🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <63856@mimsy.umd.edu> carm@cs.umd.edu (Richard Chimera) writes:
>You could try the Beautiful Day, which is a hippie/veggie type food
>store that has a dining area in back.  However, I've never eaten there
>because I only desire to go on the weekends and it's always jam-packed
>full!  Which in itself is probably a good review for the food.

For what it's worth, I've always found Beautiful Day to be singularly
bland and unappetizing.  Genuine lowest-common-denominator vegetarian
food.  As Rich says, though, the grocery in front is a great food store.

College Park is a...a sinkhole in the tract-house subdivision of good
food, to say nothing of fine dining.  Nothing there.  Put something
interesting on the edge and it'll fall in within a year.  Have you
considered waiting until 11am and going for dim sum in Wheaton?

And now the review I promised: La Taberna del Alabardero (18th and I).
Expensive, but incredible, serving mostly Basque styles with a few
regional dishes as well.  The Spanish tend to eat a bit on the late side,
so reservations are in order even if you'll be getting started after 9pm,
and validated parking is available at the garage next door.  The paella
was very good, but the fish and seafood entrees were stand-outs.  The
European Merluza is supposed to be the fish of choice but they were out,
so I had the red snapper instead.  It was firm but flaky, decorated with
peeled cherry tomatoes, potato slices and julienned mild peppers in a
terrific sauce of wine, olive oil and dried garlic.  For dessert I tried
the seasonal sorbet assortment and a glass of Melocoton (a very sweet
peach liqueur) and was a very happy camper.  Service was excellent.  The
disappointments were the chorizo appetizer (actually the egg and potato
omelette it's served with - a bit bland) and the rabbit entree (a bit
tough).  Dinner with dessert, a good Manzanilla, Rioja, and an after-
dinner drink came to $65+tip a head, a bargain compared to the seriously
overrated Red Sage.

Mmmmm.  I'm going back in March for the wine tasting.

-dave

-- 
Dave Hsu                           <hsu@pix.com> -or- <hsu@eng.umd.edu>
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