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Visions Restaurant
Rating Details »
Categories: American (New), Seafood [Edit]
4926 St Elmo AveBethesda, MD 20814
(301) 654-3737
Happy Hour @ Visions!
Daily Happy Hour 5-7 pm at Bar, 1/2 off Appetizers, Wines by Glass and More! Stop in and see Chef Tony or any of our staff!
- Hours:
Tue-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
17 reviews for Visions Restaurant
We went for Happy Hour and were quite satisfied. Our waiter was very attentive. We plan on going there again.
1. The mussels (especially the wine sauce) were outstanding.
2. The crayfish summer rolls were quite good.
3. The steak satay was excellent.
4. The wine list was expensive, so I went with the house wine.
A small group of us went to for a restaurant week lunch today, and I was disappointed.
My complaints...
- Our table wasn't ready when we arrived, even though we had a reservation
- We had to walk around the restaurant to find our waiter to give us our menus
- We didn't get to order or get our waters until 15 minutes after we were seated.
- The arrival of the appetizers happened over a course of 10 minutes. By the time some of us were done with our calamari, others were just starting on their corn soups and Caesar salads.
- I timed it: our appetizer plates were taken away almost ONE HOUR after we were seated.
- Our server never came around to ask how we were doing.
- Every time we had a request, we had to flag down our waiter, which usually took at least 5 minutes.
I try not to be "that woman" who complains about every little thing demanding to get her way. But I'm just stating the facts, and we had to wait a lot longer than usual. You can't blame it on unexpected numbers due to Restaurant Week, because this restaurant chose to participate and should prepare for it. We looked around the room, and everyone else seemed to be getting their food at a reasonable pace.
Our server apologized a lot and told us that the kitchen was really backed up. But the restaurant wasn't full, and they should expect to be able to accommodate for the people in their dining rooms.
As for the food, I was impressed by the corn soup (really zesty and spicy - loved it), the grilled salmon (very moist) and the plantains that came with it (delicious). Other than that, the calamari, creme brulee, Caesar salad...I've definitely had better elsewhere.
The presentation of the food was also very bland.
This restaurant experience reminded me a lot of my time at Lavandou http://www.yelp.com/bi..., which I was trying to forget.
I feel silly writing this review after reading Ina K.'s and Pete D.'s reviews. We had the exact same restaurant week experiences, but I feel all you yelpers should hear exactly what you are getting into. I normally forgive a lot during restaurant week, because most places are too packed to offer the same quality of service. I will preface all of this by saying there were only three other tables in the entire restaurant when we arrived. I will also preface this by saying I hate being "that girl" who complains and rants but "Really, Visions? Really?!"
We went for Bethesda restaurant week last night after hearing great things about the food at Visions. We were very cheerfully greeted by the one seemingly competent server in the place, and she kindly asked us where we would prefer to be seated. She told us that "Lover's Lane", as they called it, was a quieter, more private corridor where we could be seated. We agreed because we were duped by the marketing ploy, but really this is a skinny corner in the restaurant where they cram all the two tops...not very aesthetically pleasing. Not very comfortable. Not even "cozy." Strike 1.
Our restaurant week menu was printed with a dying ink cartridge and was extremely difficult to read. Difficult BUT it did not take us the 20 minutes the server gave us before he approached to even take our drink order! When he finally did saunter up, he ran away after we ordered the wine without letting us tell him we were ready to order our meals. Strike 2.
Another 15 minutes pass and another waiter comes up to very unapologetically tell us that they were out of the wine we ordered so we chose another one and waited some more. Again he unapologetically returned, and they were out yet again. When we finally correctly guessed at what wine they might have, we were served a warm pinot grigio which was left on our table with no wine cooler, ice bucket, etc. Strike 3-4.
At the one hour mark the appetizers arrived. We decided that after all of the debacles, the food had better blow us out of the water. It was meh. The boyf had an unimaginative Caesar with balsamic and I had the calamari which was more fried batter and less calamari. The sweet peppers and aioli sauce made it slightly better, but nothing impressive.
The entrees slowly trickled out and the boyf was pretty pleased with his crab cakes. The highlight was the accompanying curry sauce which was a surprisingly great match to the crab cakes. The rice, as he put it, "tasted like Rice-a-Roni." I ordered "Dad's Pasta" which sounded and smelled much better than it tasted. The sauce was not as flavorful as I would have liked and there was an awful lot of crab shell in there.
For dessert I had the fried plantains which were icky, super soggy, and cold as if they had been sitting for ages. I only ate the vanilla ice cream which came with it and even that was not the best. The boyf liked his Belgian chocolate creme brulee.
Since our two hour meter was rapidly running out, when the waiter dropped off our desserts we asked for the check. This was the only thing we got in a timely matter all night! Perhaps he overheard me joking that I was going to send the restaurant my parking ticket. It was absurd to think a weekday dinner in a not overly crowded place would take over 2 hours. Again he was quick on the check pick up as I am sure he was ready to get rid of us. The only redeeming aspect of the evening was that the waiter was bright enough not to charge us for our third-choice bottle of wine in order to salvage something of a tip. -1 Strike = 3 Strikes, still out.
First of all, we enjoyed our meal here, and nobody left unhappy. However, the ambience is not up to par for a place to take a date IMHO. Service was good, and the food was serviceable, but not as good as many restaurants I have eaten at recently. I ordered a crab mac & cheese that ended up having small flakes of crab in it, versus the large lump variety that it advertises on the menu. This was a disappointment to me. That being said, everyone else enjoyed their meals, and my parents from out of town would have given it another star, but I know better than they do that better restaurant options exist in the Bethesda/DC area.
Comment from Tony M. of
Visions Restaurant
8/31/2009
Really appreciate the comments, and I'm in the process of…
More »
Made a last minute reservation on a Saturday night on Opentable for 11 (early) for a birthday event. On the + side, the service was pretty good and the food across the board was excellent (any salmon dish, filet, ribeye...all were very good. The only downside is that the waiter started to seriously get a bit depressed about all of the items they were out of (only TWO ribeyes early on a Saturday night? No first wine choice?) Two of the salmon dishes were also undercooked but were quickly fixed. Still, I would likely make a return visit because the food was ultimately very good and I really enjoyed the service.
Update**
My original post had some major complaints about one particular server, but noted that the food was exceptional. See, there were some order issues with our bartender/server and it overwhelmed my review, making it impossible to focus on any of the other aspects of my dining experience. I have since been contacted by Chef Tony, the owner, who noted that said bartender/server nolonger works there (for other reasons, I presume). Now, I don't really have any complaints at all.
I should note that in my previous review, I also stated that I would be back as soon as this server left. The fact is, the restaurant was that good, but the server was that bad. Even despite our strange service experience, my dining companions and I had agreed that it was definitely worth another go in a few months because of the food quality. So, this will simply happen sooner than I had anticipated.
P.S. They have a gluten free menu (a major comeback point for my dining companion who can't digest wheat) and they'll make reasonable adjustments for other dietary restrictions.
I'm giving this restaurant 5 stars, but there needs to be a small caveat. Y'see, my wife contacted Chef Tony before my birthday and arranged a customized menu specifically for me. Now, first of all, how awesome is that??? But secondly, given that the meal I had was custom-tailored for me, it was hard not to love it. :)
The food was all very creative and both he and our waiter Carlos were extremely attentive. I wasn't sure who was responsible for the wine pairings but there were several wines we wanted to bring home with us afterwards! Unfortunately, I've made the mistake of waiting too long to post this review, so my recollections of the details of the meal are vague.
You owe it to yourself to visit this establishment while it's still waiting to be discovered. It won't be long!
Upon arrival, we were greeted and seated. We were given the regular menu, so I was curious where the Restaurant Week menus were. I stopped the server and they stated they were being printed. Not a problem, the server brings the menu out to us when they were ready. Since it's Restaurant Week, I was a little confused because the dessert section said $6.00/per. So I asked the server and it was a misprint. So we order our three courses (and I'll get to that in a second). The server who brought us water initially did not have their wardrobe ready. Were they not ready prior to opening for dinner? When we got our water, we asked for lemons. We over heard the server talking to someone in the kitchen and they mentioned they were out of lemons. So the server brings us limes, old, ripe limes. The skin was brown, so would you really serve these to your customers? In my opinion, you're better off not serving them at all. But most of all, you run out of lemons? Not just for water, but it appears they weren't 100% ready for dinner.
Appetizers were fried calamari with a lemon, butter aioli sauce and the other was mussels cooked in black beans, bacon, and tomatoes. The calamari had a "fried chicken" batter to it and the sauce was decent, nothing that stood out. The mussels were not over cooked, sauce was decent. However, I found a few bad tasting mussels, were these not fresh? It left a "sea" taste in my mouth, pretty unpleasant.
Entrees, yellow fin tuna stir-fry with white rice and crab mac-n-cheese with grilled zucchini. The tuna stir-fry was pretty good, until we saw a hair in it, yuck. The dish had chunks of tuna, vegetables, in a sesame, ginger, soy sauce. However, the tuna was ordered medium and most of the pieces were well done. The crab mac-n-cheese was salty. Cheese alone is already salty, so it might've been oversalted, not good, not recommended.
Desserts were tiramisu and chocolate creme brulee. The tiramisu was a huge piece and was good. Texture and the taste were done right, however a tad too much nutmeg and cinnamon sprinkled on top, at least for me. The chocolate creme brulee was so-so, I don't recommend this.
Recommend this place? Not really. I'd rather goto another bistro in the Bethesda area. The timing of the food was decent, but the time we were there, it felt like the place wasn't too clean nor did it have fresh food. The knives had some "leftovers" on it, the limes were brown, no lemons, mussels weren't fresh. Would we go back, no.
I was a little disappointed because of the great 4 and 5 stars and comments other Yelpers gave. To us, this was a solid 2 star, maybe 3 because the food was decent.
We had a lovely evening last weekend--the food alone was five stars.
As an appetizer, the filet mignon satay was very tasty and well-flavored; we immediately wished we'd ordered it as a main course. However, our regrets lasted barely two minutes, until the server brought our main dishes out...the scallops were large and perfectly cooked, while the seafood paella was rich and generously portioned. For dessert, the flourless chocolate cake was rich and moist; I got a taste of the sweet potato pie (verdict: although not chocolate-y enough for me, fresh and otherwise excellent) before my companion scarfed the rest down.
Since we live downtown, the restaurant's a bit out of the way--and Visions doesn't have the sleek ambiance of some of the city restaurants we frequent. But it does offer excellent dining, friendly servers, and a charismatic owner/chef; we'll be going back (and bringing friends) soon.
Visions is a great spot. Went for dinner last week. Tony/chef is visible and nice. Menu is interesting. Entrees are very reasonable and thoughtfully prepared.
My man had the Paella, which he raved about. I avoid mussels, so didn't sample it, but he ate everything but the shells. I had an unbelievable sesame coated asian tuna. Prepared perfectly over soba and greens. Really spectacular, and enough tuna to satisfy your tuna craving for quite some time.
If you live in this neighborhood, this place is far better in my mind and less expensive than Grapeseed. If you don't, make the trek. Parking is quite a bit easier than the other side of Old Georgetown, especially now.
Great meal from great local folks. You'll be back for more.
We visited Visions for lunch again recently, and sadly I also have to bump my star rating down to a 2.5. The main reason: the geriatric mesclun greens salad they served me. You know how you'll get those slimey, slightly blackened salad greens in the bottom of the bag when you leave salad in the 'fridge too long? Those bits with an earthy, rotten taste? I found quite a few of those in my salad. Not very pleasant - picked them out, left them on the side of my plate - which I'm sure my dining companion really enjoyed watching.
I ordered the filet mignon skewer again because it was so tasty last time. It was still pretty good, but actually different than the first time -chunkier, less savory pieces of beef on the second visit, but cooked perfectly. My dining companion shared some of her veggie panini and it was fairly unremarkable. Alright, it was bland. So much for first impressions.
So, there might be an issue with consistency here. I'd still like to check out Visions for dinner, and maybe give them another go and try some of their other lunch offerings. Maybe.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/13/2008
I echo the 3.5 rating for the affordable and tasty factors.
Like so many of the better, smaller,… Read more »
THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!!! THE FOOD IS GREAT!!! The service is perfect and the prices are more than fair. VERY reasonable!! By far the best meal in town. Chef Tony is not only a GREAT chef, but the customer service is outstanding!!!! I could eat here EVERY day!!! WOW!! Or should I say Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1st diner from 1 1/2 years ago returns.....the forgotten son!!!!!! Oh I've been back before and always impressed by Tony's presence and his great hands-on and homestyle cooking.....had arugula salad with gorgozolla and tasty thick perfectly cooked burger WITH PERFECT BUN
and yummy hand-cut steak fries that melt in your mouth
(oh yeah.....you know hand-cut when the shapes and pieces are all different and delectibly seasoned) In this day in age we must support the locals and Visions deservably so being one of the best owner-operators in Bethesda and the service was just fine!!!!!!!
One of my favorite things in life is to ask a chef to feed me, let them play, and see what they come up with. I often find myself wishing that more restaurants were in a position to offer that as a regular option.
Based on previous experience, I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed when I approached Chef Tony to design a tasting menu for my husband's birthday. His has been one of the few local menus that inspires us to want to return to a restaurant, and I was excited to see what he could do when given a blank canvas.
Even with high expectations, I was continually delighted with each course that was put out. The dishes were clever without being over the top or fussy, the flavors were complex without seeming overwhelming, and the wine pairings were spot on. Our entire meal was presented with a friendly flair that made us feel like we were part of an experience, and not just being fed by a stranger in the kitchen. Particularly in the D.C. area, I think that feeling of truly sharing a meal is too often lacking. I might have attributed that to the special evening, but it is something that stands out in my mind from our visit on New Years Eve, when they were super-busy, so my instinct is that it is something important to the chef, and I admire him for making it a priority.
We didn't need to be sold on Visions--we were fans going in--but our most recent experience has only made is more fond of the restaurant and we will surely go back again and again.
I know they can do better because I've had better. Unfortunately our meal was not as good as it could be and it was sort of embarrassing since I raved and raved about this place and made my dinning companion drive 20 minutes into Bethesda for what I'd say was a below average meal. The food felt oily and well, not something that I could not whip up in the kitchen myself better. Sigh. Maybe an off day.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/10/2008 First to Review
I would definitely recommend Visions to anyone wanting good food. There is no pretense to the food… Read more »
Probably more like a 3.5. Wife and I went there for a dinner on a weekday. We thought it was okay. Server was earnest, but not particularly self-possessed or competent. Food was alright. We're as big a fans as any of frequenting local owned establishments, but the food was just okay. Sorta creative, sorta well executed. Salmon, which server recommended and I asked for as medium, came out just a hair under well done and not particularly flavorful. Accompaniments were fine, but nothing to write home (or on yelp) about. Calamari was passable. Wife liked the roasted veggies on her couscous and I thought it was good, but nothing we'd come back for. Mind you, the food wasn't bad, it was reasonably priced, ambiance was fine, but I can't give it a rave review. All in all, I wish the owners chefs the best, but the food didn't leave me or my wife wanting more.
Had a very good meal here last night with some friends. Because it was Sunday we had the place to ourselves (or maybe that's not why? anyway, it was pleasant to be the only ones dining in the nice warm back room.) All of our entrees were very good, much better than average. The only complaint (from two of us) was...the salads! Mine was just mixed greens, my husband's something else, but we both thought they were substandard, boring, and not really fresh. There was absolutely nothing else in my salad but greens! Not even a hint of a scallion. It was kind of weird, actually, like someone in the kitchen just wasn't into salads or knew anything about preparing them. And the dressing was tasteless. That and the fact that we had to ask for bread with our meal (which was delivered to us cheerfully, but if we hadn't asked, we wouldn't have gotten it, and it was spongy and store-bought tasting) were the only wrong notes. The rest was delicious, and we will definitely go back. Just hope someone new is in charge of the salad department. And note to owner(s): whatever your particular views on serving bread with meals, most diners expect it, and it's really kind of not optional. And it should be GOOD bread; that's a really telling point about whether a restaurant is above average or not.
