Restaurant Eve

Restaurant Eve is a special occasion place that was on my radar, along with The Inn at Little Washington, Minibar, and CityZen.  All we needed was a special occasion.  And we got one.  I love engagements, weddings, showers, babies...pretty much anything involving parties, presents, and food.  Although I left the idea open-ended, merely suggesting Eve among a worthy crowd, I basically steered us to the Tasting Room.  It's a risky move to take people out somewhere you've never been, but I felt like we really couldn't go wrong. 

Reservations for the Tasting Room can be made 2 months in advance.  For example, if it is October 15th, you can make a reservation as late as December 15th.  Within weeks of the good news, I booked us a table in October.  I called later to detail dietary restrictions and spell the names of the celebrated couple.  [That was the part where I referred to myself and J as "the garbage cans."  We'll try anything once, even "fluffy ocean."]

We did a 7-course menu, which was definitely perfect--I left full, but not pants-bursting stuffed.  The wine pairings seemed a little steep ($75, $85, and $95 to go with the 5, 7, or 9 course), and we ended up getting a bottle of Sauvignon Gris from Chile and later had a glass of champagne for a proper toast.  

I'll note that our pescatarian was served a lot of fish.  I was expecting at least a few more adventurous fishless vegetarian plates, but was surprised when yet another mini filet would appear.  Between us we ate all kinds of stuff, including pike, sturgeon, sashimi, lamb, sweetbreads, and the super amazing (maybe a table fan favorite) mushroom agnolotti.  The agnolotti was definitely my favorite, along with some of the tiny bites (more on that later). Three of us had beignets for dessert that were okay, but the chocolate-lover special requested the chocolate cake bar from the second menu above (actually, she just said "something with chocolate") and it was awesome.  Super rich, super chocolatey, and a large portion.  Made my beignets seem puny.  She shared, because she's wonderful.

The dining room was a bit warm, especially for a place noting that gentlemen will feel comfortable in ties & jackets.  Not without some air conditioning, they won't!  I'll also say that the service was pretty attentive, but kind of awkward.  With other tasting experiences, servers are coming and going, but usually the same person (or two) explains what each dish is when it comes out.  Swift, efficient, friendly, but unobtrusive (after all, you are likely celebrating).  We had different people coming and going, and it was just a little bit off.  Not bad, just not smooth and practiced. 

I liked everything.  Some things more than others; for example, I found the lamb to be meh.  It was very rare, but that's not a problem for me if the flavor is wow.  A palate cleansing red pepper sorbet was very interesting, in a good way.  The canapes and amouse bouche were also fun, but everything bigger than a bite lost that punch.  If I'm going out for a tasting menu, I want it to wow me.  Not confuse me, or interest me without being 100% delicious, but it should be delicious and intriguing.   It makes me think that Eve has the tasting menu for non-tasting menu people.  An adventure for the less adventurous.  Classic American cuisine, well-executed, yet not intimidating at all.  I didn't know I was so edgy, but I guess I am.  At least when it's going to be $100+ a person.

Overall, Eve is a great place to spoil someone.  The chocolate was printed with "Congratulations," and a little gift bag of take-home treats came out post-dessert.  The sunflower motif and gorgeous, colorful, patterned chargers make you just feel happy.  The pre-meal tastes and post-dessert cookies and bites were fun and welcome extras, and there were plenty.  Mini macarons, white chocolate clusters, and a chocolate/butterscotch/brittle-type triangle were on that final tiered serving tray.  I wanted them to be my end to every meal, forever.

My Totally Unscientific Tasting Menu Rankings
1. Komi
2. Citronelle
3. B&B Ristorante (does this count? It was all pasta...)
4. [Restaurant Eve, I think]
5. Volt
...
Makoto 
Town House

I liked and would recommend all of those Top 5, but it'll depend on the occasion and the audience.  I loved B&B for the great pastas and some truly interesting (and delicious) flavors.  My brother-in-law and sister had a less awesome B&B experience, where they felt like the pasta was the one thing they didn't love.  To which my response was:  WHAT?!? 

Citronelle is an institution, and Chef Richard is a genius.  It was also my first big tasting menu, so it has a special place in my heart.  Komi is hands-down the most incredible meal I've ever eaten. But if you're not too adventurous, you may be better off at Volt or Eve.  Not that Komi was so crazy, but  you're bound to have plates that truly surprise you.  I don't eat octopus and goat every day (but maybe I should).

Now I'll stop going on and on.  Restaurant Eve is a wonderful restaurant, and I'm glad that I went.  I just don't know how soon I'll be back.  If I had to pick one of the above to go to tomorrow, I'd choose Komi.


Restaurant Eve
110 South Pitt St
Alexandria, VA
Metro: Blue or Yellow Line to King Street Metro

Remember that time...

That I was really sad because I had to take the bar exam, and it kept me from blogging?

Well.  I PASSED.

Now for the real reason I wanted to tell you that: I celebrated with a DEEEEELICIOUS pumpkin custard and gingerbread crust PIE from The Dairy Godmother.  Thank you J, E, & C for being fabulous celebratory company!

I follow DG on Twitter, and there is no better way to give yourself a hankering for dessert than to get the early AM tweet with the flavor of the day.  Check out my pie.  I just ate the last slice for dinner this past Saturday.  You heard me right.  Dinner.

Eamonn's Dublin Chipper

"Thanks Be To Cod." That's the saying over at Eamonn's Dublin Chipper, one of way too many delicious places to eat in Old Town, Alexandria. We love Vermilion, Farrah Olivia (tear), The Majestic (same owners!), enjoyed 100 King, and let's not even talk about the shopping. OH the shopping.

ANYWAY! Eamonn's. The menu is small, the tables are few, and the food is fried. But don't let that scare you. There's nothing heavy about this fried food--although I can't speak to the desserts (fried Snickers or Milky Way, anyone?). You've got some protein options, including "Batter Sausage," which I'm guessing is...battered and fried, like everything else, but you've got to be CRAZY not to get good old fish and chips. I read all the Yelp, Urbanspoon, and Chowhound stuff about Eamonn's and decided we should get "small" cods--apparently the portions are unreliable, and often a small is the same as a large, but for $3 less. Also, with fries, I was sure there was no way we'd leave hungry.

The fish was super hot, super fresh--a crispy crunch on the outside, but flaky yet still moist white flesh within. And the fries were to die for. I mean chips! Keep in mind that this is a messy adventure. You won't get a plate, just your food in a paper bag, Dublin style (I guess?).  But we did get handwipes, which I totally kept in my purse in case of a future sinkless emergency.  Seating is limited, and the "outdoor" space isn't charming at all.  And FYI, the "smalls" were more than enough for both of us.  

To summarize: We had a great time here. We weren't expecting a sit-down fancy place, and so we enjoyed the yumtastic food that came to us with matching smiles. Would it be great to have plates, a long beer list, funky outdoor seating, and an amiable waitstaff (as opposed to the one dude who was perfectly friendly, but seemed more like he belonged at Urban Outfitters or something)? Sure it would! But we can do without. We'll definitely go back to Eamonn's the next time we're craving cod and chips.

Eamonn's Dublin Chipper
728 King Street
Metro: Blue and Yellow Lines to King Street

Dairy Godmother

You know I love Dairy Godmother. I told you so here. I follow them on Twitter, stay up to date on the flavor forecast, and even check out the custard cam to avoid lines.

So our President is at it again. He visited Dairy Godmother . Sort of like his visit to Ray's (as in, it's one of my favorite places), except this time he left ol' Joe at home and brought the girls instead. See some photos as re-tweeted from @DairyGodmother here.

The thing about both of these places is that they are ALREADY popular. They are ALREADY hits. You ALREADY wait in huge snaking lines at peak times to get what it is that you need and crave to continue living one more day (read: giant juicy not-totally-dead burger + creamy custard in interesting flavors).

So you already know you should go, but for the first time I tried something NEW at DG, and I've been thinking about it ever since I had it. Yes, have the flavor of the day (or at least a bite of someone else's). And yes, have the turtle sundae or the brownie sundae (brownie sundae is for extreme chocolate lovers ONLY). And definitely, most definitely have vanilla custard on whatever cobbler they have going on.

But also, have the flavor of YESTERDAY or maybe TWO days ago on a sandwich. This sandwich is not on cookies. Instead, it is about 2-3 inches of custard in between two slices of CAKE, frozen.

I had lemon meringue pie custard (crust and all) between two slices of yellow cake, and let me tell you...wow. Wow. WOW.

Oh, and bring your dog. They <3 the DG puppy pops. Dairy Godmother
2310 Mount Vernon Avenue
Del Ray
No, you can't take the Metro there (but you can take the motorcade)

Taverna Cretekou

When A asked me a month and a half in advance if I was free for dinner, I figured sure! Why not! Greek food, Old Town, all the good stuff.

Taverna Cretekou is right in the heart of Old Town, Alexandria--a lovely place that just doesn't have rent cheap enough to lure me that far from D.C. proper.

We started with an assortment of appetizers--spanikopita, hummus, tzatziki, and some grape leaves.

I got the Glossa Aegeou, flounder stuffed with spinach, feta, and pine nuts in a lemon and white wine sauce. The fish was fishy, which was weird for a mild white fish like flounder. The spinach/cheese delish tasted like it walked right out of an Eggs Florentine situation, but the floppy fish left much to be desired in texture, unfortunately.

My pals dug the Garides Cretekou, a casserole of prawns with tomato, garlic, and feta. A couple weeks later, B went back with her pops and he loooved the Arnaki Kikladitiko--braised lamb with black olives, red wine, and both (!) fresh AND sun-dried tomatoes.

My pals love this place, so I think I'll go back and get the Kotopoulo Lemonato--basically herb-y lemon-y chicken deliciousness (at least it sounds like it). The service is very friendly, the house white wine was yum, and we had a lovely time. I just picked the wrong thing, I think.

Taverna Cretekou
818 King Street
Alexandria, VA
Metro: Blue or Yellow Line to King Street

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.

Vermilion

I was pretty excited today when I read on Metrocurean that the folks from Neighborhood Restaurant Group are opening something up in D.C. Even though I'm not the biggest Rustico fan and I'm hot and cold with Tallula (also I can never remember how many L's there are and where they go, but that's not enough reason to hate, right?), I absolutely LOVE Evening Star and Vermilion, which is where we recently revisited.

Again, we had a great time. No problem getting seated right away with our reservation on a busy night (not always the case, even with a reservation), and we were surprised and delighted by a pretty, crunchy, AND juicy (is pretty most important?) amuse bouche of veggies, goat cheese, and pine nuts on a thick square cracker-y type apparatus.

Our starters were both really awesome in different ways. The chilled roasted red pepper soup was smooth as silk and had a smoky undertone, I wanted to lick the bowl it was so good. The heirloom tomato salad with goat cheese was colorful with both yellow and red sweet tomatoes. The table next to us got a complimentary one because the kitchen was busy, extending their wait time for their entrees. They liked it so much that they ordered another (to be put on their tab, of course).

For dinner I had the Scottish Salmon with peas, mushrooms, lemon zest, and pea-tendril pesto. Again, I love green, lemon, and anything to do with pesto, so this was a no-brainer. The salmon was fluffy and creamy, just the way I like it. Jeff's lamb kebab with artichokes two ways was surprising, there was traditional=seeming ground lamb shaped onto the kebab, and also lamb sausage. The Greek-inspired dish, while delicious, may not have been the best choice for J because he isn't super into artichokes. I was careful to eat most of them for him (I do what I can).

We (gasp!) didn't have dessert because we were meeting a friend for ice cream in town. Vermilion is a consistently beautiful, delicious, classy place to dine. I'll continue to go back, and you should too.

Vermilion
1120 King Street
Metro: Blue or Yellow Line to King Street

Evening Star Cafe - Brunch style

It's not a secret that we love Evening Star. With the darling restaurant's premier location (read: near Dairy Godmother), it's hard for us NOT to come back for more. Del Ray lacks the crazy crowdedness (and chain stores) of Old Town, and makes up for its tiny size with depth in the "charm" and "good eats" categories.

There's nothing crazy going on at brunch. They aren't reinventing the wheel. But what's done is done well, and consistently well. The Cinnamon-Apple French Toast is sweet (and gooey...and delicious...) but won't give you a toothache, and the Brisket and Eggs is the perfect solution for the person who sorta wants breakfast but also sorta wants lunch. My personal favorite is the Crabcake Eggs Benedict, partly because of all the colliding textures--smooth hollandaise sauce, soft poached eggs with silky yolks, crisp on the outside but delicate on the inside crabcake, and chewy English muffin to sop it all up. OK, I'm officially hungry.

The best part about Evening Star brunch? The slices of chocolate chip pumpkin bread that appeared on the table before our meal.

The worst? It's only on Sundays, people.

Evening Star Cafe
2000 Mount Vernon Ave
Alexandria, VA
Metro: Park it up, drivers!

Rustico

Rustico got some media over the summer because of their unique dessert, and we decided to check it out around that time. It was sort of late, around 10:30 or 11, and we thought we'd grab a drink and try a hopsicle. The enormous restaurant was mostly empty, but there were a few people at the bar. The hostess stand was deserted, and we weren't quite sure what to do. It turns out, after a certain point, no one is seated anymore and you just have to go to the bar. It was our first time there, and we weren't quite sure if they were actually open or on their way to closing, it was super awkward, and we went across the street to Buzz to cheer ourselves up with cupcakes (I recommend red velvet w/cream cheese frosting).

On our next visit, we actually ate!

I started with something but already forgot what it was. J says it was a salad, but it must have been pretty boring because...yeah...well...

J started with cream of cauliflower soup, and it was VERY thin--too thin. It wasn't bad, but I've made better at home. And I'm really not that good of a cook.

My pizza--white pizza with provolone, pecorino, mozzarella, fresh ricotta & basil pesto--was delicious. J said there was "too much cheese," which means, he's not really the type that would order a white pizza on his own free will. He had a small piece, and between us we only finished half of it. It made a great snack a few days later. I didn't think it was any better or worse than Faccia Luna, just bigger.

J got the pan seared scallops, which sat on top of sweet potato grits. The grits weren't nearly as good as they should have been, considering the name. I knew J wouldn't want them all--he had a few bites but left the rest to die.

Rustico is REALLY loud, and I knew that it was going to be loud before we got there. All I ask is that really loud places don't make me wait for different courses as if I'm in a nice relaxing restaurant. In Corduroy, waiting 20 minutes after my appetizer for my dinner is welcomed, as we linger over wine and conversation. At Rustico, as I'm straining to hear J over the general noise and temper-tantrum-throwing five-year-old next to us, I can't help but feel like I'd rather be somewhere--anywhere--else. Let it be known, I don't blame the kid. It was 8pm and she looked about 5, and she was probably starving, overtired, and overwhelmed by the loud bar/restaurant environment. Unfortunately, grandma and grandpa had no clue what to do--they were OBVIOUSLY not the parents, from the fit being thrown and the way it bubbled for over half hour before she was finally yanked out of the restaurant.

When we left sans dessert and headed across the street to Buzz, there was our little screamer, getting a cupcake from Grandma to shut her up (and end any chance of her understanding of Positive Rewards v. Getting What I Want For Being Bratty).

The service was OK, our server was a little flaky--she kept explaining how "out of it" she was, and how the computers were down.

They have a great beer list. But for the money, I definitely wasn't wowed. I'd rather go somewhere else.

Apparently the take-out can be fun--at least you can eat in the peace of your own home! Check out what the Post says about how the food held up.

Rustico
827 Slater's Lane
Alexandria, VA
Metro: None, it's on Slater's Lane

Fontaine Caffe

Caffe with TWO F's!!! My theory about the misspelling is that it wasn't out of ignorance, instead, it was intentional to make it easily findable by search engine. There are Fontaine Cafe's and Cafe Fontaine's, but only one Fontaine Caffe.

When I heard that a low-key creperie opened in Old Town, I was very curious. It has potential to be a must-go spot, but for now it's definitely skippable. It should be an adorable buzzing place that evokes a corner Parisian cafe, but instead it's awkwardly quiet (not much in people-watching) and inconsistent in the food department. Like it's French counterpart, the service was nothing to be proud of--just kidding, Paris! Don't hate me because I'm American.

Food-wise, I had parts of the Zenist (lentils, spinach, and tomatoes simmered in coriander coconut curry sauce) and the Moroccan (spinach and feta topped with mint-yogurt sauce). The Zenist was underwhelming in flavor and texture, it tasted like lumpy lukewarm mediocre lentil soup leaked onto a crepe. The crepe flavor didn't work well with the lentil mixture at all.

The Moroccan was DELISH and if I was forced to go back, I could eat that and be very happy. But I hope you aren't thirsty, because when you ask for water for the third time and finally get it, you may never get a refill. We all had a mug of (cold) French cider, which was pretty fun and different. But still, I want my agua!

E, what did you have and was it good?

J had the Washingtonian--steak and potatoes with a red wine mushroom sauce. His conclusion was that it was okay, but the large squares of steak weren't conducive to the crepe format...maybe thinly sliced or shredded would have worked out better. It required a fork, which pretty much sucks the fun out of being in a creperie.

Dessert was much better. But what creperie could possibly serve a "bad" dessert? The Marathon--nutella, peanut butter, and either banana and peanut butter--embodies all that is right with a sweet crepe. Mmmm. J had the Grand Chocolate, which had dark chocolate and praline mousse with chocolate sauce, was creamy, sweet, and totally decadent.

All of the sweet crepes look good, though--I'd love to try the marscapone and cherry, or the butter pecan (ice cream), poached pear, and cognac. Basically, I'd like to go there with 5 or 6 friends and share a bunch of desserts.

So to wrap up, it's not my first-stop in Old Town for dinner, but it's decent for dessert, if you aren't in the mood for frozen custard (Dairy Godmother).

Fontaine Caffe
119 S. Royal Street
Alexandria, VA
Metro: Blue or Yellow Line to King Street

Vermilion

"How's your lamb?"
"It's--fantastic."

J doesn't usually use such strong (yet favorable) language to describe his meals! Usually a nod and a smile with "it's good" suffices for him. But before we get to the lamb, let's start from the beginning.

Appetizers! J had the cream of cauliflower soup with seafood sausage. When his mostly empty bowl arrived with just the sausage and a floret or two of cauli, he seemed confused. Then, the server poured the very creamy soup out of a teensy teapot, and ta da! Soup. My salad was the Davon Crest Blend, greens with a blackberry vinaigrette, with two blackberries and two goat cheese fritters on the side. The fritters were divine, crunchy on the outside but creamy on the inside--still warm. I wish I could go to a happy hour and just get a basket of those with an ice cold beer. Mmmmm. Are you listening, Chef Chittum? Are you adding that basket to the bar menu?

Our main courses brought J French-cut pine nut crusted lamb with a sweet syrupy glaze, and a cucumber and onion salad on the side. Consider the opener a spoiler alert--he loved it. He then compared it to other things he'd eaten recently, as in, "That pork chop at Evening Star was really good, but this is way better," and also, "My steak? At Buck's? It was good. But this...this is...::eyes roll with pleasure::."

I read that a great thing about Vermilion is that if you are a vegetarian, you aren't confined to side dishes and appetizers. If my dish I hadn't existed, I probably would have went for the chicken, which I'm sure would have been good, but I didn't really feel like chicken. The caramelized gnocchi was a dream of gnocchi, caramelized onions, fresh herbs and olive oil, and oven-dried tomatoes. As a general rule for the past 23 years, I don't even LIKE tomatoes. But I believe that in a dish, every ingredient, every line of sauce is there for a reason, and in that dish it was just fabulous. Best of all, it was nice to have gnocchi without feeling like I needed to be rolled home after. Instead of being in a thick creamy sauce all goopy-like, my gnocchi definitely hit the sautee pan, and overall the dish was inventive, light, and fresh.

J noted that one dessert choice was obvious, because it had the "F" word. No, not that F word you dirty bunch. FIG. The goat's milk cheesecake with caramelized figs was airy and delightful. As fluffy and white as the cheesecake was, the nutella bombe was just the opposite. Described as "hazelnut anglaise, salted filberts & chocolate sorbet," to us it was small round thing of super dense and delicious chocolate, with some ignorable chocolate sorbet and nuts to its right. Leaving the accompaniments aside, that anglaise was delicious. J enjoyed scraping a bit of each dessert onto his fork and eating them together. So wild.

We've been heading back to Alexandria over and over recently, and admittedly this particular evening was inspired by The NY Times.

The atmosphere in Vermilion was nice--I knew if the lounge was crowded the first level could get loud and smoky, two things that would make me sad. Neither of those things occurred. It was slightly noisy, but I'm not convinced that being upstairs would have made a difference. The lighting was not too light or too dark, the red color (or "vermilion") throughout was warm and inviting, and the gas lamps were charming. The seating was funky, especially in the lounge--similar to Tallula, Vermilion's sister.

My only complaint is that the bathrooms did not match the dining room in the slightest. Not in color, class, or style. Outside, the warm red color and stylish decor ruled. Inside the bathroom were walls horizontally striped with a circus-y purple/yellow/blue and stall doors that were once covered in black paint, but were now chipping. Badly. Also, for some reason right inside the women's bathroom was an old chair that looked like 500 mothballs woven together.

A sure sign you've had a fabulous, mind-blowing meal is when you can't imagine not have dessert. Everything has been so incredible, that you are so curious about what's next that you must have it. It helps that our courses were perfectly spaced. We didn't starve between each course, but we were definitely not rushed or overwhelmed by too much food at once.

I almost forgot about my drink! My very delicious drink! I had a King Street Lemonade, a mix of Absolut Citron, lemons, mint, sugar and a splash of soda. It didn't taste at all of alcohol and had a great balance. Too many drinks I order have been tooth achingly sweet lately, but I could have had three or four of these--good thing I didn't.

So if you don't go into the bathroom, allow Chef Anthony Chittum to surprise and delight you with every bite you take. I'd like to go back to Vermilion soon, it's one of the best places we've been to in a while.

Vermilion
1120 King Street
Metro: Blue or Yellow Line to King Street

Evening Star Cafe - an evening in Del Ray

Because we once were huge fans of Tallula for brunch and Buzz bakery, it was only natural to head over to Del Ray to try out Evening Star (they are all part of the same group). Of course, it also came highly recommended by a friend who has impeccable taste.

As per usual, I had scoped out the menu online and hoped that it had been updated recently. I was very happy to see that it had, and the Grilled Watermelon salad was my first course. The listed ingredients are tatosi, mizuna, herbed goat cheese, and pine-nut brittle. I believe the first two were the greens. The salad was fantastic, with balanced flavors, sweetness and saltiness. I wish I could have a brick of the pine nut brittle! It was also nice to have some watermelon this summer--back home the summer meant cousins running around and a giant watermelon getting sliced up. For two people, a giant watermelon doesn't exactly make sense.

For J's first course, he ordered a special scallop appetizer (I now forget the contents) but actually received the bay scallops over gazpacho. The mistake was realized by us, but because he's a fan of tomatoes and it was a beautiful summer evening, he ate it anyway. The scallops were tasty but after a few bites of gazpacho he was done. It wasn't bad or anything, but it was a lot of gazpacho!

Dinner brought me the seared scallops and mashed potatoes. The scallops were delicious, great texture, nice and lightly seasoned, all good. The mashed potatoes were okay, nothing special. My new thing is if it's not that good, I stop eating it (may seem obvious to you, but a few months ago I would have eaten all of those mediocre mashed spuds!), so I barely touched them. J had the peach and apple cider glazed pork chop, which he said was deliciously fabulous.

The real treat is dessert. From what I'd heard, Evening Star's desserts were a little inconsistent. Rather than risk it, we walked over to Dairy Godmother for some delicious frozen custard. The flavor of the day was banana pudding! If I hadn't liked the flavor of the day, I may have gotten The Turtle (caramel and hot fudge) with vanilla ice cream.

The inside was pretty cute, but we sat outside so I already forgot what it looked like. Outdoor seating was comfortable, but the table furthest from the door felt neglected--they brought their check and credit card to the hostess table in an effort to get out of there quicker. I sensed they'd been waiting long, which is tough with antsy kids. Our server(s?) were cool and chatty, which I like.

We'll be back there (to BOTH places) very soon.

Evening Star Cafe
Dairy Godmother
Metro: Nope, it's in Del Ray, Alexandria