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Restaurant Eve, Old Town Alexandria - Chef Cathal Armstrong and GM Todd Thrasher - Closed Jun 2, 2018


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I’d say a few hot cocktails are showing up this week, The Peppermint “Paddy” and the return of the Cider Car is slated for this weekend.
The Peppermint "Paddy" is heaven! It should be listed on the dessert menu. Picture a tall glass filled with hot white chocolate and peppermint schnapps (I know I'm missing another alcohol in the mix) topped with rich chocolate foam so thick it could almost be mousse and sprinkled with crushed candy canes and altoids. Definitely not a drink for the diabetic.
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I’d say a few hot cocktails are showing up this week, The Peppermint “Paddy” and the return of the Cider Car is slated for this weekend.

The Cider Car is the perfect get-off-of-the-cold-sidewalk cocktail...exactly what the doctor ordered. About the only thing wrong with it is that the lemony laurel concoction is even better.

I've never had a cocktail before that sipped well through the entire meal, and both of these did.

Thrasher is a f*'n mixological genius.

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Some new items on the Bistro menu:

1. "Irish Stew" includes braised lamb shoulder and lamb chops (apparantly not a "stew" at all)

2. Duck breast, boudin noir and foie gras.

I wasn't able to try either one but will on the next few visits.

And, Todd has a mulled wine that really warms you up on a cold evening.

Oh and I forgot to mention that the bacon, egg and cheese salad is back.

Edited by Jacques Gastreaux
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I found myself in front of Restaurant Eve at lunch time today, with about an hour and a half till my next appointment. I stopped in, and was seated at a lovely table looking out at an enclosed terrace. This is a very beautiful space!

Even though I was alone, and not as dressed up as the other patrons (no denim, though), and didn't have a reservation, I was treated warmly by everyone. My server took good care of me.

I wanted to try one of each on the menu, but settled for the lobster bisque and the roasted chicken sandwich. The bisque was so perfect I wanted to lick the bowl at the end! Rich and creamy, tasting of lobster and cream without a lot of distracting other flavors. My sandwich was probably the best tasting sandwich I've ever had. The chicken breast was wonderfully seasoned and perfectly cooked, still moist and tender. It was surrounded by two slices of buttery toasted sourdough bread, and accompanied in the bread by very fresh mixed greens, tomato preserves, and mayonnaise. I'm not usually a mayo fan, but this mayo was really good!

I wasn't able to partake of the clever cocktails or wines, settling instead for a pot of Earl Grey tea that was just perfect on a cold wet afternoon.

I'm glad I got to taste a tiny bit of gastronomic epiphany, and I can't wait to go back with Mr. S for a more involved sampling of Chef Armstrong's special food.

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Oh and I forgot to mention that the bacon, egg and cheese salad is back.

It sure is and I enjoyed it (very much) for a late lunch today - it really hit the spot. What a wonderful combination of flavors - the sharpish cheese and the tangy vinaigrette were nicely balanced by the warm yolk oozing from a perfectly poached egg. Accompanied by a very nice pinot gris (the A to Z), it made for just the right pre-party (ugh, work event) meal.

Was also planning on the lickety-split lunch, but as JG mentions it's on hiatus (until February I was told). I did get to try it a few weeks ago and will concur that those mussels ARE absolutely worth the trip! I saw 3 bowls of them being consumed at the other end of the bar, which was buzzing!

3 more words: White Truffle Risotto.... :)

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For those of us who don't know, what does the Lickitiy Split entail ?

And by the way, thanks to this board (particularly Jacques' many enthusiatic posts) I knew just where to take my Mother-in-law during the her annual Thanksgiving inspection. Thanks Restaurant Eve I'm now gold and the envy of the brother-in-laws for the next year !

BD

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I had an absolutely fantastic meal in the bar area at Eve on Friday evening. The festivities were a complete "surprise" to me. Thanks to all who made it so special, especially crackers and "Camille-Beau." A picture of the "cake" is on the "whim" thread.

I want to sing the praises of the "Irish Stew" which is new to the Bistro menu. The quotation marks are well deserved. The "stew," starting from the bottom and working up, begins with a slab of braised lamb shoulder with a piece of kidney thrown in, some root vegetables with a rich lamb jus generously ladled on. Topping all of this are a couple of lamb rib chops perfectly medium rare. When Beau, who also had the "stew" went to attack one of his chops with a knife and fork I said, go right ahead, but I'm not standing on ceremony. I picked up my chop by its God-given handle and made short work of it. Beau, thoroughly chastised, gently put down his implements and attacked his cop as well. There was plenty of jus left for mopping up with bread. My only complaint about the "stew" is that I thought it more appropriate for an evening when the outside temperature is about 20 degrees lower. This dish both warms and fills you up. I'm going to add it to my "best of 2005" list.

I did get to taste a couple of bites of Camille's duck breast, boudin noir with foie gras. I may have to give that a try at the next opportunity.

And thanks to Chef, Nathan, Todd and the rest of staff for their rendition of the customary song.

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I was at Eve on Friday for the first time in, probably, a year. Great options at the bar to wet your whistle, and I bypassed the famous cocktails this time for some wine and Old Speckled Hen, which is not frequently seen on tap 'round these parts.

I had the Bacon Egg and Cheese salad at the bar. It was tasty, but nowhere near as good as the ones I recall having last year. goldenticket's summary earlier explains exactly why:

What a wonderful combination of flavors - the sharpish cheese and the tangy vinaigrette were nicely balanced by the warm yolk oozing from a perfectly poached egg. 

I completely agree with the description, and the hidden fault within it. There was no mention of the bacon. In fact there was barely any bacon on my plate. I recall last year these wonderfully chewy lardons with heft. The dish I had some tiny bacon crumbs, but nothing that brought the same level of joy that I had previously enjoyed.

I've been wondering why I haven't been there in so long. I'm convinced it's location. Working in DC and living in Arlington rarely has me going further south than Del Ray. On Friday, Eve was mobbed. At least the bar area was. It deserves to be like that all the time. But give us some more bacon!!!! :)

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Meat platter #5. Which consists of a slab of seared foie gras, a slab of pork belly confit, and a fan of slilced, rare, Canada goose breast, over braised red cabbage. ""Choucroute Garni."" Absolutely unbelievable. Ranks up there with the mourning doves. Of course, it's not every establishment that has access to Canada goose.

Edited to add: Oh yeah, and the place was packed with DR.com people this evening. Beau, ustreetguy, goldenticket +1. Great to see you'se all.

Edited by Jacques Gastreaux
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Winter at Restaurant Eve is great: braised and roasted meat, parsnips, crones, etc. One of my new favorites, though, is none of these. Instead, I'd like to give a shout for the latest version of the Chef's Bacon (actually, a tart ham hock vinaigrette) , Egg (poached), and Cheese (shaved Parmesan) salad, which is a disguised, deconstructed Caesar salad. What makes this dish special (as noted in an earlier post) is that when the egg yoke is punctured, oozing then into the vinaigrette, what was once tart becomes rich and luscious -- the perfect Caesar dressing.

Fun with lettuce -- who knew?

Beau

Edited by Camille-Beau
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The current iteration of bacon, egg and cheese salad has the bacon component in the dressing.  It is different from the prior version where the bacon was supplied by the ham lardons.

That's a pretty lame representation then. There was no pig flavor anywhere in my salad today. It was nice but in no way special.

Now the confit of pig bellly was amazing. Wow! That was amazing and well worth the seach for a parking space.

And the birthday cake was adorable and yummy.

No cider sidecar alas. I had something with pomegranites what was quite nice instead.

Jennifer

Edited by bookluvingbabe
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There is a subtle porkiness in the vinaigrette dressing. Personally, I really like the way the yolk from the egg cuts the tartness of the dressing and the flavors all tie together with the cheese. I think it is special. What other restaurant that you have been to lately commands you to mix the salad dressing up yourself right on the plate.

I don't think it is fair to compare the current iteration with its antecedent. They are two distinct salads. The only complaint I have is that there is unevenness with regard to the poached eggs. One night it will be perfect with plenty of runniness, the next, the egg will have been poached for just a bit too long, depriving the diner of sufficient liquid to make the dressing. Something that is easily fixed. (I must be loosing it, did I just argue in favor of raw eggs. When I was a kid, I would only eat my eggs scrambled and would not eat them if they were loose or runny)

edited to add: Wow, post #1,000.

Further edited to add: You could always ask for extra "bacon" and see what you get.

Edited by Jacques Gastreaux
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There is a subtle porkiness in the vinaigrette dressing.  Personally, I really like the way the yolk from the egg cuts the tartness of the dressing and the flavors all tie together with the cheese.  I think it is special.  What other restaurant that you have been to lately commands you to mix the salad dressing up yourself right on the plate. 

I don't think it is fair to compare the current iteration with its antecedent.  They are two distinct salads.  The only complaint I have is that there is unevenness with regard to the poached eggs.  One night it will be perfect with plenty of runniness, the next, the egg will have been poached for just a bit too long, depriving the diner of sufficient liquid to make the dressing.  Something that is easily fixed.  (I must be loosing it, did I just argue in favor of raw eggs.  When I was a kid, I would only eat my eggs scrambled and would not eat them if they were loose or runny)

Circle Bistro. Although the execution of the dish was a little lacking, as I noted here.

I'm just going to wait for the next iteration before I order it again. At this point we're probably just beating a dead pig.

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(I must be loosing it, did I just argue in favor of raw eggs.  When I was a kid, I would only eat my eggs scrambled and would not eat them if they were loose or runny)

Clearly, Jacques, your tastes are becoming more sophisticated over time. Relax and enjoy it. It happens.

Ain't nothing wrong with runny eggs. :)

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We're introducing my parents to the fabulousness that is Eve tonight -- tasting room...mmmmm...anything in particular we should be looking out for? Is the Pepperming Paddy still available? Can't wait!

Any preparation containing venision is likely to be outstanding. Also, if goose is available, go for it. Peppermint Paddy, iffy. If no peppermint paddies, see if they have cidercars available.

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We're introducing my parents to the fabulousness that is Eve tonight -- tasting room...mmmmm...anything in particular we should be looking out for? Is the Pepperming Paddy still available? Can't wait!

Please report back, as I will be in the tasting room tomorrow night!

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Our evening in the Tasting Room was an unmitigated parental hit! First, the servers remembered us from our previous appearances (I'm hoping that's a good thing!) and asked how we were doing, when we're getting married (we held our engagement dinner there), etc. -- VERY warm and welcoming. It felt like coming home :lol: We started with hors d'oeuvres -- a miniturrine with cod with cream and butter and garlic (wow -- rich and very hot [temperature-wise] and just perfect), a fried mushroom presentation that knocked my socks off, and one of our favorites, the deviled quails egg on brioche with caviar. A trio of perfection! Then we had a gift from the chef (Thanks, Cathal!) -- a winter squash veloute that I just fell head over heels for. I was threatening to go steal the pot from the kitchen -- it was amazing. Rich and hot and perfectly flavored, it was one of the best things I may have ever eaten! For starters, my dad got the boudin noir -- he said that Eve is the sort of place that if you're not sure about something (e.g., tripe, sweetbreads, etc.), you should try it here, because you'll never find it nicer anywhere else. At any rate, he said it was very good -- no regrets! My mom had the lobster creme brulee and loved every bite -- even the baby fennel, about which she had reservations when ordering. Craig had the foie gras en croute and was too busy savoring to talk much about it. I had the parsnip tartlet with 100-year-old balsamic vinegar. I enjoyed it, but if I had to choose again, I probably would have gone with the lobster. The tartlet was pleasant but not -- to me -- exciting.

Three of us had the gnocchi for the next course -- astounding. The gnocchi themselves were not at fluffy as, say, the lemon version Cathal paired earlier with the butter-poached lobster, but the leeks, I think they were, were transcendent, and the shaved black truffle was a real treat. The scent of this dish alone was a beautiful, beautiful thing :) The nongnocchian got something that I'm not remembering right now B) I'll update this post if I remember...

For the "main," three of us got the venison, and my mom got the goose -- she'd never had Christmas goose before. She liked it very much, but I think she wasn't expecting, for whatever reason, for it to be so much like duck. She cleaned her plate, though, and was smiling the whole time. The venison was fabulous. It was perfectly cooked, and the accompaniment (drawing a blank, unfortunately) was divine -- the Roquefort was an amazing touch, and even I, who am not a big fan of blue cheese, thought it was a highlight of the dish. It was perfect with the venison. Mom's foie gras brussels sprouts were a real hit with her -- unfortunately, none were shared! :)

We decided, there being four of us, to get the entire cheese plate. It was a lovely selection, and I think my mom in particular was surprised by some of the ones she liked. She in particular enjoyed the Shropshire blue. I loved the Dutch-Irish cheese, and the brie de meaux disappeared rather quickly. The Roquefort was also enjoyed. They were out of the Ewe 4 O, but they gave us larger slices of the eleven (!) cheeses they did have. Unfortunately, we were unable to finish all the cheese, but the delicious bread, quince paste, fig with almonds, and, of course, cardamom-soaked apricots, somehow disappeared...

Another gift from the chef followed -- orange custard with a slice of shortbread. I do not generally like oranges -- childhood trauma :o -- but I devoured every scrap of this custard. Yum.

For dessert, we all had different selections. My mom got the warm spice cake with quince. She says that it was nice -- though perhaps not her favorite course. Dad had the pineapple upside-down cake with coconut ice cream -- wonderful. Craig had the tangerine tartlet, and I bowed to my deepest desires and got the birthday cake -- which now comes in a little individual cake! It was charming :) And rich! Lots of frosting...

We saw the chocolate souffles being prepared at the table next to us -- terribly tempting! They poke a little hole in the souffle and pour some type of cream sauce in...definitely a choice for next time.

Finally, when we could pretty much eat no more, there was a little selection of cookies. You'll understand how sated we were when I tell you that neither I nor my mother could finish the final chocolate truffle...sigh...

Todd was his charming self -- shoe trouble notwithstanding -- and brought us a very, very pleasing bottle of pinot noir. I didn't get close enough to the bottle to photograph it, so it's lost to the sands of time (and my bad memory), but it was...perfect. He also brought a Taille...something -- a dessert wine similar to a port -- for my dad and Craig. It was very, very nice -- Craig detected some currants, and it was perfectly suited to what we were devouring.

We tottered home, sated, happy, and with wonderful memories, at about midnight (!).

It may sound cheesy, but once again, Eve gave us a meal with exquisite food, personable yet professional service, wines to make you happy, and memories to cherish :)

The end.

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Some new items on the Bistro menu:

1.  "Irish Stew" includes braised lamb shoulder and lamb chops (apparantly not a "stew" at all)

Mr. Gt and I decided to stop in for dinner at the bar on Saturday evening after some VERY favorable reports about this so-called :) "Irish Stew" from other Rockwellians, combined with appealing glimpses at their dishes over the past few weeks. He's been salivating at the thought of tasting this stew for some time now.

I think we finally got the timing right (8:30pm), as there were plenty of seats available at the bar, which hasn't been the case recently when we've stopped by a bit later.

I had the Cider Car to warm me up - yum! - house made apple cider, which Todd said had just finished fermenting a week or so ago and has been waiting for a cold night - which it was on Saturday. It was warm and tangy and the Calvados made quick work of any chill that remained.

For starters, I ordered the house made veal garlic sausage with black trumpets and butternut squash. I loved it - the texture was firm but smooth and the garlic flavor was strong but balanced by the meat itself. The gorgeous orange squash was beautifully presented in inch-long cubes, not tough or chewy. He ordered the diver scallop special - it looked lovely - the scallop was huge and perfectly seared. I don't remember the exact presentation but I believe there were beets and a hard goat cheese involved. No taste was offered, so I think that means it was too good to share :lol:

For mains, he, of course, ordered the Irish Stew, and loved it. Chef described it (for our benefit and those of curious neighboring diners) as his interpretation of what was traditional Irish peasant food. His version includes braised lamb shank, lamb kidney, and rack of lamb, accompanied by potatoes and carrots, with the only liquid/sauce/gravy being the jus from the braising. Mr. Gt was VERY happy with it. I did get a generous share - one of the racks - which was delicious, as the lamb at Eve always is.

I opted for the French peasant food special :) - cassoulet. Wow - it was even better than I could have imagined! My last cassoulet was at one of the French places in Old Town and was much more of a thick casserole. Eve's version was sublime - filled with sausage, goose confit, and chunks of lardon. Maybe this is where the missing lardon from the bacon egg and cheese salad mentioned by other posters wound up :o - and I'm glad it did! The beans were just the right texture, almost creamy, and topped with just the perfect light touch of crust (was it bread crumbs? or the cassoulet's natural crust... this is a point of debate in preparation of cassoulets. I'm not sure, but I think it was bread crumbs and it was good)

Dessert was the chocolate brioche with the triple chocolate dipping sauceand the seasonal (apple) fritters, both quite good. We also enjoyed the wines suggested by our very nice bartender and Todd, particularly (in my case) the "Zind" from Alsace with the appetizer and the Rectorie Grenache with the chocolate brioche.

All in all, a very pleasant evening, made even more pleasant by the company of another DR'er who we discovered sitting next to us (you know who you are B) !)

Edited by goldenticket
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I opted for the French peasant food special  :)   - cassoulet.  Wow - it was even better than I could have imagined! 

This stuff is unbef---kinglievable. A special, not on the regular menu. When I saw Jackie's post, I knew I had to try it before it disappeared. I just wish the weather was about 40 degrees colder. And there is more pork (lardons) in the bacon, egg and cheese salad.

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WTF???? From the Washington Post City Guide restaurant review section - Restaurant Eve:

Not the right Era

Posted by alape on Jan 10, 2006

The place is over priced and not a local establishment the owners are not from VA, they grow there own produce and thats about the only local roots they have so why go there? Lets continue to give that amount aof $ that you spend there goto a local establishment thats been around and not provide riches to non natives.

Thought I'd seen everything....

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WTF????  From the Washington Post City Guide restaurant review section - Restaurant Eve:

Thought I'd seen everything....

Just looked at the site. The other three "citizen(?)" reviews gave it four stars. This just proves the adage that you can't please everyone. I think most people can see through the sheer stupidity of this member of the ignorati. The ones who can't are standing in line at the Cheesecake Factory. I think it's best just to let it go, IMHO.
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WTF????  From the Washington Post City Guide restaurant review section - Restaurant Eve:

Thought I'd seen everything....

I hit the "request removal" button on the review --> *

eta: Scroll down to the last review, which is the most recent (today). I don't know what kind of agenda this person has, but the review certainly says nothing about the food.

Edited by Jacques Gastreaux
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Not the right Era

Posted by alape on Jan 10, 2006

The place is over priced and not a local establishment the owners are not from VA, they grow there own produce and thats about the only local roots they have so why go there? Lets continue to give that amount aof $ that you spend there goto a local establishment thats been around and not provide riches to non natives.

Hey Cathal, fire anyone recently?

:)

PS - My inner grammarian is screaming -- The third person plural possessive is "their", you dumbass.

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I think it's time that we stop supporting mega-corporate empires like Restaurant Eve, where every night after closing a team of grunting ogres squint under green lamps, count the gold coins they've extorted, embezzled, and otherwise stolen from the innocent and pure-hearted citizens of Alexandria, and prepare to transfer their ill-gotten gains to the foreign caves and labyrinths in which their loathsome brood plan further attacks on our sensibilities.

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