Restaurant "Dish", opens in C. T. MENU & HOURS now posted

[Black Dog]

The new Dish restaurant opened in Charles Town yesterday!
I haven't had a chance to eat there myself yet but I do know they serve great coffee :thumb10:!
The owner, Doug Vaira, plans on using as much local produce and products as possible which is a cool way to support the local economy and provide the freshest possible food. The interior is beautiful. This is just the kind of thing downtown Charles Town has needed.
They're open for lunch and dinner so stop on by!

Oh, yeah...and did I mention they serve great coffee? :D

[OzGirl]

Where abouts in down town?

Is this the place near the interior design/decor shop on main street?

[Black Dog]

Yeah, I think you are referring to Dream House with the big black awning out front. It's right next door. In fact, Doug at Dish is Cassandra at Dream House's husband.

[KemCam2]

Yes Yes!
Jive and I met these women (the chef - that was buying fresh meat from a vendor at the CT market) a couple weeks ago!

I am excited they opened already!
Maybe we will have to try it tonight!

It's the old Dreamhouse store.

[KemCam2]

Not tonight, but I got the husband in for tomorrow night!

[newyacker]

Sounds like this place might be just what the doctor ordered for us and C.T.!! Yey...best wishes to them! :)

[Theresa]

WE drove by this evening, and it looked pretty crowded around the bar. Maybe we'll wait and try them on a weeknight when they should be less busy. Here's hoping that the do really well!

[Tony]

Just remember, whoever tries them. We want pictures. And, of course, fair reviews of the service/food/prices/ambience.

[Starbuck]

My mom and her boyfriend and Baby Girl and I went there tonight for dinner. It is their second night open.

Ambience: perfect for date night. It is the perfect place to go with your spouse/whatever and/or a group of friends. In fact Theresa, that might be the perfect place for that idea we discussed about Election Night (they have a TV at the bar).

Food: Amazing. Everything we had was very, very good. I had a pumpkin ravioli appetizer, which was served over mushrooms with a very light cream sauce on them. All the flavors complemented each other very well, and the sauce was not overpowering (which I like). I also had a mixed green salad w/duck confeit and grapes, which was very good. My mom and her boyfriend split a calamari appetizer, and the marinera sauce served with it...yummy. They were impressed with their dishes (the chicken pot pie and the linguini w/mussels). Even Baby Girl's cheeseburger (which she didn't eat, but which I had a bit of in trying to get her to eat) was very, very good. Their spice cheesecake was amazing. And the portions are what they should be, which I love. You will not get a supersized meal there...you will get enough to fill you, but not to make you feel stuffed and miserable.

Drink: I like their beer/wine selection. The Reisling is awesome. My only complaint regarding the food/drink was the coffee. The decaf had obviously been sitting for a while. And when I pointed this out to the waitress, they offered to brew us another pot. But since we had already been there so long and were about ready to leave, we declined.

That was the other complaint I had. The service was not terrible, but very, very slow. We were there for two hours...the majority of the first hour was waiting for our food. I imagine this is because it is only their second night open, and these are part of the kinks that will get ironed out the longer the place is open. The manager/owner (??) came over to our table to apologize for our wait and to thank us for our patience. I was impressed.

So for about $25 - $40/person, you get a pretty awesome dining experience. It won't be something I can do on a regular basis, but we'll definitely go back.

I am a stickler for service, and typically if I am unimpressed with a restaurant's service or time to table (especially for a salad, LOL), I won't go back. I'm telling you all the food is worth it, and I'm making DH take me there again the next time we have a babysitter and a couple of hours to ourselves. It's such a nice change of pace from TGITuesdayBees!

[KemCam2]

I heard from a couple ladies that went in yesterday for lunch and they really really enjoyed their experience.

They had sandwiches which they said were very good and priced right - around 7 dollars.

I am excited to go. I fact, I think I am going to try to go for lunch instead of dinner...Here's to hoping they have a cuban sandwich on the menu...I am really craving a cuban...

[JiveTurkey]

..Here's to hoping they have a cuban sandwich on the menu...I am really craving a cuban...
As if it could possibly compare to mine...

[Jenniffer]

Dan and I had a lovely time last evening.

They have a great beer and wine selection, and Dan enjoyed his organic imported ale.

We both enjoyed our food (I had the grilled romaine salad and cup of lentil soup and Dan had the soup and a canneloni dish). We shared the pumpkin ravioli appetizer and both liked it, though the sauce was overcooked and too lightly seasoned for our taste. We both thought the lentil soup could use more seasoning, it was a bit bland. The grilled romaine was interesting and very tasty. The canneloni came with a wine sauce that we both thought was very well done. We shared the chocolate trio dessert, and utterly demolished it.

The presentation was lovely, and I agree with Starbuck that the portions were just right. There was just enough food to saturate the tastebuds before moving on to the next dish. We left satisfied, not overstuffed.

The space is warm and inviting, and I loved the way the tables were grouped into different areas. We both enjoyed the buzz of chatter and the fact that you could hear smatterings of laughter from all over the restaurant without feeling like you were eavesdropping on everyone else's conversations.

The waitstaff was hurried and they didn't really need to be. It's the sort of place where you go to take your time eating and enjoy each other's conversation. You want to linger, and the staff doesn't need to rush. If they were more relaxed, that would transfer to the guests, I think. We witnessed some glitches, but that's to be expected in their first weekend.

We spent $50 on four courses and multiple rounds of drinks, and thought the prices were very fair.

We'll definitely go again, though Dan did say afterward that he prefers the Mediterranean Cafe (he got to go for the first time last weekend). He thought the atmosphere at the MC was more relaxed and genuine and he liked that.

ETA: I forgot the bread! The bread! It was fabulous. Little baguettes sliced into medallions, served with premium olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It smelled divine and tasted even better. Airy crumb and savory crust...yum!

[KemCam2]

We saw Jenniffer there last night...But we we're ever so politely waited out...So my BIL thinks...Based on his attire.

We are going to go back though.

Sometime.
After the buzz dies down.

The atmosphere is nice though. Very "Shepherdstown-ish, or Old Town Leesburg-ish. I likey.

C and I both had a glass of wine (while we waited), one red - one white, and enjoyed both. Though I swear, we could have bought a whole bottle for what we spent on the 2 glasses!

But whateves.

[bmusser]

We tried to go tonight but they closed at 4 today. Normally their Sunday hours are 5-9. We were disappointed but went to Magnolia's at the Mill in Purcellville instead. Not too bad.

[Willis]

Open Tuesday thru Sunday. Weekdays, 11AM-9PM, Weekends(fri & sat?)11AM-10PM
Ph-728.8464
In the menu linked below, the desserts and beverages are identical for lunch and dinner(that's Dinner and Supper for country folk). Dish plans on having a website up soon. I hope to grab some grub there this weekend and will endeavor to take a few pics.

MENU LINK (http://www.shannondale.org/sca/images/sorg/dish-restrant/dish-menu-11-4-2008.pdf) (fat file, sorry)
(http://www.shannondale.org/sca/images/sorg/dish-restrant/dish-menu-11-4-2008.pdf)

[Tony]

Eight bucks for a cheeseburger isn't too bad.

[June]

Sounds awesome!

[what_is_my_login]

My son in law is part timing as a sous chef there - I am glad to hear the good reviews. I will go in soon to harass try the food.

[caroline]

We went to sunday brunch. The food and drinks were excellent! My mom and I had the veg panini and veg chili which was delicious, my husband had the burger and the homemade ketchup was unbelieveable and my dad had the fritata with black dog coffee! The atmosphere was relaxed I enjoyed the decour and music. We all loved the food. The waitress did mix up our order but brought us a free bread pudding and promptly corrected the error. We really enjoyed it and will definintly be back!:):thumbsup::)