DMV Dining

We have long heard the stories about the legendary Crab Bomb served at Jerry’s Seafood. After living in the area for more than a decade and having not once been to the Lanham institution, we had to do something about it. It was time.

With our friends Jim and Livya, we drove to Jerry’s last Saturday night to finally experience what some have deemed the best crab cakes in the entire DMV.

Despite all the praise Jerry’s receives, you wouldn’t know it by judging from the exterior, let alone the interior of the restaurant. If you’re looking for ambiance, you best turn around. Nestled next to a liquor store and beauty supply shop, people come to Jerry’s with a purpose: to enjoy some of the best seafood inside the Beltway.

While the restaurant does not take reservations, we had lucked out as several large parties left just before we arrived, so there was no wait time at all!

Our friendly waitress greeted us, took our drink orders, and served us some warm, delicious rolls.

Rachel and I decided to start the evening off with a bowl of their crab bisque. We knew we were in for a treat upon tasting the first spoonful of it. Simply put, it was heavenly. While there’s no denying the kitchen does not show restraint on the heavy cream, the intoxicating combination of crab and sherry makes it nearly impossible to put the spoon down.

As for the entrees, well, that was an easy decision: CRAB BOMB! The Crab Bomb isn’t really a crab cake per se (although they do offer them on the menu), but simply ten glorious ounces of baked jumbo lump crab, Old Bay, and a smidgen of mayonnaise to hold it together.

It is practically the size of a softball. A delicious, crabby softball.

It’s so large in fact that they serve a smaller version appropriately dubbed the “Baby Bomb”. It’s only four ounces less than its predecessor, but just as amazing.

Rachel and I each ordered a Baby Bomb and made every effort to savor each bite. It was that good. In fact, it was so good that we both deemed it the best crab we have ever had. That’s saying a lot given that we have had our fair share of crab cakes.

Lightly crisp on the outside without a scratch of filler to be found inside, the Crab Bomb is worth its $34 price tag (the Baby Bomb is $26). While the price might be daunting to some, rest assured, you are getting A LOT of crab meat.

It also helps that each entrée comes with two sides. Rachel went with the stewed tomatoes and a side salad while I ordered the steamed broccoli and a baked potato. Next time I’ll make sure to order a side salad as it could have been a meal in itself.

The stewed tomatoes were a nice change of pace from what other seafood restaurants traditionally offer while the broccoli, lightly coated with butter, was fine. The baked potato was a bit too dry but given how the Baby Bomb overshadowed everything else, I didn’t seem to mind.

Jerry’s certainly lived up to its billing on Saturday. The crab was to die for while the service was fantastic. While it may not be in DC, trust us, it is worth the trip. We cannot wait to go back.

A few months back, we mentioned that a new pastry shop was opening on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda. It looks like we didn’t have to wait too long as Tout de Sweet officially opened for business this past weekend.

We had heard that the grand opening was this Saturday, but as we walked by their shop on Friday and noticed the open door, it had turned out they were running a soft opening.

At first glance, Tout de Sweet is very minimalist but also inviting at the same time. The shop is decorated in green pastel colors, and the display case shows their strengths of French macarons, cupcakes, mini pastries, and muffins. Although not everything was out because of the trial run, we were very excited by what we saw.

Tout de Sweet is the brainchild of husband and wife team Jerome and Sofia Colin. Chef Jerome comes from an extensive French pastry background, and his resume includes working at the historic Willard Room, Alain Ducasse’s restaurants in Europe, and most recently, at Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons hotel.

Sofia manages the shop, and was very friendly and apologetic of the fact that their display case was not yet full, even though we completely understood that they technically were not opening till the following day.

After bringing home a chocolate and pistachio macaron as well as a vanilla cupcake and devouring both, we just couldn’t help ourselves and found our way back to the shop on Saturday. Sure enough, they already had several mousses and cakes on display, each one looking more decadent than the next.

The shop also offers an extensive coffee and tea selection to complement the pastries. The only disappointment is that there are only two small stools to sit in the front of the store, as this is a place you could see yourself lingering in rather than picking up some pastries as part of an errand run.

It appears their biggest competition would be Cacao on Bethesda Lane, as they also offer delicious macarons and intricate desserts, but their emphasis is more on chocolate than anything.

Clearly there is plenty of cupcake competition in Bethesda, let alone the DC area, but it seems that Tout de Sweet may be up to the challenge. It looks like I may need to take some frequent walks to Woodmont Triangle once Spring is finally is here to stay.

Tout de Sweet is located on 7831 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda.

Who would have imagined not one but two New York-style themed delis would open not only in the same town, but also a block apart from one another?

It was only five months ago when Uptown Deli started up shop in downtown Bethesda, offering a menu reminiscent of Jewish delis found in the Big Apple.

Now enter Bubby’s New York Deli.

Taking over the space on Cordell Avenue previously occupied by Rustique and Sasso, Bubby’s (Yiddish for “grandmother”) offers patrons waiter service with a large dining room – two things which differentiate themselves from their nearby counterpart.

We went to their grand opening last Friday for lunch and checked out a few items on the menu.

The waiter came over and greeted us, served us a bowl of pickles and coleslaw (nice touch!), and asked for our drink orders. While it was not listed on the menu, Bubby’s does indeed serve Dr. Browns, a prerequisite for any New York deli.

Rachel and I started off with the Chicken Athena – a plate of marinated, grilled chicken breast with Feta cheese, pepperoncini, romaine lettuce, tomato, olives and Greek vinaigrette. While the dish was good, we were kind of thrown off why Feta was thrown on top. Kosher style this is not.

For our main course, I went with the lunch special which consisted of a bowl of soup and half a sandwich. With a choice of chicken, French onion, or mushroom barley, I of course went with the matzo ball soup.

The matzo ball was superb. At just the right density with fluffy texture, it really complemented the broth, which was great in itself. While a little oily, it wasn’t too heavy on the salt and tasted rather authentic given the focus of the restaurant.

As for the half sandwich, the hot corned beef was a no-brainer. And while the meat was full of flavor, I have to admit it was rather disappointing that there were only so many slices in between the slices of fresh rye bread.

If you’re going to call yourself a “New York Delicatessen”, you better start piling the cold cuts high. What’s even more surprising was that Bubby’s wasn’t following their own mantra where the slogan “Bigger is Better” is found under the Sandwiches section of the menu.

Meanwhile, Uptown Deli generously stacks its sandwiches with so much meat that you’re stuffed from eating just half of it. We’re just hoping that this was a first day snafu and not something that will become normal practice. I don’t think my Bubby would approve of that.

She would, however, kvell over the stuffed cabbage and spinach knishes. Rachel ordered these appetizers as her meal and they were about as genuine as you can get when it comes to Jewish delis. The knish was not greasy at all and tasted more baked than fried. The filling was a blend of spinach and potato and really hit the spot. Meanwhile, the stuffed cabbage had a perfect balance of sweet and sour sauce. It was so filling that I had to help her with it, not that I had a problem with that.

We were told that they would serve dinner till 9pm during the week and 10pm on the weekends while offering more entrée type dishes. We talked to the owner who seemed very excited about his new venture, and when Rachel complimented the stuffed cabbage, he smiled and said that was his son’s recipe.

He said they will open every day at 11am and plans on offering brunch in a month while keeping open the idea of opening earlier for breakfast, if there is interest. He pointed out that since it is a sit-down restaurant, most people would not have time for a full meal during the week.

He also showed us his sign for “Bubby’s Wall”, a dedicated wall inside the restaurant where he encourages patrons to bring in pictures of their Bubby’s to proudly display while diners nosh on their meals.

Nonetheless, the real winners in all of this are deli aficionados. With two New York delicatessans within 400 feet of each other (no, seriously – look at Google Maps if you don’t believe me), Bethesda diners that are craving a tounge sandwich went from zero options to two venues in a mere matter of months!

Bubby’s New York Deli is located on 4866 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda.

Having traveled the last few weekends in a row, and simply turned off to the idea of going out to dinner for Valentine’s Day along with the rest of the world, Rachel and I postponed our plans until two days after the Hallmark holiday.

It could not have worked out better.

With Groupon in hand (by far one of the better deals the website has offered), we made our way to Foggy Bottom, but not before partaking in some Happy Hour first. Kinkead’s kicked off their bar specials earlier this week, so the timing was perfect.

And how could one not resist half-priced oysters? Certainly not us. With Bass drafts for $5, a glass of their wine of the day for $8, and not to mention a very friendly bartender, it was a shame we only had a short time to enjoy it since happy hour only lasts till 6:30.

After we paid our tab, our reservation was ready and we made our way to the upstairs dining room. We started our meal off with their fresh bread basket which included some very warm and delicious pieces of cornbread, soda bread, and whole wheat.

For the first course, Rachel ordered the lobster medallions, served in an asparagus stew with a lobster “knuckle” sandwich and crispy Vidalia onion rings. While the presentation was gorgeous, it was the medallions that really stole the show. Flavorful and tender, it was hard to ration the lobster given how large the medallions were.

In fact, it might have been the dish’s only downfall as the medallions were too difficult to cut away at as we eventually wound up eating them too quickly. It might have been better if the soup was served in a shallow bowl so that one could cut the lobster instead of it being served in a deeper, smaller bowl.

The “knuckle” sandwich was a nice touch and felt like a seafood takeoff on grilled cheese and tomato soup. Rachel also had the great idea of throwing the onion rings into the broth which gave it a subtle, crunchy texture.

I went with the shrimp bisque, but had we known beforehand that Rachel’s appetizer was also primarily a soup (we overlooked that when reading the menu), I probably would have ordered something else. That’s not to say the bisque wasn’t good. In fact, it was fantastic!  Hearty but not too rich, it was the perfect dish for a winter’s eve. We just did not realize the texture of both soups would be so similar.

For our main course, I ordered the sesame seared rare tuna, served with seaweed salad, soba noodles, wasabi, and a soy dipping sauce. It turned out to be a generous portion as the tuna was perfectly cooked while the seaweed salad and noodles were fitting sides for the Asian-inspired entree. The sauce was very salty, of course, but at least it was served on the side so I could add just the right amount onto the fish.

Rachel decided to try the skate since it’s a fish she has never had before, and the crispy wing balanced out well with a lemon sabayon, grapefruit segments, and jumbo grilled asparagus. It was a beautiful presentation and she enjoyed the dish, but I could tell that she was eyeing mine more than her own. I think the sauce was a little too overpowering, and while she debated ordering the skate versus the whole black bass, the latter may have been the better choice. At least now she knows what skate tastes like.

Overall, we had a great meal, and combined with the $50 discount from Groupon, it was an even better value. Kinkead’s might be part of the “old guard” in DC, but as evidenced on Wednesday night, it has held up rather well throughout the years.

Kinkeads is located on 2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, DC.

When I lived in Van Ness about five years ago, I was always perplexed that an area in Northwest DC, which was right on top of the Metro, with plenty of young people living in apartment buildings and condos, had such few dining options. It’s the reason why I have been itching to try Acacia Bistro ever since it took over the spot once occupied by Schlotzsky’s Deli.

My friend Erika and I decided to come here for dinner and we arrived just in time to take advantage of their fantastic happy hour. The restaurant itself was very cozy with a small bar area and tables stretching to the back.

We appreciated the fact that we didn’t have to sit at the bar in order to enjoy happy hour, and we each got a glass of wine for about $5 as well as a few small plates. I should note that they had an extensive beer list as well, and was pretty impressed that you could get beers such as Abita Amber, Troegs Hopback Amber, and Victory Prima Pils for a very reasonable $3.50.

We started with the grilled Turkish meatballs with tzatziki and buffalo sliders with blue cheese and chipotle ketchup. We liked the meatballs as the yogurt proved to be a nice complement instead of traditional tomato sauce. The sliders were decent but didn’t necessarily blow us away. They paled in comparison to the buffalo sliders I’ve had at Vinoteca.

We ordered some more small plates off the regular menu, this time getting grilled octopus and Sicilian eggplant with tomato sauce and mozzarella. The winner here was the eggplant, but I wish there were more servings as it was the perfect comfort food on a cold night. I generally love octopus and usually order it if I see that it is grilled, but it turned out be a little too chewy for our taste that night. We also would have preferred if there was more of a char on them to bring out the flavor.

Erika decided to get an entrée too since everything looked appetizing, as she had planned to take the leftovers home for her boyfriend. She ordered the veal stew with grilled polenta, and I have to admit after seeing her plate, I wish I ordered an entrée too! I was already stuffed but made a mental note to try that particular dish if Brett and I return to Acacia.

It’s worth noting that Acacia Bistro offers a $25 gift certificate through Restaurant.com. You can usually find a promo code if you subscribe to their emails, so the certificate might ultimately cost $2 or $3. However, there are some restrictions and it is important to pay attention to the fine print as we learned that night.

I gave the waitress my certificate at the end of the meal, but we found out that it could only be used towards non-happy hour items. Since the certificate required a minimum of $40 ordered from the regular menu, we wound up getting some coffee to make up the difference. Also, according to the fine print, the offer cannot be used for OpenTable reservations, so keep that in mind as well. In the end it worked out, it was just a slightly confusing bill.

It was refreshing to see such an independent space in fairly dull and corporate Van Ness. For us, it’s just a few short stops on the Red Line (if it’s running on time, of course). I would definitely go there again for happy hour. With most small plates averaging around $6, along with an extensive, discounted drink list, it is rare these days to see a happy hour that runs until 8pm. It’s definitely a candidate to include in our regular happy hour rotation.

Acacia Bistro is located on 4340 Connecticut Ave NW in the Van Ness neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Image courtesy of Pizzeria Da Marco - http://www.pizzeriadamarco.net

We here at DMV Dining have long been curious as to what would open at the retail site under construction at the intersection of Woodmont and St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda.

After several months, a sign was posted on the window announcing the forthcoming opening of Pizzeria Da Marco – a restaurant serving “authentic Neapolitan pizza”.

After digging a little deeper, the excellent blog pizzablogger shed some more light as to how Pizzeria Da Marco will differentiate itself from the rest of the pizzerias in the neighborhood: its oven.

The restaurant plans to utilize a Stefano Ferrara oven – a handmade, wood-burning brick pizza oven manufactured in Napoli. Here’s more from pizzablogger:

Now Maryland is set to showcase its first Ferrara oven at the soon to be opened Pizzeria Da Marco in Bethesda.  Now of course any pizza oven is exactly that…an oven. And an oven alone guarantees nothing. It takes people with drive, knowledge and passion to make great pizza. But the selection of a Stefano Ferrara oven certainly points towards an ownership that is passionate about pizza, so I have hope for this new joint. Good luck the rest of the way.

UPDATE – Tom Sietsema of The Washington Post uncovers more about Pizzeria Da Marco in the Going Out Gurus blog:

Decorated with mosaic tiles and iron chandeliers, Pizzeria da Marco will seat up to 130 customers in 5,000 square feet of restaurant, including two semi-private party spaces. In addition to the chef’s dozen or so 12-inch pizzas, the menu will feature salads, calzones, charcuterie, 12 wines by the glass and gelato churned on site, making it “a little trip to Naples,” hopes the chef.

Sounds like Pizzeria Da Marco is dead serious about its pizza if it plans to incorporate a Ferrara oven, and hey, we’re all for it. Looks like Mia’s Pizzas is in for some competition. And that’s not a bad thing. Not at all.

UPDATE II – Pizzeria Da Marco has uploaded a “trailer” on its website hyping the restaurant’s opening. According to the countdown timer, the pizzeria plans to open 41 days from today, which is Monday, March 28.

UPDATE III – Eater DC is reporting that the opening has been delayed until mid-April.

UPDATE IV – Bethesda Magazine is reporting that the opening has been officially announced for Monday, May 16!

Pizzeria Da Marco will be located at 8008 Woodmont Avenue.

While I certainly love all the lunch options I have by working in Bethesda, there are times when it’s good to mix it up. One of my former co-workers now works in Silver Spring, so a few of us decided to meet at Nando’s Peri-Peri in the downtown area.

The neighborhood is like their own version of Bethesda Row, with Lebanese Taverna, Potbelly’s, Panera Bread, and Macaroni Grill as options, just to name a few. I have always heard good things about Nando’s and have wanted to try their food, but since I don’t work in downtown DC, it’s obviously not that convenient for me. I didn’t even realize that there was a Silver Spring location until today, so I was excited to try it out.

At first glance, Nando’s looks like a typical Peruvian chicken joint, however, that is not the case. The food chain’s origins are in South Africa, where the original restaurant opened based on cooking flame-grilled chicken with a Peri-Peri spice taught to Portuguese settlers long ago by Africans in Mozambique.

Their grilled chicken is marinated for 24 hours in the Peri-Peri sauce, and then basted before serving with a sauce of your choosing based on the level of spiciness. You can get anything from a whole, half, or quarter chicken with sides, or choose between various sandwiches and salads.

For those of you who don’t love chicken, they also offer veggie burgers, a steak sandwich, and a portabella sandwich. You can also order any salad without the chicken.

I decided to get the butternut squash and couscous salad, with red onion, olives, grilled corn, and the famous chicken on a bed of greens. I choose the mild lemon and herb sauce, and then topped the salad with additional sauces at the table.

One unique feature to Nando’s is the sauces, which come in tall bottles with metal spouts that can be brought to your table. You can add as much spice and flavor to your dishes as you like. I mixed in some medium spicy sauce, garlic, and wild mushroom, and they all added a nice flavor to the salad.

While Nando’s is a fast casual chain, the staff was very friendly and greeted us at the door with menus and led us to a table. We ordered at the counter and the process seemed very smooth, until two of us got our order while our friend had to wait an additional 10 minutes for hers.

It was odd, since she ordered the same exact thing as my other friend – a grilled chicken wrap with yogurt sauce and two sides. When it finally arrived, the waiter explained that the macho peas side takes longer to prepare. In the end it was fine, but it is never fun to wait for someone’s dish while we all awkwardly look towards the kitchen.

I’m glad we discovered the Silver Spring location of Nando’s, and we will definitely be back soon. It’s a nice option for an easy meal that is also healthy and very satisfying.

Nando’s Peri-Peri is located at 924 Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring.

The store plans on opening two more locations in Bethesda and Gaithersburg, according to their website.

While the two of us like to cook during the week, we were in the mood for takeout one night and, after some deliberation, reached a quick, easy decision: Vace.

The Italian store and pizzeria has proven time and time again that they serve up some of the best pies in the Washington area.

That’s not to say that their pizza is flat-out amazing, but coming from a couple originally from New Jersey and New York (albeit upstate, but I digress) and having been to other pizza parlors in Bethesda, Vace’s pizza is fantastic.

Located on Miller Avenue, tucked between Wisconsin and Woodmont Avenue, the store is not the easiest to find.  And after walking in, you certainly would not expect that they would be known for their pizza after glancing at the walls of Italian products and homemade frozen pasta.

Unlike most pizzerias, Vace employs a unique style where the sauce is placed on top of the cheese rather than below it. But don’t let that deter you from ordering – the result is still the same: delicious.

With large pies (measuring at 16 inches) starting at a very reasonable $9.50 (toppings are $1.10 each), Vace is a convenient, affordable option for carryout. Just make sure to call at least thirty minutes ahead, especially during the week, as they get bombarded with orders during dinner hours.

As for toppings, we decided to get half pepperoni and half spinach. Should you ever eat from Vace, make sure to order the pepperoni. There’s just something about it that sets it apart from the competition. That’s not to say the fresh spinach wasn’t a great addition as well. Matter of fact, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of their toppings. But yeah, pepperoni: a must!

Vace is located at 4705 Miller Ave in downtown Bethesda. For carryout orders, call (301) 654-6367.

They also have another location at 3315 Connecticut Ave NW, in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, DC. For carryout orders, call (202) 363-1999.

While there are a plethora of burger options in the District (perhaps too many), one restaurant that is overlooked and, in our opinion, has one of the better patties in the DMV is Hank’s Tavern & Eats, located in nearby Hyattsville.

Rachel and I were looking for a place to grab dinner before the Maryland/Duke game in College Park on Wednesday evening, but knowing that most of the eateries situated along Route 1 would be jam-packed with Terps fans, we felt Hank’s would be an optimal venue given its proximity to the Comcast Center.

You might not know it, but Hank’s is actually under the umbrella of Chef Geoff’s restaurants. Located in the University Town Center next to the Regal movie theater, Hank’s Tavern & Eats features American comfort food in a laid-back atmosphere.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Zarin-Goldberg www.stacyzarinphoto.com

They also have a great happy hour available in their spacious bar area. Running daily from 3pm to 7pm (and all night on Mondays and Tuesdays), customers can enjoy specials such as $3 drafts and $5 house wines.

Their best deal, however, is the $7 Hank Burger. Normally priced at $11, the Hank Burger is, at the very least, a half pounder stacked with lettuce, tomato, two thick strips of bacon, cheddar, and of course, a gigantic onion ring.

You’ll most likely be astonished at its towering size when it arrives, but for the price, you cannot beat it.

Oh, and it was pretty delicious, too. The Angus beef was juicy and flavorful, and while the bacon could have been a little crispier, Rachel and I had no problems finishing this behemoth of a burger.

We also decided to split a basil chicken salad since half a burger wasn’t going to cut it, at least for me. Just like the Hank Burger, the salad was a very generous portion, and given the reasonable price of $11.99, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.

Served with greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, croutons, and large pieces of grilled chicken, this was definitely an entrée in its own right.

While the beer list isn’t too extensive, they do have Dale’s Pale Ale on tap and also featured Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA bottles for $3.95

All and all, it was satisfying meal before gametime. It certainly beets a dry, overcooked chicken sandwich at Comcast Center.

Hank’s Tavern & Eats is located at 6507 America Blvd in Hyattsville, MD.

Due to an unpredictable week complete with thundersnow and power outages, some of our planned restaurant week meals didn’t quite happen. However, I was able to head to Assaggi Mozzarella Bar on Bethesda Avenue to take advantage of their restaurant week lunch deal.

Six of us from work went at noon on a Monday, and even though we made a reservation, we clearly did not need one as the place was nearly empty. We were seated right away at a table by the front, and several servers were on hand to take our order and explain the menu and specials.

As it turns out, while the $12 restaurant week deal for a choice of soup, salad, or dessert along with an entree was a great deal, Assaggi has a $14 two-course deal on many menu items every day of the week.

We all decided to take advantage of the more limited $12 option, and since it was one of the coldest days of the year, we unanimously ordered the carrot and pumpkin soup with slivered almonds to start. It was a perfect winter soup and wasn’t too heavy or filling for a first course.

For my entree, I decided on the fresh calamari stuffed with shrimp and sea scallops, stewed in tomatoes, over white polenta. I have to admit, the dish wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be as it wound up being two large tubes of calamari, almost like pasta shells, filled with seafood sausage of shrimp and scallops.

I originally thought there would be fresh seafood in the calamari itself, not in a casing. However, everything still tasted delicious, and the seafood stuffed calamari combined with the creamy polenta and light tomato sauce was a perfect lunch on a cold day. It hit the spot but wasn’t too filling or too large of a portion for lunch.

I have to say, I can’t believe after living and working in Bethesda all the time that this was my first trip to Assaggi. Unfortunately, the food was so good that by the time I remembered to take a picture, it was too late.

Assaggi Mozzarella Bar is located on 4838 Bethesda Avenue in downtown Bethesda.