Range



red and golden beets

The Voltaggio brothers (Bryan and Michael)  hail originally from to  Frederick, Md (a city northwest of Washington, DC).  Chef Bryan has several established a number of restaurant's the DC area (i.e., Volt, Lunchbox, Family Meal). 

In February 2013  RANGE opened. I waited three months before making a reservation for a pal and I to visit. RANGE occupies more than 10,000 square on second floor of a retail space in the Friendship Heights section of Washington, DC.  There are stations throughout the restaurant dedicated to preparing aspects of RANGE's menu.                                                                                    

 
The menu features dishes to share and entrees. Our server suggested two to three small dishes per person. My pal and I thought that would be too much food. We ordered:


brussel sprouts

Red and golden beets with goat cheese
Lobster macaroni and cheese
Brussel sproutsLamb collar stuffed with merguez sausage

The red and golden beets were fresh tasty and a great starter, My pal was disappointed that the lobster mac and cheese only had two pieces of lobster. Our server informed us that the pasta was made on premises; it was tender and melted in our mouths.  We both enjoyed the savory, crunchy brussel sprouts. The merguez (merguez is a red, spicy mutton- or beef-based fresh sausage) stuffed lamb collar was a generous entrée served with well seasoned seasonal roasted vegetables. The entrée was full of flavor and color. Given the portion size we took part of the entrée home.





stuffed lamb collar



A group sat in a nearby glass enclosed private dining room. In his haste to exit the room one of the servers walked into the glass.  The glass didn't shatter, the server remained standing, but the room was silent as nearby diners looked at the glass and the server.  The server assigned to my table didn't move from her spot and continued to talk as if nothing had transpired. Moments later chatter resumed in the room.

RANGE's bathrooms were neat and orderly. The restaurant space can definitely accommodate large groups and has private dining areas. The restaurant is family friendly, but  the fast paced activity and noise level may be overwhelming to little ones.

 

It felt as if RANGE were trying to find its identity/niche  in a very fluid market. Friendship Heights draws a wide spectrum of shoppers (Bloomingdale's, Filene's Basement, Sephora , Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffanys, and World Market are all within walking  distance), but the residents of the area aren't not necessarily the individuals shopping at these stores on a regular basis.

My pal determined that her curiosity about RANGE had been satisfied and that she didn't need to return in the future to explore more of what RANGE has to offer. I plan to visit RANGE again the future after a bit of time has passed and restaurant has found its niche.

 

RANGE is above the Friendship Heights metro. Metered street parking is available as well as several nearby parking garages.  Reservations can be made via opentable.

Be well,

Technicolor girl


image courtesy of InkPlus LLC



Welcome Fall!

It's the first day of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere.  Before fully the upcoming embracing the mild days and cooler nights I feel as I should at least get closure on my summer adventures.

During Restaurant Week I visited Sushi-ko.  Good food, creatively prepared and presented at reasonable prices.  The restaurant is a short walking distance from Friendship Heights metro.  Parking is also available in the onsite parking lot (be sure to get your ticket validated to receive the discounted parking fee). Sushi-ko is also family friendly. Reservations can be made via opentable. My biggest regret was at the time I took photos I didn't realize I didn't have sufficient data storage on my camera.  I think this grounds for a second visit don't you?

I also visited Johnny's Half Shell with a pal during Restaurant Week. This pal is a rather selective eater,  but she was happy with Johnny's. All the generously portioned dishes were well seasoned.  The bathroom is clean and tidy. The restaurant is family friendly and offers a kids menu.
Johnny's Half Shelf is near Union Station metro stop. Street parking is available , but pay close attention to the information on the meters as many run until 10pm. Reservations can be made via opentable.

spicy Cajun barbecued shrimp



sautéed sea scallops Veracruz style

steamed mussels
 



shrimp etouffee



gingered peach shortcake



chocolate Angel food cake with caramel sauce

 

The fun didn't end there. Next: a star encounter.

 

Be well,

 

Technicolor girl

image by InkPlus LLC

 

 





Save me a seat, please!

photo courtesy of the internet

During dinner with a colleague she asked how I secured seats at restaurants as she disliked waiting for a seat for dinner.  I replied that I tried to use online reservations systems as much as possible but I will call an establishment if they have no online reservation system or I have a specific question. Below are my thoughts about experience as well as the well as the pros and cons of two reservation systems I have used.

OpenTable (www.opentable.com)
I began  using OpenTable in 2004 (OpenTable's records show that I've had my current account since 2007). I started using OpenTable because I wanted to visit restaurants during Restaurant Week in Dallas.

The pros of using OpenTable:

photo by TEP

• Creating an account is free and relatively easy to do.
• Ease of booking restaurants in cities throughout the United States and some international locations.
• Points for booking a table and completing a reservation (generally 100 to 1000 points per  reservation, depending on time and location).
• You can rate your dining experience and write a review.
• OpenTable has a smart phone app
• Some restaurants using OpenTable

The cons of using OpenTable:

• If a reservation needs to be rescheduled less than 30 minutes before the reservation time, it's best to contact the restaurant directly. If the restaurant indicates you no showed for a reservation, OpenTable will send a note to the diner reminding the diner to cancel in the future or the OpenTable account will be closed. The one time it happened to me I replied to the note and explained that I had contacted the restaurant directly because the Open Table site would not allow me to make the modification. The restaurant confirmed that I did call and OpenTable sent a subsequent note thanking me for contacting the restaurant.
• While restaurants that are OpenTable members usually have a link to book reservations. Only reservations booked directly through OpenTable  receive points.
• Reviews in OpenTable are stored for about a year. If you love a review you wrote, save it to your hard drive. 

City Eats(www.cityeats.com)
I've had a City Eats account since 2013. I  was introduced to City Eats  when I wanted to book a table at Restaurant Eve. City Eats is powered by the Food Network.

The pros of using City Eats:

photo by TEP

• Creating an account is free and pretty easy to do
• Ability to book tables at restaurants not featured in OpenTable
• City Eats recently began offering 200 points for each completed reservation
• City Restaurants often list special events (dinners, classes) on City Eats
• You can rate your dining experience, write a review and upload photos.
• City Eats has a smart phone app

The cons of using City Eats:

• The screen displays and search features are sometimes painfully slow
• The concierge free concierge feature has a lot to be desired. I requested assistance in booking a table at The Red Hen and was not contacted by a member of the City Eats team. My party and I eventually made reservations

Other reservation models:
Some restaurants (e.g. Komi) require that you call them or complete a form (e.g. MiniBar,  Restaurant Gary Danko). If I'm going to call the restaurant I try to have a couple of potential dining days and times  in mind.  Smaller parties often have an easier time securing a table  than larger parties (six or more).  I'm happy to complete an online form if it means that it actually secures the table. In my opinion, it seems inefficient and increases the possibility of identity theft and fraudulent activity to  ask diners complete the online form, then send the diner a reservation form requesting the same information and require the form be emailed or faxed back to the restaurant.  After two attempts to fax my reservation form to one restaurant (the fax machine I was using registered the document as sent, but the restaurant was not receiving the form), I asked what the other options were to complete the reservation. In the end I emailed a scanned copy of my reservation form.

Note to solo diners: most often it is the restaurant, not the online reservation system that is not allowing you to reserve that table. In my post, Solo sojourns, I discuss some of the options available to single diners.

What's been your experience? Do you only visit restaurants that accept reservations?

 Be well,

 

Technicolor girl

Casa Luca - casual, relaxed dining

After dining at Fiola on Christmas Eve I was curious to see what the other Fabio Trabucchi family of restaurants were like. I was attending an evening lecture at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and decided to try Casa Luca for dinner after the event.

Casa Luca is housed in the former Againn space. When Againn was open I liked the space, but the staff was less than friendly. I visited once with a pal for Happy Hour and didn't return. I secretly hoped that the frosty behavior had not passed on to the Casa Luca staff.

The moment I walked in the door I was greeted by a young woman who asked me where I would like to sit - bar or at a table. It was a biting cold winter night and I asked to sit in a warm cozy spot. She  said she had a place and mind and asked me to follow her. She took my coat and hung it up for me  on a standing coat rack near the entrance to the restaurant.

I tried the caprese salad, gnocchi with duck ragu (half portion), and ciambellone di Nonna Palmina for dessert. The carpese salad was colorful (sundried tomato, pesto, buratta and lettuce leaves). The salad was paired with a lovely white wine recommended by the wine manager.

The half portion of flavorful gnocchi was just the right size for me. It featured sizable pieces of tender duck and mushrooms.The gnocchi was paired with a  lovely Sangiovese.

gnocchi with duck ragu

The ciambelone was a lovely way to end the meal - the warm, hazelnut coffee cake, caramel gelato, and the vin cotto pairing were a great combination.

ciambellone di Nonna Palmina 

The staff is friendly, attentive and helpful. The bathroom was bright, and clean. The vibe at Casa Luca is more casual and not as intense as sister restaurant Fiola. While the price point of dishes is lower at Casa Luca, both restaurants serve flavor-rich dishes.

Casa Luca is definitely family friendly.

The closest metro stop is Metro Center. Valet parking is available. Metered on street parking is available. Reservations can be made through OpenTable.

Now that the weather is warming I would like to see if Casa Luca offers sidewalk dining.

Be well,
Technicolor girl