Iron Gate Earns Three Stars from Tom Sietsema

Tom Sietsema writes a love letter to Iron Gate this week, awarding the restaurant three stars and remarking that the setting matches the cooking.

"The original Iron Gate had mostly patina on its side. The new Iron Gate adds gravitas to the picture," says Sietsema who singles out everything from the pasta to the wine list in his review. "Grazing in the long front bar, which has a separate menu and fewer than 30 seats, is as enchanting as dining in the restaurant proper. Lunch in the former finds a gyro of the day, perhaps roasted pork, feta cheese and fried potatoes bound in thick, pillowy pita bread that's smoky from a brush with the grill and comes with a fluff of tart greens. Dinner injects more choices and greater ad­ven­ture, including a daily-changing "animal" (venison, turkey, lamb) roasted over a spit." [WaPo]

Sietsema also pens a positive early assessment of Roofers Union.

Cue the house-made sausages, including chicken laced with nutmeg and ginger and cradled in a pretzel roll baked on-site. And bring on the snacks, clever and delicious and $9, on average. My posse makes quick work of the tender lamb ribs served with cumin-spiced yogurt, chicken wings glossy with honey and Sriracha, snap peas brightened with blood orange, and a surprise best-seller: pig ear salad. [WaPo]

Bethesda Magazine checks out Roof, where Carole Sugarman has a forgettable first meal, and is recognized during the second. "At both meals, however, the cooking came across as clunky and heavy-handed. At dinner, the trout amandine arrived with a gloppy lemon-caper sauce reminiscent of institutional fare, the kale salad's almond-tahini dressing provided a gluey coating, and at lunch, and scallops were overcooked and over-salted." [BM]

Northern Virginia Magazine reviews WK Hearth, a spinoff of The Wine Kitchen. It's a mixed bag.

A potato and parsnip soup didn't rely on starch and cream, making this lunchtime liquid feel light but still flavorful, with bits of bacon penetrating the natural sweetness. But a cold weather ratatouille presents undercooked winter squashes with dry disks of fried polenta. No better was the cast iron paella. The famed dish of Spain thrives on a browned bottom layer of rice, but this version was instead brothy from fish stock." [NoVa Mag]

Don Rockwell posts several reviews this week, including Mykonos, Milan Bakery & Miss Doughnuts, Byblos Deli and Bethesda Curry Kitchen. Of Bethesda Curry Kitchen, he writes:

"Bethesda Curry Kitchen is going to survive, not by weekend dinners, but by delivery and lunch buffets. I walked past the empty buffet – which had the signs up – and noticed that my Coorgi Chicken was on it, so you can enjoy this exact same dish for lunch, with many others to accompany it, for less money. In fact, until they get their liquor license, a lunch buffet would be the perfect way to initiate yourselves with this fine newcomer." [DR]

THE BLOGS: FooDCrave reviews Bidwell's brunch...Capital Cooking gets a first taste of City Tap House.