It's been a couple of years since our last visit to Di Giovanni's Italian Restaurant. I wanted some place special to celebrate my daughter's completion of courses required for her graduate degree! The restaurant is open Tuesay through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. for breakfast and unti 8:00 p.m. for dinner. Chef-owner Jack Batten buys local and updates the restaurant menu frequently. The Chef also offers cooking classes, 4-or-5 course meals demonstrated (and participatory if you're so inclined) and served for your dining pleasure, along with a recipe booklet and his special tips. There's one coming up on 18 October called "Mother Sauces" for $40 and includes tomato, brown, bechamel, volute, and hollandaise - make the sauces and learn what to do with them. Visit http://www.digiovannisrestaurant.com/.
I'm sure Solomons was crowded during the Patuxent River Appreciation Days celebration this weekend but our timing was perfect arriving around 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening with only a few tables taken. We were seated promptly in the dining room and enjoyed the water view overlooking the deck dining area while our server fetched our wine and beer. The menu changes every few days based on the freshest seafood and produce available. There were 8-to-10 appetizers from shrimp, to baked brie, to Oysters Chesapeake (which we tried - half dozen for only $6). There were also soup and salad options and entrees ranged in price from $12-to-$20 with several pasta options, crab cakes, and steak. Sandwiches with a side of fries could also be ordered any time of day and prices were very reasonable.
Fragrant, hot bread arrived at our table shortly after the drinks. There were two olive oil options at the table, one rosemary infused which was my choice. Bread - without asking (+); hubby asked for more bread when the entrees arrived and our server comlied with the request within minutes (++). The Oysters Chesapeake were gorgeous to behold and tasty to eat. Freshly shucked oysters on the half shell were topped with bread dressing, crab, and corn and served piping hot. There were three large lemon wedges on the serving plate and the dish was sprinkled with parsley. I had manicotti, two large pasta rounds stuffed with cheese and topped with homemade sauce that was excellent. Hubby had crab cakes and said they were the best he's had in a while - he likes them with some breading and seasoning, not a fan of a cake of lump crab meat heated and called a crab cake. The celebratory girl was thinking of shrimp scampi but since she's allergic to shrimp asked if the chef could make a clam sauce (which wasn't on the menu) instead. Our server asked and the chef seemed happy to comply. The dish of pasta with butter/garlic sauce was surrounded by clams in the shell - lots of them! Our graduate girl's friend ordered the Chicken Chesapeake sandwich - grilled chicken with crab and cheese on a sub roll. Before I had a chance to take a good look at it, he had polished off all but the last bite and said that it was good. The fries were thick and golden. Di Giovanni's was as good as I remembered; consistency - it's a good thing!
Our server apologized for being short staffed Sunday evening. As more diners entered, it became clear that he could not manage on his own and the chef pitched in. It was quite nice to have the chef working the dining area as well as the kitchen. Our server was very polite and hustled to make sure we were satisfied - kudos (+). We were there as night set in and dim wall lights were turned on to illuminate the dining room. The only drawback to the entire evening were the slamming doors - the main entrance to the restaurant and the doors to the deck. Honestly, if I had a screw driver I would have taken a stab at adjusting them.
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