JudyM's Profile
Assaggi Mozz Bar (Bethesda)?
I know that some thought my comments about Assaggi have been too positive , but I was just there again last night and actually tried to write a "review" of our experience there...
Here it is!
Dinner at Assaggi Mozzarella Bar
With the arrival of fall, Assaggi has changed its menu. When we arrived there this evening with another couple, we were in for some pleasant surprises. Looking over the new choices felt a little overwhelming, so we asked if they could create a “tasting menu” for us. They did so and were we pleased with the results! We began with two types of little bruschetta. One was thinly sliced fresh baby artichoke with slivers of Parmesan Reggiano, the other were succulent baby heirloom tomatoes with basil. We then had mozzarella en carozza. The crust for the mozzarella was made with bread crumbs and herbs and was served over baby heirloom tomatoes. The first course was chicken livers over soft polenta with onions and mushrooms. The livers were perfectly cooked, not dry. The next two courses were two different handmade pastas. The first was a chestnut pappardelle with peas and porcini mushrooms and the second was a strosszpreti (literally translated as “strangle the priest”), twisted pasta served with a light ragu of sausage and olive oil with four perfectly cooked lobster pieces (still in the shell) along the sides. A lovely piece roasted piece of halibut followed which was perched atop a puree of celery root. Under the puree was a delicious sauce made from asparagus and capers! There was a natural sweetness to the sauce which went very well with celery root and the halibut. Atop the halibut was a garnish of celery leaves which were lightly dressed with a lemony dressing. It was totally delicious. We weren’t sure what was coming next, but what followed were beautifully cooked slices of Kobe beef, served with braised pearl onions and rapini. I must confess that if there was any criticism of the meal, it was that I couldn’t finish everything and had to take some of the beef home. The dessert was an “open faced” cannoli. Two crisp squares of cannoli shell were alternated with the cannoli filling. The plate was drizzled with chocolate and there was a perfect raspberry on top of it all. Domenico, the owner/chef said that he intends to change the menu with the seasons to take advantage of as much locally sourced product as he can. Carmello, the Maitre d’ selected for us an unusual wine from Veneto. It was Strabismo di Venere 2006, a white wine which is an innovative blend of Albana and sauvignon blanc. It paired beautifully with the meal. In fact, Carmello’s wine pairings are really “spot on” and he is one of the unsung assets of Assaggi.
Assaggi Mozz Bar (Bethesda)?
I should add that I had the name of the Maitre de wrong...his first name is Carmen. I had taken the name of the Maitre de from a review in a local newspaper, but either they had the name wrong or the originial Maitre de is no longer there. Regardless, Carmen is very charming and makes you feel welcomed, as if you're an old friend.
Assaggi Mozz Bar (Bethesda)?
I've now eaten at Assaggi twice, once on Sunday mid-afternoon the place was very quiet at that time) and the other time for lunch today with a friend (again, it was fairly quiet). Both times I had excellent experiences, both due to the food and the attentive and welcoming staff. On Sunday, the only chef on duty there was Giovanni Carlo, who formerly was with Roberto Donna in Galileo Laboratorio. He is a young chef and thus far has not been noted in any of the reviews. He has, however, great imagination and skill in the kitchen. On my second visit, I met Domenico Cornacchia, the chef/owner, formerly of Cafe Milano. He designed the wonderful menu. He was very warm and welcoming. Golnaz Feiz, the Maitre de is kind and attentive. You feel that you have entered the home of a friend. Although the restaurant is largely unchanged from Centro, the staff has added some softening touches which has made the restaurant quieter, with a more relaxed feeling.
On Sunday, we started with a delicious Bellini which was accompanied by a selection of cheeses from the Mozzarella Bar and the marinated condiments. The cheeses were delicious and were drizzled with some fruity olive oil which enhanced their flavor. The burrata was made with cow's milk and was from California. You could tell how fresh it was. The rustic bread, was also excellent. My husband had their lunch special plate which consists of a small pasta portion, a small salad and a protein. In this case, the protein was skewers of fish, monk and salmon, and they were cooked perfectly. The pasta was a penne (done al dente) with peas and proscuitto. I enjoyed the veal ragu which was served over a hand made gamelli pasta which was made with flour and white wine. It too was al dente and served in a generous portion. It was outstanding. We tried two desserts, the ricotta cheese cake and the hazelnut chocolate cake. Both were absolutely delicious. They were served warm and had both a light and tender textures with deep flavors.
Today for lunch, I started with a mixed green salad which was dressed perfectly with a balsamic vineragrette. There were crisp tender vegetables with the greens, such as baby zucchini, radishes and green beans. My friend had the gazpacho soup and declared it to be delicious. This was followed by a small appetizer of a grilled fish (which we split) which was grilled with thyme and a dab of an olive tapenade. Sitting on top of the fish were fried tomato skins. I had never seen this either as a decoration or an accent, but added a lovely element to the dish. My friend had the lunch plate of salmon with a serving of salad. Her salmon appeared to be properly cooked, not overdone and the portion generous. I tried the lunch special which was a linguine with seafood in a white wine sauce and some fresh tomatoes. The seafood was perfectly cooked. It's easy to overcook calamari, but this calamari was tender and delicious. I'll confess that I sopped up each last bit of the sauce with the delicious rustic bread. The bread, by the way, was accompanied by a compound butter which added another element. It was slightly burnt orange in color and had a little spice to it.
Although we were sated, we couldn't resist a delicious dessert of a multi-layered "cookie" (I'm not sure what to call it) which had cream in between the layers. There was some semi-freddo on the plate as well as a wonderful rum ice cream with cracked caramel throughout. Just to end it with perfection, we shared a tasting of three types of chocolate, each with a different level of cocoa.
Frankly, Domenico Cornacchia, Giovanni Carlo and Golnaz Feiz are adding something quite wonderful to the Bethesda dining scene. I can't wait to go back and continue to explore their most interesting menu. There is a chef's table (for 6) which can be reserved for a tasting menu. It shouldn't be hard to find 5 friends to share what I would expect would be a wonderful meal!
