Fixed-Price Event at Mosaic Cuisine - Rockville, MD

The owner of Mosaic Cuisine and Cafe, Thierry Jugnet, emailed me about an event they're having next week!  Check it out below:

Mosaic Cuisine and Café is pleased to present a new concept: “Fine Dining With Thierry Jugnet”

Four seasonally-driven dining events held at Mosaic Café, in Rockville, Maryland  

Our First Spring Fine Dining Event: Thursday, April 2, 2009 – 7:00 PM

Mosaic Cuisine would like these four events to be guest-focused, intimate dining experiences, so we will present a fixed-price menu to order from based on healthy seasonal and local foods. 

Thierry’s philosophy is that food and dining are opportunities for enjoyment of food and wine and the pleasure of sharing an evening with good friends, so exquisite attention is paid to creating an ambiance dedicated to the pleasures of dining. Best of all, each of these dining experiences features a short talk by Thierry before dinner, during which he'll tell us about his recipes and the challenges of preparation!

The fixed price for each dinner is $55 per person, including one bottle of wine for every two diners, chosen from our selection of fine wines, or $45 without wines. Participation is by reservation only. Reservations for the Spring Fine Dining Event can be made by calling Mosaic Cuisine at 301-468-0682.

Appetizer
Crab and Scallop Cake Napoleon Between Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Tuiles 
Grilled Portobello Mushroom Napoleon.
Meaux Mustard Sauce and Cranberry Catsup

Main Course
Poached Fillet of Halibut en Matelote or Free Range Guinea Hen Breast
Stewed Shallot Reduction
Spring Vegetable Pot au feu
Savory Chive Waffles

Dessert 
Chocolate three ways
Warm Chocolate Financier
Bitter Sweet Chocolate Mousse
Hand Dipped Strawberries in Valrhona ganache

Freshly Brewed Columbian Coffee or Decaf or Teas

Mia's Pizzas - Bethesda, MD

The bf and I were starving the other week, so we decided to try Mia's Pizza on a whim. Its located in downtown Bethesda with metered street parking and metered garage parking. The restaurant is also accessible by metro on the red line via the Bethesda stop.

The exterior is simple but very inviting, and I love the outdoor dining option for the approaching warm weather. I love enjoying a meal outside when the weather is beautiful.

The interior is quite small. This picture shows pretty much the entire space minus the bar and foyer. I love the high ceilings, the soft lighting, and the clean lines and paint colors. It's a causal restaurant with a splash of elegance.

The bar is a nice spot to grab a glass of wine, get a quick meal, or even a place to relax and catch on the the day's news. 

In the foyer there were a bunch of awards from local papers and magazines. I actually heard about the restaurant after reading it on the Downtown Bethesda Guide. 

Sorry for the dim pics... oh the soft lighting. Ok, onto the good stuff!

Even though it's called Mia's Pizzas, they offer some other entree options. The bf ordered their 'Meatball Sub - Hot Italian meatballs, marinara sauce, melted fontina cheese on a hoagie roll' for $9.95. The sub came with a small side of salad too. He said it tasted good and high quality, but was small.

I ordered one of their wood fired pizzas, 'Alsace - Pancetta, gruyere cheese, parmesan, caramelized onions & thyme' for $12.95. I actually loved it a lot! I think it was the flavor combinations between the salty pancetta (similar to bacon), the sweet caramelized onions and the freshness of the thyme. I thought the dough had a nice chewiness, and I enjoyed the crust, which is my least favorite part of any pizza. The server also came by to grate fresh parmasean cheese over the pizza.

I was only able to finish 3/4 of it, so I took the last bit home. This is what it looks like close up. Some advice, don't reheat it in the microwave regardless of how hungry you are because it ends up really chewy.

The 13 pizzas are all made in a wood fire oven and only come in one size, which is pretty much a personal size. They offer calzones, sandwiches, salads and appetizers between $3.50-12.95. I wished they offered complementary bread and dipping olive oil, but you can get it on the menu for $3.50. Cupcakes are offered on their dessert menu, which is a neat idea.  The prices are a bit pricey for a small pizza and small sub, however the quality is high, and $25 for 2 is awesome.

4926 Cordell Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814

301-718-6427