The Best of…
Once again, Washington City Paper has bestowed its distiguished “Best of D.C.” honors to several Silver Spring establishments. I couldn’t agree more with (most of) them:
BEST HAMBURGER: Quarry House Tavern
I was one of the ones that thought the post-Jackie’s burger was subpar to the original. Nothing beat the old school burger-and-onion-rings basket, even though I wasn’t a big fan of PBR or wine from a jug. To be fair, I haven’t had a burger at QH in some time, preferring to indulge in the fantastic draft beer and excellent whiskey selection. But I have had my fair share of tater tots (washed down with the aforementioned beverages), and they’re money. After the review, I’ll have to pump $20 into the jukebox and give the burger (medium rare, with bacon & blue cheese, please) another whirl.
BEST RED-SAUCE ITALIAN RESTAURANT: Olazzo
I couldn’t be happier for this Silver Spring newcomer. As many of you may know, I’m a fan of the Tuesday night martini specials at Olazzo, but I haven’t delved all that deep into their menu. Now I’ll certainly explore more. The food I’ve had has been excellent, the staff is top-notch, and we’re hoping for bigger and better news from the Pietrobono boys very soon. (You’ll know it when you hear it.)
BEST DELI: Parkway Deli & Restaurant
A short time ago, Silver Spring Penguin espoused the virtues of our Deli to the West. Sure – it’s a little bit away from DTSS proper, but it’s one of my favorites and worth plugging here. The reuben is awesome, and the pickle bar, so choice. We’ve tended to hit Woodside Deli recently for such a fix, but now it’ll be back to Parkway.
BEST STEAK HOUSE: Ray’s the Classics
When looking strictly at a cost benefit analysis, this is a fantastic choice: Great, perfectly cooked steaks at affordable prices. But I still miss Michael Hartzer. And the pastry chef they used to have. And the good bar service. And having the bar stock Hendrick’s gin. The absence of the sausage biscuits and other appetizers, as well as some of the key desserts, really took this place down a notch or two in my book. As a special occasion place, it’s nice – but if I want a good steak now, I tend to fire up the charcoal in the backyard, visit with the neighbors, and relax on the porch.
BEST DIM SUM: Hollywood East Café on the Boulevard
Yeah, it’s in Wheaton, but it’s worth the drive, and Wheaton could always use a little love. I haven’t set foot in the Triangle since El Pollo Rico went all Cheech and Chong on us, and I’ve found myself standing in line outside Oriental East more often lately. But having spent three years on Dennis Avenue in the shadow of Wheaton and digging on Hollywood East since they opened, they certainly deserve it.
What about the others?
I’m proud of Bombay Indian Restaurant (which I’ve never tried but plan to remedy), and happy about the pupusas from Sabor Carry Out, but I really don’t care that much about some of these places on the periphery. Not my hood. And the places I mentioned from outside my immediate vicinity are ones I know I like and want other people to know about. Want to promote those? Get your own blog.
11 Comments so far
Note that the oft-praised jukebox at Quarry House didn’t win the coveted “best jukebox” category.
Nor did QH get any nods in the “dive bar” category – but I gotta say I agree with their choice of Dietle’s in Rockthesda. (cue Cheers music) “You wanna go where nobody knows your name….”
I can’t believe that place is still open. You know why it’s so great? Because it’s the only place in MoCo that is grandfathered in and doesn’t have to adhere to the moronic proportion of food rule. The only food they serve is produced by Utz. Did you ever go to the Dietle’s in Silver Spring? That also was excused from the rule, but shut down (supposedly) as a result of the smoke-free law.
They were connected – I think they were owned by brothers/cousins way back in the day but they had a falling out at some point. Kind of like Adidas/Puma or Strosnider’s in Kemp Mill and the other Strosnider’s. Would be a fascinating story to research.
We’ve always threatened to stop by Dietle’s but never have. Road trip?
*Sigh* My drinking days are behind me, so a return to Hank’s would be bittersweet, since there’s not really anything else to do there.
With you on Ray’s – without a martini first (when not gestating) a steak just isn’t a steeeeaaaak. I do try and copy their bleu cheese sauce for our backyard bbq carne, and even if I can’t copy it perfectly, it always tastes great after some gin.
I’m shocked that Pho Hiep Hoa was named as best Pho joint. I’ve eaten in that place twice, once when it first opened, and I thought it was crummy, and a few months later to see if they worked the bugs out, and I still thought it was crummy. Has this place improved over the last few years?
Incidentally, having not seen the entire City Paper article, does anyone know if Mrs K’s new wine cellar made most romantic, best wine cellar, most civilized and greatest eating spot in the entire D.C. region? We went there last night and were blown away. As the missus said, it was like a trip to Paris.
Whoops, never mind. They’re not talking about the Pho joint on Ellsworth. Phew!
Springvale,
It’s the same ownership, so I doubt the recipes are any different.
Sligo,
If it’s the same owners and the same recipes, then the problem must lie with the cooks.
Also notice best thai is Nava Thai. This is really more in Wheaton then SS but this place is amazing! It is part of a market so you can find tons of cool stuff for the pantry while waiting for your food.