DMV Dining

While we have dined at Bethesda’s Mon Ami Gabi several times in the past, this was our first time eating brunch at the French bistro.

We had some friends in town and thought it would be a great place for brunch choice given the reasonable prices and expansive menu selections.

Even though the entrees on the menu sounded appetizing, I ordered one of the daily specials instead.

The restaurant offered an open-faced duck confit sandwich served on a slice of toasted brioche, greens, bleu cheese spread, and a side of frites. Combined with the fact that it was only $9.95, I was sold.

The sandwich was as delicious as it was described. The duck was succulent and really worked-well with the “open-faced” presentation.

The only thing I was not prepared for, however, was the overflowing cone of frites. It was clearly quantity over quality as I have had much better frites at other establishments, but that of course clearly did not keep me from shamefully finishing the entire portion.

Rachel ordered the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. She likes to have the Hollandaise sauce on the side to dip, and usually asks for the eggs to be poached well so that they don’t run. The waiter took note of both requests and said, “No problem.”

However, there was a problem. When everyone’s food arrived, it was evident that both requests were ignored, prompting Rachel to request a new dish.

The waitress profusely apologized and said that they would bring her another one right away. She didn’t mind waiting, but there is always that awkward time when one person is missing their food while no one else knows what to do because they want to be polite despite their food getting cold.

Rachel kept insisting to our friends that they go ahead and not wait for her, but it is honestly never fun when that sort of situation occurs. Fortunately, the new dish didn’t take too long to come out of the kitchen, and she was happy with the result.

Overall, we were very pleased with Mon Ami. Outside of Rachel’s Eggs Benedict snafu, the food and service was great. The waitress truly seemed apologetic regarding the error and continuously made sure that our waters and coffees were refilled. It’s definitely one of the better brunch spots in Bethesda, especially given the reasonable prices.

For our final day in New Orleans we knew we had to go out with a bang, so we decided to treat ourselves to the Jazz Brunch at the renowned Commander’s Palace.

Know for its alumni of famous chefs and southern hospitality, Commander’s Palace was located in the heart of the Garden District and fit in right in along the stunning mansions found on the neighboring streets.

We were seated in one of the restaurant’s dining rooms, but not before cutting through the kitchen in order to get there. Each of the tables had several balloons as a centerpiece while a jazz trio was making its rounds around the room, taking requests from diners. It was quite a scene to say the least.

We started the morning off with some cocktails. This was brunch, after all.

I ordered the Adelaide Swizzle (rum, lime juice, bitters, soda water) while Rachel went with her go-to, the ol’ Bloody Mary. This time, however, the vodka was freshly poured into her glass from a bottle of Finlandia that was enclosed in an ice block!

Our waiter delivered our drinks then served us a basket of their complimentary garlic bread. It was delicious, but that could be because it was drenched in butter. Nonetheless, we went through it rather quickly, and, unsurprising, I asked for seconds. Shocking, I know.

Their brunch is a three course format where the price depends on what entree you order. You also have a choice of an appetizer or soup and dessert.

I kicked the meal off with their signature turtle soup after asking for the waiter’s recommendation. Once it was served, the waiter took a bottle of sherry and poured some in the bowl in the shape of a heart. Nice touch.

The soup turned out to be an excellent choice as the tomato base was rich and hearty while the pieces of turtle (and pork, as the waiter described before ordering it) really added to the overall texture. It was almost like a bisque, and I would not hesitate to order it again if I’m ever back in town.

Rachel decided to get poached oysters in a champagne cream sauce topped with caviar. She had been talking about getting oysters during the whole trip, and we never quite made it to ACME Oyster House, so this seemed like her last opportunity in NOLA to get some.

The dish was very different from what she had anticipated as the sauce was a little heavy, but the oysters were huge and unlike anything she had ever tasted. They were so plump that you could eat them with a knife and fork. Considering that she was expecting something more like traditional oysters, she might have ordered something else if the dish was described to her a little better.

For the main course, I ordered the Harris Ranch beef tips with poached eggs and grits. I hate to say it but I was honestly disappointed with the entree. It was not anything special as the beef did not necessarily stand out. In fact, it tasted rather bland and could have used some more seasoning. The grits were decent but the overall presentation really missed the mark.

I’ve seen poached eggs served a handful of times, but in this particular occasion, one of the eggs was already severed with the yolk running into the beef and grits below. Considering the elegant presentation of our first courses, it was kind of surprising to notice this gaffe.

Rachel’s entree was a crawfish, crab, and seafood courtboullion served with two poached eggs and cakes of goat cheese grits underneath. She asked for the hollandaise sauce on the side, which was probably a good idea since it was easily one of the richest breakfast dishes she’s ever had.

The combination of the eggs on the grit cakes with the seafood broth and various types of shellfish made each bite incredibly decadent. If she wasn’t already fairly full from the appetizer and garlic bread, she would have easily cleaned her plate, but the whole dish was just too much to handle. I helped a little but I was so full myself.

I concluded the meal with another southern staple, pecan pie. Commander’s Palace certainly redeemed themselves with this dessert. Between the accompanying vanilla bean ice cream, caramel sauce, and candied pecans draped atop, it was a delicious ending to a very filling brunch.

Rachel decided to go with the dish Commander’s Palace is best known for, and got the Creole bread pudding soufflé, served table side with a whiskey sauce. It had familiar flavors of a bread pudding, but it was so light and airy that it was almost hollow when she dug into it. She was definitely glad she had the opportunity to try it, but wasn’t so sure if it was worth the three dollar up-charge.

While Commander’s Palace is described as one of the places you must visit while in New Orleans, it may have been one meal too many, as we were beyond full by the time we were ready to head to the airport. Let’s just say we didn’t need to eat dinner that night.

We have been to District 2 on two separate occasions, and both times, the food and service has been abysmal at best. This space has been a revolving door of restaurants and bars for several years as nothing ever seems to find success on the corner of Wisconsin and Macomb, and frankly, I don’t see its latest occupant bucking that trend.

This past Sunday, we decided to get brunch in the Cathedral Heights area and had originally planned on eating at Café Deluxe. Unfortunately, even thought it was beautiful and sunny day, they weren’t seating people outside. Because our friends had a dog, we were specifically looking for outdoor seating.

Nearby was District 2, so the group decided to eat there as there was no wait as well as tables available outside. Now Rachel and I were immediately pessimistic about the selection since the first time we went, we had an unpleasant experience, but since there weren’t too many options for brunch around that area, we just hoped for the best.

Granted, when we went the first time it was mostly for drinks and bar food, but since we had to go to a concert right after, we decided to get a quick dinner as well. We chose the black bean veggie burger, and after waiting a ridiculous amount of time for it, what arrived was some sort of black, pasty substance smeared on an overly-buttered bun. I couldn’t even finish it. On the flipside, the sweet potato fries and fried pickles were pretty good, and we had fun celebrating a friend’s birthday and new job.

Back to Sunday… since the place had recently opened, we gave the venue the benefit of the doubt thinking that they had ironed the kinks out and that the food and service would be much improved from our last visit.

Boy, were we wrong.

When the waiter took our drink order, most people ordered Bloody Mary’s while Rachel and I just got coffee. When they brought out the drinks, the waiter realized that he made an extra Bloody Mary and proceeded to ask if anyone wanted it. Rachel took it, saying, “I just hope he doesn’t charge me for this.” More on that later…

When he brought out the coffees, we were missing spoons in our roll up, but didn’t bother asking for some since they seemed swamped, so we used our forks to stir instead.

I ordered The All American Breakfast. Nothing fancy, just your typical eggs, home fries, bacon, and toast platter. Hard to mess up, right? The eggs were extremely runny, the home fries were undercooked, and the bacon was just meh. It made the Original House of Pancakes look like The Source.

Now, Rachel can be a picky eater as she likes to ask for things slightly different from the menu. But restaurants should be used to these types of requests.

She ordered the Eggs Benedict, but asked for it to be served without the sauce, with Canadian bacon on the side, and the eggs poached well. When it came, the eggs were cold, the yolks were runny, and the slabs of bacon were, low and behold, right there on the English muffin tops. It just wasn’t worth sending back since it took so long to come.

As for the service? It was adequate at first, but our waiter gradually disappeared as the meal progressed up to the point where the table was in dire need of clearing.  As a former waiter, it is one of the biggest faux pas in the book to leave a table full of dirty dishes for such an extended period of time. The waiter apologized as they were understaffed, but the restaurant should know better nonetheless.

When the bill finally came, we realized he did in fact charge for that extra Bloody Mary, but for five dollars, they weren’t overly expensive to begin with. It was just the principal in that we shouldn’t have been charged at all.

This place has so many strikes against it that we will not be returning. Between the underwhelming food and mediocre service, there are a plethora of better options out there in the neighborhood. If only Cafe Deluxe had realized it was one of the very few warm days left this year instead of leaving us out in the “cold.”

We’ve dined at Robert Wiedmaier’s Mussel Bar several times since we first ate there on opening night, and honestly, it’s instantly become our favorite restaurant in the entire Bethesda area.

Between the excellent selection of craft brews (Delirium Tremens on tap!) and high-quality yet reasonably-priced food, Mussel Bar has filled a niche that Bethesda residents such as us have craved for.

Sunday was no exception as we decided to venture over there and see how brunch would fare over our earlier dinner experiences.

I went with the Huevos Rancheros and they were, by far, the best I’ve ever had in regards to that particular egg dish.  Served atop a grilled tortilla, the poached eggs were accompanied with some very delicious spicy pork, spinach, peppers, and a creamy hollandaise sauce.

The combination of flavors was excellent as the pork added just enough kick to the eggs without having to ask for some hot sauce. Letting the yolk drizzle throughout the dish made it enjoyable to savor each bite. What’s left to say? It’ll be my go-to from hereon out for brunch at Mussel Bar.

Rachel was debating between a traditional breakfast dish, like an omelet with goat cheese, chicken, and spinach, and a mainstay on the menu, the highly-praised lobster roll. She had already heard good things about it from friends, and after the craze of the Red Hook Lobster Company food truck, lobster had been on her mind. So, lobster roll it was.

And what a great decision it turned out to be.

The giant size roll was overstuffed with huge chunks of lobster meat, bonded together with only a touch of mayo and spices. The dish was accompanied with the now infamous Mussel Bar sweet potatoes fries, which we have to say, are like crack. They are crispy, with a hint of vanilla and a tad of salt, and are very, very addictive. The plate also came with a side lettuce, of which we originally thought was garnish, but turned out to be a small salad as well.

While we’ve generally never had a problem with the service at Mussel Bar, I had to track down the hostess to ask for some sugar for my coffee since the waiter forgot to bring it out when our drinks arrived. I also had to ask another waitress for a refill since ours couldn’t be found for a brief period of time.

Rachel ordered a Diet Coke with her meal, and as soon as we saw the waiter bring it in a small glass bottle with a glass of ice, we knew what that meant – no free refills. That is always a pet peeve, as soda costs are generally low and if a restaurant is going to bring individual bottles and charge for each one, it should be stated upfront. But other than those minor issues, the service was generally very good.

Now the biggest question we will have to face when going back to Mussel Bar is… lobster roll, or mussels? Decisions, decisions.