Farrah Olivia

We had an unbelievable meal at Farrah Olivia. Surprise and delight at every turn. I wish I could show you some PICTURES of the fabulousness, but therein lies my one complaint. It was so dark in the restaurant that the photos would have required flash--an amenity not available on the iPhone and honestly, even if I had my camera with me, it would have been a little inappropriate. J claims that the restaurant wasn't THAT dark, but we were in a very dark little corner. I could barely read the menu, but it probably doesn't matter because everything is good. I gather the menu changes often, for what's seasonable, what's fresh, and what has Chef Morou come up with today?! This is a man who was on Iron Chef (v. Bobby Flay, if you're wondering).

First, the amuse bouche--we were surprised by a gratis amuse of tortilla soup served in a double shot glass. The soup was served warm and tasted like if you had blended a really good taco and strained it finely. A very nice way to kick off the meal.*

The white grits appetizer were like little fritters with a soft center, very tasty. The painted soup was half smoky black bean soup and squash soup in a ying-yang design. The soup was hearty while being very smooth and refined. The smokiness of the bean soup and the sweetness of the squash soup created a delicious balance when taken together on the spoon.

The quail stuffed with chorizo and cranberries was unbelievable. The meat was tender and flavorful, the stuffing delicious, and of course, it was probably BEAUTIFUL, but I could just make out its outline!!! J got the cured venison; according to our server, the venison is brined for hours before it is cooked. It was served medium-rare along with sweet potato truffles (sweetly coated balls of sweet potato) some caramelized vegetables and a chocolate curry sauce. All of the elements of the dish worked well together. This was J's first foray into venison, after a honeymoon full of elk and bison. He says he is now "a big fan."

With an amusing amuse, delightful starters, and expectation-blasting entrees, we had to have dessert. I mean, we were celebrating--it was the week before my last final...

The pumpkin cheesecake tasted like pumpkin pie filling with the texture of cheesecake. Not too sweet, the way some flavor-y cheesecakes come out, and very creamy and light.

The chocolate peanut tart was, well, a thin chocolate tart with peanuts. It was the shape of an oversized but skinny (really, short) Reese's peanut butter cup. It was definitely dense and rich chocolate, as opposed to too sweet, and it was served with peanut brittle.

At the end of the meal while receiving the check we were presented with a surprise trio of tiny treats. Two chocolate truffles (very rich and delicious), two raspberry fruit gels (like the faux sugar coated fruit slices), and two small shortbread cookies. We barely had any room left in our stomachs, but it would be rude of us NOT to eat them, right?

We will be back to Farrah Olivia very soon. It was a delicious meal, from beginning to the very, very end. It cost a bit more than our usual date nights out, but not that much--and the superior quality of the food and the service more than makes up for the price difference; in fact, it makes the other places seem overpriced and not worth it. I'd rather go out less and eat at places like Farrah Olivia instead!

Farrah Olivia
600 Franklin Street
Alexandria, VA
Metro: Blue or Yellow Line to King Street Station

*Mr. iEat wrote lots of this post.