the Dalaverse

Tonight ennyousai and I went to Dino in Cleveland Park for dinner, where they had a special for three courses for $35. I don't get to fancy restaurants often, so I was damned excited even though my sinuses decided to close up completely halfway through (seriously, I almost suffocated while chewing because I forgot I couldn't breathe through my nose).

I got a couple of cheeses as a first course, one of which was a really good sharp, tangy hard cow's milk cheese; the other was a soft combo of sheep/cow/goat milk which was nice, but didn't leave a big impression. It came with a couple of deviled eggs and this bean soup in a little shooter. Free soup in a shotglass! And it was really good too, complex and a little spicy.

I chose the lasagna for my main course, because: "Not Your Nonna’s Lasagna! ~ non-traditional, free form ~ rich pork & veal ragu ~ fonduta ~ bacon ~ grana ~ house pasta." Obviously the magic word here, as it so often is, was BACON. I like to try things I'm not likely to see anywhere else, and this is one of the most unique dishes I've ever had. It was nothing like your standard lasagna; the noodles were thinner and sort of all folded in over each other with the sauce on top. The pasta by itself was delicious, good enough to eat plain (and I'm not a plain noodle person at all). The sauce was rich and creamy, kinda reminiscent of carbonara but cheesier. And the bacon...mmmm, there was a lot of bacon and it was excellent. I don't think I'd order it regularly, and I still love good old-fashioned lasagna, but I'm glad I tried it. Although I did my best I still had to box up some of it, which made me glad I hadn't ordered a half-pasta first course and the giant steak as main just because I could. The meat coma/hangover/cold situation did affect my taste buds and appetite a little, unfortunately.

Then I dithered over the dessert menu for way too long before finally picking a hazelnut cake with amaretto cream. I was reaching full congestion and meal saturation by that point and it seemed less dangerous than the other heavy albeit fantastic-sounding options. It had a warm, comfortable flavor that went nicely with the bonus moscato. Oh, and I had a very small glass of a spicy red wine with dinner and this awesome ginger fizz thing before that.

It was a totally different but equally satisfying experience from Fogo de Chao and I really enjoyed it and would love to go back when my budget isn't quite so tight. I just wish I hadn't been sick this weekend; I couldn't quite go to town as much I normally would in a rare foodie excursion. And now I'm going to pretend Monday isn't happening tomorrow so I can enjoy some sweet, sweet Nyquil-induced sleep.