Salvation comes to Colesville

When you think of fine dining, Colesville does not come to mind that often. The whole New Hampshire Avenue strip from the beltway out to Cloverly leaves much to be desired as far as good eats go. When we moved to Hillandale 25 years ago it was so bad that we were unable to get pizza delivery to our home. With the passing of time and the addition of the FDA White Oak campus the availability of eating choices has improved but that does not mean that the situation is that great. Your choices seem to range from the good, the bad and the ugly and most recent additions tend to be franchises and fast food restaurants. There are a few exceptions-usually ethnic restaurants. Most of the better new restaurants are located close-in, around the White Oak and Hillandale shopping centers. However, there is a great new Mexican Restaurant located in the lowly Colesville Shopping Center at the intersection of Randolph Rd. and New Hampshire Ave.

I discovered Pollo Mex about four months ago although they have been in their location for about a year. They are in a store front that has seen a few failed eateries come and go over the past decade but I think this one is a keeper and will be there to stay for a while. There are plenty of Hispanic restaurants in the area but not so many in Colesville. But it is not just the Hispanic menu that is drawing crowds but the excellent quality of the food and service to be found there. The place is a notch about the competition both in ambiance and taste. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful-mostly because it is the new owners waiting tables. Service is slower than you would expect but that is fine when you are getting the right service and food.

My favorite menu item is the Mexican Tacos made with pork, and fresh red onions. Marinated in lime juice and coming with three types of sauce, these things are just heaven. It is not on the menu but if you ask they will make you fresh lemonade or limeade, served without ice. Don't be bashful about asking them to make it for you. It is worth it. You had better give this place a try soon. It is getting noticed and the crowds are starting to get large.

Lebanese Taverna

Twenty eight years ago, my wife to be and I rented a small house in Arlington. A friend told us about the excellent Lebanese Taverna , a family run restaurant on Washington Blvd. and we went to check it out. We fell in love with the food and the wonderful family that ran the place. I can't tell how many times we have enjoyed their food over the years. Well, the little family restaurant has grown into a mini corporation with numerous restaurants and cafes all over the DC Metro area. They also run a grocery store. Has success been a good thing? Well, yes and no. For decades the Arlington restaurant was our favorite place and the place to go to meet and greet the family that ran the business. However, they have expanded the place and remodeled it in recent years. The last time we went with friends, our lovely intimate little restaurant has grown into a monster. The food was still excellent but the place was so popular and crowded that we could barely move around. Worse yet, remodeling affected the acoustics so that the place now sounded like a noisy disco and we were unable to carry on any sort of conversation. We have never gone back to our beloved Arlington location. Nowdays the best location to go to is the DC restaurant in Woodley Gardens on Connecticut Ave. I think the best cooks work there and that place has the most extensive menu. When we want to celebrate a special event, it is the DC location that we head to.

The Silver Spring location is more of a Cafe and has a much more limited menu. The decor is modern and strikes us as only so-so but on nice days you can eat outside, and the party around the fountain is always a treat. When we want Lebanese, we go to that location most of the time as it is close to home and easy to use. Although we miss some of the items to be found at the DC location, the limited menu is still good and offer up plenty of good (and fairly healthy) Middle Eastern food. I highly recommend the food there as it is much better than the usual franchise pap that is offered up in the other eateries found in downtown Silver Spring. The best deal is one of the two sampler platters that they offer up. The more expensive has some meat dishes but we find that the cheaper of the two which is mostly vegetarian is a much better deal and offers better variety.

My only regret is that we never see any of the original family members in any of the locations. I suspect that they have just gotten too successful and wealthy over the years. Anyhow, writing this has made me hungry. Might just have to head on down there this evening for some flat bread and hummus.