Date Night: Food Wine and Co.

Last month my hubby and I decided to wing it. We never really go out in Bethesda much, and it was such a beautiful night so we planned on having no plan. We drove to Bethesda, parked the truck and walked around – exploring all of our options before making a decision on where to eat.

First we stopped off at American Tap Room which recently opened to grab a pre-dinner drink. I had the most delicious glass of Syrah (Rosenblum Vinters Cuvee ’07) and hubby got a heaping glass of Sam Adams Octoberfest. The restaurant was nice- very crowded though. While the food looked great, the atmosphere wasn’t exactly what we wanted so we decided to keep on truckin’ to another spot.

I had been tweeting with a couple of local food bloggers who had recommended a few restaurants and Food Wine and Co. was on the list. There was only a 15 minute wait, so we grabbed a drink at the bar while we waited for the table.

The bar wasn’t crowded but bar service was a little slow. Once someone came to help, it was clear that he was not a bartender and he seemed to be very cold. Once he asked for our orders, I was a little thrown off. I ordered a cosmo and the bartender gave me the 3rd degree about my age. Asking me how old I was, how long I had been 33, month of birth, day I was born, year I was born and then my address. Was that really necessary? Anyways, the drink came and I was a little disappointed by the meager drink but it was still very tasty.

True to their word, our wait was only 15 minutes so we packed up our drinks and went to the table.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is very nice – open, not too crowded. Justin commented that he didn’t love our table – he felt like we were too close to the table next to us, but I didn’t really see a problem with it, although I’m sure a booth would have been a little more personal.

Once we sat, our waiter came over – and he was very nice. He told us about the specials – all of which sounded yummy, but while we were at the bar we had perused the menu so we already had items in mind. The menu was very Goldilocks - it was just right. There are about 4 items listed under each category (mussels, appetizers, salads, pizzas, pastas and main courses) which is perfect because it’s so hard making a decision on what to eat when you aren’t craving anything in particular, so I was pleased with the menu right off the bat.

The bartender recommended the island mussels, so that was my pick. Justin and I agreed that we would also get a pizza and just share both things. I was deciding between the prosciutto pizza and the pepperoni pizza, so I let Justin decide and we got the pepperoni.

While we waited for the mussels to come out, we asked the server for some bread. Justin and I both gave a little chuckle when he brought the bread to the table – 4 little slices. A miniscule serving, and I definitely felt like we were appearing gluttonous by asking for more, but we needed it to dunk into the mussel sauce, so we tried to eat it sparingly, asking for only 1 more order after the mussels came.

The mussels were absolutely delicious. I love mussels, and these were cooked with an interesting combination of ingredients and flavors that blended nicely together. The menu lists the ingredients as: spicy chorizo, curry, shallots, bell pepper, leeks onion, tomato, cilantro. I call that combination of ingredients perfection. Justin is not a big mussel lover, but he also thought they were very tasty – and that the chorizo mixed in added a nice touch. The mussels also came with a nice helping of fries that were crispy, flavorful and not too salty.

The pepperoni pizza came out as we were 3/4 of the way done with the mussels, and the table began to get a little cramped, so we sped up our mussel eating and made room for the pizza. The pizza came with tomato, mozzarella, spicy soppressata salami and basil. While the pizza was a little greasier than I had expected – it was still very good. The spicy salami gave it a nice kick, and the basil added a lot to the pizza as well.

All in all, we both really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. We left full, not stuffed, and satisfied with everything we got to eat. Service was good and everything was reasonably priced. For the two dishes and a glass of wine, our bill came to $40. A great date night in Bethesda!