Restaurant: Mary Wells Dining Room, Wellsboro, PA

Restaurant: Mary Wells Dining Room, Penn Wells Hotel
Web Site: http://pennwells.com/main/dining/
Address: 62 Main St. Wellsboro, PA 16901
Phone: (800) 545-2446

This was a really nice find in a part of the state where there isn't a whole lot other than diner food.  Mary Wells Dining Room is in the Penn Wells Hotel in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.  Penn Wells is a historic hotel (1869), and its a nice step into a time machine when you walk in.  The high ceiling of the lobby, large fireplace (with the smell of being used recently), and dining room off the lobby make it easy to be in another place and time - at least until you see cell phone use by the patrons.

The menu and presentation were a big step up from most of what's available, and at reasonable prices.  The parmesan crusted haddock was a little crispier then desired, but this is a more personal preference.  The accompanying vegetables were perfect, and the caprese salad with local tomatoes was a great summer choice.  Everyone else seemed very happy with what they had, and the service was friendly, efficient, and non-intrusive.




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Restaurant: Sunnybrook Ballroom, Pottstown

Restaurant: Sunnybrook Ballroom
Web Site: thesunnybrookballroom.net
Address: 50 Sunnybrook Road, Pottstown, PA 19464
Phone: (484) 624-5187


The historic Sunnybrook Ballroom; its been there for a long time, part of the tradition of ballrooms for big bands going back to the 1920's (before television).  A drive from Philadelphia, many legendary performers have been there over the years.  Still kicking, despite changing demographics, and for me filled with personal history of proms, weddings, and performing.

Somewhat recently, the property flirted with being a micro-brew pub (abandoned) which made way to a restaurant attached to the ballroom.   Not an extensive menu, but a good mix of seafood and other dishes.  Been here twice now, no one had a problem finding something on the menu they liked and the chef puts on a couple of specials each time.  I was pleased both times, the chef is creative without being experimental and the meals have come out as desired.

Bar does a nice job, the wait staff have been attentive without being pushing, and frequently entertaining.  There aren't a lot of choices in this part of Pennsylvania past small diners and chain restaurants, this one has worked out well for me.





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Restaurant: Moonlight Gourmet

Just a note to make my links work.  Moonlight Gourmet was a Chinese restaurant on Rockville Pike near Congressional Country Club.  This was without a doubt our favorite for a long time, but it is now closed.  The staff was always so nice, and recognized us over time.  We used to take large groups there, and when we wanted something casual we would sit in the bar and watch a ball game.  We miss their "Moonlight Chicken" signature dish.  We still miss it as we drive down Rockville Pike.

I believe the group that owns this also owns China Gourmet in Kensington (we still go there, been going there for more than 20 years is seems), and Moon Gate in Bethesda.

Restaurant: Sushi Damo, Rockville

Restaurant: Sushi Damo
Web Site: sushidamo.com
Address: 36 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: (301) 340-8010

High end sushi in a little fake downtown.

Stopped here for lunch while on jury duty.  Nice look; very high ceiling sparse furniture and lighting, sushi bar across the right back side of the dining room.  Some interesting lounge type furniture making the sushi bar look a little bit more like a bar.

Had a bit of a cold, and cut through it with a lot of wasabi and spicy tuna rolls.  Very good.  Tried a roll based on tempura sweet potato which was pretty good, but I think I wanted it to be a bit more crunchy than it was.  But, the flavor was good.  Really liked the miso soup, had a bit of a smokiness or woodiness that was interesting and unique.

Service very good, although I was just there for lunch so no big deal.  Would be good to try again at dinner and check out some of the other parts of the menu.

This seems to be an outpost from a Manhattan restaurant.



 
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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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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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Restaurant: Big Greek Cafe, Rockville

Restaurant: Big Greek Cafe, Rockville
Web Site: http://www.biggreekcafe.com/
Address: 4007 Norbeck Rd, Rockville, MD 20853
Phone: (301) 929-9760

They call it Rockville, I list it with Olney, but it’s really Norbeck. The great crossroad of MD Route 28 (Norbeck Road) and MD Route 97 (Georgia Ave) is a small strip mall with the Big Greek Cafe. It’s been a couple of things over the years, but generally a mediterranean take out place, now greek. Always our go-to for kabobs, now our go-to for gyros. From the same people that run the Golden Flame in downtown Silver Spring, a small take out place focused on Greek dishes and comfort food.

Interior is not much, just some tables for people not really thinking about taking-out, but there’s also not much space to park here (parking is actually a challenge with this small, poorly organized strip mall), but it is worth the hassle. The salads are all big and fresh with good ingredients, and gyro meat is real meat and not pressed ground processed meat. Everything we’ve tried has been very good and good proportions, a good value place.


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Restaurant: Umami Moto

Restaurant: Umami Moto
Web Site: http://www.umamimoto.com/
Address: 718 N Milwaukee St, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 455-6856

High end Sushi joint in downtown Milwaukee.

Here on business with colleagues. Some interesting takes on Japanese dishes, but I stuck with mostly basics but had a Salmon special which was very good (crisp on top with a barbeque like glaze). Sushi and edamame were top notch. We were in a booth in the back, and the noise level was quite high as the interior was all tile and glass. A typical design mistake where style doesn’t consider the sound reflectivity of surfaces in a public space.

I’d go again, very good food and service. I’d ask for a different place to sit, however.


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Restaurant: Pizzeria Da Marco

Restaurant: Pizzeria Da Marco
Web Site: http://www.pizzeriadamarco.net/Pizzeria_Da_Marco/Home.html
Address: 8008 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: (301) 654-6083

A new (May 2011) pizza joint in Bethesda, right on Woodmont between St. Elmo and Cordell. Promises authentic Neapolitan pizza from a wood fired oven.

Having never been to Italy I can’t judge the authentic part. But, the wood fired oven part is pretty common around here and in general they promise thinner crust that is both chewy and crispy. Da Marco delivers on this. The crust was a little bit thicker than I expected, but very tasty and easy to eat with your hand (the way pizza is supposed to be be eaten) without grease.

The space was large and open, with a large bar stretching the length of the wall that eventually becomes the kitchen. Was there for lunch with some colleagues, so can’t really gauge the noise level for dinner. Also, has only been open a few weeks, so some weaknesses with the waiters but I would expect this to get better over time. Most of the pizzas were 11 to 13 dollars and are of the “personal” size, but plenty big as a serving. Salads were good also.

Not much of a pizza eater at this point, and there weren’t a lot of alternatives (unless you think a calzone is an alternative), but a good choice if this is what you’re looking for and you’ve grown up past the home delivery vendors.


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Restaurant: Seasons 52 North Bethesda

Restaurant: Seasons 52, North Bethesda
Web Site: http://www.seasons52.com/locations/north_bethesda.asp
Address: 11414 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD 20852
Phone: (301) 984-5252

Seasons 52 is a brand new restaurant (as of May 2011) across from White Flint Mall on Rockville Pike (the area known as “Kensington”, “Rockville”, or “North Bethesda” depending on which you think sounds more impressive). The circle of life on Rockville Pike states that when one new restaurant opens, another has to close. We’ll see how long this one will last.

First impressions are that it should be around a while. The restaurant is a chain, owned by the same group that owns Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse, and a number of others. However, Seasons 52 seems to be a good couple of notches above the others. Their gimmick (and the name) refer to a constantly changing menu to reflect seasonal changes in the food. They also had a nicer than normal wine list for a chain, live entertainment with a piano bar, and a very slick contemporary decor. The menu tricks are flatbread appetizers with a variety of unusual toppings, all the items on the menu are less than 500 calories, and for dessert they have small little portions of various cakes and pies all in identical little squarish glasses.

The flatbreads were very good, but they cool off quickly. Once cooled they are more like stale crackers so don’t let the conversation delay eating them. Crab was one of the toppings and very good. The edamame appetizer was also interesting in that some kind of green salt was served on the side and not sprinkled on top.

Most of us had a variety of grilled seafood, all very good. Everyone was very happy with their meals. We all tried different desserts - they way they are presented encourages the party to all pick different things. But, its difficult to share - they are very small. One is very satisfying for someone that normally doesn’t order dessert, and you can order more than one if you’re used to eating a whole pie.

A little on the noisy side. Part of that was the entertainment in the bar which was piped out into the dining area. A lot of glass on the walls also makes it hard to deal with reflected sound. We were a part of 7, and it was hard to hear what the other end of the table was talking about. Service was good, wine was good, kitchen was open as well.

All in all, an enjoyable experience and well priced for the quality. Could use some adjustment to the noise level, and parking is a super hassle because of poor design of the garage area for this newly developed building.

An update October 4, 2011

In the Washington Post Sunday Magazine section from October 2, 2011 page 27 Tom Sietsema was asked about his September 4 review of Seasons 52, and how he didn't inform of the sodium level in the food. The calculation was that a meal at Seasons 52 could contain more then 4,000 mg Sodium - yikes! (Mayo Clinic recommends 2300 mg per day, 1500 a day once you reach your 50s). For anyone who has reduced their sodium intake, a 4 gram hit can actually make you feel bad. We'll be sure to keep this in mind as we make restaurant choices in the future.

There's a lot of focus on calories. Many places are way too liberal in their use of salt.

Another Update, December 2012

Close to a concert, went again out of convenience.  Had a seat in the bar which was good because of the piano player, a little noisy otherwise.  Service was very good, including a very exuberant bartender with a love of gin (he was in good company).  Seems like they got the salt content under control, perhaps they read the above mentioned Washington Post article from last year.  Good for them, they are paying attention, and working on making things better, which is somewhat rare when dining in Montgomery County where places can be crowded regardless of the job being done inside.

The "dessert shooters" are still a fun gimmick.

Another Update, May 2013

Seasons 52 gets better with each visit.  So many places have a rough start, then jump up to a mildly better level and stay there.  Seasons 52 in North Bethesda is clearly paying attention and working to improve.  The concerns about sodium levels is largely gone, the noise level concerns can be dealt with by controlling where you sit, the service gets better each time.  At this point I can't think of a better place to dine for nice food thats a little upscale on Rockville Pike.  The wine list is good also (which is a challenge in Montgomery County) with lots of nice choices by the glass.  Seasons 52 has become a real "go to" for us, especially when dining a little early before the crush of the evening hits or on a weekday.


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Restaurant: Clyde's of Columbia

Restaurant: Clyde's of Columbia
Web Site: http://www.clydes.com
Address: 10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, MD 21044
Phone: (410) 730-2828

Like all the Clyde's locations, it can't quite seem like it wants to be a fancy restaurant or an affordable restaurant. The location in Columbia seems to lean toward affordable, with much more of a casual, sports bar vibe than other locations. The long space has a a bar with a dozen beer taps as its main decoration, and a projector showing the hockey game on an 8 foot screen really shouts "sports bar". Yet, most of the patrons are there for dinner at tables along windows facing the lake, or in side rooms decorated like an old timey gentlemen club.

Service was good and attentive without being too much, the menu is varied across entrees down through burgers and sandwiches. The food is very affordable, the most expensive entry was under $30 and the special of the month was a lobster dinner for around $25. It's easy to get out of Clyde's at $30 a person including a drink or dessert which makes it a nice choice for larger groups. We were there with friends and outside of the noise level being a little high (not too high, mostly reflected noise from all the glass) it was a pleasant place to spend a few hours in conversation.

Everyone seemed happy with the food. Tuna steak was a little overcooked but I ordered medium so maybe my fault (lots of interpretation on what that means), but it was very good with wasabi sauce and greens. Other dishes were the paella, lobster, beef brisket, and grilled salmon. A liberal in the salt use, but this is common from most chefs these days.

I was surprised I liked it this much, as we've been disappointed at other Clyde's locations. This location has been here a long time and perhaps has a very long established staff and routines. For a casual place that isn't too expensive this was a good choice.



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Restaurant: Taro's by Mikuni

Restaurant: Taro's by Mikuni
Web Site: http://www.tarosbymikuni.com
Address: 1735 Arden Way, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95815
Phone: 916-564-2114

Better than average sushi joint, located in a shopping mall.



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Restaurant: Malaysia Kopitiam

Restaurant: Malaysia Kopitiam
Web Site: http://www.malaysiakopitiam.com/
Address: 1827 M St NW, Washington D.C., DC 20036-2503
Phone: 202 – 833 6232

Had lunch there with a colleague. Not too far from Dupont Circle metro, food was really good. Hadn't had Malaysian food before, really enjoyed it.

Not fancy decor, but service was good. A great choice for lunch downtown.


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