DMV Dining

While Casa Nonna has been open for a little over a year, we made our first visit to the Southern Italian restaurant just last weekend.

After some cocktails and appetizers at nearby Vento, we ventured over to the restaurant around 8:30pm and had no problems procuring a table for four. I was kind of surprised we were seated so soon given that it was a Friday evening and footsteps from the Dupont Metro, but then again, the space is huge as it used to hold a California Pizza Kitchen.

Our waiter soon came over and dropped off a basket of cheesy flatbread while we glanced over the menu. It’s a shame we had not dined at Casa Nonna during their initial family-style format (which was scraped just months later) just to compare and contrast their current a la carte offering.

Offering a selection of antipasti, homemade pastas, Neapolitan pizzas, as well as chicken, beef, and seafood entrees, one has plenty to choose from. In fact, it was almost daunting at times as they offered a multitude of items under each category. Our waiter had mentioned that they were debuting their new fall menu that day, so we couldn’t wait to try out some of their recommended dishes.

We decided to start off the evening by sharing a plate of their braised miniature meatballs. Sitting in a bowl of rich tomato sauce, the meatballs, which were comprised of beef, veal, and pork, were rather good. I’m still partial to the ones found at Olazzo, but given that the bowl was wiped clean in a matter of minutes, our table didn’t have any qualms with these.

As for our entrees, I ordered the Bigoli Con Vongole e Salsiccia. The housemade bigoli, otherwise knows as “fat spaghetti”, was served with cockle clams, crumbled sausage, and hot pepper. Blended with garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did feel, however, that the portion was just slightly undersized for the price ($21). That’s not to say there wasn’t a fair share of clams included, but it wouldn’t have hurt to include a little more pasta and sausage to the dish.

Rachel got the pumpkin gnocchi with sage butter and shaved parmesan. These dumplings were so rich with pumpkin flavor that they, as Rob Lowe’s character would say on Parks and Recreation, literally melted in your mouth. It was delicious and tasted so decadent that she couldn’t finish it all, and I certainly enjoyed whatever bites I had as well.

We were too full for dessert, but our friends Mike and Randi decided to order a cannoli to-go. When the waiter came back with the container, packed inside were not one but three mini cannolis! They insisted we take one, and since I’m one to never turn down food, we obliged.

Drizzled with chocolate sauce, the dessert featured a touch of pistachio which was different than your typical Italian cannoli. Not to bring up Olazzo a second time, but Casa Nonna’s were just all right.

Overall, we had a very pleasant experience at Casa Nonna. I think the two of us felt it was slightly overpriced for what you received, but at least all of their plates feature homemade pasta. The pizza appears to be a better value given the size, but I’m still kicking myself for missing out on their Monday night endless spaghetti and meatball promotion (which was discontinued earlier this year). That would have been trouble.

Not only was it just a year ago that DMV Dining launched, but around the same time, OpenTable debuted Spotlight, their Groupon-like website. Their very first offer was for Charlie Palmer Steak, and naturally we took the bait.

Needless to say, Charlie Palmer was (in our assessment) Spotlight’s most enticing offer since they launched, as the restaurants since then have not quite matched the caliber of the Capitol Hill steakhouse.

Anyway, we nearly forgot about the certificate until we realized it was about to expire in a couple of weeks. On a related note, we really need to create a Google Calendar for our soon-to-expire Groupons…

We were able to book a reservation for Friday evening, and wouldn’t you know it, the restaurant offers free corkage on Fridays! This was purely coincidental when we originally booked our table, but upon finding out the news, we brought along a bottle of King Estate’s Acrobat Pinot Noir.

When we were seated, the waitress poured two glasses of the wine we brought and soon returned with an amuse bouche of rock shrimp ceviche. It provided some excellent flavor for such a small bite and was a nice way to start off our evening.

For our entrees, we kept it rather simple: we both ordered the European cut filet, Rachel opting for the petite size while I went for the standard portion (surprise, surprise). The quality of the meat was exceptional as it was evenly cooked and deliciously succulent. Not to throw Grapeseed under the bus, but the difference was night and day between the two restaurant’s steaks.

Following the advice of EatMore DrinkMore’s Jenna, we ordered the Parmesan gnocchi as one of our sides. Folks, this could have been a meal in itself. For eight dollars, we had more than enough pasta to share between the two of us. Oh, and it was really, really good. It was such a clever way to complement the filet rather than serve it with your typical baked potato or order of fries (though the ones at Charlie Palmer did look delectable).

We also ordered a side of wild mushrooms and onions which we both really enjoyed. Nothing really to write about here, but the garlic nicely supplemented the filet.

We didn’t wind up ordering dessert as we were both so full from our meal, but then the waitress brought over a small assortment of bite-sized treats which included peanut brittle and chocolate truffles. Unsurprisingly, they were gone within seconds.

Overall, we both really enjoyed Charlie Palmer. Our waitress was very friendly, topping off our wine glasses the moment they were no more than a third full. Meanwhile, the food was fantastic. I was very impressed by not only the cuts of the filet, but also by the superb gnocchi. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Ray’s the Classics, but Charlie Palmer is right up there as one of my favorite steakhouses in the DMV.

Brasserie Beck has been on our bucket list of restaurants to visit since they first opened back in 2007, yet when Mussel Bar (Robert Wiedmaier’s newest venue) opened down the road from us, the journey took a little longer given the latter’s proximity to our home. Nonetheless, we finally shook off the laziness and had our very first meal at Beck a few weeks ago. We soon realized that we will have to start making that excursion more often.

The timing could not have been more appropriate given that it was Belgian Restaurant Week. This particular Wiedmaier restaurant is more upscale than its Bethesda counterpart in regards to its menu, interior, and service. Mussels are still prominent, but you’re not going to find, say, a Cuban Panini at Beck.

After surveying the expansive beer menu, I ordered a traditional Bavik Pils while Rachel got the St. Bernardus Pater 6. With the smorgasbord of Belgian brews to choose from, it certainly sounds like a great place for happy hour (half price drafts from 5-7pm), let alone lunch or dinner. Not that Mussel Bar doesn’t provide that option, but Montgomery County’s draconian beer laws certainly don’t help in the wallet department.

We started our evening off with the steak tartare. Nearly the size of a hockey puck, it was anything but stiff. The meat was very tender, but I was even more enamored with the presentation what with the variety of colors found on the plate. Topped with a slice of toasted brioche and a fried egg, it was a very enjoyable first course. My only beef (no pun intended) was that there was a little too much emphasis on the red onion, so much that it nearly overwhelmed the flavor of the beef.

Rachel also ordered a large roasted beet salad which was accompanied with goat cheese, caramelized walnuts, and mixed greens. She remarked that it was one of the prettiest salads she has ever laid her eyes on. Oh, and it also tasted rather good for those that were curious…

For our main course, Rachel and I decided to split two entrees. We of course had to get an order of mussels, but we also wanted to try one of their other dishes as well. We ultimately settled on the veal Bolognese mussels and a half-order of the braised lamb pappardelle. We felt that this would be a suitable amount of food for the two of us as well as have an opportunity to explore Beck’s menu.

First, let’s get to the mussels: they were simply terrific. While Brasserie Beck does not allow you to take mussels home with you, is there a policy of just wrapping up the broth to-go? I would buy that stuff by the pint. The amount of veal found in the sauce was incredible. Mind you, the mussels themselves were great, but it was the ragu that took them to that next level. I think the server came by at least three times before he could clear my plate just so I could enjoy every last drop of broth.

As for the pappardelle, the homemade noodles were excellently cooked and were very delicate. The braised lamb was succulent while the accompanying tomatoes, peas, and onions helped balance the dish. I wouldn’t have minded a thicker sauce, but given that we just had veal Bolognese by the spoonful, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Once we finished our entrees, we were so full that we were ready for the check. Unbeknownst to us, our meal wasn’t done yet. Our server brought over a Belgian chocolate torte (special for Belgian Restaurant Week), compliments of the house. After taking one bite, let’s just say it was hard to put the fork down. Topped with roasted plums from Toigo Orchards and drizzled with raspberry sauce, this was one rich, phenomenal dessert.

All and all, we had a great evening at Brasserie Beck. Between the exceptional food and service, it’s hard to imagine that this was just our first visit. Rest assured, we’ll be back for many more meals in the near future.

It’s not often that we write about a restaurant as soon as it opens, but Mike Isabella’s Graffiato was about as flawless as a debut as we could have imagined. Even though the Top Chef alum’s restaurant has now been open for several weeks, we have heard such positive word of mouth that we were eagerly counting down the days until our reservation last Wednesday night.

With our friends Pat and Fraser, we headed to Chinatown while discussing our game plan on what to order. When we arrived, the place was full to the brim but we were immediately seated by the hostess after checking in for our 8:30pm reservation. The modern yet simple interior was very inviting, and with two floors of space with a kitchen on each floor, Graffiato can certainly accommodate many guests.

Once we were seated upstairs, the four of us deliberated over ordering a la carte or getting the tasting menu for $55 per person. The tasting menu limited us to four courses, and while everyone would receive different plates, we still wanted to have the freedom of choosing our own dishes as we went along. Thus, we went the a la carte route. I don’t think any of us could imagine sharing 16 dishes!

Of course before ordering our food, the ladies couldn’t resist indulging themselves with a few glasses of prosecco. And how could you blame them when it’s the only venue in the city serving the sparkling Italian wine on tap? They also carried several local brews including DC Brau and Port City.

Even though Isabella is from Jersey, Graffiato gives off a sense of DC pride as it sources its ingredients from nearby farms and vendors. It emits an authentic neighborhood vibe despite Isabella’s nationally known mug from Top Chef. The fact that Mike himself was making rounds with customers all night made you feel at home which resulted in a nice, laid-back atmosphere.

Sorry for going off tangent – let’s get onto the food!

Up first was the bread basket which featured polenta, focaccia and raisin bread, along with olive oil jam and fresh ricotta. If this was a taste of what was to come, then we were in for one heck of a meal. All four of us devoured the freshly-prepared bread while scraping the ramekin clean of any leftover ricotta. Our only negative comment would be the fact that bread isn’t included and will cost you $5, but maybe they are going for a European feel there.

Next was the fresh stretched mozzarella with fava bean relish. This was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. I have never tasted mozzarella so fresh with such an engaging texture. Well done, Mike.

Following the excellent mozzarella was the polenta, accompanied with three spicy pork meatballs as well as a soft egg. I really enjoyed the meatballs even though they seemed to fall apart a little too easily. Blending the over-easy egg with the polenta and meatballs created a rich sauce which made the dish even more pleasurable.

The next plate was wood-roasted mushrooms with cherry peppers and mustard. While this should have been served earlier given the complexity of the previous dish, plus the fact the fungi are served cold, it was still another solid choice. The mushrooms were rich in flavor and were one of Pat’s favorite items of the night.

Our collective heads then turned towards the chicken thighs featuring Chef Isabella’s infamous pepperoni sauce. In all honesty, it didn’t quite meet the hype after Gail Simmons gushed about it back on Top Chef. That’s not to say it wasn’t good, because it most certainly was, but it wasn’t particularly mind-blowing. It more or less had the taste and consistency of wing sauce (we thought it would be thicker), but with a hint of pepperoni. The chicken, however, was excellently cooked.

While the pepperoni sauce was slightly underwhelming, our next dish shot us right back to euphoria. Words cannot express how delicious the gnocchi was. Just order it – you can thank us later. Served with braised pork shank and burrata, this dish was simply exceptional. The gnocchi was extraordinarily delicate while the pork was the perfect complement to Isabella’s pasta. Kudos to the chef on this one.

Our first pizza of the night (yes, we ordered two) was the Jersey Shore. Featuring fried tomato, provolone, cherry pepper aioli, and pieces of fried calamari placed atop each slice, this wasn’t your average pizza. The ingredients were fun, but there just wasn’t that much flavor coming out of the pizza. The calamari provided a nice, crunchy touch while the aioli almost tasted like the spicy mayo you would find on a California roll. At least the crust was nice and crispy, but as a whole, it was just lacking something.

Following the pizza was the wood-roasted octopus. Served with chickpeas and baby artichokes, we thought it was just average. In fact, I might have enjoyed the artichokes and its sauce more than the octopus. While nicely cooked, it lacked a distinctive char flavor that set it apart from superior versions found at Cava and Isabella’s old haunt Zaytinya.

Up next was the bone marrow. While Rachel and I had never had marrow before, Pat and Fraser recently ate it at Marrakesh and wanted to try it again. Served inside a split-open bone, the marrow was stuffed with pistachio, bread crumbs, and bacon crumbles. It was granular in texture and incorporated a bacon flavor that was a tad overwhelming at times. Interesting dish, but I’ll probably pass on this one next time.

Our second pizza of the evening, for a lack of a better term, knocked it out of the park. If you should order one pizza when dining at Graffiato, we highly recommend the Countryman. I’m glad our waiter purposely served the Jersey Shore first, as the Countryman was just on a whole other level. Topped with black truffles, fontina, and a duck egg whose yolk is spread over the surface by our server, this felt like you were eating deliciously rich pasta that happened to be on top of a pizza crust. Between the gooey egg yolk, robust fontina, and subtle hints of black truffles, it was a hit amongst all four of us. We have heard good things about the White House pizza too and may have to get that one next time as well.

We somehow still had room for dessert, so we ordered the chocolate tart as well as the unlisted zeppoles. Yes, the latter is not on the menu, but within less than a month it’s already achieved “Animal Style”-like status where it’s a secret but, well, not really a secret.

One reason why the zeppoles are not on the menu is because they are cooked to order, and they do take some time before they ultimately reach the table. It was well worth the wait, however, as they were purely outstanding. These fried dough balls, dusted with strawberry flavored powdered sugar, were piping hot and utterly delightful.

Meanwhile the chocolate tart was accompanied with olive oil and sea salt gelato, which gave the dessert a nice balance of sweet and salty. The tart even had some saltiness to it, but in the end, I think the zeppoles might have been our favorite of the two desserts.

Overall, we walked away very impressed with Graffiato. It’s a positive sign when even our least favorite dish was still good, you know? The service was first-rate, the atmosphere was pleasant, and the food was consistently great. We honestly cannot wait to go back and try many more of Chef Isabella’s dishes, as long as we order the gnocchi and zeppoles, of course.

With Rachel having her work’s summer conference in Denver last week, how could I turn down the chance to come along? After all, I had never been to Denver, let alone visited the state of Colorado, so we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it.

After spending the day in Boulder, we checked into our hotel in downtown Denver on Friday night. For the sake of spontaneity, I decided to keep our dinner plans a secret until we arrived at the restaurant.

Located on charming Larimer Street in the LoDo area of Denver, I had learned about Rioja after performing some online research on highly-acclaimed restaurants in the area.  Turns out that the Mediterranean-themed venue was tops on a variety of lists, and considering that Friday night was our one free night of the week before Rachel’s conference started, I figured we might as well do something on the fancier side.

Thankfully, Rioja took reservations as we were promptly seated when we arrived. Our waitress soon greeted us and asked for our drink order. I went with a glass of red wine while Rachel ordered the blackberry whisky sour, the restaurant’s most popular cocktail. After having a sip, I wish I had ordered one myself. Featuring blackberry whiskey, house made sour mix, soda, and lemon, it was one satisfying beverage.

As for dinner, everything on the menu sounded absolutely delicious, and unsurprisingly, we had a difficult time deciding what to get. After spending at least fifteen minutes reading over the list of options, at the bottom of the menu was an answer to our indecisiveness: “Tasting Menus Available. Please Inquire With Your Server.”

Done!

Our waitress explained that the two of us could split smaller portions of two dishes from each category: starters, salads, pastas, and entrees (or at least that’s how we understood, but more on that later). Rachel and I immediately agreed that this was the best course of action not only because we wanted to try so many things, but that we initially couldn’t make up our damn minds if we went the a la carte route.

Before our first courses arrived, we were treated to a homemade selection of bread which alluded to how great this dinner was going to be. The selection included rosemary goat cheese biscuits, lavender sour dough, orange and fennel rolls, and olive loaf. All four varieties were simply fantastic, but it was the lavender sour dough that stood out the most.

We started with the handmade mozzarella, wrapped in smoked prosciutto, with grilled bread, oven-dried tomatoes, arugula, and green olive pistou. Although it was slightly hard to split this small sandwich into two, it was a great way to commence our tasting journey. The mozzarella and prosciutto combination perfectly complemented the tomatoes and arugula. The bread got a little soggy from the olive spread, and we thought it may have been more effective as an open face sandwich instead of two pieces. Nonetheless, we couldn’t wait for our next course.

Next up was the Thai scallops, made with lemongrass panna cotta, compressed pineapple, plantain tuille, coconut kiffir lime purée, and a Thai red curry vinaigrette. To put it in one word: wow. This may have been our favorite dish of the night.

When we were first deliberating what to order from the regular menu, Rachel kept eyeing the salads. Normally we would skip salad and try more adventurous starters, but these salads seemed incredibly creative and delicious. For our tasting, we were served small portions of both the watermelon and beet salads.

The watermelon salad included baby heirloom tomatoes, organic red and yellow watermelon, Valbreso feta, compressed cucumber, sweet chilies, watermelon vinaigrette, and a micro lemon balm. This was paired on a single plate with the beet salad, composed of roasted candy striped beets, cucumber mint vinaigrette, snow drop goat cheese, crispy beet chips, pickled red onion, micro beets, and mint syrup.

While we thought both salads were excellent, I was more partial towards the watermelon while Rachel liked the beets. I’m not a huge fan of goat cheese (much to the chagrin of Rachel) but I could not stop raving about it while eating the beet salad. It was just incredibly fresh without its flavor being too pronounced that I couldn’t taste the other ingredients.

Up next was the pasta course. The first dish was saffron spaghettini, which featured summer vegetables, roasted eggplant, La Quercia lardo, heirloom tomatoes, scallion, black oil cured olives, piquillo peppers, basil, and extra virgin olive oil.

The other pasta was an artichoke tortelloni, which was made with goat cheese and artichoke mousse stuffed pasta, artichoke broth, truffle essence, queso de mano cheese, and chervil.

The spaghettini was a light and delicate dish which was apt given the warmer weather. Meanwhile, I could have ordered an entire bowl of the tortelloni for myself. Between the goat cheese/artichoke mouse stuffing and the wonderful truffle sauce, this was a pure delight. I can see why this is one of the most popular pastas on the menu (all of which can be ordered as an entrée, by the way).

Our entrees soon arrived, but instead of them being presented in a sampling format, each person solely received their main course. We weren’t sure if this was the tasting menu portion or not as the serving size seemed rather large given the sizes of the previous courses we consumed, but neither of us thought it was enough of a substantial claim to make a fuss over of.

Anyway, I ordered the Colorado lamb two ways while Rachel got the halibut Provençal. The lamb arrived as a grilled t-bone as well as a house-made merguez sausage and was accompanied with a crisp couscous pillow, caramelized fennel, tomato coulis, and preserved lemon yogurt. Mediterranean flavors were brought to life in this exquisite dish. The t-bone was incredibly tender and flavorful while the sausage, which resembled more of a lamb slider, was packed with spice albeit a little too rare in the middle for my liking.

But man, that lemon yogurt! It was a dream pairing between that and both pieces of lamb. Throw in the creative couscous pillow, which had a nice crunchy layer outside with soft couscous stuffed inside, and you have yourselves one breathtaking entrée.

For her entree, Rachel got the halibut Provencal, which came with grilled artichoke, artichoke mousse, tomato-feta-zucchini tart, black olive fennel vinaigrette, and crispy milk poached garlic. She thought it would be similar to the artichoke found in the tortellini but the waitress assured her that they would be completely different.

While all the components were incredibly unique and made for a beautiful dish and presentation, she was simply too full from the other courses to truly enjoy it. What really stood out was the poached garlic – it was sweet instead of overpowering, and was like nothing she ever had before.

We passed on dessert as we were beyond stuffed and asked for the check. When we received it, it had turned out that the waitress had charged us for tasting size portions of our meal up until the entrees, which we were billed at full price!  There appeared to be quite a bit of confusion on both of ends as we had asked for a tasting menu while the waitress thought we still wanted regular-sized entrees. I mean, why would we order regular-sized a la carte entrees if we’re ordering from a tasting menu?

We explained to the waitress that we had never specifically asked for full-sized entrees, though it did explain why we received such large portions and could barely eat half of it. She was very apologetic about the misunderstanding and removed the scallop course from the bill, which we thought was very nice.

Despite the snafu, we had a lovely dinner and cannot recommend Rioja enough should you ever visit Denver. Chef Jennifer Jasinski marveled us with her talents as we unceremoniously dubbed her “the Bryan Voltaggio of Denver” while we savored each course. In fact, we loved it so much that Rachel went back a second night for dinner during her stay! The next time we’re in Denver, a meal at Rioja is clearly a must.

With Passover concluding tonight, what better way to celebrate than discussing a return to carbs, and more importantly, pasta!

While we adore Olazzo in downtown Bethesda, we have never been to its nearby location in Silver Spring. As it turns out, Rachel inadvertently bought a BuyWithMe certificate for the Italian restaurant without realizing it was for the latter as opposed with the intention of buying it for the former.

Thanks to Rachel’s slight oversight, it gave us an opportunity to try their sister location, and especially in my case, their great meatballs.

One huge pro about their Silver Spring location is that they accept reservations, something that isn’t a practice at their Bethesda restaurant. Our table was ready as soon as we arrived, but given that it was a Thursday night instead of a weekend, this was anticipated.

Another noticeable difference between the two venues is that Silver Spring has a much larger dining area. The front of the house features an extensive bar area while Bethesda’s is essentially non-existent save for a few barstools. There were also several booths lined up opposite the bar that made for a cozy pub atmosphere.

Meanwhile, we were seated in the backroom which was just slightly smaller than their entire Bethesda dining room, but with higher ceilings and, even better, less noise. Then again, our reservation was around 9pm, so that probably helped in regards to the decibel levels.

Our waitress soon came by and asked for our drink orders while one of the busboys brought out their trademark warm, fresh bread with freshly-poured olive oil. Needless to say, I went through the whole loaf.

I ordered the Chicken Cardinale while Rachel got the Pasta Primavera. And of course, we shared a meatball.

Rachel got one of her go-to dishes here, the Pasta Primavera. The description lists the dish with olive oil and garlic, but like Brett, she loves her marinara sauce. However, she didn’t think that took away from her dish, and while it wasn’t amazing or completely unique, it was a very satisfying and heaping portion of penne pasta with an array of vegetables and a zesty sauce.

Being a huge fan of marinara, I foolishly opted for that over the tomato cream sauce that came with the Cardinale. I should have stuck with the original recipe as the red sauce’s texture wasn’t optimal for the dish, but despite the substitution, I was rather disappointed with the quality of the chicken.  It was dry, stringy, and downright unflavorful.

The meatball, on the other hand, was terrific as always. Almost the size of a softball, this (along with their excellent cannolis) is one of their signature items and is a must-order if you’re dining at Olazzo. I’m honestly annoyed at myself for not ordering a plate of spaghetti and meatballs for dinner instead, but I digress.

Our bill came out to a little less than $50, and given that our BuyWithMe offer cost $20 for $40 worth of food, an inexpensive dinner turned out to be even more economical. It’s not often you receive a check for two entrees, two glasses of wine, and a side dish that comes out to $10 (excluding tip)!

Outside of the Chicken Cardinale, some of which was my fault as well as the kitchen’s, it was another great tonight at was is typically a very reliable establishment. Given that we’re walking distance to their Bethesda location, I sense I’ll have plenty more opportunities to get my cherished spaghetti and meatballs.

A few weeks ago, I ran the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler for the first time. As with every race, before the run comes the carbo loading. To make things simple, we decided to eat at Vapiano in Bethesda and sit in the lounge area so we could also watch the Final Four basketball games. I had a lot at stake because if UConn won, there was a good chance I was going to win not one but two pools!

We have been to Vapiano several times and have always thought it was good for what it was. Quick, easy, no frills Italian pizza and pasta. The gimmick is you get a card when you enter, and can watch them make your pasta to order. The pizza takes a little longer, so they usually give you a buzzer while you wait at your table. I have also had some of their salads and soups before, and while you get a good portion for your money, nothing stood out there either.

On this particular night, I decided to order the Fusilli pasta with pesto and pine nuts. On a previous trip I went with a red sauce (which I usually prefer), but I realized that I usually love drowning my pasta in red sauce, and they are fairly skimpy on the sauce here. I had a feeling something like a Pesto sauce would stick better to the pasta, and I was right. There was definitely a generous portion of oil in it, but it was a very satisfying pre-race dish.

Brett ordered the penne arrabbiata which featured spicy tomato sauce. He also added grilled chicken to the dish for additional three dollars, which he thought was rather steep. This was Brett’s second time to Vapiano and he was just as dissatisfied, if not more so, than he was during his first visit. While he enjoyed the spicy marinara, the pasta was mediocre at best. The worst part, however, was the grilled chicken. He had a problem with both the quality (very dry) and quantity (sparse) of the protein which really questioned the supplemental charge.

I will say that any time we have ordered pizza at Vapiano, there hasn’t been any complaints. It’s by no means the best pizza in the area, but you get decent, freshly-baked pizza at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, each time we go we try to get some pasta too, seeing as that it is one of their specialties. We should stick to their pizzas and salads, and keep the place in mind for their decent happy hour deals. Oh, and the bowl of gummy bears when you leave isn’t a bad touch either. Vapiano is a fun chain to have in the area, but if we want real pasta, we’ll stick to Olazzo and Trattoria Sorrento.

Before meeting a group for dinner at Carmine’s, we went across the street to Sei Restaurant & Lounge for happy hour.

The restaurant offers specials at the bar Monday through Friday from 5pm to 8pm, making it one of the longer happy hours available in DC. Considering it is difficult to get down to the Penn Quarter area before 6pm most evenings, Sei was very appealing.

We ordered drinks right away and I got the Asian Pear Sangria while Brett ordered a Sapporo. Although we were about to head to Carmine’s for a big dinner, Brett was a little hungry so we ordered the  to tie us over. I had one of the rolls and can say that they were incredibly fresh and had a nice kick to them. We have been to Sei for happy hour several times now, and I definitely want to go back at some point soon for dinner.

We then headed to Carmine’s and somehow managed to order the perfect amount of food for 14 people. This was a dinner through a group at our synagogue, and I volunteered to help plan the event. We had to find a place that could easily host large parties, but didn’t want to worry about itemizing everything on the bill. Carmine’s was a no-brainer in that sense. We split the costs for the family style meal, and then everyone added in what they owed for drinks.

Somehow, each person only owed $18, and that included tax and tip (at least for the food bill)! We all shared Caesar salad, mixed greens, eggplant parmesan, chicken marsala, Penne alla Vodka, spaghetti and meatballs, spinach, and broccoli. Everything was delicious, and we both agreed that some of the dishes even tasted better compared to our first visit a few months ago.

The spaghetti and meatballs was a proven hit, and everyone really loved the eggplant parmesan and chicken marsala. We definitely didn’t need dessert, but decided to go big or go home, and ordered the monstrous Titanic.

Yes, it’s called that for a reason. Think of it as a colossal banana split sundae, complete with fudge brownie, countless scoops of vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and of course, whipped cream. We all attacked the sundae and then cried mercy. The evening turned out to be a fun time with good food, great conversation, and all at an incredibly affordable price.

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.

As we are reaching the age of essentially not caring about New Years Eve, we decided to go out and have a nice dinner with friends instead. Since there were eight of us, Carmine’s was an optimal venue for group dining.

When Rachel and I walked in, we could not believe how massive the space was. At 20,000 square feet with seating for 700 patrons, it was arguably one of the biggest restaurants we have ever stepped foot in.

Like similar Italian restaurants such as Maggiano’s and Buca di Beppo, all of the dishes are family style and easily feed a table of six, if not more. Paper menus aren’t used, but instead, are found all over the walls inside Carmine’s.

We started the evening off with an order of fried calamari as well as fried zucchini. We still had enough time to make some New Years resolutions, so we might as well take advantage of the remaining hours of 2010!

When the zucchini arrived, I could not believe my eyes. It was literally a mountain of zucchini standing at least eight inches tall. When we ordered it, we thought it would be more along the lines of fried zucchini spears rather than straws, but it was addictive nonetheless. I had to move the plate to the other side of the table so I could save some room for the rest of the meal.

The calamari was good but the restaurant should have provided a larger bowl of marinara sauce than the one the dish came with. Given the sheer size of the portion and the number of people sitting at the table, that appetizer is going to require a larger serving of marinara.

Of course, one cannot dine at a family style Italian restaurant and not order spaghetti and meatballs. Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best, and I thought the meatballs, which were the size of snowballs, were delicious. The rich, thick but not-too-thick tomato sauce made it that much better.

Meanwhile, the chicken parmesan was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn’t the chicken I necessarily had a problem with, but more with the cheese draped on top. It just had this very odd texture that detracted from the overall taste of this classic Italian dish. Surprising since it is such a simple recipe to begin with.

And as much as we love carbs and cheese, we also ordered a side of cooked spinach as a side item. If you are a fan of garlic, then you will love the spinach. It was definitely oily, but I guess that is to be expected.

Between all of the dishes, as well as some drinks and a bottle of wine, the damage was rather reasonable as each couple paid a little over $60 including tip. Not too shabby considering the mounds of food scattered all over the table.