I need a new set of dishes for those rare occasions when I eat dinner at home. This has been a months-long process, with my husband and I conducting online searches and visiting Bloomingdales, Crate and Barrel, Macy’s, Bed, Beth & Beyond, and beyond. We finally agree on a pattern when we extend our search to a wholesale restaurant catalog. But there’s a catch.  If we want to actually see the dishes, we have to visit a restaurant that uses them for service.  This brings us to Wildwood Kitchen in Bethesda for Sunday brunch.

It’s been a few years since I’ve dined at Robert Wiedmaier‘s restaurant in Wildwood Shopping Center.  I like the meals I’ve had at Wildwood Kitchen, but inexplicably there’s been a long pause between my visits. Since I’m here primarily to see how the dishes stack up, I’m not initially thinking much about the food. This changes as our meal commences with the delivery of slices of warm, crusty, chewy bread.  It’s impossible not to sit up and take notice.

The brunch menu features a frittata with roasted peppers and goat cheese, along with challah French toast, or gruyere potato cakes with roasted chicken. You can also order from the lunch menu where standout appetizers include an autumnal roasted pumpkin soup with spiced honey cake and date molasses.  Baked feta with bell pepper tomato relish, pine nuts, and pomegranate is a luxurious spread for the notable bread.

Seafood tagine incorporates chunks of seabass, shrimp, octopus, and mussels enlivened by preserved lemon. Gravlax tartine with horseradish crème fraiche, grated egg, mache and more bread makes an elegant brunch entrée.  I’m smitten by the simple black dots and lines decorating the plates.

 

There’s an attention to detail at Wildwood Kitchen that begins with the artistic china, continues through architecturally appealing flatware, and extends to the enchanting wood decor of the restaurant. I have a high regard for the dishes at Wildwood Kitchen- the ones that I eat, and the ones that are now on order for my own kitchen.

 

Wildwood Kitchen, 10223 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda  MD

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