night I was there, I was so full. The limoncello tiramisu, which I had the first night, is very, very sweet. I'd definitely recommend trying some coffee (without sugar) with it to tone down the sweetness. I made the mistake of having a glass of limoncello on top of the tiramisu, and I regretted it.

The second night, we had a chance to try a lot of different desserts because the maitre'd brought out dessert samplers to all the tables. One of which was the nutella panini, which upon taking a single bite, Amy grabbed the plate away so I couldn't get any. I'd definitely recommend getting this, because the little that I could pry away from Amy tasted delicious. A pinenut tart with thyme was also in the sampler. If you're looking for a dessert that's not too sweet, this should be your choice.

The wine list is another pride and joy of the owners. Right now, there are about 90 wines on the menu and Dean plans to grow it to about twice its size. A majority of the wines are from Italy and California -- most being priced between $20 and $40. Wine pricing follows a standard of suggested retail plus $10. Corkage is allowed for $10 a bottle as well.

Dino plans to change the menu seasonally. In the fall, most of the tomato dishes will be replaced with eggplant and peppers, and then root vegetables will be featured in the winter. The list of cheeses will also grow from the current list of 10 to 20. Perhaps they will have more pasteurized cheeses soon?

Dino
3435 Connecticut Avenue
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 686-2966
Map

Hours: Dino opens at 5pm nightly. Last seating is       at 10:15pm Monday through Thursday, 10:30pm Friday and Saturday, 9:30pm       Sunday.
Dress Code: Casual - I wore shorts one night.
Smoking: Not allowed
Closest metro: Cleveland Park
Parking: None. You might be able to find parking in the area on the side streets. No Valet. I recommend taking a cab or the metro.
Reservations: Taken for parties of all sizes.
Amy's Bathroom rating: Very Clean and newly remodelled.

I figured with all the hype that's behind Sonoma, I'd might was well try it out and let everyone know what I thought about it. I was debating all week about whether or not I'd try Sonoma or if I'd go to one of my usual hangouts, but I decided after receiving a few emails from readers asking about it, that I'd give it a try.

I've read mixed things about it. On DR.com, people said the staff was inexperienced, but the food was yummy depending on what you ordered. I have to admit, looking at their menu online, I was fairly intrigued. The appetizers reminded me of the wine bar at 2Amys, with the cheese and meat, but with a better selection. For cheeses, you have many choices of blue, cow, goat, and sheep's cheeses. Your meat selections, or charcuterie, are typical for a sliced meat menu with speck, prosciutto, and capicola and chicken liver pate. I could eat an entire meal at Sonoma and only order off the charcuterie and cheese menus -- and of course I'd order a bottle of wine as well.

I actually tried a French goat cheese, which kind of kicked my ass. I made the mistake of eating a large chunk of it at once, and it was a little more than I could handle because the cheese had a strong, smoky flavor, almost like that of a blue or feta cheese, and it was fairly "stinky". This combination had me drinking large amounts of water to calm down the powerful flavor. My recommendation: if you order the French goat cheese, spread it thinly on the bread they give you. We also had a Spanish sheep's cheese which was fairly mild and pleasant -- a welcome change after the French goat. I also had some of the chicken liver pate which I enjoyed, but the bread that came with the cheese and pate was almost too complex and flavorful. Seriously, all I need is half of a French baguette to enjoy some pate -- not some fancy thick whole-wheat pita bread with rosemary (EDIT: Thanks to Richard for pointing out to me that the "fancy thick whole-wheat pita" is actually Italian flat bread with rosemary). I ended up tasting the bread too much instead of the cheese or pate.

Moving past the cheese and meat courses, you have salads, with an arugula and fennel salad topped with shaved Parmesan, lemon and olive oil, leading the way. I like how simple this salad sounds, and I'll be ordering it when I return, but I skipped it for the pasta courses I'll describe later. Amy ordered one of the other salads, with wood-grilled apples, watercress, pistachio, Gorgonzola and red wine vinaigrette, which I very quickly found out sounded better than it actually tasted. I think the texture of the apples was what did it for me because the grilling left the apples a little less than crisp (perhaps they were overcooked a bit this time). I think if I go back, I might try the venison carpaccio or grilled cuttlefish apps.

I saw many people around me ordering pizza, and they seemed to be enjoying it. There aren't any "prebuilt" pizzas and the toppings are all a la carte ranging from $3 to $5 each. You start with your crust and red tomato-based, green pesto or white olive-oil-based sauces. On top of that, you have your choice of cheeses and then your toppings. The cheapest combination if toppings is a plain cheese pizza for $8. You can easily build a pretty expensive pizza by choosing a couple $5 toppings like morel mushrooms, bottarga (tuna roe), or Vermont buffalo mozzarella. Seeing other people order the pizzas, I wasn't overly impressed with the way they looked, but I'll reserve judgment until I can actually try one.

For my entree, I ordered a double portion of the bucatini with the house-made wild boar sausage, summer squash and pesto. If you're unfamiliar with what bucatini is, it's a thick, hollow spaghetti and it's probably one of my favorite kinds of pasta. I used to order this bucatini dish with sausage and a creme sauce that blew my mind at Il Pizzico and Spezie. Unfortunately, Sonoma's bucatini wasn't nearly as good -- plain and simple. Not that it was bad, but seriously, not even in the same ball park. The bucatini was cooked perfectly al dente, but the homemade wild boar sausage was dry and crumbly which was not a good combination with the pesto sauce, and the summer squash didn't add much flavor. Perhaps when I return, I'll skip the pasta dishes and go straight for the Wagyu beef burger, which is very obviously on the menu to compete with Palena's $10 cheeseburger (a welcome addition since you know I'm not all that crazy about Palena's cheeseburger). Sonoma's version comes with some potatoes on the side and you have the option of adding some toppings like fontina cheese, pancetta or speck.

The high point of the meal for us was definitely dessert. That evening, Sonoma was featuring a smooth, creamy yet fluffy chocolate pudding, and my wife, being the pregnant pudding fiend that she is lately, could not resist. I have to admit that I'm not usually a pudding-type-of-person, but I did fall in love with this after my first taste. It had a very rich bitter chocolate flavor and it wasn't overly sweet like puddings tend to be. I hope it's on the menu again when we return.

In summary, I'd say that (at least right now) Sonoma is a great place to hang out, have some wine, cheese and salads after work. I could spend all night eating a flight of cheese and sampling different wines, then top it off with that chocolate pudding and you can call it a night. I'll reserve my final judgement on the rest of the menu, though, until I can return again and try some of their entrees.

Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar
223 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
Washington, DC
(202) 544-8088
Website
Map

Hours:
lunch: 11am - 3pm (Monday - Friday)
dinner: 4:30pm - 10pm (Monday - Saturday)
brunch: 10:30am - 2pm (Saturday/Sunday only)
late night menu is available Thursday-Saturday nights 10pm - midnight
Sunday supper 5:30-10:00pm

Dress Code: Casual to dress casual. Sonoma's web site says that they are upscale casual, but when we went, there were people in shorts there.
Parking: I've no clue what the parking situation is at Capitol Hill. We took a cab.
Reservations: Taken and recommended. It should be easier to get a seat once they finish remodeling the upstairs.
Smoking: I didn't ask if smoking was allowed. Damn.
Nearest Metro: Capitol Hill Metro South.
Amy's Bathroom Report: The bathrooms were kept clean, but they had yet to remodel them like the last place. Everything was pretty old.

Amy and I went to Bardeo Friday night. It was surprisingly uncrowded. I remember a time when we would walk past Bardeo on a Friday night at 8 PM and there would be a considerable wait for a table. The "swank" of the place has past.  I think people are flocking more to Palena's bar...and rightfully so.  I expected everyone to be in sportcoats and dress slacks like I used to see, but the restaurant is more casual now. There were people in jeans -- no t-shirts or anything. I was wearing a black sportcoat, a dressy pair of jeans, and some nice shoes. Amy was in some sexy stilettos and a dressy top and skirt.

When I think of Bardeo, I don't think of a tapas restaurant, but rather a wine bar. The wines are carefully chosen to pair well with the food. On the menu, below each item, there is a wine suggestion. Glasses of wine come in full glasses or quarter glasses, so you can taste a different wine with each tapas (is the singular of tapas - tapas or tapa? Eh, who cares.) you order. I chose to just get a glass of Bourdeux and Amy ordered a glass of Pinot Noir. Ever since Amy and I had that great Flowers Pinot Noir at Emeril's in Miami, we have really been into Pinot Noirs. (In fact, I think I am going to go uncork a bottle right now.) Anyway, back to Bardeo. Glasses of wine range from $7-$10 -- not exactly cheap, but their wine selection is way above average.

We decided to order a couple tapas and a flight of 3 cheeses. Don't ask me why they call it a flight. For the tapas, we ordered the antipasto and tortellini. The antipasto came with three types of meats - prosciutto, salami and one I could not identify. Either way it was good. The only thing I wished though, is that it came with some kind of cheese -- you know, mozzarella, pecorino, or something like that. For the $10.95 price tag, I would have at least expected that. I could buy a whole pound of proscuitto two doors down at Vace for that price. The tortellini was pretty average. It was served with parmesian cheese, cherry tomatoes, rapini and mushrooms and was a little undercooked. We were pretty underwhelmed by the tapas.

The cheese flight, on the other hand, was awesome! We got a mixture of sheep, cow, and goat's milk cheeses (they all had fancy names which I am failing to remember). The red wines we had ordered went quite well with them. We were ready to order more, but we decided to wait and order some dessert. Oh, I forgot to mention the best thing about the entire meal - the free (chicken?) paté. I never asked what it really was, but it tasted great and I finished it all with the bread that was on the table.

We asked the waitress what the best dessert was and she recommended apple and rasberry strudel. So we ordered that and some coffee to go with it. About this time, I noticed a considerable dropoff in the quality of our service. Things started to take a lot longer to come out and were timed really poorly. It took a while for the dessert to come out, which is sort of understandable since it was a warm dessert, but it took a really long time. When the dessert came out, the coffee hadn't arrived yet and took another 5 minutes for the waitress to bring it out to us. Who knows, maybe our waitress was distracted by something. She seemed to be talking to the manager for a while so maybe there were some restaurant issues going on. For their best dessert, the apple studel was pretty underwhelming. The pastry dough on the outside was soaked through and not very flaky. I didn't finish it, which is saying a lot.

At the end of the meal, the check was about $75. Considering we only got the equivalent of three tapas, four glasses of wine, coffee and a dessert, I was not that impressed. I think my main problem with Bardeo is the price of the tapas. I can get better tapas at Café Olé for about $2-$3 cheaper and they are much better. That said, Bardeo has a much better wine selection than Café Olé. Basically if you could combine the food of Café Olé with the wine of Bardeo, you'd have a pretty kick @ss restaurant.  So in conclusion, If you go to Bardeo, order the cheese and wine. Stay away from the tapas (or at least the tortellini and antipasto).

Bardeo
3309 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Map
(202) 244-6550

Hours:
Sun-Thu 5pm-11pm
Fri-Sat 5pm-1am

Dress Code: Business Casual
Reservations: Accepted
Closest Metro Stop: Cleveland Park