Zquila

Posted on December 11, 2015 by melsmosaic

While traveling I of course had the opportunity to check out some new restaurants. First stop was in Ft. Collins, CO at Zquila. The name alone drew my attention.

Despite the cold weather, one must order a cold drink at an establishment like this with ingredients similar to the name. Margarita on the rocks, no salt, please.

At first glance this drink looked odd, too clear. But at first sip I was sold. I could have had a few more.

Ordered some guac to hold the table over and then since it was a cold day opted for some soup; went with tortilla.

It was a bit greasier than I expected but still very delicious. Nice mix of chicken and veggies. Perfect for a cold day.

This restaurant is totally worth checking out.

Silver

Posted on November 17, 2015 by melsmosaic

So I actually went to see that movie about the guy who made all those computers that aren’t PCs. No, I don’t own one. It was interesting, though the end was a bit odd…could we not have brought us forward another decade+.

Ok, onto food…since the movie let out around 9:30, one must eat! There has been such a change in downtown Bethesda in the last several years and even more so in the past 6 months. So, new restaurants are popping up all over. My friend and I checked out Silver. I was unaware until that night that it is the posh version of Silver Diner.

We almost had to wait for a table at 9:30pm — it has to be good. The interior design of this place is quite nice. The chairs alone have some leather that we couldn’t quite identify. I almost felt under dressed! The drink menu is extensive and some of the shakes — I almost thought they could curdle with the contents coming against each other. Dang, sometimes I wish I could have one!

After way too much surveying of the menu (because I couldn’t decide) I opted for two appetizers, Crispy Brussels Sprouts that were cinnamon chipotle spiced, with apricots, cranberries, pecans, ranch (nixed that) and Wild Caught Scallops with lemon garlic sauce, wilted spinach, feta, cilantro.

This food was amazing. I had to finish every single Brussels sprout on the plate.

And all the flavors of coming together on the perfectly cooked scallops…just take me to heaven now.

This place will be worth checking out for other meals.

Not Your Average Joe’s

Posted on November 17, 2015 by melsmosaic

A Not Your Average Joe’s opened up in the past several months in (North) Bethesda. I have checked it out a couple times for happy hour (which has some decent specials) but haven’t ever eaten there. I am on their mailing list and got a birthday email worth $15 towards my next visit to the restaurant. Great. Maybe I’ll go and actually try their food.

Decided to go last Friday. It was very busy but was able to grab a spot at the bar. Let the bartender know I had a $15 b-day email I was going to use, he was cool with that. Made it towards the end of happy hour and snagged a margarita for a good price. Sipped that for a bit while I enjoyed their amazing warm bread that they serve with olive oil, garlic (and normally cheese, but I get it without). So addictive! There were some decent menu items to pick from, some a bit restrictive for lactards. I finally saw a seasonal item that the bartenders recommended — Cider Glazed Chicken Kabobs, which were grilled and glazed with zeigler’s apple cider, served over a warm farro golden raisin salad, roasted spaghetti squash and toasted pumpkin seeds. Put an order in for that and shouted for a glass of red right before HH was over to have ready for when the food came out.

Eventually (maybe 30 minutes later) my food arrived.

The chicken was warm and the squash was cold, not even room temp. I mentioned this to the bartender, he was very apologetic and the manager came and told me they would get me a new dish. About 15 minutes later a new plate came out with half the chicken and still at lukewarm temps. I picked at it a bit but was not really hungry. The manager came to apologize and was kind enough to take it off my bill.

I still had the margarita and wine on my bill. I presented them with the coupon I had from the email, which I had read VERY carefully prior to going to dinner about what it might or might not cover (aka alcohol). No where did it say anything. The ‘fine print’ read “P.S. As much as Joe loves birthdays, we’re obliged to include the usual disclaimers: This offer is nontransferable, not valid with other offers, only one per person and doesn’t apply to take-out.”

The bartender came back to me and told me that even though my coupon was for $15, I would have to pay for my $10 worth of drinks. The manager made him do that, couldn’t do it himself. Long story short, it was not pleasant, they eventually let me leave without paying, so I could fortunately leave the bartender a nice tip. Overall not pleased with the restaurant, except for their great bread.

The Daily Dish

Posted on November 16, 2015 by melsmosaic

Visited a restaurant that I park in front of a least once a week for a morning run. I see it when it’s dark out and there is nobody around but my running partner and me. So we had this novel idea to go check this place out during daylight hours when they are actually open.

It’s The Daily Dish in Silver Spring/Chevy Chase, MD. We went at lunch on a Federal Holiday and it got pretty busy, which was good to see.

(image source: thedailydishrestaurant.com)

We started with one of their seasonal special, some pumpkin hummus. Too…good, needed…more. It was served with roasted pumpkin seeds in the middle and roasted cauliflower on the side, as well as the normal pita bread.

After debating the menu for awhile, my friend opted for a salad with pan-seared salmon, on spinach, arugula, fennel, with orange segments, red onion, citrus vinaigrette. I opted for the couscous paella (with shrimp for an extra charge). It was Israeli pearl couscous, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, artichokes, marinara sauce served with quinoa.

My friend’s salad was delicious. My paella was ok. The veggies were nice and crunchy, the shrimp were perfect, but there was far too much couscous to be had. We also each enjoyed a glass of wine. I just remember mine was a Shiraz/Pinotage blend…can never go wrong with Pinotage!

Overall good lunch experience. I’ve heard the restaurant can be hit or miss. They have a wide variety of options on the menu so definitely worth checking out.

Seasons 52, North Bethesda

Posted on October 28, 2015 by melsmosaic

Visited Seasons 52, in North Bethesda, MD. They have locations across the country, as well. Their name stems from the (four) seasons in the year, and the 52 weeks that comprise it. The menu is very seasonal, so if you go often, you better not have a favorite. And they use this theme so everything can be very fresh.

Since it’s fall, squash and pumpkin is everywhere. They even had it in the bar. I went with a Pumpkin Pisco Sour, Crop Organic Pumpkin Vodka, Pisco, Aromatic Bitters. Tell you what, pretty good.

Took awhile to choose the main course, so my friends and I decided to split a flat bread. The one with the goat cheese caught my eye since I can eat that stuff. I’ll always give it a chance since many goat cheeses are now made less goat-y, as in a bit harder than they used to be. So we went for the Artichoke & Laura Chenel Goat Cheese with leaf spinach, balsamic onions, roasted peppers. Was a very nice start to the meal.

Then main course selection became harder, because of my lactose intolerance. Many of the dishes had some form of dairy (from cow) and normally it can be eliminated. But when I asked the waiter he said it would be tough. It wasn’t that easy to find something I could eat, which was surprising with the type of restaurant it is. Fresh, seasonal. He then mentioned they have a ‘special’ menu for those with allergies, intolerances, etc. The menu was cut more than 1/2. Then when ordering you had to be sure to ask for the elimination of specific ingredients in dishes. This is an extreme case, but if I ordered mac & cheese, I would need to be sure to ask for it without the cheese and milk. Some weren’t that bad, but some were complex.

I was a bit disappointed. I ended up ordering the Asian-Glazed Chilean Sea Bass from the lactose-free menu – Organic black rice, snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, micro wasabi **request without brown butter sherry vinaigrette (wouldn’t that be the glaze? — as I had no glaze on mine).

Overall the whole dinner was good, I was just a bit disappointed with the overall feel of the menu. The service was also very slow. Took over 20 minutes to get drinks and then a glass of wine. But, was there with friends to catch up so it wasn’t that bad.

Encantada…oh yes

Posted on August 14, 2015 by melsmosaic

Encantada can normally mean two things. In Spanish, it’s that you’re delighted. In Baltimore (MD), it can mean a restaurant. But I recently learned a third definition of this word…eternal food coma in beyond state of bliss with exceptional service, view, imbibery and edible goods.

Got to check out the aforementioned restaurant, Encantada, recently and it was a great time. It’s on the top floor of the American Visionary Art Museum in Federal Hill, Baltimore, MD. The restaurant “support(s) regional farms, ranches, and aqua-culture, thus nurturing the concept of sustainability.”

(image source: encantadabaltimore.com)

My friend and I wanted to check out so much of the menu and they are small plates so we were able to cover a good amount of it.

But of course, cocktails first. We opted for A Cheshire Cat (Anchor Junipero Gin, Cucumber-lemongrass Syrup, Fresh Mint and Lime, Fizzy Water, Magic Velvet Blue Ice) and an I Dream of Genie (Organic 123 Tequila, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, House Sour, Hibiscus Sea Salt Lime Foam).

Cheers, oh, cheers. Amazing tastes in those drinks! And the magic velvet blue ice never really completely went away… And that foam on top of the margarita (or Genie) just can’t be explained unless you taste it.

For dinner, they had a Prix Fixe of $30 for 6 items from the menu, which was great. Time to share!

We actually opted for 7, just because we wanted a lucky number.

So first we had to get some bread going, so picked the Housemade Bread served with a mushroom butter & a romesco. Apparently that butter was really good.

Next up was probably one of THE most amazing dishes I have eaten for awhile. Portabellos with carpaccio, white miso, chimichurri and pine nuts (though we opted for no carpaccio). Those mushrooms were so thinly sliced, the flavors melded together in some fashion that was and still is inexplicable. Wow.

After that the Cauliflower arrived, which is served nashville style with vegan ranch dressing, bread n’ butta’s, and corncake. It was deep fried and a bit too spicy for me but my friend devoured it. It was essentially chicken wings but with veggies. There was nothing left to be seen on that plate.

Next up, Skate, which is a mildly-flavored fish. This guy was served with sunflower seed romesco, a fried artichoke and pickled zucchini. Very nice! Had never had an artichoke like that.
More veggie time now…enjoyed some delicious heirloom tomatoes with cucumbers, olive oil, black garlic, sea salt. The black garlic was very cool. Had a different taste and we honestly couldn’t identify it at first!

Grabbed some Brussels Sprouts next…take me to heaven! They were served with blistered grapes (totally unique), pine nuts, and fig cotta — another one you don’t get often. There wasn’t enough on this huge plate!

Needed more meat so we ordered some duck, which was a fennel & juniper cured breast, english peas, blackberry gastrique and fresh blackberry dish. Another one that was out of the park.

During all this time there was also the need for some wine so we ordered a Malbec, a nice balance to all the flavors.

Ok, so to sum this all up. So many good flavors, so many choices, will have to go back to explore the menu even more. Good thing they had very affordable valet parking since we needed to roll out of there and our car was right in front of us!

Paladar

Posted on August 3, 2015 by melsmosaic

Went to check out a place down the street from me with all this heat because of little desire to cook. It’s Paladar, in the DC-area, and I’d been there once right when they opened so it was packed. Was looking forward to checking it out again.

It’s a Latin restaurant which means some of their drinks are perfect for a hot evening. My friend and I both opted for Sangria — one of us red, one of us white. These things went down way too easily!!

For some food, we grabbed the neccesary guac then went with ceviche. The guac is served with yucca, plaintain, malanga and ‘regular’ chips.
They have unique ceviche options! I opted for Salmon & Mango, which was thinly sliced salmon, fresh mango and red onion tossed in sweet and tangy coconut ginger marinade. Very nice balance between all the flavors.

The other ceviche at the table was the Mixed Seafood one, with a great blend of fresh snapper, calamari, and shrimp tossed in sweet and tangy broth made with lemon, lime & orange juices, aji peppers, and celery, topped with fresno peppers, carrots and onion. Nice flavors all around.

A place worth checking out for drinks and/or dinner, definitely on a hot summer night.

Sugo

Posted on May 11, 2015 by melsmosaic

Revisited a restaurant recently that I hadn’t been to for a few years — Sugo in Potomac, MD (a suburb of DC), an Italian Osteria and Pizzeria.

The best thing this place has to offer is their Sangria, and they also have other phenomenal dishes.

After browsing the menu for awhile decided on the Brussels sprouts to start with, served with crispy pancetta & caper aioli sherry vinaigrette. The Brussels sprouts were so perfectly crisp. And, I don’t like aioli, but let me tell you, there wasn’t quite enough in the bowl. I don’t know what they put in there besides what the menu states…

Next I ordered the squid. Or properly said, charred octopus with potato, ‏ capers and pickled radish. Let me tell you, there was so much seafood on that plate, it was awesome! And, so perfectly cooked, just moist when you bite into it with amazing flavor.

Great place to check out if you need something new.

Gringos & Mariachis

Posted on March 29, 2015 by melsmosaic

Caught up with a friend the other night and we were in the mood for some good margaritas. There are always the cookie cutter places. Why we must we always go there? Then I remember checking out a place in Woodmont Triangle (in downtown Bethesda) last year that I wanted to go to again.

It is so ‘hidden’ that it’s easy to miss. We eventually tracked down Gringos and Mariachis on Cordell Ave. I say hidden because there is no sign for it. The exterior of the building is gray and their name is painted in black above the windows. If you don’t know exactly where it is, amongst other popular restaurants, you walk right by it, as we did. I only worked and lived near it for years and missed it.

Anyway, we walked in and it was packed on a Friday evening. We snagged a (1) stool at the bar and (fast forwarding) were eventually able to get another. They had a good variety of margaritas and I opted for the smoked one to begin.

The bartender said it’s the combo of the type of tequila and mezcal, and of course the special salt blend they use that makes it good. Very unique and darn tasty!

We also got some staple food, from chips and guac to salsa. Some of their salsa is super spicy! They have tacos al pastor, which are very hard to find in the US. I remember having them in Mexico. It’s a pork taco and very good. We also had their delicious seafood taco with Mahi Mahi.

Another great restaurant to check out, especially if you’re into margaritas. And, it’s close to the Bethesda Metro and near many of the parking garages.

Bidwell

Posted on February 18, 2015 by melsmosaic

Recently found out about a newish (one year old) restaurant in DC at Union Market. It’s a growing area and Union Market alone has tons of great little (food) shops. The restaurant is Bidwell, and there is also a restaurant by the same chef in NYC. They have a garden on the rooftop and in the summer grow their own herbs and veggies — nice!

Our ‘table’ was great — right in front of the kitchen so we got to watch all the action take place. It was a busy night, they didn’t expect it, so stuff was a bit under par, but that just meant we got to watch more of the fun take place.

It took awhile to get our cocktails because they had one bartender but I eventually received my City Sage.

Quite unique. I’m not a huge bourbon drinker but that sage intrigued me. Was totally worth trying it!

For an appetizer, we tried some of the highly-kitchen-rated Brussel sprouts. So nice and crisp and crunchy — give me more!

We then had to try the kale salad, just super fresh, with pine nuts and a nice vinaigrette (that had anchovies in it to give it a perfect saltiness).

To cap it off, went with the salmon served over cauliflower. Again, very good — after I received it 3 times over. They initially told me there was no dairy, but that white stuff at the very bottom is mostly dairy. The second time I got it, the cauliflower should be outside right now (freezing), the third time, delicious!

Overall, I will totally check this place out again. The manager apologized for the slow service but the food was delicious. If you’re in DC and can make it to Union Market, check this place out.