On Nothing Much
| Cathal Armstrong
The Tasting Room
The Bistro
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RAMMY and Eve The food obsessed like me find sport in bickering over which restaurant is the best around. A few weeks ago, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington weighed in on the matter. At its 28th Annual Restaurant Awards Gala, the Association awarded its 2009 RAMMY award for Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year to Restaurant Eve, our South Pitt Street neighbor. For those of you familiar with upmarket area restaurants, Restaurant Eve rose above 2941 in Falls Church, Blue Duck Tavern at the Park Hyatt in Washington’s West End, Michel Richard Citronelle at the Latham Hotel in Georgetown, and Vermilion on King Street in Old Town. The Association celebrates its 90th anniversary next year, and its 650 members likely know a thing or two about pleasing hungry folk. I think the group got it right in crowning Restaurant Eve as this year’s best of the fest, joining recent honorees CityZen, Maestro, Ristorante Tosca, Marcel’s, Kinkead’s, Citronelle, I Ricchi, and 1789. Under the helm of Dublin-born owner-chef Cathal Armstrong and his restaurateur-wife Meshelle, Restaurant Eve seeks to showcase modern American cooking with traditional French influences and locally sourced ingredients. Interestingly, Restaurant Eve offers three distinct experiences. Locals congregate in the Lounge and knock back cocktails that barmy mixologist Todd Thrasher designs for PX and Eamonns – Restaurant Eve’s upstairs/downstairs swank/swell Yank-speakeasy/Brit-chipper conjoined half-siblings located a few blocks down the street. Thrasher, who also serves as Restaurant Eve’s sommelier, crafts drinks with uncommon spirits, hand-squeezed juices, house-made bitters and tonics, and classically architected ice cubes. A libation at Restaurant Eve has the power to transport you both backwards and forwards in time in a single swallow, with a nod to the past and a wink to the future. The Bistro, which offers less formal à la carte dining, and the Chef’s Tasting Room, which offers more formal prix fixe tasting menus, form the ying-yang that is Restaurant Eve. While the grub is terrific in the Bistro, it is the Tasting Room that garnered this year’s RAMMY and the other earned accolades. If you have a special occasion to celebrate, or simply enjoy grand dining, I commend the Tasting Room to you. I last visited the Tasting Room in early April and enjoyed a pleasant repast consisting of a trio of amuse-bouches served with a flute of Champagne; a first “Creation” course of sautéed moulard duck foie gras with huckleberry jam and brioche served with a 2004 Domaine Cazes Muscat from Rivesaltes, France; a second “Ocean” course of pan-seared Chesapeake rockfish with baby white asparagus purée, smoked ham hock and cipollini onions served with a 2006 Bodegas Catena Zapata Chardonnay from Mendoza, Argentina; a third “Sky” course of roasted squab with celery root purée, squab confit and squab spice jus served with a 2006 Acústic Celler Rhone Meritage from Monsant, Spain; a fourth “Age” course of blue cheese terrine with a pâté of dried fruits and a Sauternes reduction served with a 2002 La Rioja “Alta Viña” Alberdi Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain; a fifth “Eden” course of praline-crumb doughnuts with sautéed bananas and praline ice cream served with a 10-year aged Broadbent Malmsey Madeira from Portugal; and an assortment of small confections and candies to send us on our way. The only disappointment was the Madeira, as it wasn’t well paired with the dessert. I thought that a Tawny Port of equal age might have been a better match. But I’m not a big Madeira fan. The other weekend a friend recruited me to serve as wine boy and sous chef for a Spanish-themed dinner she was hosting. At her prodding, I chose two different Madeiras – one for the appetizers and another for the dessert – and both came up short. I had better luck with two wines from Prado Rey – a Verdejo and a Tempranillo. I love Spanish white wines, particularly Albariño (for those of you not familiar with this varietal, think Viognier without the sass or Chardonnay without the oak). But Verdejo (think dry Sauvignon Blanc on grapefruit steroids) is a nice change. If spot on wine pairings are important to you, then head over to CityZen, which has yummy food and took home the 2009 RAMMY for Wine & Beverage Program of the Year. Sommelier Andy Myers seduces you with Italian wines, and makes you love them against all reason. While food is the focus at Restaurant Eve, a note on the service seems warranted. It is more relaxed and less orchestrated than you might expect. Yes, there are lots of folks hovering about, and the staff swarms a table to deliver food like elsewhere, but you don’t have the relentless re-arranging of your tabletop like you get at CityZen or the tableside theatrics that you sometimes get at L’Auberge Chez François in Great Falls or a few other places. If you have a gross of sheckels set aside for a good meal with a friend and a few hours to spare, treat yourself to the excellent nibbles and sips at Restaurant Eve. For my part, I’m off to see what Anthony Chittum, the 2009 RAMMY Rising Culinary Star of the Year, is serving up at Vermilion. After all, it’s in the ‘hood and supposedly good. Drop me a note if you want to tag along.
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Brian
Lam On Nothing Much is a periodic feature of this website that considers life about us. I wish to thank those of you who are reading these postings and sending me notes of encouragement, gentle criticism, or otherwise. |
