First-Class First Courses

Appetizers are noteworthy at this Bethesda mainstay

** Grapeseed

4865 Cordell Ave., Bethesda

301-986-9592 www.grapeseedbistro.com

Open: dinner Monday through Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 to 11 p.m., Sunday 5 to 9 p.m. All major credit cards. No smoking. Metro: Bethesda. Valet parking. Prices: appetizers $6 to $12, entrees $24 to $34.

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One in an occasional series of looks at previously reviewed restaurants.

Despite a sign hoisted high above the street -- visible from more than a block away -- and my having patronized Grapeseed at least half a dozen times during its eight-year run, I walked right past the wine-themed restaurant recently when I paid it the first of several return visits.

Credit the designer for my Mr. Magoo-like behavior. Following an extensive redo last fall, I scarcely recognized the place. New picture windows capture a softly lighted and greatly expanded dining room, including a front-and-center bar and party rooms to the side. Brightened with a colorful triptych and set with a communal table, the space, which retains its original open kitchen, extends its warmest welcome ever.

Like one of the newly svelte winners on "The Biggest Loser," the rethought Grapeseed is an inspiration.

So is the menu. Jeff Heineman, Grapeseed's 42-year-old chef and owner, appears to have been reinvigorated by his fresh surroundings. This was apparent shortly after the restaurant unveiled its new look in November and I stopped by. The first thing I popped into my mouth made a rousing impression: a trio of fried chicken livers garnished with scallions and accented with house-made pepper jelly. The golden casing was hot and crunchy, the center rich and creamy. What followed whisked me to Charleston for several bites: grilled shrimp on a pool of creamy grits that passed the Southern food test and got extra credit for its ring of sweet, smoky, whiskey-spiked barbecue sauce. Compositions such as these would look at home in such esteemed restaurants as Kinkead's and Cashion's Eat Place, in whose kitchens Heineman cooked before he set out on his own in 2000.

The other dishes I encountered that late-fall evening were pleasant but more predictable. A cassoulet was a bit soupy for my taste, and fettuccine tossed with roasted beets and goat cheese is something you could find in a dozen other restaurants.

Tip No. 1: Focus on first courses at Grapeseed. In fact, it would be smart to assemble a meal from just the appetizers. The menu changes with frequency, so I can't predict that everything I'm promoting will stick around for your visit. But, in addition to those chicken livers and shrimp and grits, you should hope to spot a martini glass of scallop ceviche. The seafood, swirled with bits of purple onion and minced carrot, is as refreshing a cocktail as you will find in Bethesda. Think all steamed mussels taste alike? Grapeseed's little black pot of creamy bivalves, showered with crisp bits of bacon and sweetened with minced onion, will change your mind. There's Belgian beer and cream in the broth, plus a shake of cocoa powder for more depth; dig down into the pot, and you'll hit fried potatoes, swollen with liquid yet wonderfully crisp. One of the few starters you can easily skip is the fried oysters, enriched but not improved by a tame butter sauce.