dining in Virginia (Restaurant Eve)

At the end of my conferences this year I've gone out for good dinners with a few fellow (I kind of hate this term, but I guess it applies) foodies. RAD is a colleague, of course, and a good dinner companion here in Chicago. Mary Augusta has worked on a committee with me and with RAD in the past, and she and her husband, George, both work for the Smithsonian. In Seattle it was Dahlia Lounge and a fine meal capped with the delightful performance of fresh doughnuts shook with sugar in a paper bag. This time Mary Augusta and George, the locals, chose for us. RAD and I hopped the Metro on Tuesday evening and made our way out to Alexandria, VA. Dinner was set for the bistro at Restaurant Eve.

(An aside; now that I've had a meal in Virginia, do I count this as visiting the state?)

It was a very warm evening, and vanity dictated that I wore a suit and tie. It's fun to dress up, after all. Given the heat, though, I wanted a cold drink. All of us were in that frame of mind, and rather than go right to wine we selected from the special cocktails. A drink of gooseberry, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and vodka caught my eye. Unusually, the gooseberry was Cape gooseberry (physalis), and the drink was sweeter than I expected and hoped. Pleasant, but it left me still a bit thirsty. We moved on to two bottles of a Viognier from a Virginia winery (and had a good chat with the sommelier in the process), and they proved quite satisfying.

I am sorry not to have taken photos of the company because I greatly enjoyed the conversation over the course of the evening. Shame on me. I do have food photos, though (would you expect otherwise from me?). Some are blurry, a pity as the food was well-conceived, handsomely plated, and generously portioned. I was pleased with all three of my courses, believe me, though I secretly, greedily, also coveted the mary Augusta's charcuterie plate, RAD's salad, and George's cheeses!

Photos, then:

RAD's bacon, egg, and cheese salad

My house smoked ham and salted cod brandade (this was wonderful, in fact, and I thought, "Screw the no carbs, this is marvellous smeared on bread!")

Mary Augusta's glorious housemade charcuterie

George's pâté

RAD's softshell crabs with sungold tomatoes and avocado emulsion

George's wrapped Arctic char with herb pesto and black walnut cream

Mary Augusta's sautéed Atlantic sturgeon wth Dragon Creek oysters and Ostera caviar

My stuffed salad of rabbit with chanterelles and carrots. Okay, this was a real winner. The rabbit was ridiculously tender. Outstanding. I love it when I find rabbit cooked quite well at a restaurant.

I get a little fuzzy on dessert because I was caught up in conversation, I didn't taste any of the others' save for a smidgen of George's cheese, and I don't have a copy of the dessert menu with me. Ah well. I'll wing it:

My linzertorte with raspberry ice cream

RAD's selection of ice creams

George's cheese plate

Um. Gah. Peach? Mango? I can't recall what Mary Augusta had. Darn.

Another fine meal in my life, and a terrific way to end the stay in DC. Thanks much to Mary Augusta and George - I hope we all get together for a great meal in Philadelphia in January!