Dino

Hey Ting...

So we've finally made our last run through Restaurant Week. What do you think? Dino? Mio? PS 7? Oya? Tough choices of what was our best stop (though I've been to Zengo as well...which only makes my choice all the more difficult).
I must say, Dino was definitely a departure in style from the previously named restaurants. Instead of the downtown contemporary feel, Dino was more about the home-style comfort a family joint in the heart of Cleveland Park, and it showed through the energy and kindness of their servers in the front of the house. But none of this is a knock on the plates being put out from the back of the house.

The great thing about Dino is that it offers a RW style menu, Menu della Sera, at $24 between Sundays and Thursdays before 7:30...it's more of a happy hour type deal. Similar to RW, this deal gives you the chance to choose a dish from their extensive cheese plates and appetizer, then a few marked entrées, and of course a customary dessert. Not only that, Wednesdays offers the wine connoisseurs a chance to enjoy DC's Best Wine Bar. So enjoying a Restaurant Week-style meal doesn't require it to actually be Restaurant Week.

Now, on to my favorite part of that night...the food. I found myself drawn to Crespelle con Pollo e Carciofi. With a combination of chicken, artichokes, roasted tomatoes, and cheese, it was a great throwback to the crepes of Mediterranean flavor. Even better was the smoothness of the pesto sauce that can sometimes overwhelm the flavors with the intensity of its herbs. But this one was made flawlessly and was a enriching balance with the cheese and hints of marinara sauce.


Though Dino offered a great selection of main courses, there was also the enticing assortment of fine steaks. Of course for RW, the steaks held an added price, though still well worth it. I indulged myself in a porterhouse that, originally worth $32, was only marked up by $6. Decidedly the perfect order for a RW deal, I was fully content with the extra cost. The preparation of steak doesn't mirror the quality of a Ruth Chris or a Flemmings, but the deal with which it was order made it all worth it. The lasagna, all smothered in cheese, look mighty appetizing on your side of the table; perhaps you can tell me how you liked it and I'll partake in that the next time we visit Dino for a taste of the Menu della Sera.

Surprisingly, after an appetizer of chicken and cheese, a main course full of meat and potatoes, I was not entirely satiated. Luckily for me, there was the dessert course to come. I was slightly overwhelmed with the veritable pantheon of sweets. But my eye found a familiar dish...one that I improperly dined on before...the Gelato Affogato. Essentially, it is just a scoop of vanilla bean gelato with a brisk shot of espresso liberally emptied over it. However, unknowing and naive, my first encounter with this dish was an embarrassment to Affogato lovers. I had brazenly enjoyed my gelato and separately downed my single shot of espresso before I realized the two flavors were supposed to be enjoyed in an amalgamation of vanilla and coffee. But I was no fool this time around.

So after a month of hopping for luxury meal to luxury meal, I found the best deal here at Dino. The food, though not bringing my taste buds to their metaphorical knees, was thoroughly satisfying in their own right. Unlike some of the other Restaurant Week restaurants where I would only return for RW-like deals, as they are a little out of reach for my pocketbooks, I would happily return to Dino to enjoy the Menu della Sera, and I would recommend it to anyone who asks.

Dino
3435 Connecticut Ave. NW
Cleveland Park
Washington, DC 20008
202-686-2966

Bethesda Crab House

Hey Ting...

So when my friend Chang making his return pit stop from Spain, I felt it customary to at least show him some Maryland delicacies...yes, the Chesapeake Bay crab. And seeing as how we've been deemed fairly immobilized with our lack of a vehicle, a crab house that was metro accessible was necessary...and with the input from fellow DCers, Bethesda Crab House is the place to go.

Let it be known though, that a reservation for your crabs is a must. And you don't go reserving a table here at this hole-in-the-wall type "shack"...you reserve your crabs. They come in sizes of medium, large, and x-large crabs, and they'll take orders until the crabs have been sold out or have made a daring crab-crawl escape from their holding tanks. Crabs here don't come cheap, so either bring along a few friends or make sure you have a full wallet as prices can range from $40 - $80 a dozen depending on size.

With last minutes reservation, we were able to secure ourselves a dozen x-large crabs. Now this wasn't one of those swanky RW locales, this was purely a crab shack for the locals and definitely not for the lazy. There aren't any plates or utensils (unless you count the mallet and paring knife). And these crabs definitely come whole...none of this prissy pre-extracted crab meat that comes mixed with some salad or dipped in some soup...no way, at Bethesda Crab House, it's hardcore hand-cracking, butter-dipping, shell-crushing crabs. You got to earn the succulent meat in those shells, making the reward of taste that much better.
this is what a dozen crabs covered in Old Bay seasoning looks like

ting's indulgence

a best friend's feast

It was definitely a relief to indulge ourselves in some pure seafood blue-collar gluttony coming off a Restaurant Month Week of high-class, well-mannered composure. This was definitely not a cocktail dress or business casual type of place...dress at your own risk, I say, as you may well leave with crab gut stains on your shirt and shell fragments in your hair.

So I would definitely recommend a return trip, but knowing how prices can add up especially with a pitcher of beer or maybe some shrimp and potato salad appetizers, it might just be a monthly thing. So go with some friends and set this bet...the first person to eat their share of crabs wins and the loser catches the tab.

Bethesda Crab House
4958 Bethesda Ave
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-652-3382

Oya

Dear Andrew,

I know you'll be very impressed with me writing my thoughts on Oya. Especially since you keep walking in and out of my room, only to see me doing absolutely nothing on the computer. Plus I figure I should probably blog something before my memory fades (or gets packed full with information for tests).

As you can see, Oya is shooting for the image of a trendy and hip place. This is where you go for drinks after work, dinner with the girlfriends before a night on the town, to take a business partner out to see the city. This is not the place if you're looking for a cozy, homestyle meal. It is however, good for all those things I listed above, complete with pillows and tables made out of cow skins.

Onto the actual food!

Given that we were there for restaurant week, my options were limited by what they were offering for the lunch special, but there was still a good amount of dishes to choose from. I started with the shrimp and crab quiche. I'd show you a photo of it, but unfortunately it came out kind of fuzzy. While I have gotten over the embarrassment of suddenly whipping out a camera to take a photo of my meal, I haven't managed to work up the nerve to actually use my flash. And in places like Oya, where the lighting is somewhat muted, that makes for some bad photos. But the shrimp and crab quiche! It would not be an exaggeration for me to say that I'd come back to Oya simply for this quiche. The quiche was unbelievably light and flaky. Many times, quiches turn out tasting too egg-y or too rich due to an overuse of cream. Not this quiche. This quiche was perfect with large chunks of crab and shrimp throughout every bite. On taking a quick look at Oya's regular menu though, I didn't see this quiche on it! How can this be?! I would totally be up for doing Restaurant Week at Oya's again just to get another taste of this dish before they stop making it.

Andrew had the spicy tuna rolls. How were those? I'm always been a bit hesitant to order Japanese sushi/sashimi in a restaurant that is not specifically dedicated to Japanese food. For me, the difference between a good sushi roll and a great one is distinct. If someone's making me rolls, I want it to be a sushi chef and not the guy who also cooks steaks.

Moving on though! Here is my Atlantic Salmon! That's a rather large cut isn't it? My friends and I were puzzled initially over it. The salmon was...well, it was nothing special to write home about. Or better put, nothing special to write about in this blog. It's my opinion that it's fairly difficult to ruin salmon as it's the go-to-fish for many college students who are just starting to cook for themselves. When salmon is really good though, it's spectacular. This dish wasn't it. While not overcooked exactly, the salmon was not particularly moist, and after a few bites, started to taste a lot like the very first salmon I had ever cooked.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about the salad that accompanied the salmon. Andrew will have to be in charge of informing you guys on all vegetable/fruit items.

I love dessert. Meals never seem complete to me without something sweet at the end of them. And with a chocolate mousse, a chocolate hazelnut biscuit on the bottom, and chocolate strawberries (Ok, so Andrew ate all of mine), how can one go wrong? The answer is that of course you can't! Oh this was good! Sometimes chocolate mousse is a bit like pudding (light and fluffy). This is not how I like my chocolate mousse. At Oya, the mousse is more akin to an Italian tartufo. If you can imagine the richness of a chocolate gelato, slightly thawed, and then covered with a thin layer of chocolate, then there you go. Despite its richness, I didn't find the mousse overly sweet. In fact, it was just right. As you can see, the dessert came with carmel sauce on the plate. After a quick taste of the sauce though, I decided that would have been overkill on the sweet. The mousse is good as it is.

Would I go back to Oya? The quiche and the dessert alone make me say yes. Service was extremely quick and attentive. Our waiter kept an eye on our water glasses, stopped by to ask how we were doing, and even refolded a friend's dirty napkin when he left for the bathroom. Overall,, I was pleased with the atmosphere of the place and my meal. The lunch deal for $20 there during Restaurant Week Month is definitely worth it. I'd like to try some of their other entrees as there's no way I'd order the salmon again. We were there fairly late for lunch (1:30PM) and the place was still crowded. All in all, not a bad introduction to the DC eating out scene!

Oya
Penn Quarters
777 9th Street nw
Washington DC 20001
202-393-1400

PS 7

So Ting...

You know that I've always loved that San Diego had a Restaurant Week, but you know what's better about DC's Restaurant Week? There are TWO of them...yes, that's right...twice the indulgence, twice the gluttony, twice the eating.

But let me tell you, PS 7 definitely held its own in this year's plethora of choices. With its contemporary American cuisine, it offers the heartiness of grilled sirloin and mashed potatoes...but balances it with the elegance of a fresh tuna tartar. Having gone for Restaurant Week, I wasn't able to fully experience the range of Chef Peter Smith's talent, but from the opening selection of the rustic Roasted Tomato Soup,

to the main course of a Pan Seared Lamb Steak,
not pictured

topped off with a dessert of perfectly puffed Beingnets...

...I was thoroughly pleased.

Something about the cream in the tomato soup easily made it one of the best tomato soups I've ever tasted. Though I had to suppress my heart from screaming bloody murder about the excess cholesterol I was sending its way, my taste buds definitely found enjoyment.

The made-to-order steak of lamb was no different. With no aversion to the game-y taste lamb meat offers, I instinctively found my medium-rare cut flooded with natural jus and exploding with flavor. Let me tell you though (as simultaneously I pat myself on the back), I've only slowly been turned around on lamb meat spawning from my own red wine roasted lamb shanks, but this chunk of meat definitely caught my eye enough to choose over my all-consuming love for beef and even my growing attraction to duck meat dishes.

Though I know that a beingnet is fried dough puff, the order here, though tasty, was essentially a fried donut ball. Well made as it was, perhaps I should have gone with the safer cheesecake. Nothing was wrong with the beingnets, but then again, nothing stood out either.

Though it was not too busy during my visit, it was clear from its Penn Quarter locale that they draw constituents the young professional crowd. Its modest decor definitely spelled out comfort and neutrality. I rather enjoyed it, as I am a creature of comfort and the soothing color tones didn't make me feel rushed while indulging in my $30.07 RW meal.

All in all, I'd probably made a return visit if I could ever get my lazy-self out to the area. Or I could wait until the next RW rolls around.

PS 7
777 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-742-8550