From Kliman Online's "Word of Mouth"

Nicaro is by far the most promising of the [Silver Spring newcomers], with a menu of strong, rooted flavors that owe everything to conscientious shopping (mostly local) and a reliance on craftsmanship in the kitchen. Pedro Matomoros, the chef and owner, developed his approach at the influential Tabard Inn, where he manned the stoves for seven years before leaving early last year to open a place of his own. As they were at the Tabard, the terrines and rilletes are both handmade, as are the pastas (available -- nice touch -- in half-portions), and the oysters are well-sourced.

A plate of coriander-crusted lamb chops with lamb sausage is excellent, a textbook example of how earthy, rooted flavors can be made elegant and sophisticated. Even better: the butternut squash soup, with ribbons of fresh, toasted coconut and a final garnish of micro-cilantro. Insistently spicy, wonderfully fragrant, it eats like one of the best curries you'll ever eat. No lie: I was seriously tempted to ask for a bowl of rice. Given the indisputably downtown prices, this sparely appointed, storefront twofer (a restaurant on one side, a spacious bar on the other) may come as a letdown to some. But although it lacks the sumptuousness of deeper-pocketed places, it does not lack for sophistication and warmth, thanks to a smart waitstaff and thoughtful touches throughout. The focus, though, is on the plate -- not unlike its scaled-back neighbor, Ray's the Classics, just around the corner.

-December 11, 2007