You'll find the golf courses around Bethesda, Maryland, filled to capacity most months in the year because of the short winters and the desire of golfers to play until they lower their scores. So, if your plans call for you to spend time in the area, bring your clubs and play courses like Falls Road in Potomac---about five miles from downtown Bethesda--- or the Blue Course at East Potomac in Washington, D.C., that is about two miles further away. Falls Road opened in 1962, is almost 6,300 yards long and has a slope rating of 120. The Blue Course at East Potomac is about 400 yards longer but its slope rating is only 109. Undoubtedly, you'll be hungry after 18 holes, a perfect time to eat Italian. Bethesda is home to a number of good Italian restaurants with a wide variety of cuisines and prices.
Olazzo
Olazzo may have a a short wine list but it serves some of the best margaritas in the city. This is a restaurant that is owned by a family that has passed recipes down from one Italian generation to another. You'll find the décor very inviting with family keepsakes and priceless pictures adorning the restaurant walls. Plan to be filled to capacity with something basic but classic such as ravioli or spaghetti with a simple marinara sauce, or with more exotic presentations. For example, order the Pasta Alla Checca, a freshly-made angel-hair pasta topped with diced roma tomatoes and fresh basil that have been sauteed in garlic and olive oil and shrimp. Or order Chicken Cardinale, which is penne pasta with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes in a tomato cream sauce.
Olazzo
7921 Norfolk Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 654-9496
olazzo.com/bethesda.html
Tragara
Immediately upon walking into Tragara, you'll be impressed with the omnipresent fresh flowers. This place may be the most formal restaurant in Bethesda, and is frequented by those professionals who want to impress their peers and superiors, alike. You'll find its menu loaded with dishes of fresh pasta, just-out-of-the-water seafood and a variety of meats. Start out with homemade pasta filled with spinach in Parmesan sauce, then move on to such dishes as Aragosta Risotto, which is lobster meat flamed with grappa, lobster sauce and served with asparagus risotto; or Gamberoni Risotto, a dish of jumbo shrimp sautéed with fresh herbs and vernaccia, and served with shiitake risotto.
Tragara
4935 Cordell Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 951-4935
tragara.com/
Red Tomato Café
Some say this restaurant "gets it," and thus the main reason it's a hit with young professionals. It's a fun place that offers a wide range of pastas and pizzas and serves them in an exposed-brick and tiled-counter setting. Not your typical "pizza joint," it makes a killer eggplant pizza with Parmesan cheese that sets a new standard. Other toppings include ingredients such as artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, pine nuts and brie cheese. Salsiccia Crostini (spicy Italian sausage with broccoli rabe over rustico topped with pecorino cheese) is on the appetizer menu. Entrees include Fettuccine Funghi: fettuccine served with wild mushrooms, truffle oil, herbs and shaved Parmesan; and Spaghettini Frutti di Mare, which is thin spaghetti with shrimp, mussels and clams in white wine garlic herb sauce.
Red Tomato Café
4910 St Elmo Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 652-4499
red-tomato-cafe.com/
About The Author
Bill Herrfeldt specializes in finance, sports and the needs of retiring people, and has been published in the national edition of "Erickson Tribune," the "Washington Post" and the "Arizona Republic." He graduated from the University of Louisville.
