Food, Wine & Co…and chef.

Food, Wine and Co.
7272 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814

http://foodwineandco.com/

4/20/12
  

There are some very unusual things about Food, Wine & Co.  No. 1 on the list is the chef, Michael Harr.  Michael and I have known each other since his days at Butterfield 9. That, in and of itself, isn't strange.  What's strange is that he doesn't like having his picture taken, he's missing the ego.  He likes keeping a low-profile. I'm a pesky blogger, so I took it anyhow.

What else is strange?  Is it the smooth bar with the stools lined up straight?

The wine room and it's big collection of bottles?

The kitchen where everything is lined up just right?

The hand-cranked meat slicer that looks like it just came out of the box?

The silverware lined up in an alternating pattern?

It's actually all of these things put together that is strange.  This place looks brand new.  I know they're busy and I know they opened years ago, but they keep it in pristine condition.  That bodes well for the food.

This was my truffle burger with truffled cheese and mayo with a Parmesan crisp.  The burger was excellent as I am a truffle whore.  Just to get it out of the way, the one thing that didn't work was the Parmesan crisp.  It wasn't crisp, it was hard.  Not a big deal and the only flaw of the meal. 

My dining companion had the soft shell crab.  This crab was treated with the lightness and respect due to such a lovely bug.  Very lightly seasoned and quickly sauteed.  The flavor of the ocean came through as it should.

Garlic potato crisps with parm were light and crunchy.

The dessert was the winner of the week as far as tasty restaurant dishes go.  No, it is not lost on me that I was here on 4/20, but I promise you there was none of that going on.

The bomb is a Chocolate gianduja, dulce de leche, hazelnut dacquoise, zinfandel macerated cherry.
Chef Harr, well done.  I look forward to seeing what else is up the sleeve of your chef's coat soon.

Thanks for reading folks.

Bandolero Take-Over: Muy Caliente!

Fun times were had by all at the Bandolero take-over of the spot formerly housing Tackle Box in Cleveland Park. 

I'd never been to Tackle Box before, so I can't say how much of what was done to the place, but it looked good.  The kitchen was sparkly-clean.

I saw some familiar faces as I came in. From left to right:  me, Mike Isabella's publicist Jenn Resick and food writer extraordinare Nevin Martell.  This photo was shot by City Eats photographer Elizabeth Parker.

This is the requisite wacky bartender.

George Pagonis of Aurole fame is going to head the kitchen here.

This is Bethany and Jonathan Umbel with James Horn.

Mike Isabella chatting with Nevin Martell

First cocktail of the night:

We started out with the three dips from the Bandolero pop-up at 918 F St., but they were different.  Mike had obviously taken the time to tweak the recipes a bit and they were better for it.

Crabby tacos!

Crispy Mahi

Fru-fru drink being quaffed by Jason Hanny.  It was pretty tasty.

The Ernest Hemingway margarita made with fresh grapefruit and lime.

This was my favorite of the night.  The Lamb.

Restaurant work ain't easy...that's Elizabeth Parker to the left and James composing himself in the forefront.

Steak.  Yum.

Mole...chocolatey.

Spicy mango gelatto.  Really?  Yep.  It works too.  First bite?  No detectable heat.  2nd bite?  Just a tingle at the back of your throat.  3rd?  A little stronger.  Very pleasant.

Last but not least, Elliot Drew.  He's going to be running the kitchen at the new sandwich shop that Mike is going to open as soon as he's recovered from Bandolero.
Best of luck Mike & crew.  I'm sure you'll kill it Cinqo de Mayo.