Can it be that spring has finally sprung? A promising indicator is some of the new items on the menu at The Daily Dish, one of my favorite local restaurants. I participate in a recent media dinner to check out what’s been cooking with this Silver Spring restaurant and catering company.
The Daily Dish is known for food that is “seasonally inspired, locally sourced, and farm fresh.” Owners Zena Polin and Jerry Hollinger offer food that ranges from salads, sandwiches, pizza, and burgers to upscale creative cuisine. It’s what I like about The Daily Dish. You can drop in for a quick bite and a cocktail, or settle in for a multi-course meal.
Our media preview is a five course extravaganza with wine pairings and cocktails. Jumbo lump crab cakes with remoulade sauce, duck confit on endive with applewood smoked bacon and roasted grape, and house cured gravlax start us off and demonstrate the versatility of the kitchen.
The Daily Dish salads are always fresh and flavorful. The hearth oven roasted beet salad with arugula, goat cheese, fennel, orange segments, and citrus vinaigrette is delightful in its simplicity. The Clotilde Davenne petit chablis that accompanies the salad is divine.
The flavors ramp up in our third course, with a beautiful plate of sweet potato gnocci with pan-seared diver scallop, pancetta, and romesco sauce.
The fourth course elicits a chorus of oohs and aahs from our group of food-obsessives. Beef short ribs with a savory bread pudding of mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon, pea shoots and smoked gouda is a winning dish that impresses us all. This one warrants a return visit to enjoy again on a stomach that isn’t quite so full.
After enjoying this parade of dishes, there is but one more course to be consumed. Mint cookie ice cream, vegan chocolate cake, and honey panna cotta make for a splendid ending.
My dining companions are impressed by their first look. I don’t really need to be reminded why this Silver Spring gem is one of my go-to’s. But I appreciate another opportunity to spring forth with praise for The Daily Dish.
The Daily Dish, 8301A Grubb Rd, Silver Spring, MD
My Previous Posts
The Daily Dish, When Local Means Local (8/2/11)
The Daily Dish, Take Two (5/26/12)