Dining Capsules
Restaurants previously reviewed by Eve Zibart:
YELLOW BRICK BANK (201 E. German St., Shepherdstown, W. Va.; 304-876-2208) -- It may not be yellow (although the almost rococo painting of the trim is as fanciful and theatrical as this arts-community town), but after 20 years, this slightly eclectic but not too eccentric cafe seems as solid as a bank. House-made mozzarella is a favorite, as is the house-dough pizzette. Among recent successes: Maytag blue-stuffed figs, Portuguese-style clams, Cuban-style pork and hanger steak (meat is generally a good bet here) and bluefish topped with a Provencal blanket of fennel, tomatoes, artichokes and olives. Entrees $17-$28.
Cassatt's BLT Panini on Ciabatta bread served with a latte, a trio of spreads and a basket of bread.
(Len Spoden)
|
|
MEYHANE (633 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; 202-544-4753. Metro: Eastern Market or Capitol South) -- It doesn't take much for a cafe to work its way into a neighborhood's affections, just good food, moderate prices, wine and martini happy hours and real folks -- in this case Dogan Turker and Pamela Tiffen -- behind the counter. "Meyhane" is the word for a Turkish meze cafe-cum-social center, and it fits. Try the hunkar begendi, a creamy eggplant "risotto" topped with long-cooked lamb; lamb or chicken shish, a dolma (rice-stuffed veggie) combo for only $8.95; zucchini fritters; and imam biyaldi, baked-to-melting eggplant. There are vegan as well as vegetarian options, and a killer chocolate souffle. Meze $3.95-$7.95; entrees $9.95-$16.95. Not wheelchair accessible.
L'OUSTALET (302 King Farm Blvd., Rockville; 301-963-3400) -- As this ambitious "little house" proves, with its mini-space and maxi-bistro menu, it doesn't matter how many trendy flavors flood the market: Good French food is a people magnet, and La Miche veteran Michel Bernard touches all the bases from pâté to creme brulee. Among best bets: the old-fashioned, caramel-dark onion soup; a meaty ragu of escargots; silky smoked salmon-stuffed ravioli with pesto cream; lamb chops; and piled-high mussels with fries. Daily specials are a little erratic, but intriguing. Entrees $15.50-$24.
BISTRO DES CELESTINS (6876 Lee Hwy., Arlington; 703-534-8059. Metro: East Falls Church) -- This homier offshoot of longtime fave Cote d'Or has plenty of comfort food, but there are nights the comfort factor is limited to the menu, what with sometimes cursory service and overly casual presentation. Swallow the attitude and go for lamb or minute steak, pâté (chilly but tasty), frogs' legs, mussels, escargots (the garlic-lovers' special) and above all the frites. And if you've never been introduced to a croque monsieur, here's your chance. Entrees $8.95-$18.50.
MEAZA (5440 Columbia Pike, Arlington; 703-820-2870) -- The best injera around -- injeras, actually, one all-teff and the other a still-pungent mix of teff and whole wheat -- and for meat-eaters, one of the best Ethiopian kitchens altogether. Try the grilled lamb short ribs "appetizer," a hefty plate in itself; the kitfo deluxe, which pairs the fine steak tartare with lovely house-made yogurt cheese; the change-up spicy chopped red snapper; the collard greens; the stewed chicken doro wot; and the great lamb tripe with tongue. Entrees $7.99-$10.99. Not wheelchair accessible.
SOL DE ESPAÑA (838-C Rockville Pike, Rockville; 240-314-0202) -- Although it may be harder to get in to this Andalusian snuggery on the weekends, it's worth it, both for owner Joaquin Serrano's cheerful presence and for his delicate timing on the shellfish. Then you can go wild for specials such as grilled fresh baby sardines or steamed baby scallops in the shell; sauteed shrimp; mero (grouper) and mixed shellfish in green sauce; fried calamari or the well-timed and substantial paellas (seafood, meat and seafood or vegetarian) for two. Entrees $18.95-$23.95; paellas $32-$36.90.
ZIO'S (9083 Gaither Rd., Gaithersburg; 301-977-6300) -- Inexpensive and filling Italian food is easy to find these days (although it's more and more often franchise fare), but a really good family-recipe pizza may be harder than ever. The pizza dough here, made from Mama Pappano's family recipe, is like the best fresh bread you've had in weeks, and even if the pasta isn't as consistently fine, it will keep the family happy. Pizza, garlic bread, thick wine glasses, salad bar -- Zio's is just like the old days. Entrees $9.25-$14.25, pizza $4.75-$13.75.
OKINAWA (1558 Annapolis Rd., Odenton; 410-551-5611) -- It's not the most "ethnic" of Korean restaurants, or the broadest of Japanese kitchens either, but this family-friendly spot has much to recommend it, beginning with the complementary California roll for each table. Sushi is the most reliable sector of the menu, thanks in part to the fact that chef-owner (and longtime Yokohama chef) Kyung-Yul Kim is behind the glass. The various Korean barbecue dishes are good, if not great, and the multitude of panchan, the little side dishes, unusually nice. Try the pizza-size pajun, a sort of crepe/omelet with oysters, shrimp, meat and blanched scallions. Appetizers $5.95-$9.95; entrees $9.95-$25.96.
PASSAGE TO INDIA (4931 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-656-3373. Metro: Bethesda) -- Beauty is as beauty does, and this fabulously detailed restaurant, like a Merchant-Ivory movie set, is very nearly as detail-oriented in the kitchen. Original chef-owner Sudhir Seth and his staff from Heritage India days have laid out a new menu that offers basic comparisons between some regional styles, ideal for group experimentation. Among the best are the tandoori scallops and crab masala appetizers; malai chingri, shrimp in a coconut/brown spice sauce; ginger-marinated tandoori jumbo prawns; bhindi do piaza, crisp okra with cumin; and a great version of chicken makhani (butter chicken). Among the bread choices, the mint- and sea salt-studded purina paratha is first-rate. Entrees $8.95-$16.95. Wheelchair access fair.
FLYING SCOTSMAN ( 233 Second St. NW; 202-783-3848. Metro: Judiciary Square or Union Station) -- This attractive little snuggery, named for one of Britain's great engines and routes, has plenty going for it: a good single malt and beer list, plenty of tech-age games and TVs, erratic but sometimes impressive fare and a bartender (Danielle Hentry) like the little engine that could. It does its namesake one disservice, however: Time is not of the essence here. While it gears up better for lunch, the rest of the time the kitchen seems direly short-handed. The mini-birdies (ground beef pasties, something between cottage pie and Scottish samosas) are made from scratch, but slowly; the cottage pie itself is middling at best. The "chips," i.e., fries, are a disappointment, but the Parmesan-crusted salmon is good, and the un-Scottish barbecue ribs and Reuben, too. Lamb shank is either highly popular or apocryphal; it's always sold out. Entrees $10.50-$15.
OKRA'S LOUISIANA BISTRO (9110 Center St., Manassas; 703-330-2729) -- Easy on the eyes (exposed brick, confetti-splattered ceiling, Bourbon Street poster art) and reasonably Big Easy on the palate, this family-friendly roadhouse deserves credit for generous servings and for grease hot and fresh enough to produce dangerously good alligator bites and fried okra easily worth the bistro's signature. It also keeps a close eye on the meats, and a calculating hand on the Tabasco. But the blackening is tourist-food heavy and a little acrid (the ancho-flavored salmon excepted) and the vegetarian dirty rice forgettable. Entrees $9.95-$19.95. Not wheelchair accessible.
NEW ORLEANS BISTRO (4907 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-986-8833. Metro: Bethesda) -- This more elegant, Garden District-look room, with cafe au lait walls and vintage b/w photos of jazz musicians, promises a little more in the way of balance and sophistication than it yet delivers -- carelessly cloying cream sauces, okra-less gumbos, one-note seasonings, salty or spicy -- but it's still new, and there are signs of promise. The fried green tomatoes are fine, as is the remoulade; shrimp etouffee had a properly dark base and a generous crowning of shrimp; and the fried oysters were cradled in an almost tempura-light batter. Now if they can just master baking biscuits . . . Entrees $12.25-$23.95.
