Restaurant: McCormick and Schmick's, Bethesda

Similar to others in the chain, except this one is now closed.  I think the space at Woodmont and Montgomery Lane is cursed.

Restaurant: National Pastime Sports Bar & Grille, Gaylord National Harbor

Restaurant: National Pastime Sports Bar & Grille

Web Site: Gaylord Resort

Address: National Harbor, Maryland (Gaylord Resort)

Phone:

Emphasis is on “sports” and “bar”. Pricy, as you would expect at a Gaylord facility, but its very clean, very good service, nice look, and pretty good food as long as you are not looking for too much variety. I had the grilled salmon salad; very good despite forgetting “dressing on the side”, but they corrected their error with grace. The service staff was more than apologetic (more than I needed), and there efforts were very appreciated.

The Gaylord Texas outside DFW is a more impressive sports bar (see http://lschofieldtravel.blogspot.com/2009/10/restaurant-gaylord-texan-resort.html), this one seems a little jammed in there and just an uncoordinated collection of projectors. The picture of Lance Armstrong on the wall is now humorously inappropriate, but given the very custom rotating picture frames I’m sure its expensive and time consuming to change it.

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Restaurant: Great Waters Brewing Company, St. Paul

Restaurant: Great Waters Brewing Company

Web Site: http://www.greatwatersbc.com

Address: 426 St. Peter Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102

Phone: 651-224-BREW

St. Paul isn’t really a town with a lot of nightlife, the sidewalks get rolled up around 6 PM in the downtown area. On the edge of the park is a microbrew place called Great Waters. Simple on atmosphere, its a bar looking place with windows out to the street. Behind the bar is a windowed area where the brew kettle is. And, it was actually a working brewery, not just hardware placed out for show like a lot of these kinds of places. Someone was actually busy away cleaning the kettle.

Food was a little upscale from your normal bar food. Had a small pizza which seemed hand-crafted and put together with some thought and care. It was the special of the day, a “Philly cheesesteak pizza”. A little too saucy to be like a cheesesteak on a pizza, but it was nice cheese and steak on a pizza with some peppers.

Others had burgers, all seemed happy with their selections. Onion rings were given a thumbs up.

The beers we all had were made on site and were on tap, Octoberfests and Stouts, all good.

Urbanspoon seems to have some haters for this place, but I couldn’t figure out why. It would probably be noisy in there if it was crowded since it was all glass and stone, but the people working there were nice (as everyone in the Twin Cities area are, grumps don’t seem to be allowed).

There was outdoor seating; not in use, a little damp the night I was there.

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Restaurant: Naked Fish, Salt Lake City

Restaurant: Naked Fish

Web Site: http://www.nakedfishbistro.com

Address: 67 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah

Phone: (801) 595-8888

High end Sushi joint downtown, across from the Marriott.

Was in town for several days for meetings, but all were held in the hotel with included meals. So, not a lot of chances to see the local places. But, two dinners were on my own, and felt pressed for time and without a car, ended up being lazy and going across the street.

Enjoyed it so much I ended up being there twice. The first night with a fairly large group of 7, the second night with a colleague and we sat at the bar (the sushi bar). I liked the first night so much went back for seconds.

The large group was seated in a main room, in what appeared to be the traditional Japanese way of the low dining table and sitting on the floor. However, it was an illusion; the table had a sunken section in the floor so once you were down on the floor your legs were below your body - somewhat bench style seating. And frankly, a welcome relief for joints that are not of a younger man. The table service was very polite, and we spent the meal trying a number of things, just passing the artistic plates around the table. Very spicy edamame was different, not too spicy but enough heat to get the point. Some of the pieces were very different, including one where the fish, rice, and fillings were placed into a rectangular mold and pressed into a perfect thin brick shape and then cut into pieces. All was extremely artfully presented, with lots of specific garnishes and sauces.

The second night, back for more and sat at the bar. The sushi work was done by what seemed to be the head chef, and we not only had a more purposeful tour around the different pieces, but also got quite an education in the fish used, the preparation, and the business of a sushi restaurant. Not only tasty, but we learned something, too! It was also fun to watch the food being prepared, as the artfulness was the result of very meticulous use of tweezers, squirt bottles, and slicing. Unless you are with a number of people, sitting at a sushi bar is always preferred to a table. I guess this goes for the non-sushi style of bar as well.

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Restaurant: The Wild Tymes, St. Paul

Restaurant: The Wild Times
Web Site: wildtymes.net
Address: St. Paul, Minnesota
Phone: (651) 224-8181

Not really my kind of place. A just-a-bar place trying to be a sports bar with live music. Can’t make up its mind. The night we were there the music was odd; flamenco music with a dancer. A real disconnect when you’re trying to watch college football. A handful of locals getting their drink on, and some bachelorette party a little tipsy clogging up the place.

The food came out and it was all deep fried cheesy tortilla chips and wings sloppy with spicy sauce. Beers on tap were good. Ordered the special of the day; the walleye platter. This is a local dish I try to have once when I’m in the area (the Minnesota equivalent of Maryland Rockfish). Wasn’t expecting much, but everything else on the menu seemed fried or a burger.

Well, a very nice surprise. The fish was broiled crispy, came with steamed asparagus and spring potatoes. Very well executed, well presented, tasty, great price point. Nice to see the people in the kitchen get tired of dropping the fry basket into the oil. They do a really good job with this dish.

Everyone else seemed OK with what they had.

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Restaurant: Sakura, St. Paul

Restaurant: Sakura

Web Site: http://www.sakurastpaul.com

Address: 350 St. Peter, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102

Phone: 651-225-0185

Sushi is always a favorite when traveling, this one was across the street of the hotel I was staying in.

Tried it twice. I wasn’t blown away the first time I was there, thought it was somewhat average food. But, I went back a second time because I needed a bite to eat and was by myself and sitting at the sushi bar is always an easy way to dine when traveling by yourself.

Well, I’m glad I went back the second time. The first time I ordered a regular combination, which was some tempura and some sushi pieces. My theory is when trying new places order something you know well to create a baseline comparison. When you go out for Chinese food, get lo mien or something to get a sense of the style of the place. For Japanese food its usually miso soup and tuna rolls.

The problem with that theory is that most regular sushi is subtle stuff to eat. The spice is mostly wasabi and pickled ginger. All you have to go on is rice and raw fish which is not much to hang a decision on (unless its not good, like grocery store sushi). So, the second night I was able to look through the sushi bar and take a stab at what they think their special things are.

Their take on the dragon roll was very good. A little crunchy, a little spicy, and little cool, a little hot. I’m not a big fan of “big sushi”, its a little hard to get in a bite. But, this was worth it. Well presented, moist, fresh, good. Had some egg and cucumber rolls as desert to mellow out. Very filling and very good. I’m glad I went back a second time, it really changed by opinion of Sakura.

Service was very good, the waitress was attentive without being smothering. And, it was nice getting guidance from the sushi chef. Bartender did a great job on the martinis, too.

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Restaurant: Sushi Tango, St. Paul

Restaurant: Sushi Tango

Web Site: sushitango.com

Address: 8362 Tamarack Village, Saint Paul, MN 55125

Phone: (651) 578-0064

A suburban strip mall Sushi joint, with surprisingly good food and unsurprisingly good service.

While it doesn’t look like much as you’re driving by, walking in I had high expectations in that we seemed to be the only non-Japanese people eating dinner there. Had an assortment of pieces, all good and delivered quickly and politely. The cost was also not bad, which was expected from the relatively low rent retail space and economic effort on decor. Would gladly go there again.

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Hotel: Hilton Oceanside, Ocean City, MD

City: Ocean City, MD
Chain: Hilton
Property: Hilton Suites Ocean City Oceanfront
Address: 3200 North Baltimore Avenue, Ocean City, MD 21842
Phone Number: 410.289.6444

Check Out: May 2012 ($220)

Most Ocean City Maryland hotels are pretty beat.  They were built in the 60s and 70s and are constantly abused by the heavy family traffic this east coast beach town gets each year.  There is a lot of more upscale housing of the condo variety, and a few newer hotels.  This property is a newer Hilton property, located at the 32nd street latitude on the beach, which is a little past the end of the boardwalk.  This part of town is more waterslide and pizza joint-centric (Ocean City gets quieter as you move north), but this specific hotel was super nice (relatively) and we were there in the off season so very quiet.

Ocean City in May is low key enough that people can fish and walk their dogs on the beach, while warm enough for shorts and flip-flops, and most of the places are open.  We went down for a long weekend with no particular plans, but had a great room with a balcony on the corner (an upgrade from normal).

The hotel had some inside parking which was great as it was a little rainy when we got there.  There is a large pool area outside with two pools and outside eating and drinking (all closed pre-season when we were there), and an inside pool and exercise room.  There was bar and restaurant action, although we only used the bar and went elsewhere to eat.  Room service one day - very good as typical for full service Hiltons.

We liked the room a lot.  Suite style, with a living/dining area inside the door, pretty full service kitchen with real refrigerator and dishwasher, stocked with the basics for cooking and eating.  Bathroom was large with a multi-headed shower that was pretty nice, and a separate Jacuzzi tub.  Balcony off the bedroom overlooking the beach.

Staff was super nice and helpful.  Concierge service helped navigate dining in the area (we hadn't been to the MD beaches in quite a while).

Rating:

• Safety: 1
• Dining: 1
• Bar: 1
• Internet: 1 (free for Hilton Honor)
• Wireless in Common Areas: 1
• Work Space, Power: 1
• Shower: 1
• Air Conditioning, Bed: 1
• Common Areas: 1, plus 1 point for beach

Total: 10





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Update to Collegeville Marriott

The remodeling is done, a real improvement. Comments here.

Restaurant: Mon Ami Gabi

Restaurant: Mon Ami Gabi, Bethesda, MD
Web Site: www.monamigabi.com
Address: 7239 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: (301) 654-1234

Right in downtown Bethesda in the hoity-toity Bethesda Row area, a French Bistro on the corner where the movie theater is. There is a bar area where you first walk in, and three dining areas; one that can be closed off for private parties. A chalkboard on the left has the specials of the day.

The menu has a number of steak and frites choices, with a number of other options. Salmon and scollops this time, both were very good. More cream and butter than we're used to for the side dishes, but we're probably not typical in this compared to most. Waite staff very professional, a number of good wine selections as well as a rolling cart with the by-the-glass choices.

Bar area is more crowded than it should be, because of its corner orientation in the room, and because of that completely annoying process of people sitting at the bar and covering it with entrées. If the place had a small plate policy for bar eating it might make it easier to have a pre-dinner drink there. As such, you might be better served to have a pre-dinner drink somewhere else that would be easier to get some service.

We've been here a few times now, every time enjoyable and worth the cost.


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Restaurant: Volare

Restaurant: Volare
Web Site: http://www.volarerestaurant.com/
Address: 201 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611
Phone: (312) 410-9900

Great, old school Italian restaurant in the heart of Chicago. Good, professional service staff. Was not overpriced, although if you go crazy on the wine and courses you could get there. Noise was off-the-hook loud with the room packed.

Only had a glass of wine with dinner, but list seemed full and lots of reasonable bottles. Had a nice house salad, and the fresh bread was awesome - crusty on the outside, warm and delicious on the inside. Had a sea bass special, that was with some white wine sauce with olives and spinach. My colleague had the risotto, which was probably the best I had ever had, although super hot - you needed to wait for it to cool off before you could eat it (not unexpected).

A good choice when in downtown Chicago.


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Southwest to Milwaukee

It’s never fun having to get up for an early morning flight, especially when you forgot to print out the boarding pass 24 hours before the flight - missing that important chance to board in the “A” section. But after getting “B-1” you know there can’t be many people on the flight, so not so bad. Had the budget first class seat - a whole row to myself, and no person in front of me to lean back and crush my computer.

I used to hate flying Southwest because of the old boarding process (“Ready...BOARD!”) when you had to get there two hours before the flight to line up and then sprint down the jetway as fast as you could. The numbered process is much, much better and a good compromise between reserved seats and the chaos of the old method.

Southwest has a different business model than most of the others. Since they only fly 737’s, you always know what the plane will be like and no surprises like small storage (its all small storage) or a seat behind the bulkhead. And, they do seem to be on time more than most. Perhaps this is because they can swap equipment around more easily with the common aircraft throughout the fleet?