The Zodiac Grill, Kentlands, Gaithersburg, MD

You walk in and think, ok, so far, so good. On a Monday night, a few folks there, soccer game on the telly, comforting 80's music wafting through the place... We ordered the calamari to start while we looked at the menu, along with a cosmo for me, sodas for the kiddos. The calamari arrived in a cool cone display with salad in the bottom and the calamari on top. It was yummy - the semi-spicy mayo sauce was just right and the calamari were tender. But at $8.95, it was approximately $0.50 per tentacle. But ok - it was maybe worth it. The cosmo, though, tasted like it was made from a mix. Ew. Not the cranberry/cointreau/vodka/lime concoction that I so look forward to. Oh well... Dinner for me was Cajun Jambalaya Pasta - pleasingly spicy but a little on the vinegary side; Annie had bowtie pasta with chicken that was ok but sorta bland; Mel had a Philly cheesesteak panini. Now anyone like Mel who was born in Philadelphia can't be expected to appreciate a cheesesteak prepared as a panini, so her tepid enthusiasm was perhaps not surprising. But still - a little disappointing all around. We're working on our rating system for this blog: thumbs up/thumbs down? Star rating? Fork rating? No, I think we're going with smiley/sad face ratings. This one, sadly, gets a sad face :-(