Restaurant Eve

[Al_Dente]

started with a terrine of wild birds (duck, quail, pheasant, and my most favorite bird....pork) served with poached, dried apricots and brioche batons...

when pigs fly?

[eatdrinkummm]

A '95 Isole e Olena Vin Santo still graces my breath as I write this post. Strudel on the nose? How many times have we been warned about posting after drinks? When else could I post? Todd Thrasher's version of the sour-apple martini, a saffron-infused onion gibson, Soutiran Grand Cru Champagne NV (booyaah-ka-shah), Langhe Reisling (would have been better if I hadn't started with Wabeck's roof top choice: a Kientzler Alsatian Reisling), plus, plus. Let me settle a bet, Todd Thrasher is the better mixologist...if I was to even consider myself in the running to begin with.

I sort of dread writing the hyper-descriptive posts about every dish, wine pairing, etcetera. Not enough time in the morning. No interest in being a food writer. And I have to make Krispy Kreme by 5 A.M. Here's the Alpha/Omega: Restaurant Eve is not just hype. All I can say is Lobster Creme Brulee. Seriously, delicious. Chef Armstrong and Thrasher are doing a smashing job. My one word of advice... look at your watch periodically, you might lose track of time and leave at a quarter 'til one.

Derek

[fimbul]

Good lord 'n butter, what a night! What a restaurant!

My SO took me to the Tasting Room at Restaurant Eve last night to celebrate my 29th birthday, and my mind is still too full of joy and goodwill to write any sort of blow by blow description of the (nearly 4 hour) wonderful dinner we had there. I can, however, tell you everything on the nine course tasting menu was good, much of it was great, and the generosity (and savor faire) of Todd Thrasher and the staff is to be marveled at.

The stand-outs, to my mind, were the wonderful game bird consomme served as an amuse, the lobster creme brulee (which I so expected not to like, but was fucking incredible), the marvelous, light, crispy sweetbreads (!!!), and the brilliant almond cake served alongside a blackberry granite in a hollowed peach. Those sweetbreads may haunt my dreams (though I remain devoted, as I told Todd, to Eve's pork belly, which is worthy of becoming the center of new religion).

Jeannie, my SO, in her turn, has not quit singing the praises of the foie gras, which was served beside roasted peaches on a bit of brioche, laced, I think, with a touch of honey. She liked it better than the foie gras we had at Maestro a few weeks ago, and I'm not sure I don't agree with her. It really was a killer dish, and one hell of a way to start a meal.

I was also impressed by a Belgian dessert Todd brought out for me (with a candle in it and everything) the name of which, despite his best efforts, has lodged in my brain as a "Woolly Bully." This creature was a fried puff made from flour leavened with beer yeast and served with a beer float made of Gouden Carolus Tripel with vanilla ice cream. I liked this a lot. A LOT. I want the recipe very, very badly.

I realise as I write all this that I'm giving short shrift to the wines Todd brought out to us, all of which were awesome, and the names of none of which do I remember save the half bottle of Duckhorn's Paraduxx, which I adored and which complimented our venison loin perfectly. I'm also forgetting Todd's Sour Apple Martini, which was a yummy-but-scary concoction that makes me suspect Mr. Thrasher spends too much time in a laboratory beneath the streets of Old Town, surrounded by test tubes, beakers, and monkeys in cages, and muttering about how they laughed at him at the mixology institute. This was a scary drink, kids, and worth trying if you get a chance.

Gah. Must stop. Must do work.

My thanks to everyone at Eve. You guys rock.

[John W.]

Thrasher...

Nice tie.

You guys bring it. Thanks for a great night.

[Nadya]

Thrasher...

Nice tie.

You guys bring it. Thanks for a great night.

John....you love the tie....I love the hair. Honestly. Thrasher takes the cake with the wildest-hair mixologist in town. And if there is a wilder-hair person out there, I don't want to see him.

Don't have time for a blow-by-blow dish description, but let me just say that everything was very intense, very well-done, and seamless. Cathal came out and hung out with us for a while, and was as gracious as they come. Great evening of gorgeous food, good wine, and marvelous company.

And that sour apple thing...the flavor intensity is on a par with a nukelar explosion.

[fimbul]

Thrasher...

Nice tie.

You guys bring it. Thanks for a great night.

Hrm. Let me guess, you guys were the four top in the corner beneath the cauliflower.

Am I right?

[Nadya]

Thrasher...

Nice tie.

You guys bring it. Thanks for a great night.

Hrm. Let me guess, you guys were the four top in the corner beneath the cauliflower.

Am I right?

I guess the incognito thing didn't really work, then...

[fimbul]

Thrasher...

Nice tie.

You guys bring it. Thanks for a great night.

Hrm. Let me guess, you guys were the four top in the corner beneath the cauliflower.

Am I right?

I guess the incognito thing didn't really work, then...

No, no. The trenchcoat and Groucho glasses totally threw me off.

[fero style]

I had a decent meal at Restaurant Eve tonight , with friends. my second time , I had the home cured salmon , and cod with thinly sliced potatoes as my entree.

I really like that coffee from Yemen , I think very smooth and rich (not overwhelming)

for those never been there before , definitely give it a try or 2

[gnatharobed]

I'm going to Eve next week to celebrate my birthday. Even had a dream about it last night- talk about anticipation. Which dishes are can't miss right now? Favorite creations of Mr. Thrasher?

[fimbul]

I'm going to Eve next week to celebrate my birthday. Even had a dream about it last night- talk about anticipation. Which dishes are can't miss right now? Favorite creations of Mr. Thrasher?

My faves, hands down, are the pork belly and that tomato-water bloody mary. Both are unbeatable.

[SanFran88]

Which dishes are can't miss right now? Favorite creations of Mr. Thrasher?

I really like several of the appetizers off the new bistro menu -- the pork rillettes, the "bacon, egg, and cheese" salad, and the pasta with clams. I don't think you can go wrong with any of Todd's concoctions...try them all and call a taxi

[SKAK]

Which dishes are can't miss right now? Favorite creations of Mr. Thrasher?

Are you dinning in the Bistro or Tasting Room?

[Gary Tanigawa]

Another positive review in The Washington Times.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I'm going to Eve next week to celebrate my birthday.  Even had a dream about it last night- talk about anticipation.  Which dishes are can't miss right now?  Favorite creations of Mr. Thrasher?

Leave your drink choices completely in Todd's hands and you won't be disappointed.

[gnatharobed]

We'll be in the tasting room --

[SanFran88]

We ate in the tasting room a couple weeks ago. We did the five course, which I think is an amazing value. The dishes that stuck in my head as being particularly noteworthy were the lobster creme brulee, the scallop wellington (I had one and my dinner companion had the other), a very good gnocchi dish, and a veal filet that was served with some kind of amazing lick-the-plate-clean sauce. There were others, but those were the ones I remember. The amuse was a deviled quail egg. We let Todd pick the wines. We did two half bottles. I remember I really liked the Paradux. I'd definitely just let Todd do the wines. I also had some kind of basil cocktail that was wonderful; my friend had the New Age Gibson and liked it. The tomato water bloody mary is also excellent. For the desserts I had a chocolate and coconut "napoleon" (mousses of each separated by what I think were some sort of croquant (sp) wafers instead of puff) and my friend had the warm chocolate cake with spiced pineapple, which was very good. We ate in the bistro last night, but ordered dessert off the tasting room menu: there was an orange something or other that had several different takes (mousse, sorbet, etc on a rectangular plate) that was very good. I had a fig tart that was the special last night (pate sucre, frangiapane, pastry cream, fresh figs kind of bruleed on top). Also very good. My wife and I are going back with a group the 18th to do the 9 course. Hope this helps a little.

[DonRocks]

Congratulations, Todd. From today's Tom Sietsema online chat:

Tom Sietsema: The "coolest cocktails in town" are being stirred and shaken at Restaurant Eve in Old Town. No one is more experimental (and successful) with libations than the restaurant's sommelier, Todd Thrasher.

[mnebergall]

They were in mourning this evening at Restaurant Eve. I will let the Stretch-man comment before I elaborate further.

edited.

Edited September 10, 2004 by mnebergall (log)

[iamthestretch]

This is not as cryptic as it appears. Turns out that Mark went out last weekend and personally infused a brace of plump little mourning doves with several ounces of hot lead. In keeping with his informal position as the genius loci of Eve's bar, he had brought them into the restaurant for the crew to savor and was nice enough to deal my wife and I in when we ran into each other on our way to the tasting room. Perfectly cooked with prosciutto, foie gras, Swiss chard and a jus made the old-fashioned way (shoot a bunch of birds, cook a couple, render the rest unto gravy) they were among the most downright delicious things I've ever eaten. If you could do that with common pigeons, there'd suddenly be a whole lot less sky rats around my neck of the woods. Thanks, Mark. Next time I get my hands on some Kudu steaks, your phone will ring.

[mnebergall]

This is not as cryptic as it appears. Turns out that Mark went out last weekend and personally infused a brace of plump little mourning doves with several ounces of hot lead. In keeping with his informal position as the genius loci of Eve's bar, he had brought them into the restaurant for the crew to savor and was nice enough to deal my wife and I in when we ran into each other on our way to the tasting room. Perfectly cooked with prosciutto, foie gras, Swiss chard and a jus made the old-fashioned way (shoot a bunch of birds, cook a couple, render the rest unto gravy) they were among the most downright delicious things I've ever eaten. If you could do that with common pigeons, there'd suddenly be a whole lot less sky rats around my neck of the woods. Thanks, Mark. Next time I get my hands on some Kudu steaks, your phone will ring.

←

Stretch is right. I had a half-limit of doves that I shot on the Eastern Shore on Monday afternoon and I brought then in for Chef Cathal to prepare. There were just enough for about 3 plates: one for me, one for him, and one for someone else and Stretch and his wife happened to be in the right place at the right time.

When Todd brought them out, my jaw dropped onto the bar. An absolutely magnificent presentation; I just sat there and looked at it for a few minutes before daring to taste. The dove-breast fillets had been wrapped in prosciutto ham and roasted. The roasted doves were then layered with slices of seared foie gras and presented on top of a mound of Swiss chard chard and a piece of toasted brioche. There were cipollene onions and then drizzled with the dove jus reduction. The combination of the doves with the foie gras made for an interesting contrast in textures with the smooth, almost creamy texture of the foie gras against the moist and tender dove/prosciutto morsels. Todd paired it with a very nice Minervois. This was the best prepared/presented/tasting wild game I have ever had. Chef Cathal is an absolute genius; he clearly misunderestimated* when he said "dove is good."

The next thing up on the hunting agenda is likely to be wood duck, which come into season in mid October.

Also, if pigeons are airborne rats, then sea gulls are ocean-going pigeons.

*A "Bushism."

[Al_Dente]

I have this image in my head of Mark going in and out of restaurants all over town in full hunting regalia with a shotgun over one shoulder and various dead woodland creatures over the other.

[mnebergall]

I have this image in my head of Mark going in and out of restaurants all over town in full hunting regalia with a shotgun over one shoulder and various dead woodland creatures over the other.

←

I'm shocked, shocked I say, that you would imply that I would foist off on the restaurant staff the task of cleaning game that I brought down. And another thing, doves don't come from the woods, they come from the fields.

[razzar]

The dish sounds absolutely incredible.

But, (and this may be way off the topic) did you do this by pre-arrangement? I thought it was against some sort of "rules" to bring wild game into a restaurant to be cooked.

[mnebergall]

The dish sounds absolutely incredible.

But, (and this may be way off the topic) did you do this by pre-arrangement?  I thought it was against some sort of "rules" to bring wild game into a restaurant to be cooked.

←

It would be illegal to "sell" wild game. There is no law against having a chef prepare your game at a restaurant. There also is no law against making a gift of your game. My understanding is that it is not an uncommon practice for hunters to bring their game to restaurants for preparation. A friend of mine used to do it at Jean Louis.

And your are right, the dish was absolutely incredible.

Edited to add: And it was by prearrangment.

Edited September 10, 2004 by mnebergall (log)