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Found 11 abuse superlatives, but even the focaccia was excellent. Just the right amount of crispness and perfect chewiness. There was a bowl of olive oil on the table when we arrived and after savoring the focaccia sans oil, we made use of it. A great way to start. I'll try to put the courses in some order of what was served. Because we asked for Antipasti and then a Secondi followed by dessert there was a lot of food on the table. Antipasti: Salumi (directly sourced from small family run butcher shops in the Apennines Mountains) with Coppa and Pancetta with cubed Pecorino. Second dish was butterflied prawns lightly broiled and just brushed with olive oil Third was Parma Prosciutto with Lardon and Pecorrino and the fourth and final antipasti was Pulpo (octopus) gently broiled and finished with olive oil and spices. Primi: Grover decided she wanted Linguini so she had Linguini with squid ink, lobster, shrimp and cherry tomato. This was a huge serving of linguini with almost a half lobster, tons of shrimp and enough cherry tomatoes to ensure the contrasting sweet, tart flavors. The three of us had: A T-bone of Tuscan veal with wild porcini mushrooms, broiled Monkfish, and tortellini. This was three separate dishes as everything was served family style.Suffice it to say, there were four very satisfied (and satiated) people at the table and a number of cleaned plates. The only thing left was some Linguini that Grover was unable to finish. Dessert: Let's just say traditional. Tiramisu, Affogato, Gelato con Balsamico. We all shared in spite of everyone complaining they were full. We finished with "golden Grappa" made in-house which was one of the best grappas I can recall every having. Needless to say there was no room for coffee but it was hardly missed. For wines we had Prosecco di Conegliano and for dinner a red from a region just north of Tuscany which unfortunately I did not get the name of. Just let me say, it like the food, was excellent. This is traditional serious white tablecloth Italian dining and worth every penny. Dinner was approximately £65 a person. Il Portico is located at: 277 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London W8 6NA Phone: 44 2076026262 and is open for lunch and dinner.
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- Was walking to work this morning and noticed the obligatory "Opening Soon" signage for Pasara (sp?) Thai on Connecticut Ave...opening up next to Julia Empanadas and the Lucky Bar.
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- The Top Jewelers is a small, family run jewelry store on South Arlington on Columbia Pike and S. Barton Street. It is across from Penrose next to Celtic House (and not to be confused with the Tops China on the backside of the strip mall). They have a surprisingly large and beautiful selection and are just the nicest people ever. Michael is the gentleman who runs the store now. They are excellent on repairs as well. Did a better job repairing my Tissot watch than the manufacturer. If they don’t have what you are looking for, they often will let you go through catalogs and order for you – think silver baby cups and the like. Keep them in mind when you are shopping small businesses! Liz Gill
- Happy to report an opening instead of a closing: Casa Rosada Artisan Gelato just opened a week ago. They're located in a little pink house on the 100 block of South Payne, with a cozy enclosed patio in the rear. The owners are an Argentinian couple and their son - very nice people. They offer a variety of interesting flavors, including a few soy-based options and some fruit sorbets. The PBJ was very good - a (real) banana base with chunks of peanut butter. We also enjoyed a three-berry flavor, which was loaded with fruit. Several flavors feature alcohol, including the sambayon - Marsala/Port blend. This is the perfect spot to head for a dessert after a meal at La Fromagerie, IMHO
- If you miss the rum buns, you won't have to wait much longer. Bethesda Magazine reports that O'Donnell's is opening a market in Rockville.
- Had a light dinner at Hibiscus Thai Cuisine in the same shopping center as Reston's Home Depot. It was our first visit. The inside looked nicely appointed and clean, but the the patio was an easy call on a beautiful evening. We split spring rolls and had salads. I had the spicy beef and +1 had the crispy duck and sweet mango. Both had a lot of flavor, acid, and spice. I haven't run across fried duck slices in a Thai salad, but it was pretty good. Looking forward to trying more of their menu as it'd be nice to find a good local Thai place. We're a little too far from Thai by Thai to go their with any regularity.
- In the battle of the barbecue in Cockeysville, I'd take Andy Nelson's over Corner Stable any day.
- Stopped in to this pleasantly clean and bright little place yesterday just for a cup of (unremarkable) coffee. There's a limited menu of Ethiopian standards, with more available on the weekends, including kitfo. But thank goodness the woman I talked with told me that they will not serve kitfo raw, as I'd be mighty annoyed to head up to Gaitherspatch on a precious weekend only to find that they cook one of my favorite raw dishes. At any rate, they also have plastic tubs of spices (including berbere) and lentils for sale, and large packages of injera (made from teff and wheat flour). Anyone actually eaten here?