Liberty Tavern...again

Yes, I have tried some new places. No, I can't tell you about them today. We must revisit the Lib Tav, because we just can't stay away. This is just your monthly (or so) reminder that Liberty Tavern is still consistently yummy, unlike some other less acceptable places in the neighborhood

Among other things, J had some crabcake sliders that were cute AND tasty.


I REALLY enjoyed what I billed as "the greenest salad ever." J hesitantly tried it and insisted that he "never knew green could taste this good." I believe it had pistachios, asparagus, chevre, green goddess dressing, and maybe more. What was on it isn't that important; it's not even available anymore, thanks to an ever-changing seasonal menu (that currently includes JOHNNY CAKES!!!!!). What's important is that it was awesome, and as per usual (save the dilemma of Sunday's buffet brunch), Lib Tav has some satisfied (and frequent) customers.


Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Liberty Tavern

Liberty Tavern is a new kid on the Clarendon block (or more appropriately, the Wilson block). Mrs. K (not of Tollhouse fame, but of restaurant recommendation fame) recommended this new corner spot for my next local dinner.

Although I was lucky enough to taste the summer menu on its last week, we are now in AUTUMN at LT, so I'll return soon for some of those delicious sounding dishes, including pumpkin ravioli--yummmm.

I started with the Clarendon Market Salad, which had pole beans, diced potato, greens, and goat cheese. The herb dressing had a very refreshing and light flavor, and it was GREEN! Yes!

For my main course I chose the Summer Pizza sans ham, because it was its last hurrah on the menu. Fontina and sweet and sticky figs made this pizza truly heavenly. There were some greens on top, so I guess that added a health factor, but I could've left them aside. Also, this pizza was HUGE. It was priced as a meal for one person, but I only ate about 1/3. J had a gnocchi appetizer that had tiny gnocchi pellets mixed in with veggies and other things I couldn't identify but liked the taste of. I know, very descriptive. If you want that kind of detail, see Mr. Sietsema--he's all class and I'm all sass, and that's just the way it is. J's dinner was the fish and chips--again with the REALLY generous portions! He liked it, which means they did a good job not messing up what's easy--fried food. Fried food tastes good, but it's not to die for. It's fried, and whatever you fry like that will basically taste the same.

Our service was attentive and not smothering, the space was--hmm, we sat outside, so it was lovely to watch the traffic of Wilson Blvd, and overall I had a great time. I had an allergic reaction later that caused me to delay the writing of this post, but as it turns out, NOTHING I ate at LT caused it. Yay, now I can return there soon.

Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Restaurant 3

Restaurant 3 is named such because it's the 3rd restaurant I'd go to if I was really hungry in the Clarendon area and wasn't allowed to go to Five Guys or Whole Foods. Maybe not, I'm not sure.

There's nothing wrong with Restaurant 3, it just annoys me because it's new and sort of snazzy looking, the food is okay but not fabulous, and it's on the pricier side for the quality of the food. Also, someone should do the owners a favor and steal that awful fluorescent "3" they've got hanging--it's totally out of place, and doesn't match their decor at all.

We started with the lettuce wraps of duck confit and bourbon molasses, which were actually very good--maybe the best part of the meal. The meat was very soft but almost drowning in the sauce, and its accompaniments were also very tasty (a crunchy salad mixture and nuts to wrap in the lettuce). Grilled brie with a side of grapes was pretty good, but the oil-saturated slices of toasted bread that came with it were unnecessary--not quite warm, and with an almost stale-like texture. I ended up just eating the brie with a fork in combo with the grapes, which I wish were colder for a greater contrast with the warm brie.

My dinner was okay, but I probably wouldn't order it again. The menu at Restaurant 3 just didn't call to me, it wasn't my style. I wasn't freaking out about ordering the way I usually do, wondering how in the world I'll be able to choose between choices X Y and Z which are all making my mouth water. I got the vegetarian croquettes, described as grit cakes with salsa verde. They were large, not too dense, yellow mounds of what seemed like cornmeal and some veggies and lots of butter, tasty, but I would have rather had ONE of them on the side of something else than two of them as a meal. I wasn't sure what to expect but went for it figuring I'd try it sooner or later. Plus, nothing else was really floating my boat.

J had better luck. He ordered the cider-brined pork chop, which came with a three-apple relish and deliiiiicious mashed potatoes (three potato mash). I guess that's the three theme going on.

We've already been back to Liberty Tavern for dinner, and will probably go again soon to try their brunch. R3 has yet to have iEat feet walk through the door again. We'll give it another chance eventually, but it just seemed like it wasn't really worth it.

Restaurant 3
2950 Clarendon Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Murky to Close and Move--New Clarendon Coffee on the Way!

Update: New coffee shop will be Bayou Bakery.

You know I wasn't the biggest fan anyway. But Murky Coffee is moving to DC under a new name, and the folks at Liberty Tavern are going to renovate the old space (which is apparently not ADA accessible because of the upstairs, hence the closed upstairs space...) and keep it as a coffee shop. I doubt it will be open in time for my last set of finals, but no matter what, I look forward to the new addition to the neighborhood (so long as it doesn't AT ALL resemble Murky even a TINY bit, besides the whole selling-coffee thing).

You aren't reading the article wrong. Murky requests our sensitivity to Murky people's feelings during the transition. Was anyone going to go in there and say BOO YAH! I GONNA ICE MY ESPRESSO ALL OVER THIS SPACE! (I guess somebody might do that. Tsk. Let's all be nice. That incident was so last summer.)

New Coffee Place
Coming soon to 3211 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

El Pollo Rico

Going to El Pollo Rico with my friend E made it obvious that sometime soon--VERY soon--we need to have an Orange Line Chicken Showdown between El Pollo Rico, Pio Pio, and that place that smells ridiculously delicious across from the Ballston mall parking deck.

The menu at EPR is easy, just decide if you want a quarter, half, or a whole chicken. Or two. Accompanied by a seasoned pro, I ordered the quarter chicken "with everything" and got a can (yes!) of CAFFEINE FREE Diet Coke, which you usually just don't find anywhere. The Everything included really delicious and HOT steak fries, a pile of coleslaw, and two sauces--one mayonnaise-based and one that was green and spicy.

My chicken was flavorful and delicious--I'm not the biggest fan of bones and all, so in a perfect world someone else would deconstruct for my leisurely consumption, but I was mentally prepared to go the distance, and I did.

My can of soda, quarter of a chicken, fries, and coleslaw cost a grand total of...$5.45. Right. And I was so full after (seeing as I had cleaned my plate), that I barely even wanted any dessert later! What kind of crazy is that?

By the time we left EPR, the line was out the door. 1/3 of the line was made up of Arlington County police offers. EPR is fast, cheap, delicious, and safe, too!

I had an allergic reaction last week and didn't want to report on my latest adventure until it was figured out--luckily, it wasn't anything I ate at Liberty Tavern. That review, as well as Restaurant 3, is coming up soon!

El Pollo Rico
932 N. Kenmore Street (Across from GMU Law)
Metro: Orange Line to Virginia Square

Boccato Gelato

I’m falling behind, I know. I have news on Corduroy’s new location (and still delicious food), another Liberty Tavern exploit, my first brunch at Vermillion, and others. But I have to say that Boccato Gelato is hands-down THE BEST thing to happen to Courthouse/Clarendon since I moved in two years ago. The Chocolate Hazelnut I had the other night had the smooth creamy goodness texture of a mousse that J ordered a few months ago—a mousse that I lusted over while staring disappointingly at my own choice.

Elisa, a pink flavor that tasted just like vanilla wafers, was among the new flavors we saw last night. I get the sense there will ALWAYS be something new. I tried Rice Pudding, too—it was OK, but not as good as the Chocolate Hazelnut. T had the Basil Lemon, and J2 had Oreo Biscotti. I wish I had the CH with the El Coco (coconut), but for YOUR sake, dear reader, I wanted to try something new.

You almost always get a little cookie with your gelato, and at almost $4 a pop for a small (two scoops, please get two different flavors to maximize your experience), these guys are making a killing. AND they are friendly. AND there seem to be pieces of a future espresso/coffee adventure in their future. Maybe that’s their plan to survive the winter? Cash only, too!

Boccato Gelato
2719 Wilson Blvd (Across from Whole Foods)
Metro: Orange Line to Courthouse