Washington Post 2006 Dining Guide

Tom Sietsema's 2006 Dining Guide hits newsstands this weekend, but eager diners can sneak a peek at it online here. Highlights? CityZen (under the stewardship of uber-talented chef Eric Ziebold) earns its fourth star, and Tom takes a look at ethnic treats, neighborhood gems, and one of my favorite sushi spots.

What do you think of the Dining Guide? Any great picks? Glaring omissions?

Should I stay or should I go?

No sooner had I resigned myself to the end of summer (it being October, and pumpkin pie ice cream being back in the cases at Giffords, yippee!, and did you notice I even mentioned it in my last post?), then summer jumped up and smacked me in the face.

But it was a good smack. Tough love, perhaps. It was the smack of a softshell crab.




That's right. You heard me. Softshell crabs. In October.

And they were good.

Get thee to David Craig Bethesda immediately, in the hope that the softshell crab special will still be on the menu, two sauteed softshells on a bed of fresh tricolor pasta, resting on a sauce that sings with shallots, tomatoes, and chilis. And if that weren't enough, the softshells are surrounded by a generous portion of PEI mussels. I was torn between this and another special (the fried chicken two ways, how could that be bad?), but chose the softshells because I know that soon enough I'll be reminiscing with fondness about the days of softshells, tomatoes, peaches, and other summer treats.

But I did steal a bite of A's hand-cut fettucine with a meat and wild mushroom ragu, and I know what I'm coming back for next time. David Craig does pasta well, really well. And the ragu was a perfect balance of meaty and creamy, making it a brilliant comfort food. This dish will keep me warm as the leaves change and the air turns brisk.

Our desserts were fine, a chocolate bread pudding that I didn't love, but A devoured, and my choice, toasted pound cake served on a trio of chocolate, caramel, and sour cream sauces. The cake was good, but I would have preferred it sliced thinner so more surface area was resting in the sop-worthy sauces, especially the sour cream sauce that countered the sweetness of the cake, creating a perfectly sweet and tangy bite.

I'm not generally a fan of Bethesda dining -- to me it's a culinary wasteland filled with lots and lots of average restaurants -- but now that David Craig has moved to the neighborhood, I think I'll have to reconsider.

So should summer stay or should it go? As far as I'm concerned, another few days of vibrant summer foods can't possibly be bad. Especially now that I have a pint of pumpkin pie ice cream in my freezer for any fall food cravings...

Giffords Ice Cream
(multiple locations)

David Craig Bethesda
4924 St. Elmo Drive
Bethesda, MD
301-657-2484

Apologies

Last I checked, it was August.

Seriously.

And now it's the month of pumpkins, warm beverages, butternut squash, and soups. Summer menus are slipping away, in their place lists of tempting and warming comfort foods. Maybe it's time for me to put away the tank tops and flip flops and take out the sweaters and boots.

Guess this is what happens when things get busy at work the same month I have three vacations planned. Right. The blog writing... well, it slips through the cracks.

But stay tuned. Soon to come: reports from Charlotte, the Bay Area, and (oh yeah) restaurants in and around D.C. Plus, what's my favorite celebration of the year? Here's a hint - it happens every day, somewhere in the world.