422 replies to this topic

[Tweaked]

Just got back from an expense account lunch at Vidalia...and I wasn't picking up the check!

I like what they have done to the place, modern and sophisticated...and the food was damn good!

Started with the Grillades and Grits - braised veal cheeks with creamy grits, tasso ham, green onions, tomatoes and capers...the veal cheek was lovely and went well with the creamy grits, the capers gave a nice sharp counterpoint

Then went with the St. Mary's County Pork Tenderloin with pork belly, hog jowl bacon, savoy cabbage roll, braised greens, carolina gold rice, corned smithfield ham and old overholt rye pork jus...2 knobs of tenderloin wrapped in bacon, the tenderloin was perfectly pink inside...a nice cube of pork belly...the greens, rice and ham were wrapped in the cabbage roll...a very nice dish

dessert went with the lemon chess pie...very lemony and very sweet...but after veal cheeks, bacon wrapped tenderloin and pork belly...perhaps a bit too much decadence!

Vidalia is not cheap...but I was suitably impressed! Now I need a nap

[alan7147]

I had a great lunch (even better then Ceiba yesterday) at Vidalia today. I am surprised that here hasn't been more talk of it on this topic. The whole menu is available with a few items supplemented anywhere from $3 for a couple of appetizers and desserts to $12 for three crab cakes. I started with the five onion soup which was made with a duck stock and had caramelized onions,
Napa cabbage, duck confit and shiitake mushrooms accompanied by a sweet onion-cheddar crisp. Despite it being hot out this soup sounded so good to me that I had to order it and it did not disappoint (it was a $3 supp) Then I had the steak salad which contained seared prime beef (medium-rare) with ragout of wild mushrooms, summer vegetables, spinach, red onions, blue cheese and red wine-creole mustard vinaigrette. The beef was extremely tender and flavorful as were the wild mushrooms. Only gripe was that one of the slices was too fatty for my taste. My friend had a salad with goat cheese and the shrimp and grits which she enjoyed. We both had the trio of sorbets for desert. They were lemon, guava and blackberry and were a nice light end to a great meal.
Service was excellent as well. I hope some of you all will get to Vidalia this week. It is well worth the RW promotion.

[JLK]

Is anyone here associated with Vidalia? I ask because Vidalia's OpenTable.com profile makes it look like the restaurant isn't open on weekends. Typo.

Profile

Hours of Operation:
Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30am - 2:30pm
Dinner: Monday - Friday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm, Friday: 5:30pm - 10:30pm

[mdt]

Vidalia is one of a number of excellent restaurants (Equinox comes immediately to mind) that are rarely mentioned on any board.  It's really a by product of continually reinforcing the same restaurants which are "popular" on a particular board.  When was the last time Kinkead's was mentioned on here?  A dinner there two months ago showed this to be on the level of excellence when he was up for a Beard award.  Which Jeff Buben won at Vidalia!  Obelisk?  Has this really fallen from the heights of two years ago when it was the first answer on CH for a great Italian?  Or just that no one on this board has been in a while?  I suspect the latter.

There is a great deal of excellence and effort in the D. C. area that just hasn't been touched on.

Does a search not bring up Vidalia? I am pretty sure that Vidalia has been mentioned on this board as I know for a fact that several of us have been a couple of time. Obelisk has not been visited as there have been rumblings about it not being anywhere near where it was in the past.

[mdt]

yes it has 

I stand corrected. Obelisk

[Nadya]

Is anyone here associated with Vidalia?  I ask because Vidalia's OpenTable.com profile makes it look like the restaurant isn't open on weekends.  Typo.

Profile

I have it on good authority that Vidalia is indeed open on weekends, specifically on Saturday.

[jparrott]

And while we're at it, come to Vidalia and see me and two of my winemakers pour and schnook our wines at happy hour Tuesday, November 8!

Edited by jparrott, 13 October 2005 - 09:59 AM.

[Stretch]

And while we're at it, come to Vidalia and see me and two of my winemakers pour and schnook our wines at happy hour Tuesday, November 8!

Just out of interest, who is it, Jake?

[jparrott]

Anzill Adams (chief executive) and Simon Smith (winemaker) from Louisvale and Hannes Coetzee (assistant winemaker and son of Jan "Boland") from Vriesenhof. The same night at Vermilion is a dinner with Cathy Marshall of BWC and Rijk Melck of Muratie.

[CrescentFresh]

Three stars from Sietsema. Part of his three reviews on Sunday.

[Joe H]

Three stars from Sietsema. Part of his three reviews on Sunday.

From October 11th:

(Joe H @ Oct 11 2005, 05:49 PM) Vidalia is one of a number of excellent restaurants (Equinox comes immediately to mind) that are rarely mentioned on any board.  It's really a by product of continually reinforcing the same restaurants which are "popular" on a particular board.  When was the last time Kinkead's was mentioned on here?  A dinner there two months ago showed this to be on the level of excellence when he was up for a Beard award.  Which Jeff Buben won at Vidalia!  Obelisk?  Has this really fallen from the heights of two years ago when it was the first answer on CH for a great Italian?  Or just that no one on this board has been in a while?  I suspect the latter.

There is a great deal of excellence and effort in the D. C. area that just hasn't been touched on.

It was encouraging to see Tom give both Vidalia and Obelisk three stars. Both restaurants are excellent and rate the kind of attention they received on several boards three or four years ago. Obelisk is a quiet, personal restaurant well suited to a special evening. At its best, as in Italy, it presents exemplery ingredients simply and deliciously. It is reassuring to know that its chef-from its heights in the late 90's-is back. At one time Playboy called this one of Ameica's 50 best restaurants. He was the chef when this was published.

[DonRocks]

Three stars from Sietsema. Part of his three reviews on Sunday.

From Tom's review:

Better to launch with sushi-grade yellowtail, cut into rectangles, lightly dusted with crushed pumpkin seeds and placed atop two little salads of diced squash, apple and almond. One mound glistens with a scooplet of ginger-olive oil sorbet, the other is draped with a frothy curry sabayon dotted with caviar. Both are scrumptious

I tried this last night and it is a finely detailed piece of work. Expensive at $13.50 for a small portion, the cost can be mitigated by the bread basket: good brioche, cornbread and onion spread (the dry foccacia might have been an aberration).

Cheers,
Rocks.

[Banco]

From Tom's review:

I tried this last night and it is a finely detailed piece of work.  Expensive at $13.50 for a small portion, the cost can be mitigated by the bread basket:  good brioche, cornbread and onion spread (the dry foccacia might have been an aberration).

Cheers,
Rocks.

I had the crabcake from the bar menu yesterday and it was delicious. The breads were also head-turningly good. The little bar snacks were delightful. I wandered in out of the rain at about 4:20 yesterday, so they weren't really ready for me, but they made me feel welcome all the same. It's a beautiful space, and this will be my first choice for dinner the next time I want to indulge a bit (which of course will be very soon).

Edited to remove spelling errors worthy of Foster Brooks

Edited by Banco, 22 November 2005 - 02:32 PM.

[JLK]

Vidalia's dinner menu has been updated online.

Although I'm not a big salad eater, the dish that really sticks in my memory is this one:

House Cured Margret Duck Ham
with raw and roasted heirloom beets, market beans, mizuna,
blue goat cheese and cumin-tangerine vinaigrette 10.75

Fortunately my friend was very generous - I probably ate half the salad.

[Banco]

Vidalia's dinner menu has been updated online.

Well, that does it. I just made reservations for December 17.

[jparrott]

Probably the best restaurant in DC right now at its price point. Some of the plates can be a bit complicated, but the flavors and combinations are never forced. Doug Mohr oversees both a wine list that appeals to geeks and label-seekers alike (and, by way of disclosure, includes several wines that I import) and a service staff that is warm and engaging. Vidalia is the kind of place where diners can have either a private tete-a-tete or a slough-up feast with equally accomodating service.

[RJ Cooper]

Spring is here!!!!!!!!!!!!


The Mid Atlantic farms and coastal seaports are starting to produce.

Our team of culinarians have just transitioned the menu to spring foods.

We implamented the spring menu this weekend, with passover and easter falling in the same week, we were a little lighter then usual so the transition was smoother.

Some highlights:

"Pig in a Blanket", crisp tete de cochon with cheddar-rosemary bisuit, quail egg and red eye gravy.

Citrus cured hamachi with compressed charentais mellon and lychee puree, verjus sorbet

Foie gras terrine with rhubarb

The ever popular southern Cassoulet

Eastern Shore Black Bass

In May we will be starting our Friday night wine dinners in the Cellar.

Check out our web site for details.

www.vidaliadc.com

[Barbara]

Sounds absolutely lovely. And, let me be the first to welcome you to this motley crew.

[edstaut]

Amazing dinner last night. After getting royally screwed by Circle Bistro, look up that post, Vidalia was good enough to fit us in.
First thing I noticed on walking in, Vidalia smelled very nice, they had fresh cut flowers, and a pleasant but not overpowering perfume. The new spring menu was fantastic.
To start we shared the "pig in a blanket" which was an interesting deep freid crust filled with hamy bits, covered with a quail type egg and red eye gravy- very tasty, good combo of flavors and textures. We also had a side of the macn'cheese. I don't know how anyone could go to vidalia and not get the mac and cheese, the top part is crusty and good and the bottom if a little soupy is so rich with the ham bits in it. I'm drooling just writing about it. I also like how they use big macaroni, that are easy to stab with a fork.
I had a mint julep which although not quite minty enough for me, CAME OUT IN A SILVER/PEWTER JULEP CUP this is how you do it people! Real julep style, it was sweet but packed a punch.
For the mains we had, the lamb rib eye, perfectly cooked as ordered. A great piece of lamb with goood flavor. I had the steak rib eye, two ways, the filet portion was in a port reduction/peaunut? sauce that was AMAZING, the loin part had a bernaise sauce, and there was a green chimichurri in the middle between the two, great mix of flavors. With some very nice potatoes on the side. The standout dish had to be my godmothers Southern cassoulet. It was not traditional cassoulet but rather deconstructed. It was two pieces of pork loin served on top of a lima bean succatash with a sausage on the side- but it was amazing- I stole as many bites as I could. The sausage had a great flavour and consistency, the pork tasted almost like a spare rib type pork, and the beans were rich but also had a freshness to them that lightened the dish rather than weighing it down.
For desert we split the chocolate caremel tort- I'm not a big chocolate person but the ladies were agog over it. I focused on the cookies and cream, very light round caramalized sugar wafer cookies filled with a cofee flavored cream and a cube of espresso jello. AMAZING, great mix of textures and tastes, light and flufffy, but with a good crispness from the wafers. I also ordered tea with desert and it was some of the best tea I've ever had, the chamilie had visible hunks of fruits and herbs in it.

Great meal.

[Sthitch]

Wow, I have not been in more than a year. I won’t make that mistake again. Last night I took my parents and my wife to dinner. My mother was concerned about what she saw on the sample menu on-line. She did not believe that she would find anything that she liked. Her worries were misplaced. The meal was fantastic; the Amuse was a wonderful cup of light celery soup, served with a celery seed cracker. My father opted for the pea soup; he didn’t leave a drop of it behind. My wife had a salad, and raved about it, but to me it is just a salad so I did not pay much attention. I had the soft shell crabs. They were nicely cooked and fried in a tempura batter. My mother skipped the appetizer course.
For entrees my father and wife both ordered the Cassoulet. Expecting a traditional dish they were both amazed when it came out deconstructed. Every element was executed perfectly. The meats and sausages were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The butter beans were properly cooked with plenty of jowl bacon. I was almost jealous that I had not ordered this dish. My mother decided to go with the veal breast. It was rolled and slowly cooked. The meat was moist, tender, and intensely flavored. She called me this morning still raving about it. I decided to order a special called a “Steak Sandwich” which was a New York Strip served with a toasted slice of bread and cooked red peppers. The meat was the best strip I have had in this area; it rivaled many of the country’s great steak houses. The meat was far tenderer than I expect from this cut, and had all of the intensity of flavor that I expect from a strip. This was an unbelievably good steak, and to make things even better, they had not used a heavy hand in trimming the outer fat, so I got to enjoy a little bit of it with most bites of the lean.
We finished off with some wonderful cheeses that they offered and a chess pie that was simply stunning. Chef Cooper has really turned this place around, I think that it has surpassed its former glory, I cannot wait to return.

[jparrott]

What did you drink?

[Sthitch]

What did you drink?

2003 Les Cailloux, a young but stunning wine. I was happy that when I asked the Sommelier to recommend between the Les Cailloux and the same vintage Vieux Telegraphe that he actually recommended the less expensive bottle. While I loved ever minute of the Les Cailloux (and my father was stunned by it), I do wish I would have dropped the coin on the 1998 Telegraphe, as it is the wine that made me fall in love with CdP.

[Gus]

Has anyone tried the Tuesday-night wine tasting at Vidalia? What is it like? Does it tend to get very crowded? Should I (or is it possible to) make reservations?

[Capital Icebox]

Has anyone tried the Tuesday-night wine tasting at Vidalia? What is it like? Does it tend to get very crowded? Should I (or is it possible to) make reservations?

On Tuesdays, the Sommelier at Vidalia does a themed wine tasting, usually from 3-4 different bottles. The tastings are fun and informative and don't cost a thing. At the bar you can get more than a dozen wines for under $7 a glass from 5-7, or a 3 oz. pour for half that. And there are free bar snacks, like devilled eggs and country pate, plus a bar menu of discounted appetizers (go for the sweetbreads!).

This isn't limited to Tuesdays (except the free tasting) -- they have free snacks and discounted wines by the glass Monday through Friday, and there usually isn't anyone else at the bar. Now that it has shown up in Tom's chat and the Washingtonian Dirt Cheap Eats, though, that probably won't be the case for long.

(Post originally from the Tom S. chat thread, but in retrospect it belongs here.)

[jparrott]

It's not that crowded usually and you don't need reservations (nor are they taken for it).

[RJ Cooper]

We just fine tuned our summer menu that debuted on Saturday night.
Lunch has a $19.90 3 course tasting menu.
Dinner still offers $70.00 5 course.

Appetizers

Chesapeake Buster Crab Chowder
with whipple farm new potatoes,
applewood smoked bacon,
sweet corn and chives 14.75

Hummingbird Farm Cherry Tomatoes
with milk poached buffalo mozzarella,
country ham, jalapeño, purple
basil and tomato water 14.00

Chilled Cucumber and Yogurt Soup
with beet and fennel pollen cured sea
trout, vidalia onions, smoked steelhead
roe and rye brioche croutons 13.50

Marinated Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
with horseradish, coriander,
tomato, seaweed salad and
ginger vinaigrette 15.00

Pork ‘n’ Beans
with slow roasted berkshire pork
belly, braised broad beans and
lexington barbecue glaze 12.00

Smoked Diver Scallops
with summer corn prepared three ways,
wild rice, madagascar vanilla-infused
sea salt and cipollini onions 13.50

Crispy Veal Sweetbreads
with fleur de lys crayfish and
a modern sauce nantua 13.75

Whipple Farm Salad
organic lettuces with crisp market vegetables,
capers, fines herbs, applewood bacon, sheep’s milk
cheese, egg and mustard-verjus vinaigrette 12.00

Wild New Zealand King Fish
citrus cured with avocado, heirloom
beets, baby mizuna, black olive vinaigrette
and grapefruit-olive oil sorbet 13.50

Onion Sampler
roasted vidalia onion stuffed with wild
mushrooms, market onions and saba 12.75


Notice: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may
increase your risk of food related illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.

Entrees

Shrimp and Grits
sautéed “head on” gulf shrimp with
creamy grits, crayfish, tasso, scallions
and warm cherry tomato vinaigrette 29.75

One Two Hereford Beef
strip loin poached in butter and roasted with sea salt,
short ribs stuffed in cremini mushrooms with potato
boulangère, spinach purée and foie gras hollandaise 36.00

Tasmanian Sea Trout
braised in smoked butter with cucumbers,
fiery potatoes, chorizo, smoked steelhead
roe and matelote vinaigrette 29.00

Shenandoah Lamb
with strip loin, kidney, tortoloni
of braised breast, artichokes prepared
three ways and lemon compote 34.50

Roasted Eastern Shore Flounder
with sweet & sour heirloom radishes,
shallots, grapes, pursalane and
navarro verjus-verbena emulsion 28.50

Tuscarora Rabbit Saddle
stuffed with sweetbreads,
borlotti beans, candied baby
fennel and licorice powder 32.00

Roasted Wild Halibut
with lima bean ragout, honey
mushrooms, onion “glass” and
smoked ham hock emulsion 31.00

Smothered Chicken Sous Vide
bantam chicken braised in black pepper gravy
with summer root vegetables, hen o’ woods
mushrooms and rosemary cream biscuits 27.50

Vidalia's Vegetable Blue Plate
chef's daily selection of four composed
vegetable plates featuring local
and seasonal market produce 26.00

Farmers’ Quail
cornbread and pecan stuffed breast,
leg confit, sweet corn pudding and
chanterelle mushrooms 34.00

Sides
Baked Macaroni with Brad’s Goat Cheese and Summer Truffle 12.50
Sweet Corn Pudding with Herb-Garlic Popcorn 6.50
Braised Broad Beans with Smoked Pork Collar 5.50
Vidalia Onion Casserole with Smoked Bacon and Pecorino 6.75

7-8-06 Dinner

Chocolate, Chocolate
Warm Chocolate Souffle Cake
with coffee cocoa-nib ice cream, espresso
reduction and white chocolate foam 9.75
Silvano Garcia Dulce, Mourvedre, Jumilla, Spain 03’ 16.75

Chocolate Napoleon
layers of rich chocolate and caramel mousses with
tempered chocolate disks and caramel sauce 10.25
Cockburns 10 Year Tawny Port NV 16.25

From Orchards and Patches
Local Bing Cherries
with nancy’s camembert cheesecake,
pistachio biscotti and port reduction 9.75
Jonesy Old Tawny Port, Australia NV 13.25

Toigo Orchard White Peach
mille feuille with lavender sorbet, peach
wine gelée and crisp butter pastry 10.00
Mas de Bellevue, Muscat, Muscat de Lunel, France 04’ 14.00

Seasonal Fresh Berries
with chantilly cream or baked with sabayon 11.50
Flare Sparkling, Moscatel, Spain NV 15.00

From the Farms
Sweet Corn Chiboust
with bourbon glace and cracker jacks 9.50
Chamber’s Tokay, Muscadelle, Rutherglen, Australia NV 15.50

Sheep’s Milk Yogurt Panna Cotta
with watermelon soup and mint-cucumber granite 9.75
Vriesenhof Melelo, Red Muscat, Stellenbosch, S. Africa 05’ 15.75

Classics
Vidalia's Lemon Chess Pie
buttery crust filled with rich lemon custard
garnished with raspberries and sweet cream 9.25
Baumard, Chenin Blanc, Coteau du Layon, Loire, France 03’ 13.25

Georgia Pecan Pie
served warm with bourbon butterscotch,
praline ice cream and cocoa nib 9.75
Chamber’s Tokay, Muscadelle, Rutherglen, Australia NV 15.75

Triple Scoop
house made sorbets or ice cream
with crisp vanilla cookies 9.00
Flare Sparkling, Moscatel, Spain NV 12.50

Hope to see ya'll!!!!!!!!!!

The gracious staff of Vidalia

[DonRocks]

RJ, can you still cook off-menu for people here who want you to get super creative? What's the best way for people to request that, and how much does it normally cost?

Cheers,
Rocks.

[RJ Cooper]

Heck Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!

You can do it either way. Plan ahead and let us know when making a reservation, how many courses, dietary restrictions ect. or We can do it spontaneously. It is a minimum of 5 courses for $70.00 and an average of 12 bucks a course when adding on (depending on ingredients of course).

You can also put Doug and Mike to work pairing wines.

Lots of cool food in house now!!!!!!!!!!

Rocks I cant do that sea trout again. Only 1 time for your palate only.

[John Wabeck]

Heck Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!

You can do it either way. Plan ahead and let us know when making a reservation, how many courses, dietary restrictions ect. or We can do it spontaneously. It is a minimum of 5 courses for $70.00 and an average of 12 bucks a course when adding on (depending on ingredients of course).

You can also put Doug and Mike to work pairing wines.

Lots of cool food in house now!!!!!!!!!!

Rocks I cant do that sea trout again. Only 1 time for your palate only.

RJ...are you the man or what?

[Escoffier]

Heck Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!

You can do it either way. Plan ahead and let us know when making a reservation, how many courses, dietary restrictions ect. or We can do it spontaneously. It is a minimum of 5 courses for $70.00 and an average of 12 bucks a course when adding on (depending on ingredients of course).

You can also put Doug and Mike to work pairing wines.

Lots of cool food in house now!!!!!!!!!!

Rocks I cant do that sea trout again. Only 1 time for your palate only.

Now if Brenna is there, Grover and I will be there Saturday night. The carmelized onion spread...yum!

[Meaghan]

Chef RJ Cooper may be a dude on a bike and a comic, who in generous spirit will autograph a menu “Keep eating, fat [pick a noun],” after more than five hours of feeding you. He’s modest and fair-spoken at the table, gracefully disguising the intensity of his labors, making it all look second nature. I will say this, if you haven’t eaten at Vidalia in a while, you’re doing a disservice to yourself. I had to ask myself last night, where have I been? Why wasn’t I swiping my credit card here all this time? Why?!

Vidalia may be a culinary booty best known for shrimp and grits, corn bread, the buttery lust of southern tradition, but what’s most outstanding is less seen in the heart of Georgia. The raw courses and the lightly cooked; every piece of fish tastes clean and fresh and of the highest quality. The creativity and the way these plates dance and pair so perfectly with the wine in house; I would more expect this in San Francisco, Seattle, maybe Vancouver or a place I haven’t been. It’s my favorite kind of food in the world. Raw, Asian-influenced, artistic without too much complication...and along side the right wines, served at the right temperatures, poured by someone who really cares and is passionate about what they do? I couldn't wish for more.

I can’t tell you everything now because I need a day (to exercise and rest so I can go to CityZen later).

But until then, here’s is a window into my birthday celebration (this, a copy of the menu that awaited me at the table):

Happy Birthday Meaghan

Amuse Bouche
cucumbers, caviar
corn, morels

Raw
fluke, seaweed, ginger

Lightly Cooked
tuna, beans, peppers

Offal
foie gras, onion, saba

Shellfish
scallop, sweet pea, truffle

Finfish
taz trout, arugula, tomato

The Other White Meat
belly, barbeque

Pastures
lamb, eggplant, lemon

Cheese
surprise

Dessert
peach, lavender

chocolate

Mignardises

Doug Mohr, the sommelier, is of the nicest, most professional guys in town. I felt like he genuinely respected me, showing me and talking to ME (not like a dummy) about his wine picks. I'm going to have to consult with my dining companion to truly recollect every wine that I drank. The service was tremendous, and a number of the courses stood out as some of the best food I know. Thank you RJ and the gracious staff of Vidalia for making my birthday so damn special.

[Escoffier]

Chef RJ Cooper may be a dude on a bike and a comic, who in generous spirit will autograph a menu “Keep eating, fat [pick a noun],” after more than five hours of feeding you. He’s modest and fair-spoken at the table, gracefully disguising the intensity of his labors, making it all look second nature. I will say this, if you haven’t eaten at Vidalia in a while, you’re doing a disservice to yourself. I had to ask myself last night, where have I been? Why wasn’t I swiping my credit card here all this time? Why?!

Vidalia may be a culinary booty best known for shrimp and grits, corn bread, the buttery lust of southern tradition, but what’s most outstanding is less seen in the heart of Georgia. The raw courses and the lightly cooked; every piece of fish tastes clean and fresh and of the highest quality. The creativity and the way these plates dance and pair so perfectly with the wine in house; I would more expect this in San Francisco, Seattle, maybe Vancouver or a place I haven’t been. It’s my favorite kind of food in the world. Raw, Asian-influenced, artistic without too much complication...and along side the right wines, served at the right temperatures, poured by someone who really cares and is passionate about what they do? I couldn't wish for more.

Ah, so that was you and your better(?) half across from us on Saturday night. We did exactly the same tasting menu but followed that with a visit to RJ in the kitchen. A most amazing dinner. The wine/course pairings were outstanding. I couldn't believe when we left that I had eaten that much food, drank that much wine and felt so good being over-stuffed. The pacing was exactly right, and the food...well, what can I say that would be more descriptive than the above? All told, a great dinner with great service from Brenna our favorite Vidalia server.

[Escoffier]

I was there on Friday, actually. I think would have requested to move if you were across from me!

Only if you got between us and the great food...I find the service at Vidalia is excellent. It seems everyone is out to make your experience the best it can be. The service (along with the food) keeps us going back. A shame you weren't there on Saturday, we'd have raised a glass to your birthday...

[grover]

Escoffier and I had an excellent dinner and the service from Brenna was outstanding. We had the 5 course Chef's Tasting Menu.

Amuse Bouche
1. Tuna wrapped with thin cucumber and caviar topping

2. Corn soup with a morel mushroom piece. The plate was decorated with the corn husk and corn silk (it was very beautiful and creative)
The wine: Sparkling white wine (Napa Valley?)

Chef's Tasting menu

Sashimi of mid Atlantic Fluke with pole beans, marinated sweet peppers, yellow pepper gastrique and American osteria caviar
The wine: Godello, Val de Sil "Monte Novo", Valedeorras, Spain 2005 (very nice white wine)

La Belle Farm Foie Gras roasted and basted with vidalia onion broth, roasted heirloom onions, spiced plum puree, sage and white truffle infused saba
The wine: Mourvedre, Silvano Garcia "Dulce", Jumilla, Spain 2003 (sweet as dessert wine, I remember that it was Muscadette)

Mid Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna seared raw with wild arugula pesto, heirloom tomatoes and country olive tapenade
The wine: Lagrein Rose, Cantina Terlan, Alto Adige, Italy 2005 (it was a bit dark for a Rose but fabulous)

Merguez Wrapped Shenandoah Lamb Rib Eye with organic eggplant puree, almond-apricot pilaf, curry dust and meyer lemon-lamb jus
The wine: Nero d'Avola/Frappato, Planeta "Cerasuolo", Sicily, Italy 2003

For dessert: Chiboust of Davon Crest Farm Sweet Corn with caramelized corn, bourbon caramel and cracker jack
The wine: Muscadelle, Chamber's Tokay, Rutherglen, Australia NV

And as a final piece de'resistance: A chocolate bon bon

The wines matched with dishes perfectly. Thanks a million to the chef and Brenna.

[KeithA]

Tomorrow for lunch will be my first time to Vidalia. Any recommendations on what dishes should not be missed?

[DonRocks]

Tomorrow for lunch will be my first time to Vidalia. Any recommendations on what dishes should not be missed?

RJ's on vacation - you're going to get a line cook slinging shrimp and grits.

[Angelicatt]

RJ's on vacation - you're going to get a line cook slinging shrimp and grits.

Hey, one of those line cooks is my SO ...but he works at night.

[mdt]

Finished up restaurant week with an excellent dinner at Vidalia last night. Dinner started with the Pork 'n' Beans and the Fried Green Tomatoes. The pork belly was slow roasted and had a nice crispiness on the outside to contrast the creamy inside. I did not try the tomatoes, but they were given the thumbs up.

Dinner was the Tuscarora Pork Charcutière (tenderloin, country sausage, smoked ham hock with house made
sauerkraut, new potatoes and spicy pickle brine sauce robert) and Sorghum-Five Spice Glazed Duck Breast (with duck leg confit, forest mushrooms, wild rice and pickled cherry-ginger beer gastrique) which were excellent.

And to drink we had a bottle of '05 Avondale Pinotage. (Yes Jake, I do enjoy this wine!)

We shared a cheese plate before dessert that had a nice selection of 3 cheeses. For dessert we ordered the Lemon Chess Pie and Pecan Pie. Both were very good.

Not only did they have some special restaurant week drinks on the menu, but they had a selection of about 14 white and red wines that were all under $30/btl!

According to their web site, click, they have 20 wines for $7/glass until 7pm Monday-Friday.

[Mark Slater]

Berkshire pork belly and beans last night.......mmmmmmm.

[Demvtr]

I finished up Restaurant Week on 8/20 at Vidalia with a party of six, and while all of the dishes were either good or very good, the vichyssoise (which is not listed in the chef's post above or on the online menu) was excellent: cool, creamy, sweet, and full of chunks of apple and vegetables. If I hadn't been with my girlfriend's parents, I might have ordered it again for dessert.

As it was, I was more than satisfied with my lemon chess tart with sweet cream. The dessert cannot be compared on a one-for-one basis with Morrison-Clark's stop-the-presses lemon chess pie, because Vidalia's version is a tart, and thus has a higher pastry dough-to-lemon filling ratio than Morrison-Clark's pie. But Vidalia's lemon chess tart is still top-shelf.

[RJ Cooper]

I finished up Restaurant Week on 8/20 at Vidalia with a party of six, and while all of the dishes were either good or very good, the vichyssoise (which is not listed in the chef's post above or on the online menu) was excellent: cool, creamy, sweet, and full of chunks of apple and vegetables. If I hadn't been with my girlfriend's parents, I might have ordered it again for dessert.

As it was, I was more than satisfied with my lemon chess tart with sweet cream. The dessert cannot be compared on a one-for-one basis with Morrison-Clark's stop-the-presses lemon chess pie, because Vidalia's version is a tart, and thus has a higher pastry dough-to-lemon filling ratio than Morrison-Clark's pie. But Vidalia's lemon chess tart is still top-shelf.

We do the lemon chess tart only for restaurant week.......On our regular pastry menu we have our traditional lemon chess pie. Come in and try this pie its the best I have ever had.

[Sthitch]

We do the lemon chess tart only for restaurant week.......On our regular pastry menu we have our traditional lemon chess pie. Come in and try this pie its the best I have ever had.

My wife agrees. She loves that pie.

[treznor]

We do the lemon chess tart only for restaurant week.......On our regular pastry menu we have our traditional lemon chess pie. Come in and try this pie its the best I have ever had.

I absolutely agree. I've only been in to Vidalia once (we keep meaning to go back but don't get around to it), but I made certain to try the pie as I had heard it was wonderful. It lived up to everything I had heard about it, absolutely wonderful.

[DonRocks]

Announcing two new arrivals at Vidalia:

Bridgette Lynn Cooper, 3 pounds 5 ounces, 17 inches
Ava Josephine Cooper, 5 pounds 3 ounces, 17 1/2 inches

Born Thursday, September 7th, 9:53 PM at Sibley Hospital (4 weeks premature, but very healthy)

Congratulations R.J. and Judy! Your lives as you knew them have now ended.

[brr]

Announcing two new arrivals at Vidalia:

Bridgette Lynn Cooper, 3 pounds 5 ounces, 17 inches
Ava Josephine Cooper, 5 pounds 3 ounces, 17 1/2 inches

Born Thursday, September 7th, 9:53 PM at Sibley Hospital (4 weeks premature, but very healthy)

Congratulations R.J. and Judy! Your lives as you knew them have now ended.

Congratulations!! Having had two preemies at Sibley you can rest easy knowing they are in good hands....can't say enough good things about the nursing staff there

[RJ Cooper]

The chill of fall is in the air and we at Vidalia are busy coming up with our fall menu.

Posted is the new dinner menu do out Saturday night.

We will also be posting about our wine dinners. Stay tuned and check our web site. www.vidalidc.com

Happy Eatting.

RJ Cooper
Chef-Vidalia

Appetizers

Five Onion Soup
cabbage stuffed with duck sausage,
sweet garlic soubise and sweet onion
glass in a rich onion duck broth 12.00

Truffled Heirloom Potatoes
roasted with crispy pork belly,
garlic cream, shaved truffles and
juniper infused sea salt 14.50

Sweet and Spicy Cured Hamachi
molasses cured and seared raw with pear
almond kuri squash relish, date espresso
purée and ginger-olive oil sorbet 13.50

Hand Rolled Pumpkin Cavatelli
with crisp veal sweetbreads, chanterelle
mushrooms and sage butter fondue 13.00

Ducks in a Row
foie gras parfait, smithfield style
duck ham and duck rillettes 13.75

Steak & Egg Tartare
prime raw beef tartare with poached quail egg,
frisée bacon salad and toasted brioche 13.25

Chesapeake Oyster Toast
with globe artichokes, country ham, swiss chard, black
pepper brioche and champagne-chive emulsion 12.75

Whipple Farm Salad
organic lettuces with crisp market vegetables,
capers, fines herbs, applewood bacon, sheep’s milk
cheese, egg and mustard-verjus vinaigrette 12.00

Diver Scallops
chorizo crusted with cauliflower purée, roasted
cauliflower, olive leaf arugula and curry oil 13.50

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake
with chow chow relish, sweet potato chips,
spiced butternut squash and spicy crab aïoli 13.00

Flight of American Caviar
three selections of caviar with cured
salmon pavé, smoked trout parfait,
cornmeal blinis and crème fraîche 44.00



Notice: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may
increase your risk of food related illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.




Entrees

Shrimp and Grits
sautéed “head on” gulf shrimp with creamy
grits, davon crest farm chard, sweet onions,
scallions and crayfish-tasso emulsion 29.75

Hereford Beef Sirloin
pan roasted with yukon potato purée
and root beer braised short ribs layered with
cipollini onions and wild mushrooms 32.00

Trout in a Blanket
tasmanian sea trout wrapped in phyllo with herb
butter, crisp pork belly, honey cap mushrooms,
beluga lentils and pinot noir essence 29.00

Red Tail Venison Loin
with black pepper-brioche crust, heirloom
onions, huckleberry-horseradish purée,
chestnuts and venison-red wine reduction 33.00

Atlantic Black Bass
pan roasted with black-eyed peas, fennel,
oven roasted tomato-cuttlefish ragout and
roasted garlic fines herbes emulsion 29.50

Tuscarora Rabbit Loin
wrapped with applewood bacon, heirloom
pumpkin purée, crispy grits cake, chicory,
acorn marmalade and birch beer rabbit jus 32.00

Carolina Mountain Trout
deviled crab stuffing with fingerling sweet
potato-smoked surry sausage hash, arrow leaf
spinach purée and brown butter pecan emulsion 27.00

Suckling Pig
with amish braised red cabbage, peanut potato confit, pearl
onions, rye-cider gastrique and red wine apple butter 31.00

Vidalia's Vegetable Blue Plate
chef's daily selection of four composed
vegetable plates featuring local
and seasonal market produce 26.00

Farmer’s Farm Quail
with chestnut wild rice and apple
stuffing, boudin blanc, brussel sprouts,
blue plum mustard and rosemary 34.00

Sides
Baked Macaroni with Brad’s Goat Cheese and Shaved Truffles 14.50
Fall Mushrooms with Creamy Grits 6.50
Oyster and Applewood Bacon Hush Puppies 7.00
Sweet Potato Custard Soufflé with Glazed Pecans 6.25

9/23/06 Dinner

[JPW]

Announcing two new arrivals at Vidalia:

Bridgette Lynn Cooper, 3 pounds 5 ounces, 17 inches
Ava Josephine Cooper, 5 pounds 3 ounces, 17 1/2 inches

Born Thursday, September 7th, 9:53 PM at Sibley Hospital (4 weeks premature, but very healthy)

Congratulations R.J. and Judy! Your lives as you knew them have now ended.

Missed this the first time around, but I must say that this is a most excellent date on which to be born! Best to all.

PS - It's bad enough for me and I'm only outnumbered 2 to 1. 3 to 1? Dude, you're in trouble.

[DanielK]

Missed this the first time around, but I must say that this is a most excellent date on which to be born! Best to all.

PS - It's bad enough for me and I'm only outnumbered 2 to 1. 3 to 1? Dude, you're in trouble.

When you go from a one-on-one defense to a zone, that's a good sign of trouble ahead.

[RJ Cooper]

Okay Rockheads!!!!!!!!

I'll let you all in on a great new tradition at Vidalia. We have brought back or Friday night wine dinners.
They will start on October the 6th with the first dinner theme being "Old Vines, New Wines" taste of Spain.
A sparkling wine reception with canapes follwed by six courses to match the wine the Doug has chosen (see below) is a great way to spend a Friday night.

Our second dinner will be on the 20th of October and will be theme Parker's 90pt. Value meal, more details to come.

Cheers

2002 Gramona "Grand Cuvee", Cava, Penedes
2004 Lusco Do Mino, Albarino, Rias Baixas
2004 Naia "Naia Des", Verdejo, Reuda
2000 Costers Del Siurana "Dolc De L' Obac", Priorat
1996 Muga "Prado Enea" Gran Reserva, Rioja
2003 Clos Erasmus "Laurel", Priorat

[RJ Cooper]

And the Menu for the dinner







Old Vines & New Wines of Spain
Friday, October 6th, 2006


Reception with Passed Hors d’Oeuvres
2002Gramona “Grand Cuvee”, Cava, Penedes

Amuse Bouche
Pinenut Risotto
with snail ragout and smoked bacon emulsion

First Course
Sea Urchin Panna Cotta
with cold poached chesapeake oyster, albino adriatic
caviar, sea beans annd albariño-meyer lemon emulsion
2004 Lusco Do Mino, Albariño, Rias Baixas

Second Course
Iberian Ham
with poached sekel pear, valdeon, honey
gastrique and almond-milk puree
2004 Naia “Naia Des”, Verdejo, Reuda

Third Course
Foie Gras
parfait with plum mustard, spiced pecan and blis sherry vinegar
beignet with blackberry-tellecherry peppercorn syrup
and white chocolate powder
2000 Costers Del Siurana “Dolc De L’ Obac, Priorat

Fourth Course
Squab Breast
with slate roasted chicken of the wood mushroom-gizzard brochette,
kennebeck potato dumplings and smoked chorizo consommé
1996 Muga “Prado Enea” Gran Reserva, Rioja

Fifth Course
Piedmontese Beef Strip Loin
with crispy chic pea cake, onion
glass and cocoa nib mole
2003 Clos Erasmus “Laurel” Priorat

Dessert
Giant White Chocolate-Honey Truffle
with vanilla yogurt, apricot sorbet and
macadamia nut crunch
2005 Casta Diva “Cosecha Miel”, Moscato, Alicante

Mignardises


RJ Cooper III-Chef de Cuisine
Jeff & Sallie Buben-Proprietors