Cook Like Mad

Image from the Restaurant Eve website

A short while ago, D and I went with a friend to Restaurant Eve for the friend’s birthday. Its a place we’ve been meaning to go to for some time, but as with other Alexandria, VA restaurants, it sometimes just feels too far away. Also as with other Alexandria restaurants, it’s the kind of place where you think you’ll be able to stroll in and get a table (at least in the bistro room), but in fact you’ll need to make a reservation 2 weeks in advance.

And they’ll remind you to be on time for your reservation, if you’re late. Normally, this is nothing unusual, as restaurants depend on diners honoring their reservations, plus or minus fifteen minutes. However, it’s more than unpleasant to be reminded not once, but twice, that your table “is booked for another party at 8:45.” Both when I called from the road, mentioning traffic due to construction, and when we sat down to our table, the hostess let us know this. In fact, she made a point of re-iterating it, stating, “Let me again say that this table is reserved for another party at 8:45. Now we won’t rush you, but expect you to be aware of this schedule.” Excuse me?? I couldn’t help but near-glare at this woman. Not to sound hokey, but we’re paying good money here! Cars run into traffic, things happen. Step down from your pedestal, and take that stick out of your…okay, I’m finished. Well, no, I’m not. One more thing about ‘Customer Service’- the Sommelier looks like a 22 year old frat boy. And us diners are onto you.

Now onto the food, which was scrumptious. The prices, which were often not.

To start, D had lobster and lemon ravioli, our friend had the housemade Charcuterie assortment, and I had the asparagus and crab salad. All utterly delicious, but the hefty price tags ($15-$20, each) made it harder to smile while swallowing. Sure the charcuterie platter was justified, but $20 for 3 small ravioli with god knows how little lobster and $15 for a pile of asparagus topped with 5 small chunks of lump crabmeat seems like a lot, especially when I can get my favorite crab soup at Rays the Steaks, teeming with crabmeat, for $3.75. The bread however, is a free, flavorful delight, and distracts from the prices with its assertive crust and well-proofed interior.

On to the entrees. D had duck breast, our friend had veal sweetbreads, and I had potato-crusted halibut. The halibut’s potato crust was only on the top side of the fish, keeping it crispy, which everyone thought was very smart. The dish felt harmonious, well executed, and light enough to feel healthy, but portioned well enough to be filling. An altogether yummy dish- not dream-worthy, but nice.

The sweetbreads are, however, in a class of their own. First of all, most restaurants shy away from an entree-size portion of these babies, but in fact, this is the perfect way to serve them. So may times you get sweetbreads and they’re overcooked because the chef diced them up into little nuggets for tapas or appetizers. I say, if you’re ordering sweetbreads, go big or go home. Served with morels and perfectly cooked (moist but not iffy- you know), the delicate sweetbreads were the highlight of the evening.

D’s duck was delicious, as were the desserts, namely a light coconut tart that had the best crust I’ve ever had in my life. Chef Armstrong- if you’re out there, I beg you to put this recipe on Eve’s website. The peanut butter and chocolate terrine was also commendably inventive, rich, and satisfying (not so fast- rich does not always equal satisfying, and all the best pastry chefs know and respect this).

One last thing- if it’s your birthday, let the staff know. They’ll toss you a free scone mix and a couple of fancy pats of pure Irish butter as you sign the check. The mix looks like it will produce 1 scone, but once out of the package, the volume of its contents is greater than you’d expect.

Bake them for 15 minutes at 375 and you’ve got yourself a nice slightly sweet treat (see above picture). I must say though, I’d rather have the typical free birthday dessert that most restaurants of this caliber bestow upon their celebrant, rather than a scone mix. Who wants to bake themselves a treat on their birthday? Call me old-fashioned, but I’m a graduate of the home economics school where we were taught that on your birthday, someone else bakes. Regardless, it was a very thoughtful (albeit unexciting) end to a very thoughtful meal.

Atmosphere: B+

Service: B-

Food: A

*Overall Experience: A-

*The Overall Experience is not an average of the first three components of the rating system.

-M

Posted May 5th, 2008 under Restaurants. Tags: alexandria restaurants, alexandria va, alexandria virginia, cathal armstrong, restaurant eve, va restaurants, virginia restaurants
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