Range Restaurant

After viewing "The Internship" at Mazza Gallerie, a two hour ad for Google, we decided spontaneously to visit Range, Bryan Voltaggio's year-old restaurant across Wisconsin Avenue in the Chevy Chase Center.  Arriving at 7:15 p.m. we found the place to be half full; nevertheless the hostess directed us to the bar for a 15 minute wait before we could be seated at the counter in front of the "pasta and bread kitchen,"  one of the nine kitchen viewing stations that Range offers as entertainment during dinner.

Our tatooed bartender did make two delicious cocktails for us - Plymouth Bees Knees for Robin (gin and honey syrup concoction) and a Campari Negroni for me (yummy but not nearly as good as the Classico I had at Fiola last month).

To us, the restaurant decor was something out of 1970s California Pizza Kitchen. Light colors, comfy chairs, but without character.  There was considerable noise, but it always seemed to be "over there," and we were able to converse without any problem.

We noted that because of the "plate sharing" sizes (larger than the standard tapas plates), the menu prices seemed quite reasonable.  We started with  raw yellow tail tuna in a lime juice marinade with avocado puree. This was the best tuna I have ever tasted, and could  compete with any ahi tuna out there.

We substituted the bacon marmalade for pepper jelly to add to our jalapeno cheddar biscuits, and this was a brilliant spontaneous decision. (Range charges for its breads, but well worth the cost.) On the wine list we discovered a Ken Forrester Petit Pinotage for $16 and said "what the heck." It was a lovely picnic wine which opened up nicely throughout the rest of our dinner and was priced less than a typical restaurant corkage fee.  We had a nice chat with the sommelier, who said that he tries to price as many wines as he can close to wine store prices.

We shared the leg of lamb cooked over a wood fire-four nice-sized rare chunks of meat.    Robin had the  flash fried brussel sprouts while I enjoyed the creamy polenta.

For dessert we shared the goat cheese cake which arrived in four small pieces, beautifullly displayed over a bed of raspberry puree and accompanied with a spoon of Meyer lemon sorbet.

All this and in the 'hood too!