Sietsema Gives Nostos 2.5 Stars; Shott on Rogue 24; More

For this week's review, Tom Sietsema visits Tysons Corner — a place with "more chains than Gucci Mane" — and Peter Pagonis' Nostos. The Washington Post critic awards the restaurant 2.5 stars with nothing but kind words. Though noting he's not crazy about servers upselling the wine, Sietsema likes the Nostos' staff for being "passionate about wanting you to eat well." The dips and Greek tapas are a hit, and Sietsema lauds the lamb's tenderness. Also, when discussing the flaming appetizer saganaki, the critic reveals that everything you know about grilled cheese sandwiches is wrong:

"When the flames from the brandy-splashed sheep's milk cheese subside, what's left is a crisp bar of semi-melted kefalograviera that reminds me of a grilled cheese sandwich without the bread: soothing."

And if the Gucci Mane reference wasn't enough to prove how hip he is, Sietsema is also up on his popular TV shows: "Cod fritters look like french fries after a good workout. Crisp and golden, the robust fish fingers come with a garlic paste potent enough to ward off half of the cast of 'True Blood.'" [WaPo]

Chris Shott likens dining at Rogue 24 to attending a concert and sticks to that metaphor throughout his review of all 24 courses, saying things like "I thought we came to jam, man, not wallow amid some sappy ballad" and "Could this be the crescendo?" He also figures that the $120 meal breaks down into $5 per course and rates each course accordingly. The final tally? Shott would be willing to drop a fiver on eight of the courses, would consider it for four of them and says 12 of the 24 courses are not worth your money. Oh, and he takes a bathroom break at course 15, in case you were wondering. [WCP]

Todd Kliman adds Mount of Lebanon in Falls Church and Dupont Circle's Eola to his list of restaurants where he's eating now, saying of the latter: "Courses are imaginatively conceived without straining for effect, and the execution is clean and precise without lapsing into austerity. Best of all, [chef Daniel] Singhofen imbues these sophisticated dishes with a quality more precious than all the tricks in the molecular gastronomer's toolkit: soul." [Washingtonian]

THE BLOGS: DC-Wrapped Dates doesn't think Vidalia is as good anymore without Rogue 24's RJ Cooper, but a Restaurant Week meal at 2941 lives up to the memories; We Love DC says the food at TruOrleans is just average, but the friendly service "is a saving grace;" EatMore DrinkMore checked out Pearl Dive Oyster Palace when it was still in its soft opening phase and gave it high marks.

Nostos [Photo: Yelp]