Carrabbas in Ft Myers

Our final night in Ft. Myers, we went to Carrabba's Italian Grill with my parents.  It's owned by the same group as Bonefish, but we all liked Carrabba's better.  We called ahead to put our name on the wait list, so our wait was not too long. http://www.carrabbas.com/ The portions are large, and all entrees come with your choice of soup or salad. 

We started off with the Cozze in Bianco.  Nice and plump PEI mussels steamed in garlic, white wine, basil and lemon butter.  (Full or half sizes available.)

Lobster Ravioli in a white wine cream sauce.

Linguine Pescatore - mussels, sea scallops and shrimp in a spicy marinara.

"The Johnny" - Sirloin marsala and Chicken Bryan (chicken topped with sundried tomato, goat cheese and lemon basil butter).

Crab cake with sirloin and sauteed spinach.

Return to Lyon Hall

I'm a fan of Lyon Hall in Clarendon.  Their brunch offers a nice array of breakfast (great donuts) and more substantial options.  I really enjoy their mussels and frites.  My first visit was in August. Since their food tends towards the heavier side, I wished they had a few lighter options.  Now, with the brisk winter weather upon us, their menu is perfect. 

 Bratwurst Kaiserkrainen ($18).  Bratwurst with brussels sprouts, walnuts, apple schnapps jus, gruyere and potato-parsnip puree. 

Black Canyon Filet Mignon 8 oz ($23).  shallot marmalade, potato-parsnip puree, carmelized endive, watercress salad and fried salsify.

***

I had the mussels frites ($15) with white wine, garley, parsley and some fabulously crispy frites.  The mussels at Bistro la Bonne were a little plumper, but these were lovely too.  Try the beer tasting for a nice selection of drafts ($10).  It's an interesting menu that changes seasonally.  The Grilled Pear Salad ($8) was excellent, and I hope they bring back the tomato-peach salad next summer.

Bistro La Bonne

I love mussels.  Steamed in some traditional concoction with crispy frites on the side, add a cold beer or white wine and some crusty bread to sop up the savory broth and I'm a happy girl.  I finally made it to Bistro La Bonne on U Street after months of intending to try it out.  http://www.bistrolabonne.com/  After a hectic day, it was the perfect place to pull up a stool and catch up with a friend.

 Moules Mariniere - white wine, shallots, parsley and garlic ($15.95)

 Crispy frites.

Pasta with bolognese sauce. 

***

The chef and owner comes from Bistrot du Coin, the Dupont establishment that marries French bistro fare with a lively atmosphere.  BLB has a nice relaxed atmosphere, and some of my French favorites.  Their Monday night special included a glass of wine or a beer with the moules et frites for $15.  The mussels were plump and delicious, and the sauvingnon blanc was a nice accompaniment.   Can't wait to go back and try some other dishes.

Pesce Restaurant in Dupont

For an office dinner, we headed to Pesce in Dupont Circle.  http://www.pescedc.com/home.html It used to be located further down P Street a few storefronts.  Now it is in the space vacated by Montsouris and Johnny's Half Shell.  With a name like Pesce you expect and the restaurant delivers some lovely dishes based on things from the sea. 

 The Menu.

The restaurant eschews printed menus in favor of a blackboard listing appetizers in white and entrees in red.

 Carpaccio ($12)

Tuna, salmon and flounder with frisee and lemon oil.  Very light and lovely.

 Steamed PEI Mussels in white wine sauce ($9)

While the bread basket's baguette slices were a bit hard, they was perfect for dipping in this broth.

 Crabcake with greens ($14)

Baked crabcake with a nice composition of beet greens and onions.  The weakest of the 3 appetizers.

 Salmon with haricot vert and mashed potatoes ($22)

Grilled to medium rare. 

Penne with tuna, chorizo, black olive and tomato sauce ($20)

The chorizo gave this a nice spicy kick.

Spaghetti with shrimp, broccoli, tomato, corn and a white wine sauce.  ($20)

***

It's a casual neighborhood restaurant with some lovely seafood dishes.  It can get loud, but works well as a date place, office dinner, or a nice meal out with the ladies. 

Hank's Oyster Bar in Old Town Alexandria

I've liked Hank's Oyster Bar in DC for years.  http://www.hanksdc.com/menu.html It has a funky vibe, a great selection of oysters from the East and West Coast, and a variety of other seafood favorites.  It also introduced me to my favorite wine varietal from Spain, Albarino.  We headed to the Old Town Alexandria Hank's to indulge in some raw oysters.  Unlike the bustling 17th Street location, it's easier to get a walk-in table right away. 

 Old Bay Peel and Eat Shrimp $12

Raw Oysters

East Coast:  Tomahawk, Rappahannock, Kumamoto

West Coast:  Dragon Creek, Chef Creek, Quilcene

 Steamed Mussels with white wine and tomato $13

Fried Ispwich Clams with cole slaw and Old Bay fries $25

Clarendon's Lyon Hall

Finally stopped in Lyon Hall. http://www.lyonhallarlington.com/ I had heard some great things about it from my favorite bar manager in the neighborhood, but also some middling reviews from friends. Well...I really liked it. Partially it was the company and perfect weather for sitting outside, but the service was very enjoyable. We had to wait a few minutes at the bar for a table outside. The bartender was informative and poured tastes of a few draft beers to help my friend decide what to drink.

Peach and heirloom tomato salad. The waitress highly recommended this. The tomatoes were flavorful and ripe and the sweet peach was a nice contrast. Wish there was a little more peach.

Mussels and frites. J'adore les moules et frites. With a white wine, garlic, parsley and leeks, the broth was so good I couldn't resist dipping the housemade bread into it.

Herb spaetzle with sauerkraut, gruyere and ham. The spaetzle were good, although the aroma of the sausages at nearby tables was more enticing.

***

The menu has some lovely cheeses and draft beers that I would like to try. The prices are also pretty moderate. I'd like to bring my better half here to try out the black pudding or lamb sausage. The inside is pretty vibrant and loud, but the patio area is much quieter and relaxing.

Bastille Day in DC

I like themes. I like to eat Italian food while watching The Godfather and Goodfellas, Chinese food with The Joy Luck Club, brats and beer for Oktoberfest, and French food on Bastille Day. The impetus for me has nothing to do with celebrating the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Really, it's just a great excuse to gather friends together for a meal.

This year we went to Cafe Bonaparte, a tiny restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue in between Georgetown and Glover Park. I like the decor with the red, black and pressed tin ceiling. http://www.cafebonaparte.com/

Swordfish special of the day with potatoes and sauteed spinach. moules - mussels cooked in white wine, shallot and garlic wonderful frites Steak frites with bearnais sauce A sweet ending. Crepe Lorraine - wild berries, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.