Dino in Cleveland Park, and then some after-dinner libations at Redwood

It was a nice night to be out. I was out with a friend of mine from work, Matt Freeman.

We started the evening out at Dino in Clevland Park. Dean Gold, proprietor, is a consumate foodie. In a previous life he was a buyer for Whole Foods. He's passionate about his wine and his cooking.

We started off with some Risotto with white truffles. The texture was perfect, thought there was a bit more cheese in the risotto than I care for personally. The truffles were very mild for the white variety. I was disappointed that they weren't as pungent as some I've had the pleasure of trying in the past.

We got a nice bottle of something Italian (I let Dean choose for us) and followed the risotto with a half of a suckling pig, which we shared as well.

Fed and two glasses of red to the positive, we decided to stop by Redwood for dessert. It's not often that I get a chance to go out and play on the weekend, so this was a special treat.

When we arrived there was a line out the door of Dolcezza, which is next to Redwood. I'm glad to see that Rob is doing some business there.

Redwood was fairly full, and most of the outdoor seating was being used. When we first arrived there wasn't any seating available at the bar, but some folks left shortly so we bellied up.

Getting to dessert, we ordered a cheese sampler, followed by butterscotch pudding, and make-your-own s'mores. Everything was good, as usual.

Butterscotch Pudding

We had the pleasure of sitting next to the pastry chef on her night off, Kendra. She was very nice to chat with and she shared some of her dessert with us, so we had plenty.

S'mores

As always, thanks for reading. Feel free to leave me a comment/question.

No food porn today, just Redwood at night..

Just a few pictures from a dinner at Redwood in Bethesda last night. As usual, the food was excellent.
The place is very aesthetically pleasing in the PM. This place was very busy for a Monday evening. Notice the care taken with the lighting and shadows.
Most of the restaurant's front windows open up onto the walkway of Bethesda Lane.

They do a brisk brunch business out on the patio, but it was closed last night.

Very nice place to hang out for some drinks/food. If you haven't checked it out, give it a shot.

Until next time...

Return to America, and Redwood

Redwood's "Soft Opening" dinner menu

H'ola. The Doctor is in. Back from Mexico and ready to start posting again. Just before I left I had lunch with a friend at Redwood. This was my first excursion to eat here and I was looking forward to it.

We started out with an assorted cheese plate and some country pate. I was starving and forgot to take a picture of the first course, so you'll just have to deal with your imagination for a few seconds.

Brian had the Tarragon Egg Salad with smoked salmon on Spring Mill organic white bread. Nicely done. The presentation was nice and the sandwich itself wasn't skimpy.

I had the Vande Rose Farm Flat Iron Steak with braised wild greens and house-made steak sauce.

This was excellent. The steaksauce and steak were great, but the surprise award winner of the lunch was the braised greens. Just crunchy, salty, meaty enough.

We shared a side of the Baked Macaroni & Cheese Gratin. It was nice. Not too heavy, not too light. The cheese was mild and the breadcrumbs were crunchy and buttery.
To finish things off, I had to try the Frozen Goat Cheese Souffle. This was an interesting dessert. The texture says souffle, but the taste and temperature have your mouth wondering if you got it right.



Two people who do have it right, (with a lot of help from others) are Jared and Eli, the owners. I think that once the opening kinks are smoothed out that you'll have a place that's very comfortable to eat in or just go for cocktails, and you'll always be able to find something local and fresh on the menu. Don't forget to check the wine list.



Until next time....

Redwood Restaurant and Bar

Meet Jared Rager. He, and his partner Eli Hengst, are opening Redwood Restaurant and Bar in the new development in Bethesda. They join Le Pan Quotidien from New York and Dolcezza from Georgetown in the development.

Redwood's main focus is top-notch organic foods prepared in a casual setting. Some of the entrees are intended to be ordered for the entire table and shared family-style. As in their other two restaurants, Mendocino and Sonoma, wines will play a major role in the experience. They will be serving wines by the glass, bottle, and taste. I haven't seen the entire finalized menu yet, but it promises to be exciting.

Some high-lights of the newly built property are the windows all along the front of the building that open onto the cobblestone walkway, a large bar/lounge area, a private dining room with it's own bar, some communal tables, and a meat slicer that is hand-operated so it doesn't heat up and ruin the texture of the house-cured meats. The slicer sits behind a "Food Bar" of sorts where charcuterie plates and other edibles will be prepared in front of you.

Last but not least, the bathrooms are unique. The design and construction are original, functional, and well thought out. You'll have to see the entire restaurant when it opens in July.

Once they're in full swing they will be taking reservations via OpenTable. Let them know you read about it on Pleasures of the Table.