Restaurant Eve
110 South Pitt Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703.706.0450
http://www.restauranteve.com
Nestled one block off of King St. in the heart of Olde Towne Alexandria, Restaurant Eve once again proved why it remains at the top of my favorite restaurant “short list.” Dining at Restaurant Eve is truly a complete sensory experience, with exquisite, yet approachable food, and service to match it.
One of the few downsides to dining at this fine establishment is the difficulty in obtaining a reservation. However, that is easily solved by picking an off night to go, such as a Tuesday evening. I was able to book a table in the ‘less formal’ yet still upscale ‘bistro’ about two weeks in advance. The other option, and typically even more exclusive, is dining in the Chefs tasting room, which is a five or nine course extravaganza. In the bistro, the menu is ala carte, but it is certainly not sub par in any way.
To begin our dining experience, my dining partner-in-crime and I started with the hand-cut tagliolini w/ clams and just a touch of cream sauce, and muscles paired with poached pairs in a buttery sauce. Before this even arrived, our waitress supplied us with freshly baked Ciabatta bread w/ homemade Irish butter. The bread was served warm, and was the perfect blend of crunchy crust on the outside, moist and chewy goodness on the inside. The butter itself was rich and smooth, but otherwise unremarkable.
My tagliolini was served al dente, which is usually my preference, but I think it could have used just a minute more. The noodles werent inedible, but they did leave the impression of being slightly undercooked. The sauce itself was bold yet subtle at the same time, tasting heavily of oregano, salt and light cream. Understandably, the clams were standard fare. My impression of the muscles is somewhat tainted by the smaller amount that I was able to steal away, but I have nothing but good things to say. The muscles themselves were fresh and quite large, and surprisingly paired well with the poached pairs.
The most surprising part of all were the portion sizes — each appetizer could have easily sufficed as a mean unto itself. Regarding the true entrees of the evening, I selected the rockfish served with a fiery lobster & spinach polenta, while my counterpart chose the roasted rack of lamb.
My fish was cooked p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y which, in my opinion, seems to be a dying art. It was crispy and delicious on the outside, yet juicy and yielding on the inside. However, it was by no means even approaching being dry or overcooked. The polenta was a delectible mixture of savory brown sugar and blazing red pepper. These flavors were augmented by the lobster and spinach, rather than the other way around. I was only able to sample the lamb, so comments are few; it was roasted to perfection with no further critique necessary. Portion sizes matched the appetizers perfectly, leaving you satiated, not stuffed.
Finally, we ended the evening with the lemon brulée and huckleberry compote. Personally, I would have enjoyed more of the huckleberry compote, and the sear on top was less crunchy than I have come to expect, but overall the brulée was satisfactory.
Ive droned on and on about the amazing tastes of the evening, but have failed to mention the first class service that accompanies every section of your visit, starting the moment you walk in the door. Quite possibly, the great service at Restaurant Eve seems even better when compared with the usually horribly service that you are afforded throughout the rest of the DC metro area, but that shouldnt diminish the fantastic experience provided by a top notch wait-staff. Either way, Restaurant Eve is still one of the best restaurants in the area, if not the country.
