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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 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.

Why don't we come out and say it...this Old Towne auslander, this invader of the Old Dominion is rumored to have Jewish blood. Alert the Minute Men!! Everyone put on their Brown Shirts and fight!! Fight!! Fight this scourge against the purity of the Motherland!!

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This post is long overdue.

The Tasting Room at Restaurant Eve is such a wonderful experience. I only wish my wallet would allow me to return more often. The Friday before New Year’s Eve my wife took me to the Tasting Room for my birthday. I would hardly consider myself a “regular” there. Nevertheless, it is always nice to walk into a restaurant and be greeted by people who remember you from prior visits. My wife and I were originally planning to order the 5 course tasting menu, as we have previously ordered the 9 course menu and discovered that it is a massive amount of food. I glanced over at the 9-course menu and started reading each of the courses: oysters, lobster, gnocchi, tuna, sweetbreads, venison, cheese, spice cake, chocolate “brownie”. Each course sounded better than the previous, so I loosened my belt a couple of notches and we ordered the 9-course menu. I also got the wine pairings.

Todd came by shortly afterwards and told us that chef Cathal was going to play with our menu a bit. Basically, one of us would get a course as written on the menu, while the other would get the main ingredient per the menu, but with a different preparation. We said that was fine, to which Todd replied, “Good. Not that you have a choice.” :) This bit of culinary whimsy certainly kept Todd on his toes, as he had to anticipate the preparation, pick the appropriate wine, and guess which preparation would be given to my wife or me. Other than occasionally having to switch the wine glasses put in front of us, Todd did an extraordinary job of keeping up with Cathal. In addition, the rest of the staff did not miss a beat in describing the off-menu preparations. This also made for great anticipation. Even the table next to us couldn't wait to see what kind of preparations were coming our way.

I wish that I could give more detail about the different preparations, but many glasses of wine have cluttered my memory. All I know is that that fabulous food and great service will keep us coming back to Restaurant Eve.

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Sometimes the simplest preparations really hit the spot.

A couple nights ago at Restaurant Eve, I started with a hearty bowl of “Portuguese Soup.” The soup arrived bursting with clams, calamari, cannellini beans (I think), dices of lamb and tripe (for the unadventurous out there, don’t be scared by this!) swimming with chopped greens and red peppers in a meaty duck broth brightened with fresh lemon or lime juice. So many flavors! It’s peasant food gone upscale and very delicious.

For my main course, I wanted something simpler. Tami and Ken at the bar recommended a special they were having that day - Whole fried yellowtail snapper. Well, whole is relative depending on whom you ask. My fish was missing its head :) Picturing headless fish swimming about the ocean, I teased the staff about it when the fish arrived. As Chef Armstrong explained, a lot of diners would probably flee from the dining room if they were served a fish with its head still intact. Oh well. Their loss. At least he promised to leave it on for me the next time.

Anyway the fish is fried without much fanfare – perhaps some salt and pepper, but nothing more that I could detect. It’s served alongside a dipping sauce of olive oil and fresh lemon juice and a lightly dressed arugula salad topped with shavings of parmigiano. Big whoop, right? Well I certainly think it is. The skin of the snapper was crisp all over (even on the underside when I flipped the fish over) yet every ounce of flesh remained moist. The dipping sauce was a pleasing balance of oil and acid that complemented – not overwhelmed – the fish. I made good work of the fish scraping every last morsel of meat from the bones.

Now I love complex dishes and flavors as much as the next person, but only a true talent can make the simple taste exciting. Cathal Armstrong has definitely proven that he is one.

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Dinner in the Tasting Room on Saturday night: Throwing caution to the wind :lol: , we accepted our server's suggestion to leave the driving to Chef Armstrong for our five courses. Best recommendation I have heard in many years! Following our amuse of mushroom beignets, chicken pot pies served in tiny cast-iron pots, and deviled quail egg topped by osetra caviar -- each amuse now being presented separately -- we began our meal with a velvety lobster bisque that included melt-in-your mouth claw meat. We then moved on to a seared scallop atop faux (potato) risotto. The creaminess of the scallop plays quite nicely with the Chef's faux risotto. Shavings of black truffles completed the dish. We next had a fabulous surprise -- the real risotto (see our posting on the BFRE), again topped with truffle shavings. Suffice it to say, this is a really fabulous dish in which Chef combines the decadent richness of the risotto with just the right amount of tang supplied by incorporated Parmesan cheese. There were apparently a few more truffles left, so again this dish was adorned with large, pungent truffle flakes. (Note to Chef: please keep us in mind the next time you feel the need to clean out the truffle closet). Chef Armstrong then sent out a dish he just "whipped up" -- truffled scrambled eggs topped by butter poached lobster. My God that was awesome. The textures were fantastic, the lobster was tender (and rich, rich, rich) and the eggs cooked just to a creamy consistency. A plate of melt-in-your mouth shortribs (BFSE!), infused with the flavor of the burgundy truffles in which they were braised, rounded out our main course adventure. A composed cheese course, accented by decorative sprinkles of 100-year old balsamic, and dessert of sabayon tartlet followed.

I've done my best to remember the meal. Todd Thrasher took it as a personal challenge to pair fabulous wines with the meal, so if I have left anything out, it's Todd's fault. :huh:

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I stopped by this evening with a friend of mine and sat at the bar. I asked Tami what the specials were this evening and she started reeling off the list and the last thing she mentioned was the roast goose breast with Brussels sprouts. I piped up, I'll have the bacon, egg and cheese salad to start and the goose. The bacon egg and cheese salad is wonderful, with the sprinkle of ham lardons around the side. But, damn, the goose. Those of you who know me will say "well there's a big surprise, JG not only ordering the goose, but liking it as well." This goose was transcendent. A fan of rosy red roasted goose breast arranged over a bed of Brussels sprouts, creamy potatoes mousseline, fingerling potatoes and I think some mushrooms, all together with a goose sauce. A slice of seared fois gras appeared almost as an afterthought. I found a piece of shot in my goose; I wonder where that might have come from. But the crust on the outside of the goose and the rosy red interior, how the hell does he do that? And the Chateau Coup Roses went beautifully with the goose, as it did with the doves a year and half ago. The whole experience was unbelievable.

Seriously, Chef Cathal Armstrong is probably the best game chef in town. If you are dining at Eve and anything remotely resembling game is on the menu, order it, you will not be disappointed.

Edited by Jacques Gastreaux
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A slice of seared fois gras appeared almost as an afterthought.

It probably was an afterthought, also known as a comp.

I found a piece of shot in my goose; I wonder where that might have come from.

Thrasher shot it out in the alley around the side of the restaurant.

Seriously, Chef Cathal Armstrong is probably the best game chef in town.

Not probably; he is.

Cheers,

Rocks

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Is the Lickety-Split lunch back?  Anyone been lately?

'Tis... and I intend to partake of it tomorrow afternoon!

I went a few weeks back and enjoyed the risotto and a lovely pheasant terrine salad.

Mmmm....risotto... we'll have to see if I try something new tomorrow! (or stick with the tried and true)

Edited by goldenticket
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Is the Lickety-Split lunch back?  Anyone been lately?

It's back all right -- I've been twice since the holidays, and each time I can't resist the bacon egg and cheese salad. When you consider that this item alone runs in the $14 range during lunch, the $13.50 lickety-split (any 2 items from the lunch menu, basically, when dining at the bar) is quite a deal. And I always call ahead the day I'm planning to go, just in case.

ETA: Why the bacon, egg and cheese salad is so good: It's that damned egg. It is poached so perfectly, so you break it open and the yolk gets all over the lettuce, parmesan, bits of lardon and vinagrette and you realize that even though this perfect harmony has escaped you until now, at least you have the rest of your life to put poached eggs on your salads.

Edited by Capital Icebox
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My hubby and I became a fan of Restaurant Eve since they opened.

Food is always fabulous and service is great. Having a bistro and a tasting room separately is also wonderful strategic idea to draw customers.

We know most staff there... Chef Cathal, sweet Meshelle, rooster hair Todd, gorgeous Brandy, smoothy Torrence, la belle Margaret, nice Anice and so on.

(please pardon me I forgot some staff's names but they are all included here)

What I want to tell you is that we had a weird experience there on New Year's eve.

:lol:

We (My hubby, me and his friend) were at the tasting room.

My hubby and his friend ordered wine pairing with the course.

(I am not a good drinker but I enjoy so I decided to sip his wines)

We could see all the staff were extremely busy on that day.

In the middle of course, they've got gewurtztraminer paired with food and my hubby didn't like the wine because it was too sweet. (He likes dry wine)

He told Todd that the wine was too sweet and Todd answered us that that is the best wine among the pairing. I felt the nuance as "what are you talking about? the wine is the best!" We expected he could replace some other wine but we didn't get anything. People who went Restaurant Eve probably know that Todd visits his serving area and has a short chat with customers. Later on, he shortly stopped by for pouring wine, explained what wine it is and left. No more chatting with us but with other tables. We didn't know what hurt his feeling.

At the dessert course we got great sauternes. Unfortunately, I finished it and he wanted it more.

He asked the wait staff if he could get a little bit of sauternes but somehow there was a miscommunication and he didn't get it. I thought he deserved it because we are the enthusiastic patron there.

Food was fabulous as usual.

I left there with bittersweet feeling.

My hubby wrote an email to Meshelle about this.

Oh, my sweet Meshelle, (I like her very much)

she replied the next day, apologized and she would let Todd see the email.

We still didn't hear from him.

And we made a reservation for Valentines Day.

P.S. Please pardon my English.. I am not native here. I hope you understand what I wanted to tell you.

Edited by grover
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It's back all right -- I've been twice since the holidays, and each time I can't resist the bacon egg and cheese salad.  When you consider that this item alone runs in the $14 range during lunch, the $13.50 lickety-split (any 2 items from the lunch menu, basically, when dining at the bar) is quite a deal. 

And I always call ahead the day I'm planning to go, just in case.

Oh. My. God.

That salad is divinely absurd. So simple yet so perfect. Who knew a few simple additions to a ceasar salad could restore a woman's faith that it really is a wonderful world and everything really is going to be alright?

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Oh. My. God.

That salad is divinely absurd. So simple yet so perfect.  Who knew a few simple additions to a ceasar salad could restore a woman's faith that it really is a wonderful world and everything really is going to be alright?

Hillvalley - I was sorry to hear I missed you (according to sources) :lol:

Creature of habit that I am, it was risotto again today... perhaps the world's most perfect food...(yes, maybe you bought into that Chiquita banana campaign, but sorry, I have news for you!) Piping hot, perfectly creamy and, dare I say, toothsome :huh:

As a first course, I was torn between the bacon, egg, and cheese salad and the olive oil poached tuna. I opted for the tuna. It was a new preparation - the thinnest slices of rare tuna resting on a thin coating of the "chef's" pesto topped by shallots and shaved parm. [eta: I forgot about the dandelion greens circling the plate...] Delish and such a treat to taste fresh basil at this time of year.

One of the best places I know to while away a few hours...and leave happy after doing it. No need to say again what an amazing bargain the lickety-split lunch is...if you haven't been, go....now...what are you waiting for?!

Edited by goldenticket
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Oh. My. God.

That salad is divinely absurd. So simple yet so perfect.  Who knew a few simple additions to a ceasar salad could restore a woman's faith that it really is a wonderful world and everything really is going to be alright?

Just in case anyone was wondering if all the comments about the bacon, egg, and cheese salad are hyperbole: they're not. And if you're wondering if it's worth all the fuss and a forty minute drive: it is.

I was going to write about my dinner in the Tasting Room last Saturday, but I believe everything the four of us had has been described upthread. Except for the cassoulet and a tripe and merguez sausage dish. Both were fantastic. Oh, and a beef tartare spiced with serrano peppers. What a wonderful experience.

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Restaurant Eve hosted a very unique 5-course dinner Monday night titled the "Judgment of Paris Dinner". The special guest was George Taber, author of the book "Judgment of Paris" regarding the famous 1976 California vs. France wine tasting event. As you all likely know, Mr. Taber was working for Time magazine at the time and by chance ended up as the only reporter covering the event. The dinner included wines from the same winemakers that were involved in the tasting. Obviously the winning vintages of the California wines - the '73 Stag's Leap Cabernet and the '73 Chateau Montelena chardonnay were not available (the Smithsonian was not likely to give up it's two bottles) but the more recent vintages were very good. The French wines were spectacular and also quite a treat due to the vintages that were served -- a '78 and '86 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, '71, '86, '88 and '89 Chateau Haut Brion, and '75, '76 and '78 Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases. Bordeaux heaven!!

Cathal's excellent menu included the following (pardon my lack of eloquence in describing these dishes, but note that they were all delicious and we would definitely order them from the regular menu whenever available): first course of succulent Seared Diver Scallops on a bed of 'mock' risotto (made with potato) with black truffle; second course of butter-poached Cod with lobster and bacon vinaigrette; and the third course of roasted ribeye of lamb with braished shoulder which was paired with both the Stag's Leap Cab and the Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Fourth - cheese, of course, was an excellent Croziers blue on boxty (an irish potato pancake) with smoked hamhock vinagrette followed by dense, decadent chocolate cake with orange milk jam for dessert. (I'll scan a menu for later inclusion to show more detail).

Throughout the dinner, Mr. Taber talked about various aspects of the tasting, including the moment when he began to realize the "dog bites man" story was turning into the more interesting "man bites dog", along with the way that customs was circumvented in order to get the wines shipped to Paris (it traveled as hand baggage - two bottles per person - with a group of people visiting France on a wine tour). An excellent first-person perspective of such an interesting event.

Cathal & Meschelle (and Todd and Ronnie, et al.) thanks for putting this very cool event together (and Gene -- many many thanks for supplying Eve with the wonderful Bordeaux :lol: )

Edited by Camille-Beau
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Made our first trip to Restaurant Eve last night, since my birthday is on the 14th we always go out the weekend before. V-day is not a good day to go out for dinner. We had a 5:30 reservation, I was not happy with this when my wife told me, as this was quite early but it worked out because of the weather. We were in the tasting room until around 9pm, and we enjoyed every moment, except for a somewhat rowdy table of eight held up at a corner table. Some highlights:

We arrived a little before 5:30 and we were led to bar, we both ordered the Seasonal Cocktail which was a Pomegranate Vodka Drink, (I don’t remember the name) the seeds were muddled together with limes and sugar, a very good fresh tasting cocktail.

After about 30 min our table was ready, and we headed to the tasting room. We were presented with three amuse’s: Deviled quail eggs with caviar, a mushroom beignet, and very tasty mini chicken pot pie. We decided to go with the 5 course menu with wine parings. It did not disappoint.

Our choices:

First Course

Pigs feet hoagie: Very good creative dish, a mini hoagie roll with a morsel of pig’s feet and sweetbreads served with cabbage.

Lobster Crème brulee: My wife enjoyed this, but noted the Crème Brulee did not taste of lobster I agreed after tasting, however the other components of the dish were great.

Second Course:

Risotto with black Truffles: Simple but excellent dish. I think it was a veal stock that added so much flavor.

Monk Fish: Although I loved my Risotto, this is the dish I wished I had ordered. It consisted of Monk Fish, Prawns, Clams, and mussels.

Third Course:

We both ordered the Lamb with celery root three ways, and lamb kidneys. We both enjoyed.

Fourth Course:

This was a cheese course. I would have preferred a simple selection of cheeses; however they offered something a little different. I had stilton flan, with puff pastry stuffed with caramelized onions, and my wife ordered the fondue (I forget the cheese) served with brioche. These were both creative, but did not blow me away.

Fifth Course:

Chocolate Soufflé for me- Classic and good

Spice Cake for the wife-

I did not remember any of the wines we had, but they all matched really well with our selections. The paring was $55 and included Champagne to start. We finished with coffee and as a birthday gift Restaurant Eve gave us a sample of the house coffee and a bag of scone mix.

We will return soon, to try the bistro. I thought the service was good, although at times uneven. By far this is the best food you can get in old town.

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For those of you dining in the tasting room tomorrow evening, news flash: braised hog's head. You heard that right, braised hog's head. It's unbelievably tasty. A disk about the size and shape of a barroom shuffleboard puck on a bed of braised cabbage laced with a smidgen of cumin in a puddle of sauce. The meat has been crisped on the outside and is luscious on the inside for an interesting texture contrast. Topped with a sunny-side-up quail egg. Order it, you will not be disappointed. If you happen to be in the bistro, try to con them out of an order for an appetizer.

It's one of those things that you have never seen before and likely will never see again. Get it while you can.

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If I worked near Old Town, I think I'd be at Eve every single day for the 'lickety-split' lunch deal (still $13.50 for any two drink/app/entree/dessert courses). On Fridays, I would have beer and birthday cake as my two-course lunch.

All the lame restaurants were packed with President's Day Parade watchers yesterday, while we had the entire bar/lounge area of Eve to ourselves. We both had the very satisfying bacon, egg and cheese salad, followed by the Irish BLT (which uses a slice of the meaty end of the house-cured pork belly) and a wonderfully seasoned braised pork sandwich. We had to tack on the birthday cake for txaggie (not her birthday, but the girl goes crazy over birthday cake for some reason). It pairs quite nicely with the Eggenberg Pils :lol:

Tami took wonderful care of us.

Edited by cjsadler
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I work a few blocks from Eve, and I had no idea they had any lunch specials. What is the $13.50 deal? I can't believe that it includes two alcoholic beverages (which I would forgo), an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. That would be like giving the food away.

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I work a few blocks from Eve, and I had no idea they had any lunch specials.  What is the $13.50 deal?  I can't believe that it includes two alcoholic beverages (which I would forgo), an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert.  That would be like giving the food away.

The lickety-split menu is available only at the bar and includes two (2) items off the licket-split menu. You can have a salad and a sandwich. You can have a sandwich and a dessert. You can have a glass of wine and a salad. But it is two, and only two items that are included in the special. You want more than 2 items, you'll be paying extra. It still is a real good deal though. And remember, only in the bar.

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I work a few blocks from Eve, and I had no idea they had any lunch specials.  What is the $13.50 deal?  I can't believe that it includes two alcoholic beverages (which I would forgo), an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert.  That would be like giving the food away.

See here for more details. Offerings may be slightly different, but it'll give you a good idea of what to expect. Great for a quiet (usually) lunch and excellent food!

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The lunch special is simple amazing. I stopped in two weeks ago in the midst of running last minute errands before departing for Hawaii for a lovely respite from the chaos.

Todd graciously served up a Cider Sidecar that lived up to all the hype. I then had the risotto that was rich and flavorful and toothsome. Perfect. Next were the mussels--good but they did not live up to the promise of the risotto course.

Yesterday I found myself in Virginia for a work errand and after only 5 minutes of circling, I found parking. Surely a sign that I should have lunch at Eve again. Right?

I had the seasonal cocktail--very light on the vodka as I did need to go back to work. I'm going to miss it when it's gone. I had the Irish BLT --simply perfect. Full of flavor though slightly messy. Served with chips. (I will admit that I half expected french fries. I've spent way too much time in Canada...)

I concluded with the birthday cake. Tasty but a bit dry or something. It almost tasted like it had picked up some refrigirator taste or something. Just not as good as the last time I had it. I mentioned it and I'm sure whatever went awry will be fixed before I get back because that's the kind of place Eve is.

I can't decide if I'm glad I don't live or work closer so I'm not poorer than I am now or sad because I don't get to go as often as I'd like...

Jennifer

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I concluded with the birthday cake.  Tasty but a bit dry or something. It almost tasted like it had picked up some refrigirator taste or something.  Just not as good as the last time I had it.  I mentioned it and I'm sure whatever went awry will be fixed before I get back because that's the kind of place Eve is.

They have a new pastry chef, I hear, just starting within the past few weeks. I do hope that things improve in the dessert department here -- it seems to be their one weak spot on the bistro menu. The fritters I had the other week were nearly devoid of apple and were overcooked. Other visits have resulted in similar dessert disappointments -- a very dry birthday cake, for example. Often I'll go for a cocktail on the sweeter side in lieu of something from the pastry menu, as in a recent visit when the Pear of Desire was available.

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i stopped by Eve for the Lickety Split lunch on Friday. Chef Cathal stopped by and a I asked him what was coming up. He said that he had some quail flying in from the UK and some venison was coming back on the menu and he was starting to get some morel mushrooms from the Pacific Northwest.

That lunch menu at the bar is one heck of a bargain. Ran into Porcupine at the bar as well.

I was dining with a business associate from New York who asked if he could have the bacon egg and cheese salad without the bacon. They said sure. A little later, the bartender came back and mentioned that the vinaigrette was made with ham and if he would like they could substitute a different dressing made without the ham. He said OK. When the bartender turned away, my friend turned to me and said "this place is alright."

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Tom, the new pastry chef at Eve is outstanding! If in the tasting room (am not sure if it's on both menus) try the "Lost Bread" Toasted cinnamon brioche with rum raisin ice cream and a raisin tuile -- LOVE the crispy brioche which tastes like french toast and pairs perfectly with the ice cream. Way too good to share.

And in the 'not a dessert' category, definitely try the shoat -- the best pulled pork you'll ever have. And no, "shoat" is not "one of those hybrid animals" as overheard from a nearby table <_<

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All I can say is start with dessert!

The entrees definitely merit a generous nod of appreciation, but it would be criminal not to save room for the amazing decadence that awaits you at the end of your meal in the bistro.

The french toast with caramel sauce is sublime and the flan is smooth & subtle, but it's the chocolate beignets filled with melted chocolate truffles that steal the show here. The laughter is unavoidable as you sit in the middle of the refined bistro licking the ganache off your fingers (not to mention your hand, your chin and the drops that actually made it onto the plate). If possible, chase with a shot of the lemon soda and prepare to be transported to a new state of happiness.

This is what dessert should be!

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Someone explain to me why I moved from DC?

Dinners like tonight at Eve make me seriously wonder what the hell I was thinking. The oxtail ravioli was tender and rich and worthy of licking the plate. But no need because they have such awesome bread to mop the plate with. But it is damned tempting to just go ahead anyway. The prawns with risotto delicately seasoned and not the criminally overseasoned crustaceans I'm getting locally.

But Mel is right, save plenty of room for dessert. Think of all of your favorite Eve dishes -- they have inventive pairings of ingredients executed with care. The new pastry chef has run with this and definitely brought the creativity of the tasting room into the bistro.

I will dream about the chocolate beignets.

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But Mel is right, save plenty of room for dessert.  Think of all of your favorite Eve dishes -- they have inventive pairings of ingredients executed with care.  The new pastry chef has run with this and definitely brought the creativity of the tasting room into the bistro. 

I will dream about the chocolate beignets.

The new pastry chef is one Tom Wellings(?), apparently ex-CityZen and ex-Ritz-Carlton depending who you listen to. I had the chocolate beignets after lunch today, and I'm still grinning like a madman. They were luscious and full of interesting textures. Don't be fooled by the complete lack of description on the dessert card...I was expecting maybe some kind of profiterole, but what arrived far exceeded my expectations. Since I couldn't find an authoritative description of the dessert, this is how I would describe it.

What you get are three sugar-encrusted molten chocolate cakes the size of golf balls, on a carefully arranged plate with dollops of coffee foam, cocoa soil, microgreens, and pink sea salt. That's right, it's an avant-garde dessert, although somewhat less radical than Sam Mason's work at WD50.

As difficult as it is to do at Eve, save some room for dessert!

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After a (too) leisurely walk through Old Town in the balmy March evening, we strolled into Eve just moments too late to order from the bistro menu (Laniloa had me thinking about that oxtail ravioli). We managed to get by quite nicely with a selection of items from the bar menu. <_<

The charcuterie selection was delicious - torchon du foie gras, the house-made garlic lamb sausage, a hearty goose terrine, and jamon de serrano - it was a spectrum of tastes and textures (and $9 - what a deal!). We also enjoyed the prawns and the grilled ham and cheese - first time I've tried this, but it won't be the last. The merguez sausage with cranberry beans rounded things out and was equally tasty. The beans were cooked to just the right place between soft and crunchy, and the sausage was spicy and robust.

After the discussion here, we (or at least, I) just had to try the chocolate fritters. They were a treat - maybe I've spent too much time in the South, but I was reminded of a hushpuppy - a really dense, gooey, chocolatey, rich hushpuppy!

I also tried the "pain perdu" on Saturday night and it was just as Mel/Camille have described it - delicious and different. There are some exciting things going on with the desserts - textures, flavors, and presentation are all a great complement to the dishes that precede them.

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After several weeks of being without my beloved car, I picked it up last night and somehow found myself in Virginia for lunch today.

Had the Irish BLT again and the lovely birthday cake. Apparently my comments about the cake sent them to the drawing board because Ken and Todd both mentioned it would be better while I was waiting. Chef himself brought it out and said they had gotten it right this time. And they had!

The price for the lickety-split lunch can't be beat and just wish I was closer.

Jennifer

P.S. The new seasonal cocktail involves pineapples and rum. It sounds wonderful but I passed--I'm pretty sure that I am slightly allergic or something to pineapples--my fingers and eyes get all puffy when I indulge. Sigh...

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Apparently my comments about the cake sent them to the drawing board because Ken and Todd both mentioned it would be better while I was waiting.  Chef himself brought it out and said they had gotten it right this time.  And they had!
I hope they haven't actually changed the cake too much because I always liked it. How is it different now? Still pink, I hope. <_<
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P.S.  The new seasonal cocktail involves pineapples and rum.  It sounds wonderful but I passed--

I didn't....And it was good! Fresh, sweet pineapple muddled with lime, some spiced rum and coconut rum, and a little bit of soda water [at least I think that's the ingredient list]. As with most of the seasonal cocktails, I wished it came with a spoon - I always feel like I'm leaving the best part behind on the bottom of the glass <_< - all that lovely fruit mixed in with the crushed ice....mmmm. Todd must have come back inspired by his tropical vacation :)

I also tried the special cocktail - a lychee/ginger/gin concoction, served up and topped with some lychee foam and rosemary-parsley oil. It was a very interesting combination of flavors, enhanced by the herbal flavors in the oil. I enjoyed it, but it's definitely one of those drinks that might not appeal to the masses (kind of like the pickled martini, which I happen to love) - Ken said here's your "Gin and Juice" when he served it, so I guess that's what it was called. ;)

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