The Garden Apartment

One Year ends with a Memorable Meal at Restaurant Eve

This picture perfectly represents our first year of marriage: a year full of joy and laughter (mostly brought on by sarcastic and/or completely corny jokes).

Thank you, Kate, for the photo of us.

We spent our first anniversary celebrating the marriage of two good friends, at their beautiful wedding in downtown Washington, DC. Even though we live just across the river in Virginia, we decided to spoil ourselves a little by staying at the very cool- probably too cool for us, actually- Hotel Rouge.

Just a stroll from DuPont Circle. . .

But the final hurrah of the weekend took place in our proper hometown on our actual anniversary, yesterday, August 18th. For a year and a half I have been begging John to take me to Restaurant Eve. (And probably for a year prior to that, John kept the restaurant a secret from me knowing that I would only covet regular meals there.) After so much anticipation, I finally got to sink my teeth into an excellent meal there last night.                                                                                                         

Entryway to Restaurant Eve in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia

Restaurant Eve is not only the Number 4 restaurant in the entire Washington, DC area, according to the Washingtonian, but it is the perfect place for a farmer's market foodie like myself. Owner and Chef Cathal Armstrong is dedicated to sourcing ingredients locally. Upon walking into the restaurant's lobby, a flier urged patrons to support farmer's markets, and listed the markets supported by the restaurant itself. Every meal was described to us with its geographic origin. One of the specials of the evening was roasted chicken from Polyface Farms, the "beyond organic" farm featured in the book Omnivore's Dilemma. In addition to supporting area farms, Restaurant Eve has their own garden where many of the herbs and seasonal vegetables are grown. I was offered a tour, but the sun had already set. (John- this is my passive aggressive second-year wife way of telling you that we will have to return for another meal during daylight hours.)

The Restaurant has two dining options: the Bistro and a tasting room offering 5 or 9 (!) courses. Though we had heard wonderful reviews of the tasting room, we opted for the more casual and cozy Bistro.

So, what did we eat? Given our love of salted meats, we had to start with a platter featuring ten different house-made charcuterie. Our favorites were one cured in red wine, and another one with garlic. The rich and airy chicken liver mousse was also enjoyed by myself.

And, can I digress for a moment to talk about the bread? House-made ciabatta bread, with a perfectly crispy crust, yet wonderfully soft and airy inside was served warm. We each ate three pieces, which did nothing to spoil our appetites.

This was followed by our main courses. John ordered the Chesapeake Rockfish, which perched atop a mustard sauce with carrots, pearl onions, spinach leaves, and Maine lobster. The mustard imparted a nice punch to the sauce, which nicely complemented the buttery lobster bits and the earthy Rockfish.

Being on a total carnivore kick, I ordered a steak with fried onions. The grass-fed steak hailed from our home state of Virginia, and was recommended medium-rare for peak flavor.  It was a delicious and flavorful steak, one of the best I have eaten. Here it is about halfway through the meal, minus the large onion rings:                                                                                                             

And, it was our anniversary, so we had to eat dessert. So, a delicious Virginia peach and blackberry cobbler with ice cream was the perfect conclusion to a memorable meal and a special first year together.

Today began year two of our marriage, something we're totally old pros at now.

I'll be back to my normal, much less glamorous- but wonderful- life, shopping at the farmer's market, tomorrow.

Direct Trade Coffee at Grape and Bean

The Grape and Bean, a wine and coffee shop located in Old Town Alexandria, offers high quality direct trade coffee in a quaint atmosphere. Soon, they will be offering wine by the glass and small plates of food.

Awhile back, I wrote a post on Fair Trade Coffee.  Being a caffeine addict, it concerns me that so much of the coffee imported to the United States is produced by companies who exploit their workers and the environment. Recently, I heard a statistic that coffee is the number 2 import in the United States (after oil, of course) which makes the need for coffee with a conscience even more relevant.

After writing about fair trade coffee, Susan told me about Grape and Bean in Old Town Alexandria. I visited their charming shop on South Royal Street a few times, each time having a very positive experience. Employees were willing to answer my questions, and even gave me reading recommendations (God in a Cup- which I discuss below).

Now, I am no coffee expert. That is, aside from understanding the difference between a light roast and a dark roast, I'm not likely to detect hints of chocolate or cherry when I sip my daily joe. However, I willtell you that the cups of coffee I drank there were memorable. My husband John, the constant skeptic (though willing supporter) of my enthusiasm for these sorts of things, was completely sold after drinking a cup of la Golondrina: a coffee that is direct trade certified by the company Counter Culture.

The direct trade coffee model takes fair trade a step further. With the idea that the search for sustainable coffee has become "confusing" as of late, Counter Culture's model of direct trade seeks to set high standards for the beans andthe coffee farmers. They also value transparency:a value that is all too easy to ignore when the people consuming the product are thousands of miles away. Take my cup of la Golondrina. Counter Culture describes it on their website:

We decided to name the project "La Golondrina," or "The Swallow," because, in Latin American culture, the swallow is a symbol of communication between people separated by distance and borders. The swallow crosses borders easily and carries messages of goodwill between friends, no matter how far away. Also, the swallow returns every year, just as we plan to return to Cauca every year to visit our partners there.

Following this description is a list of each farmer who participated in the la Golondrina project this year. Now that's transparency. You can read more about it here.

David Gwathmey, owner of the Grape and Bean, told me that they are looking to offer more direct trade certified coffees on their list of excellent brews. Also on the horizon: the Grape and Bean will be (soon!) offering wine by the glass and small plates of food. 

For those of you who are really interested in the pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee, the author of God in a Cup, Michaele Weissman will be signing her book and talking at a coffee tasting at the Grape and Bean tomorrow night, July 24th at 6:30 PM. If you can't make it, she will also be signing books at Politics and Prose on Monday, July 28th at 7PM.

Now, if only I had the Grape and Bean's single cup brewing Clover machine at my disposal and some la Golondrina beans so I could enjoy my morning cup of coffee as much as I did this one.

The Grape and Bean is located at 118 South Royal Street in Alexandria, VA. Their hours of operation can be found at their website: http://www.grapeandbean.com/.

Much thanks to my friend Kate of kate headley photography for the great photographs.

Locally Inspired Food at Vermilion

While sampling a seasonal drink during Vermilion's happy hour last week, our bartender Laura explained the restaurants' strong commitment to supporting local farms. I knew I had to return for dinner this weekend. Our dinner was amazing: the freshest possible ingredients were combined in unusual and surprising ways, all served up by a waiter whose in-depth knowledge of every ingredient wholly impressed us.

Vermilion is located at 1120 King Street in Old Town Alexandria. 

Upon arriving at Vermilion, my husband and I couldn't resist catching the end of their very well priced happy hour (drink specials $2.75- $4.50). After enjoying two tasty King St. Lemonades, we moved to our table in the restaurant: a stylishly curved red velvet booth. Our waiter Jamie greeted us and shared that the menu had recently been changed by Chef Anthony Chittum. 

When asked specific questions about the menu, Jamie impressively explained to us exactly how local each menu item was. We were told that the pork and lamb both came from Virginia, and that the scallops had actually been harvested from the Chesapeake Bay less than twelve hours prior to the evening's dinner rush. In addition, Vermilion has a relationship with two farm co-ops in the local area whose seasonal fruits and vegetables are often featured on the menu. Of course, not everything is locally sourced. Even so, we were again given very specific explanations of where items like ocean trout and halibut came from, how they had arrived at the restaurant, and why they had been selected for the menu. The halibut, for example, had been selected for its quality and because it is a sustainable fish. Clearly, Vermilion's philosophy is to seek out the best possible quality and freshness in ingredients. This quality would be reflected in each menu item we selected.

Because we had been so well informed of the menu, we had a very difficult time deciding what to eat. Everything sounded good. We settled on the evening's tasting menu ($50, four courses; or $70 with wine pairing) and one entree: the blackened pork loin.

The tasting menu began with crispy soft shell crabs. They were served with thinly sliced root vegetables and a green goddess dressing. This surprising and unusual combination was actually very complimentary. (For those of you who are regular readers, John was surprised to discover that he actually liked the beets served on this plate. This is a true compliment to Vermilion.) 

The second taste on the menu was the ocean trout. This was served over a pearl barley "rissi bissi," Virginia ham, and a pea tendril pesto. Again, the flavor combination was fantastic. We both noted that throughout this course every bite tasted a little different depending on each ingredient's proportions on our forks. Towards the end we got a lot of the pesto, which was delicious.

The lamb kabobs arrived next. The tender lamb was a stand-alone dish. Of course, when combined with the tzatziki sauce--which popped with flavor-- it was even better.

Our dinner entree of blackened pork loin was the favorite of the evening. The pork tenderloin was crispy and flavorful on the outside, yet impressively tender and juicy on the inside. This was all served with another creative twist: fennel coleslaw. A South Carolina style pulled BBQ completed the meal.

Finally, the last item on the tasting menu was the angel food cake with strawberries three ways. The strawberry sorbet was so tasty that it inspired me to create my own sorbet at home.

We look forward to returning to Vermilion again soon. There were many enticing items on the menu which we did not try, including the chilled English pea soup and the scallops & pork belly appetizer (which was highly recommended). Though this restaurant is certainly on the more expensive side, we both felt completely satisfied with the quality, taste, and creativity of each dish. We anticipate the changes which will come with the summer, fall, and winter menus. In the meantime, my experience dining at Vermilion has inspired me to take a few more creative risks in my own kitchen. 

Drinking Virginia Wine at the Mount Vernon Wine Festival

The twice yearly Mount Vernon Wine Festival is quite possibly my favorite event in the DC area.  The $30 price tag includes tastings from sixteen award winning Virginia wineries and a tour of the mansion featuring the rarely viewed wine cellar.  For me the price tag is only truly worth it once I am relaxing on George Washington's lawn overlooking a stunning view of the Potomac River with a bottle of wine in hand. 

The view from my blanket

Did George Washington ever imagine this?

I headed down to Mount Vernon on Sunday for my third festival.  I usually attend this as a "girl's only" outing, but two of us girls dared to bring our husbands along this time.  Though they scoffed at our yuppie remarks at first, it only took a few pours to bring out the discerning palates of two macho winos who could detect bouquets of blackberry and leather with a swirl of their glass.

Now, I have to warn you that biases may have been created by increased blood alcohol levels. Miraculously, everything tasted fantastic towards the end of the night. Despite--or maybe as a result of-- our shared intoxication, we did all conclusively agree that Virginia whites are generally better than the reds.  Here are a few favorites:

Keswick Vineyards We felt that their Viognier was the best we tasted all night.  Viognier is a wine that many Virginia vineyards are trying to become known for.  We also really enjoyed Keswick's Verdejo wine.  As advertised, it would truly make a "nice warm weather wine." You can visit Keswick Vineyards in their tasting room near Charlottesville, Virginia or at many other festivals this summer.

Horton Cellars We were drawn to their booth by a banner advertising their "Sparkling Viognier." The viognier was delicious enough to be the mandatory purchased bottle for consuming on the estate's East Lawn (see image of empty bottle at beginning of this post).  Besides this special wine, Horton Cellars had some of the better red wines we tasted. Their Malbec was excellent.  You can visit Horton Cellars at their tasting room in Orange County (north of Charlottesville) or at many festivals throughout the year.

Corcoran Vineyards This vineyard is very conveniently located just north of Leesburg.  For those of us in northern Virginia, this would be an easy weekend day trip.  I plan to go sometime soon and will report back. 

Chateau Morrisette I wouldn't be a very loyal wife of a Hokie if I failed to mention this winery from southwest Virginia.  We've been anticipating a visit to their vineyard combined with a football game weekend for over a year now.  Their semi-dry red blend "The Black Dog" is a solid wine with an affordable $10 price tag.  I may be biased toward this wine since I own a black dog and because this wine was served at my wedding last summer.  Unfortunately for my readers, I cannot speak to their other offerings since I remember very little of my tasting there last night with the exception of my group asking for more generous pours from a very annoyed Chateau Morrisette volunteer. 

This is what happens when you drink and use a point and shoot camera. . . would you believe it if I told you the blurs were an intentional artistic choice?

We ended the night by enjoying the reflection of a full moon over the Potomac River. Now, if only I can find the perfect artisinal cheeses from the farmer's market to pair with those Virginia wines.