100 Best Restaurants 2009: Nicaro

Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli , Rina Rapuano , Eve Zibart

No. 68: 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: The name alludes to owner/chef Pedro Matamoros’s Nicaraguan roots, but don’t go looking for upmarket renditions of classic Central American fare—this is modern eclectic cooking. Regional dishes, both traditional and reconstructed, have depth of flavor without weight. The house-made charcuterie is excellent, and seafood is tenderly prepared and fresh.

Mood: A neighborhood hangout at once smart-looking and casual.

Best for: Casual dates with better-than-casual fare; nice but affordable business lunches; after-hours nibbling; Sunday brunch.

Best dishes: Sea scallops with squid-ink pasta; seafood-chicken andouille “gumbo” with rockfish and sweet mussels; rockfish with snow peas and porcini vinaigrette; fried chicken livers; house-made gnocchi with wild-mushroom-asparagus ragoût in Parmesan cream; tagliatelle with ground-rabbit sauce (the grilled-veggie version is richer).

Insider tips: Appetizers and salads are among the best bets—they rarely hit the $10 mark—and the bar menu is available until 10:30 or 11 pm. The Monday-night three-course prix fixe for $30 is a good way to start the week.

Service: ••½

Open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner. Moderate.

See all of 2009's 100 Best Restaurant 

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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