100 Best Restaurants 2008: Nicaro

Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli , Dave McIntyre

No. 75: Nicaro

Nicaro

8229 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring/Takoma Park, MD 20910
Phone: 301-588-2867

Cuisines:
American, Modern

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
Silver Spring

Price Range:
Moderate

Dress:
Upscale Casual

Noise Level:
Intimate

Reservations:
Recommended

Special Features:
Weekend Brunch

Website:
Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes
Sea scallops with squid-ink pasta; seafood-chicken andouille “gumbo” with rockfish and sweet mussels; rockfish with snow peas and porcini vinaigrette.

Price Details:
Dinner starters, $7 to $11; main courses, $18 to $28.


 

Reader's Rating:
4 out of 5

Cuisine: Eclectic American with strong, rooted flavors built on conscientious shopping and craftsmanship in the kitchen. Chef/owner Pedro Matamoros developed his approach at the Tabard Inn, where he manned the stoves for seven years before opening his own place in Silver Spring this fall.

Mood: Given the prices, the sparely appointed storefront restaurant and bar may come as a letdown. But it doesn’t lack for sophistication and warmth, thanks to a smart waitstaff and thoughtful touches throughout. The focus is on the plate—not unlike its scaled-back neighbor, Ray’s the Classics, another independent in a sea of chains in downtown Silver Spring.

Best for: Marylanders who don’t want to travel far for interesting cooking.

Best dishes: Oysters on the half shell with mignonette; rillettes; spicy butternut-squash-and-coconut soup with toasted coconut and micro-cilantro; warm fig tart with goat cheese and arugula; hand-rolled tagliatelle with rich lamb Bolognese and Pecorino; coriander-crusted lamb chops with lamb sausage; braised veal cheeks with parsnip purée; creamy bread pudding.

Insider tips: The kitchen does some of its best work early on, so putting together a meal of appetizers can be more rewarding than ordering an appetizer and an entrée. Terrines, pastas (available in half portions), and rillettes are all house-made.

Service: ••

Reader ReviewsWrite your own review
 
Excellent At last!
takpak — February 28, 2009 11:35 AM
At last, a true "date night" restaurant besides Jackie's in downtown SS, and an upscale business lunch possibility as well. It's quiet at lunch folks! The food is ambitious and often excellent. The soups are complex and exotic. The bread pudding is More ...
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Average Bellow the night away
lmack — February 11, 2009 2:51 PM
Don't know how the Washingtonian registers an "intimate" sound level, but the only intimacy offered at this painfully noisy restaurant is the view of your companion's tonsils as they attempt to out-yell the table next to you.

The food is modern, More ...
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