Veranda on P

I love it when a friend takes the pressure of choosing a restaurant off my shoulders.  Even better when that restaurant turns out to be pretty good.  That was the case with Veranda on P, a little Mediterranean restaurant on 11th and (you guessed it) P street. 

We started the evening on Veranda's patio, enjoying a 50% off bottle of wine (Tuesdays) and catching up with our friends.  As tends to happen in DC in July, the skies opened up and we hustled to a table inside to escape a monumental downpour.

The inside of the restaurant was quaint and cozy, and the staff (including our very sweet waitress) adjusted to the sudden influx of patio diners well.
 

Once settled inside, we started the meal with warm dates stuffed with black pepper boursin cheese and drizzled with local honey.  Probably too sweet for most people, but I'm a date lover and had no trouble eating the lion's share of this dish.

I ordered the penne with broccoli rabe, spicy tomato sauce and mozzarella.  Not going to win any awards for creativity, but a pleasingly spicy and comforting dish.  Major sad face when I saved half of it to take home and the bus boy tossed it out instead of wrapping it up.  Don't you hate it when that happens?

If there's one thing B orders as often as lamb, it's salmon.  Veranda's version with a tapenade and french lentils got a thumbs up from B the salmon king.
 

While nothing we tried was jump-up-and-down amazing, it was all solidly executed and had a homey, comforting feel.  This isn't the kind of place you travel across town for, but it is the kind of place that's nice to have in your neighborhood... especially on half price wine night.

Second Thoughts from B

I really admire the hosts of various food/cooking shows.  How many different ways can you describe food day in and day out?  My personal challenge is not only to describe yet another satisfying salmon dish, but do so without echoing J.  After all, this section is entitled, "second thoughts" not "rehashed thoughts" from B...

Let's see... when I think of Veranda on P, what comes to mind?  Pleasant patio dining interrupted by a downpour.  Check.  Cozy, homey, European feeling to the dining room.  Check.  Not particularly inventive but certainly satisfying fare.  Check.  Neighborhood favorite but not necessarily a dining destination.  Check.

I'm racking my brain and not a single original thought comes to mind.  J pretty much covered it.  So as Forrest Gump would say, "That's all I have to say about that."