The Early Word on Mintwood Place in Adams Morgan

Mintwood Place opened in Adams Morgan just about a week and a half ago to the relief of many who have been craving more adult dining options in a neighborhood that's better known for jumbo slices and other drunk food. And the excitement was even greater given that this is a project involving chef Cedric Maupillier, who once helmed the kitchen at Central Michel Richard. So everyone wanted to like it and, by the looks of it so far, nearly everyone does. Here's a look at what the early diners are saying.

The Great Critic News: Tom Sietsema filed an early First Bites review after a dinner where he found "role model" frog legs and hearty cassoulet, declaring of Maupillier that "From a kitchen he helped design, the 34-year-old chef is turning out some of the most exciting food of the admittedly new year." [WaPo]

Great Neighborhood News: DCist highlights the role Mintwood Place will play in the neighborhood: "Throw in the newly opened Marrakech Lounge, the long-standing Grill from Ipanema, Perry's famed drag brunch and you have what is becoming a both a civilized dining destination in the neighborhood and a nice counterbalance to the bacchanalian 18th Street core of Adams Morgan." [DCist]

More Great News: Forking DC was full of praise for Mintwood Place: "Maupillier’s preparations are simple but the flavor is well-developed.  The escargot hushpuppies are some of the best hushpuppies I have ever had." [Forking DC]

The Mixed Bag News: One Don Rockwell commenter generally loved Mintwood Place, but did have a gripe or two: "I had the tagliatelle bolognese, which was rich, hearty, and soul-satisfying. Big chunks of beef, nice pasta. My +1 had the steak frites, and while the steak was great, and cooked to just the right temp, the fries were awful. We both thought they tasted like frost-bitten frozen fries, and they were limp and soggy like the fries you get at Burger King." [Don Rockwell]

The Bad Cocktail News: Another Don Rockwellian was not impressed by the mixology program at Mintwood Place: "I'll start by saying that if cocktails are your thing, while you're apt to get a good laugh watching the bartenders attempt to make you a proper Manhattan, you're not apt to get a proper Manhattan; maybe that's do to the newness of the place, but there also isn't a jigger in sight and these guys didn't exactly look like they came out of the Derek Brown school of bartending, if you get my drift." [Don Rockwell]

The Twitterverse: Though he's out on book leave, Washington Post food editor Joe Yonan stopped in at Mintwood Place while back in DC for a visit and tweeted afterward that he was "Still basking in the glow of last night's fantastic meal at Mintwood Place." Meanwhile food writer David Hagedorn called the restaurant "A win for AdMo!" [Twitter]