The Chef Is In
Two restaurants reap the benefits of a fresh face in the kitchen
By Tom Sietsema
The Washington Post Magazine
Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007
** (out of four)
Strolling into Addie's many months after I last visited is a small thrill, like encountering an old friend who has shed 20 pounds. Freshly painted and gently enhanced, the cozy dining rooms on Rockville Pike look better than ever. Depending on where you land, the walls are pale lemon or lime -- fruit bowl colors -- and tables are set with pots of wheat grass or herb bouquets that play up the natural look. A new back porch means you might not have to wait as long as before for a seat, and the music is played at a level that doesn't challenge conversation.
The departure of chef Mallory Buford last year for Black's Bar & Kitchen in Bethesda -- one of four restaurants in owner Jeff Black's little empire, including this former bungalow -- put Andre Cavallaro, a former sous-chef at Black Market Bistro in Garrett Park, in charge of the menu here, and the transition appears to be an easy one. The not-so-new guy shares the same sensibility -- big plates of food that fuse fashion with comfort -- of his predecessor.
Regular restaurant-goers will tell you that appetizers tend to be more interesting than main courses, a phenomenon explained in part by the size of most starters; a dish of a few bites doesn't allow for boredom to set in. That's not the case at Addie's, however, where first-course choices run to the routine -- a soup, a handful of familiar salads, some steamed mussels. The exceptions are a fancy play on fish and chips which wraps diver scallops in lacy gaufrette potatoes, and the occasional special. In a lovely acknowledgment of the season not long ago, yellow and green beans cut on the bias were arranged just so, with ribbons of cucumber and a splash of champagne vinaigrette tying the salad together. A prick of flavor, a bit of crunch, a soothing palette added up to a special that was as pretty as it was refreshing.
Cavallaro, 27, trots out crowd-pleasers such as halibut, roast chicken and steak, and adds something to each dish to make it interesting. The fish comes with a crust of porcini mushrooms and a lick of black pepper butter sauce, for instance, while the bird shares its plate with a strudel layered with braised chicken. A party of flavors -- braised lamb, shaved pecorino, wilted arugula -- dresses up a bowl of bucatini that's also tossed with sautéed baby artichokes. Tuna arrives with a deep blush and an edge of cracked pepper, its spiciness foiled by excellent mashed potatoes and a border of thick and herby asparagus vinaigrette. Some dishes could use better editing. A fan of sliced duck is lightened with a green-apple gastric and celery salad, but then saddled with a bland, burger-thick croquette of duck confit and turnips that only serves to take up space.
A good-natured posse of young servers keeps meals running smoothly, but can also irk Miss (and Mr.) Manners by removing plates before everyone at the table is finished eating or asking diners if they're still "working on" their dishes. (Animals "work" at eating; people shouldn't.) And did I mention all the warm red wine I began meals with?
Those slights are forgiven when dessert shows up. I've got a soft spot for the citrusy goat cheese cheesecake set off with orange sauce. Then again, the lemon cream tart with blueberry sauce is pretty good, too. "The best thing on the menu," trumpets a waiter when he sets down a warm wedge of toffee pecan cake with lashings of chocolate sauce. Friends and I confirm his words when we make the pastry disappear in not much more time than the server used to describe it.
Washingtonian Magazine
100 Very Best Restaurants
January 2005
This is Jeff and Barbara Black's original restaurant, a house turned Modern American inn with retro dining rooms, an old stove, and a front lawn for al fresco dining. White Flint shoppers lunch on oyster po'boys with cornmeal-coated Chincoteague oysters or Addie's signature salad, a bonanza of roasted vegetables, greens, and hardwood-grilled items from steak to squid.
The winners at dinner include a salad of baby spinach, beets, goat cheese, and bacon; lamb over white beans with merguez sausage; grilled Angus rib eye with onion strings, and best of all, pan-roasted monkfish with wild mushrooms, caramelized cauliflower, and fingerling potatoes. The wine list is user-friendly with by-the-glass and half-bottle choices. Those with a sweet tooth should consider the toffee-chocolate-pecan brownie with crumbles of candy. More grown up is the coconut cheesecake with macadamia-nut crust and roasted pineapple.
Gayot.com
Addie's Restaurant
Hats off to an adventurous cook and kitchen staff who dare to experiment. As a result, the menu is uniquely eclectic and very original. Although it's American, their food belongs to no particular region. Many dishes are wood-grilled (you can smell the smoke in the parking lot), and we love the lunchtime grilled quesadilla with grilled vegetables and the mighty grilled hamburger with bacon and blue cheese---both of these are simply all-American. Desserts---could be creme brulee or a torte of some sort---are utterly caloric, so save some room. While you wait with your fellow diners, enjoy the funky decor, which boasts many different zany clocks, and only one seems to work.
AOL City Guide
Addie's unassuming locale and exterior belie the caliber of food served within its stuccoed walls. Located in a former house on a nearly desolate stretch of Rockville Pike (its only neighbors Hank Dietle's Tavern and Georgetown Prep), this little restaurant has achieved a dedicated following of foodies who don't want to dress up and cash out every time they go out for a great meal.
Owned by the proprietors of Black's Bar & Kitchen in Bethesda, Addie's offers updated American fare, often featuring local ingredients, with a few unexpected twists thrown in. A sample menu might include coq au vin with crimini mushrooms, pearl onions and smoked bacon; crab and shrimp tacos; and grilled ostrich with sweet-potato puree. The lunch menu, while simpler, is equally as inventive. That enticing aroma drifting into the parking lot is the scent of a grilled quesadilla or a hamburger with blue cheese and bacon being wood-grilled. The three small dining rooms are often packed, so reservations for both dinner and lunch are highly recommended.
2004 Dining Guide
By Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Magazine
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Set in an old bungalow, Addie's still looks like someone's home. One room is a soft yellow, the other a soothing shade of green, and both wrap their customers in a warm embrace of comfort, with old food advertisements on the walls and easy, attentive service. The food looks backward and forward at the same time: Homey roast chicken makes an appearance with fresh asparagus, tiny carrots -- and a base of orzo made creamy with mascarpone. More straightforward, but equally inviting, is a grilled rib-eye steak with mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach and a top of lacy onion rings that quickly disappear as everyone at the table reaches over to try them while they're hot. Yellowfin tuna is edged with sesame seeds and then barely cooked, so that the fish resembles sashimi; sticky rice, cucumber salad and a glaze of wasabi and soy sauce give the dish an Asian accent. Don't let your meal end until you've tried a sliver of the chocolate mint torte. "It's like an after-dinner mint," our waitress said, and she was right. Chef Mallory Buford and his crew will make you happy you braved Rockville Pike during rush hour.
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