FRENCH
Bastille
[$$$] Food: 8.4 / Ambience: 7.8 / Service: 7.8
1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria; 703-519-3776; www.bastillerestaurant.com.
Open for lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner daily, brunch Sunday.

Highs: Curried carrot emulsions
Lows: Dry key lime cheesecake
Share: Barboursville Octagon
Savor: Moroccan beer

“I think they make their own ketchup here,” a giddy patron posited as she pushed her plate of steak and frites toward her date for him to try.

I watched that couple shoo away any servers who dared try to retire the plate, the two blissfully plunging herb-flecked fries into the obviously engaging tomato sauce until their were no more spuds to be had.

Looks like someone’s got Heinz’s number.

Chef Christophe Poteaux continues to cook to the seasons, loosing carefully honed accompaniments (crispy garbanzo panisse, rhubarb gastriques) alongside handsomely prepared mains.

Deep-fried oysters arrive nestled in alternating beds of sour (lemon aioli) and sweet (diced piquillos).

Buttery chicken, its meat perfumed by herbs and moistened by pan juices, anchors a fricassee populated by browned garlic, asparagus and morels.

Blood orange compote takes sour cream cake for a wonderfully tart ride.

---

MODERN AMERICAN
Carlyle
[$$] Food: 8.0 / Ambience: 7.9 / Service: 8.1
4000 Campbell Ave., Arlington; 703-931-0777; www.greatamericanrestaurants.com.
Open for lunch Monday through Friday, dinner daily, late-night dining Tuesday through Saturday, brunch Saturday and Sunday.

Highs: Boozy white chocolate bread pudding
Lows: Long waits on weekends
Share: Hong Kong sea bass
Savor: Barbecue beef back ribs

I realize the laws of physics inhibit the creation of perpetual motion machines.

But I think Carlyle’s hyper-attentive team members come awfully damn close.

Servers and support staff are always hovering, ready to fetch that something extra (fresh drink, clean silverware, more Ozzie rolls) or retire that which you are ready to see go.

The restaurant continues to cherry pick star performers off its siblings’ menus (Lucky Lounge lemonade, Coastal Flats lobster roll), and reserves the right to test out in-development dishes at will.

Soy-glazed lamb chops (minced garlic adds piquancy) are teamed up with savory couscous (almonds, beets and currants lead the charge).

Sweet corn and cayenne-spiked cream sauce blanket shrimp floating around an island of lightly browned grits.

Airy banana mousse and candied vanilla wafers put a grown-up face—and a happy one, at that—on banana pudding.

---

MODERN AMERICAN
Tallula
[$$$] Food: 7.9 / Ambience: 7.9 / Service: 8.2
2761 Washington Blvd., Arlington; 703-778-5051; www.tallularestaurant.com.
Open for dinner daily, late-night dining Friday and Saturday, brunch Saturday and Sunday.

Highs: Sampling friendly wine list (3-, 6-, 10-ounce pours)
Lows: Pedestrian brunch offerings
Share: Cookies and confections plate
Savor: Rabbit pate

Long the charcuterie-happy arm of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Tallula now also boasts tantalizing pastas and seductive seafood numbers, courtesy of professional envelope-pusher chef Barry Koslow.

With that all his risk taking pay delicious dividends.

Seared scallops rise boldly against a backdrop of sweet corn polenta, zesty pepperonata and sumptuous basil oil, but retreat when challenged by a garden stew buttressed by pickled watermelon, sultry okra and fiery peppercorns.

Sautéed chard keeps the peace between braised goat and a sweet contingent formed by caramelized piquillo peppers, onions and raisins. But the pungent green cannot reel in a criminally over-salted ribeye married to woefully bland salsa verde.

Companions couldn’t resist a collection of bite-sized, childhood treats—snicker redux had crunch to spare; mini oatmeal cream pie was heavenly—whereas fruit-topped waffles lay untouched once relieved of their sugary payload (dough was dry).

---

MODERN AMERICAN
The Majestic
[$$] Food: 8.3 / Ambience: 7.8 / Service: 7.9
911 King St., Alexandria; 703-837-9117; www.majesticcafe.com.
Open for lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner daily.

Highs: Friendly service, forthright advice
Lows: Hard-to-claim bar stools
Share: Nana’s Sunday dinner
Savor: Signature coconut cake

If reimagined comfort food in cozy surroundings is what you seek, your destination must be the impeccably charming Majestic.

EatGoodFood Group asset chef Shannon Overmiller is not one to shy away from flights of fancy here and there—improvised gnocchi carbonara, potato dumplings awash in heavy cream, nutty Parmesan and terse black pepper was a lovely surprise—but crafts most menu items with seasonality and simplicity in mind.

One Mid-Atlantic medley swirls together golden potatoes, shredded crab, whole clams and ivory fish in a stew emboldened by Old Bay and saffron.

Beefy homemade meatloaf arrives drenched in pan-fried gravy, its accompanying greens beans embellished by caramelized onions and crumbled bacon (a homestyle home run).

Cornmeal pound cake is a real peach of a dessert. The sandwich-style sweet features grilled cake surrounding crisp slices of stone fruit cushioned by mint-spiked vanilla cream.

---

MODERN AMERICAN
Eventide
[$$$] Food: 8.1 / Ambience: 8.2 / Service: 7.7
3165 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-276-3165; www.eventiderestaurant.com.
Open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, brunch Sunday.

Highs: Escabeche scallops
Lows: Soggy waffles
Share: Chicken and dumplings
Savor: Locavore salad

Eventide’s happy hour following has thinned substantially (the jury’s still out on whether they’ve merely relocated to the rooftop deck or migrated to Spider Kelly’s next door).

But the almost-always booked, velvet-lined main sanctum—multiple pop-in attempts were thwarted by capacity crowds—would suggest serious diners know the goods when they taste them.

“As soon as I ring in your order, chef will fire up some fresh biscuits,” a sprightly server assures us as we relinquish our menus.

Sure enough, we’re soon rewarded with warm, salted buttermilk rounds that put cold baguette-slinging operations to shame.

Not that executive chef Miles Vaden gets absolutely everything right.

Bland pea and mint fritters drew blank stares from befuddled dining companions.

Squiggly gnocchi absorb a masterful lobster butter-roasted corn medley like greedy little sponges.

Sharp mustard and soothing onion marmalade play tug of war with a more-than-willing pork chop.

---

INTERNATIONAL
Brabo
[$$$] Food: 7.9 / Ambience: 8.0 / Service: 7.8
1600 King St., Alexandria; 703-894-3440; www.braborestaurant.com.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Highs: Cold Belgian brews
Lows: Over-salted sides
Share: Crispy frites with artisan mayos
Savor: Plump, wine-drenched mussels

“Take that back. I don’t want to eat all of it,” a companion warned me after inhaling a forkful of the divine lamb and carrot creation turned out by Robert Wiedmaier protégé and Brabo chef de cuisine Chris Watson.

I was only too happy to reel the dish back into my immediate dining orbit.

The décor is all about high-profile browns—chairs are wrapped in shimmering bronze pleather, random tables are bedecked in traditional butcher’s paper—and high visibility (bay windows spill sunlight all around, showcase bar puts cocktail crowd on display).

And while the kitchen obviously celebrates Belgian fare, the menu meanders quite liberally.

Seared beef sizzles beneath a sheen of shallot-spiked wine (vegetal sweetness and fruity spice boiled down to a gorgeous gravy).

Tender gnocchi and wild mushrooms buoy black pepper-crusted Chesapeake rockfish.

A multi-layered chocolate mousse cake reaches astonishngly sassy new heights courtesy of a snazzy, burnt orange-cardamom sauce.

---

AMERICAN
Ray’s the Steaks
[$$$] Food: 8.1 / Ambience: 7.8 / Service: 7.7
2300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-841-7297. Open for dinner daily.

Highs: Tartare-topped eggs
Lows: One hour-plus waits
Share: Sherry-cream mushrooms
Savor: Bacon-wrapped filet mignon

“Any vegetarians here tonight?” one would-be comedian asked his buds as Ray’s servers blanketed their table in thick-cut steaks.

Stick to your day job, junior.

Michael Landrum’s self-styled steak palace still packs ’em in, even after moving to much larger digs and bowing to the clarion call for reservations. Staff seems to have matured a bit (suit-clad wine pros), but clearly not too much (server’s note pad was pilfered from a Hard Rock Cafe).

Whip-smart chutney (mango leads, apricot follows, horseradish closes) delivers a bacon-scallop duo from derivativeness.

Texas sirloin—24 heart-pounding ounces of it—is glazed in bourbon-molasses sauce, the bold marinade commingling with the internal juices to form a spicy jus below.

Coconut custard, dried coconut and fresh strawberries play tug-of-tangy in a graham cracker crust.

---

MODERN AMERICAN
Rustico
[$$] Food: 8.3 / Ambience: 7.7 / Service: 7.5
827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria; 703-224-5051; www.rusticorestaurant.com.
Open for lunch Tuesday through Sunday, dinner and late-night dining daily.

Highs: Sample-slinging bar keeps
Lows: Shoulder-to-shoulder happy hours
Share: Meatball-laden pizza
Savor: Asian-style pork ribs

For a moment there I felt like Reese Witherspoon, watching a group of freshly minted ‘rents winding their way through Rustico’s bar with a tender tyke in tow.

Spare the sitter, spoil the child.

Between the smoking ban and overt camaraderie enjoyed by all at the beer haven, there really is no reason the whole family shouldn’t avail themselves of chef Steve Mannino’s innovative cuisine.

Cottony brioche struggles to contain a seafood feast of soft shell crab bolstered by sweet-and-sour cucumber relish and tangy avocado (Old Bay-sprinkled fries complete the experience).

Classic stroganoff gets reinterpreted via sautéed potato croquettes, sage sausage and button mushrooms submerged in a magnetic sour cream sauce, a cooked-to-order NY strip crowning the savory mix.

Roast chicken chews up the scenery in a double bill of dark meat-studded ragout (deepened by mushrooms and spinach) and cooked-till-crackling breast.

---

MODERN AMERICAN
The Wine Kitchen
[$] Food: 8.4 / Ambience: 7.4 / Service: 7.4
7 S. King St., Leesburg; 703-777-9463; www.thewinekitchen.com.
Open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, dinner Tuesday through Sunday, brunch Sunday.

Highs: Clever wine flights
Lows: Route 7 during rush hour
Share: Homemade charcuterie
Savor: Coq au vin

Wine Kitchen co-founder Jason Miller confirms that opening chef Chris Carey parted company with their group earlier this summer in order to attend to some personal issues.

Lucky for us, Carey left the restaurant in the more-than-capable hands of his successor, newly minted executive chef Matt Hess—a seasoned pro who has quickly put his own stamp on the playful menu.

One quirky addendum is the new taco night, a hump day celebration featuring grilled, homemade corn tortillas stuffed with braised short ribs, heirloom tomatoes, crumbled cotija cheese, creamy avocado sauce and French-fried onions (ole!).

Modified pho trades the traditional noodles, meats and bean sprouts for robust seafood broth—anchored by pepper-rubbed tilefish and tiny crayfish—vegetables (fresh basil, minced jalapenos and diced scallions) and basmati rice.

Fudgy chocolate cake balls are enveloped in sea salt-studded dark chocolate and drizzled with warm caramel (outstanding).

---

INTERNATIONAL
Chef Geoff’s
[$$] Food: 7.4 / Ambience: 7.8 / Service: 8.0
8045 Leesburg Pike, Vienna; 571-282-6003; www.chefgeoff.com.
Open for lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner daily, late-night dining Thursday through Saturday, brunch Sunday.

Highs: Bicep-straining supermugs
Lows: Cloying corn chowder
Share: Bacon-potato pizza
Savor: Shrimp and grits

Judging by the immutable throngs that swarm the not-at-all-small central bar at chef Geoff Tracy’s eponymous Vienna outpost, some might think folks in this town had never been to a proper happy hour.

And in this particular case, those skeptics may be right.

Tracy’s cooking my not set the world on fire, but his marketing savvy—read: extended happy hours every day of week—has certainly struck a chord with Tysons’ decompression-seeking work force.

Monster beers (all draft lines qualify for the nightly supermug promotion) serve as social lubricant and gateway drug to guilt-free grazing.

The Tysons burger hoists crispy onions, tender mushrooms and savory Gruyere atop seriously juicy, grilled beef.

Ancho chile-rubbed chicken is kept in check by smoky, apple-sweetened mole and sweet corn-filled cakes.

Cinnamon-sugar rolled puffs beg to be filled/dunked/swirled about in mini bowls brimming with milk chocolate pudding and tart raspberry jam.

---

ITALIAN
Ristorante Bonaroti
[$$$] Food: 7.4 / Ambience: 7.8 / Service: 7.8
428 Maple Ave. E., Vienna; 703-281-7550; www.ristorantebonaroti.com.
Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Highs: Sun-dried tomatoes
Lows: Turning shellfish
Share: Seafood specials
Savor: Lamb ravioli

As he flipped to the third page of his raggedy scratch pad, the debonair server wryly pleaded for us to stick with him.

“Wait, I’m almost half done,” he quipped while outlining the near-exhausting cavalcade of Bonaroti’s daily specials.

Each visit begins with breads and myriad accompaniments (sun-dried tomatoes, olive tapenade, butter, oil and balsamic).

Veal shows promise—loved the pleasantly acidic Bolognese—but gets dragged down by dry meatballs and too much truffle oil.

Crab-stuffed jumbo shrimp are deposited over champagne risotto and blanketed by luxe lobster sauce.

Mushroom-filled cannelloni are deluged in so much oh-so-delicious cream sauce, it seemed almost garish to request freshly grated Parmesan (in for a penny …).

---

MIDDLE EASTERN
Lebanese Taverna
[$$] Food: 7.6 / Ambience: 7.7 / Service: 7.4
Multiple NoVA locations; www.lebanesetaverna.com.
Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Highs: Learning new customs from staff
Lows: Lackluster lamb shank
Share: Eggplant in spicy tomato sauce
Savor: Broiled branzino over couscous

This mezze Mecca is solidifying its power base with astute business practices, from sustainable cooking (the entire chainlet now serves only holistically raised lamb) to reducing waste (their Arlington market is ground zero for a pilot, wholesale recycling project).

And that’s the stuff you don’t see.

One readily notable—and much appreciated—change is the nascent build-your-own hummus option, a mix-and-match alternative (outfit your homespun dip with around a dozen tantalizing embellishments) that makes custom sampling a snap.

Zahtar-rubbed rib chops are all lamb—each sanguine slice of velvety meat a celebration of the well-worth-the-wait, grass-fed existence—all the time.

A query about the homemade donuts precipitates a history lesson about how the rosewater-fried treats typically only appear in Lebanon around Halloween. Here, you can indulge in the teardrop-shaped fritters, liberally drizzled with saffron syrup and accompanied by honey-infused yogurt (wickedly tangy), whenever you like.

---

FRENCH
Bazin’s on Church
[$$$] Food: 7.5 / Ambience: 7.5 / Service: 7.7
111 Church St. NW, Vienna; 703-255-7212; www.bazinsonchurch.com.
Open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Tuesday through Sunday, brunch Sunday.

Highs: Stiff cocktails
Lows: Much-too-mild jerk chicken
Share: Crispy oysters
Savor: Blue cheese-crusted flatiron steak

“So, we’re coming back here tomorrow?” one woman asked her companion mid-way through their meal at Bazin’s.

“If that’s OK,” the somewhat puzzled friend replied.

“Sure! This is my favorite place!” the original questioner exclaimed.

While chef/owner Patrick Bazin’s cooking ontinues to turn heads, I’m most impressed by straight-shooting staffers unafraid to pan less-inspired menu items—“It’s just a bowl full of cheese and milk. You could make that at home,” one such meal saver warned—rather than sell me a bill of goods just to pad the check.

Potato-onion ravioli draped in lobster-studded cream and truffle oil dialed into all the right pleasure centers of this brain.

Fresh ricotta rains down some sweet on ultra savory meatballs steeped in crushed San Marzano tomatoes.

“Hot and cold” pudding summons alluring dark chocolate cream studded with fresh raspberries, all encased beneath a blowtorched sugar shell.

---

INTERNATIONAL
Café Renaissance
[$$$] Food: 7.5 / Ambience: 7.2 / Service: 7.9
163 Glyndon St., Vienna; 703-938-3311; www.caferenaissance.com.
Open for lunch Monday through Friday, dinner daily.

Highs: Complimentary Port
Lows: Trite sides
Share: Toasted almond-amaretto cake
Savor: Veal sweetbreads

During daylight hours, Renaissance remains the purview of cabin feverish retirees armed with dog-eared books and bird-like appetites.

But come nightfall, the clientele—and hands-on owner Saeed Abtahi—really come alive.

Abtahi doesn’t just oversee the tightly knit space, he works the room. He is not above flambéing bananas for silver-haired birthday girls, dispensing wine advice—“You want a sauvignon blanc for this season,” he informed the patron in search of a “nice, quiet white,”—or playfully ribbing his regulars (“You’re leaving us so soon? It hasn’t even been two hours!” he chides one departing pair).

Seafood cioppino summons shellfish and squid adrift in spicy tomato broth.

Chicken curls around a purse of spinach, shrimp and shiitakes, all drizzled in lobster-laden beurre blanc (majestic).

Overlapping scaloppinis of veal ride a wave of richness powered by sautéed mushrooms and brandied cream sauce.

---

ITALIAN
La Strada
[$$] Food: 8.0 / Ambience: 7.3 / Service: 7.3
1905 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-548-2592; www.lastrada-ontheave.com.
Open for dinner daily, brunch Saturday and Sunday.

Highs: Dining under the stars
Lows: Herb-clogged oil cruets
Share: Portobello arrosto
Savor: Pancetta-wrapped pork

Now that La Strada chef/owner Stephen Scott has carved up his menu into easy-to-digest solo and famiglia-sized portions, it’s quite commonplace to spot patrons economizing by splitting a dish here and there.

What surprised me was the nuclear family that hedged their bets by sharing salads and convincing their young’uns to feast on the same noodles, but then turned around and splurged on a bottle of their favorite Chianti.

Salud!

La Strada’s Italo-centric wine list is certainly worthy of deliberate examination, offering up gems from Puglia, Piemonte and other unheralded areas of the peninsula.

Fried eggplant and roasted bell peppers headline a “sandwich” bolstered by buttery prosciutto, milky mozzarella, fresh basil and bitter greens.

Veal ravioli are graced by a magnetic black truffle-wine reduction complemented by freshly shaved Parmesan.

Cappuccino-flavored custard dotted with summer berries walks the line between naughtily rich and refreshingly light.

---

INTERNATIONAL
Iron Bridge Wine Company
[$$] Food: 7.7 / Ambience: 7.4 / Service: 7.4
29 Main St., Warrenton; 540-349-9339; www.ironbridgewine.com.
Open for lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner daily.

Highs: Steak night
Lows: Directionless pizza
Share: Irish cheddar and beer fondue
Savor: Fried chicken-lobster mac combo

While no trip to Iron Bridge is really complete without sipping something new—a task aided by the addition of a revolving, cut-rate “mystery” red and white—I’m most pleased when my food also bears the stamp of fermented grapes.

I’m so Meta, I know.

The mixed-use restaurant obliges all kinds, from bargain seekers (3-for-$33 deal rewards those who start their week at Iron Bridge) to meat-and-potatoes enthusiasts (weekly steak night ushers forth massive cuts of beef and pork laden with goodies) to hopeless romantics (street view for two, coming right up).

Lemon-tarragon sauce brightens rosemary-crusted lamb chops, while creamy goat cheese fortifies a tower of shredded and baked potatoes.

Honeyed Marsala and wild mushrooms add gravitas to flash-grilled meatloaf.

Hyper-dense brownie gets buried beneath vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate and gooey caramel sauce in a surreal Eskimo bar.

---

SPANISH
Jaleo
[$$] Food: 7.9 / Ambience: 7.5 / Service: 7.1
2250-A Crystal Drive, Arlington; 703-413-8181; www.jaleo.com.
Open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Tuesday through Sunday, late-night dining Friday and Saturday, brunch Saturday and Sunday.

Highs: Exploring Spanish wines
Lows: Getting lost in the happy hour shuffle
Share: Iberico de Bellota paella
Savor: Scorched squid

“I’ve had three shrimp and a potato. I’m stuffed!” declared a wiry-looking woman who seemed intent on spending her remaining calories at the bodega’s weekly wine tasting.

Small plates sacked for big, fruity reds.

I get that.

The charm of Jaleo is its wonderful diversity. The popular tapas format makes mixing-and-matching contrasting yet complementary elements a breeze.

And the addition of the sensory savaging “Jose’s Way” selections—a half- dozen new recruits including fennel-apple salad, anchovy-stuffed olives shrouded in piquillo peppers and sherried Serrano ham paired with dulcet cantaloupe—should keep even veteran tasters on their gustatory toes.

Deep-fried stalks of honey-coated eggplant are garden freshness masquerading as carnival fare.

Shredded duck confit, roast breast and dreamy foie gras cream transform a molehill of rice into a mountain of carefully restrained decadence.

Fried egg, crisp chickpeas and spinach revel in a zesty Moorish stew.

<< Previous page |  Next page >>