Irish -> Restaurant Eve -> Alexandria, VA

Came here for lunch.

	Smoked Salmon Rillette Salad - Simple Salad with a fair amount of salmon rillette on the side. The salmon had a velvety mousse texture that was offset by the crunch of the toast on the side. The salmon had a very mild smoke flavor to it.
	Swiss Chard – I misread the menu and thought that I was getting char. Oops. The chard was cooked in a light oil and garlic taste. Very smooth without it being overcooked. It was able to retain most of the natural flavoring.

Previous Reviews:
/2008/10/31/irish-restaurant-eve-alexandria-va-3/
/2008/09/12/irish-restaurant-eve-alexandria-va-2/
/2008/02/18/irish-restaurant-eve-alexandria-va/

 

Irish -> Restaurant Eve -> Alexandria, VA

Came here for lunch with some friends.

	Wild Hen Soup – Friend stated that the soup was very creamy and very good. Not a lot of hen he stated, perhaps a piece.
	Poached Bouchot Mussels with Caramelized Apples, Cider and Rosemary – The Mussels again were great. The apples and cider added a bit of sweetness and made for an excellent broth. The apples helped to mask the mussels seafood taste.
	Chicken Confit Salad – Chicken was very tender and full of flavor. It went well with the mint and arugula leaves and the wild mushrooms.
	Irish “BLT” – I liked it better when they didn’t grill the bread. Ham with a bit of tomato concasse whose sweetness blended nicely with the ham.

Previous Reviews:
/2008/09/12/irish-restaurant-eve-alexandria-va-2/
/2008/02/18/irish-restaurant-eve-alexandria-va/

 

Irish -> Restaurant Eve -> Alexandria, VA

Wife and I happen to be in the area at the same time so we decided to have lunch together.

	Salad of Local Green Beans with Creme Fraiche and Toasted Almonds – The beans had a light crunch and the almonds added some texture while the tomato and red pepper really stole the show in terms of flavoring the salad. We’ve decide that Eve’s salads are one of their stronger suits.
	Poached Bouchot Mussels with Roasted Tomatoes and Eve’s Garden Basil – Not as good as the first batch of mussels we had last time. The broth was very flavorful and the mussels were cooked to perfection. The sweet tomatoes and the light basil added such a hearty feel to the broth.
	Pulled Pork Sandwich – Not as good as last time. The sandwiches were grilled adding a bit of grease to the sandwich to which we were not huge fans. The pork was very intense on the flavoring. A bit strong on the mustard and the slaw was a bit underwhelming. They should have added more slaw to the sandwich to offset the strong pork.  The chips as always were excellent.
	Irish Spiced Beef Sandwich – The beef was very soft and full of flavor. One minor complaint would be that there was a lot of fat on the beef. It made for a bit disgusting if one took a bite and all that one got was a mouth full of fat.
	Lemon-Pinenut Bar with Blueberry Compote and Blueberry Gelato – The better of the two desserts. The lemon was a bit strong while the blueberry didn’t really blend well with the lemon at all. The compote had that natural blueberry taste while the gelato tasted a bit artificial and fake. .
	“Birthday Cake.”..Just because – I rarely criticize an Armstrong creation but oh this was really really bad. The cake was dry and the frosting was overly sweet and a bit too much. I could make a better cake with Betty Crocker mix.
	Bread – See previous review (Link Below)

Overall Assessment: (9/10) – We decided to revise our previous rating of 10 to a 9. The desserts are just horrible. It’s like drinking a cup of vinegar after a great meal. How hard would it be to lure a decent pastry chef over?

Previous Review:
/2008/02/18/irish-restaurant-eve-alexandria-va/

 

Irish -> Eamonns, A Dublin Chipper -> Alexandria, VA

After the majestic trip, I had a craving for Eamonn’s fries. Thankfully one of my lunch meetings was canceled and I got to go pick something on my own.

	Marie Rose -See previous review (Link Below). Fronch (Dijon Mustard) – Very light on the mustard, a bit creamy. If you like a mild sauce, this would be for you.
	Large Fries – See previous review (Link Below). Though this time around the fires weren’t as tasty and a couple fries were a bit overdone and dry.
	Fried Cod – See previous review (Link Below). (Note the enormous size)

Previous review:
/2007/12/20/irish-eamonns-a-dublin-chipper-alexandria-va/

 

Irish -> Restaurant Eve -> Alexandria, VA

Figured the best way for the two of us to try Restaurant Eve’s “lickity split” weekday lunch menu was for us to try it on a holiday. For those who don’t know the lickity split is any two items from the most items on the bistro menu for $13.50. So we designated President’s day for the day that we would go and try it out. There were so many things that piqued our interest, we decided to get three orders for the two of us.

	Bread – Amazing light bread, served warm. The best part is the butter that comes with it. It is creamy and thick, something your heart wouldn’t like but your mouth would scream more for.
	Endive Salad with Creamy Valdeon Dressing and Candied Walnuts – I didn’t like it, though I could appreciate it due to the strong blue cheese. Wife liked it. The endives were crisp and the blue cheese didn’t taste like generic blue cheese, it had a distinct kick to it. The candied walnuts add hints of sweetness to the salad.
	Duck Pastrami Salad with Balsamic Vinegar – The duck was a bit chewier and saltier than I would have liked, yet if you mixed it with the greens, then it would be a definite winner.
	Pulled Pork Sandwich with Pommery Mustard – The bread for the sandwich is amazing. The pork and coleslaw went well together as well. The mustard was strong and blended everything together well. The homemade chips were crisp and full of flavor.
	Poached Bouchot Mussels with Lamb Merguez and Curried Carrots – The best dish. The hint of curry and carrots blended well with the perfectly cooked mussels. Specks of well flavored lamb also went well with everything. We loved the attention to detail, we saw another group order this as their appetizer and it came differently plated than ours which was a main course.
	Butterscotch Creme Brulee with Vanilla Ice Cream – The butterscotch and the vanilla ice cream went well together. The brulee was nice in that was different from a generic vanilla creme brulee.
	Eve’s Temptation (Granny Smith Apples with Smirnoff Apple Vodka) – The fresh granny apple juice was sweet with just a hint of sourness with barely a hint of alcohol.

Decor: We were in the bar/lounge area. The lounge chairs were super comfy. Even though you had to bend over to eat, it wasn’t that bad. I believe the service at the bar/lounge was a bit slower than it would have been at the main area, but it really wasn’t that bad considering the much lower price.

Overall Assessment: ($, 10/10) – There were no misses on the dishes. Actually afterwards the wife came home and started looking at what a real dinner would cost here. We were surprised with the portions. We expected the food to be of a smaller size due to the deal, yet they were generously sized. Also we were able to get pork, mussels, lamb and duck for those prices? I would ask how they stay in business but most people are like us and get hooked and want to come for the $100+ tasting dinner menu. Seriously the wife asked if we could come back from dinner that same night..

Website: http://www.restauranteve.com/
Location: 110 South Pitt Street, 22314
Reservation: 703.706.0450
Takeout: N/A
Hours: Bistro; Mon – Fri; 1130 – 1430, Mon -Sat; 1730 – 2200, Tasting Room; Mon-Sat; 1730 – 2130