Restaurant Eve

[Alan7147]

Going to dinner at the Bistro section of Eve tonight. Anyone been recently and can tell me what is a must have on the menu? Also, what is the dress like for the bistro section of the restaurant, Am I correct in assuming more casual than the tasting area?

[simdelish]

Going to dinner at the Bistro section of Eve tonight. Anyone been recently and can tell me what is a must have on the menu? Also, what is the dress like for the bistro section of the restaurant, Am I correct in assuming more casual than the tasting area?

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I had dinner in the tasting room the other night, and can tell you at least what stood out and is worth looking for even on the Bistro menu, as often there is some overlap between the two. (slightly different presentations, and a greater amount of food on the plate in the bistro, I know)

* foie gras, as always, is yummy, served on toasted brioche and topped with a confit/marmalade of cape gooseberries

*the roasted skate wing with ramps and manilla clams was incredible -- my favorite item of the evening

*and I also had the tasty "spring lamb tasting" as mentioned above.

For dessert, my guest really enjoyed the chocolate cake, although I thought it delicious but nothing extraordinary. But I LOVED my little apricot baked alaska.

The best part of the evening was the wines, particularly the Thierry Thiolet Grand Reserve Champagne, and the Hendry Ranch Pinot Noir from Calif.

As for the dress, I believe bistro patrons are still a fairly well-dressed bunch particularly on a Sat nite, but perhaps not as much as in the tasting room, where all the gentlemen wore jackets last Wed. except for one obnoxiously noisy (early-dining-and-gone --thank goodness) bunch. One sweet older couple seated in the corner clearly were celebrating... the lady wore a corsage. It was quite touching.

[SanFran88]

I took my mother to the Tasting Room for an early mother's day dinner and I echo Simdelish on some of the new menu choices.

There were several amuses: A rhubarb mousse with serrano, a little cheese flan, and a deviled quail's egg with caviar. The rhubarb mousse was my favorite. Also a wonderful little cup of mushroom soup. Then I had the lobster creme brulee with a lobster and fennel salad. This is one of my all time favorite dishes. I could probably eat a pint of it like ice cream. My mom had beautiful prawns with a mint and tangerine salad. Next up was OOO, a pate brisee containter filled with oysters and onions in a cream sauce and topped with caviar. Very tasty with a glass of champagne (we were doing wine pairings because all I know about wine is I like to drink it). As Simdelish said, the skate with clams is wonderful, as is the lamb tasting. Nine course also had the wonderful fois with a tiny brioche tete and I think a kumquat reduction. Oh, and sweetbreads that were perfect, crunchy on the outside and unctuous on the inside. My mother, who thinks salt and pepper are exotic spices, loved both the lamb kidney from the tasting and the sweetbreads. I didn't tell her what they were.... Dinner was followed by a stilton flan (mom did a cheese plate) and an apple dessert. My mother did the apricot baked alaska. The Tasting Room remains, I think, absolutely the best value (at $95 for nine courses) for this level of food in the area. Todd did his usual fine job matching wines and he's put together a mint julep fizz that I could drink all night. Another wonderful meal with wonderful service (our waitress boxed up a strawberry shortcake and some extra chocolates for my wife and four-year old daughter at home). I spoke with Cathal on the way out, and the Bistro menu will change to reflect spring on Tuesday. Hopefully the weather will reflect spring as well.... What Cathal, Todd, Meshe, Nate, and everyone else at Eve have been able to accomplish in what seems like a very short year is truly wonderful.

[brr]

well, we had a fantastic meal at Eve a few weeks ago that I'm still trying to find the time to do justice to in a lengthier posting....

....but I also stopped by there late Saturday, as we were winding down a bachelor party and bellied up to the bar for a few - Ken took great care of us and we enjoyed some top notch beers - also chatted briefly with Cathal on the way out....a nice relaxing end to the evening

[bilrus]

Pretty sweet sounding lunch deal going on at Eve right now (from an email from the restaurant):

The Lickity Split-Lounge Lunch Menu $13.50

Welcome to Restaurant Eve, we use the freshest ingredients that local farms and area markets can provide.  We change our menu often, to provide you, the best of the season. Bon Appetit!

This special promotional menu is available only in the bar and lounge from 11:30-4:00  (Valid One per guest only-cannot be shared Thank you.)

Selections

Choose any 2 items....YES!...We mean ANY TWO.

DAIZE’S SEASONAL COCKTAIL Local Strawberries, Limes and Absolut Citron Vodka

KEN FORRESTER Petit Chenin Blanc 2003 (South Africa)

CASTILLO DEL BARON Monastrell 2003 (Yecla, Spain)

VICTORY-Pilsner-Draft

Virginia Asparagus with Virginia Ham and Everona Piedmont

Market Salad; Mixed Greens, with Garnishes from Local Markets

Spanish Omelet (Tortilla Español) with Grande Aïoli

Virginia Asparagus Soup with Créme Fraîche

Manilla Clams with Chinese Sausage and Spring Garlic

Salad Du Jour

Sandwich Du Jour

Risotto

Fingerling Potatoes

Irish “BLT” with House Made Chips

“Birthday Cake”....Just Because

Chocolate Torte

Apple Fritters

Edited May 19, 2005 by bilrus (log)

[Camille-Beau]

Getting Eve's Goat . . .

We had (another) marvelous surprise in the tasting room last night at Restaurant Eve. The first surprise was a dish consisiting of sauteed fresh-water eel and lobster in a buttery sauce, which contained, among other things, wild French asparagus. The freshness and clean taste of the eel was perfectly balanced by the richness of the sauce and the lobster. Marvelous!

The second surprise was an offering of young goat prepared several ways. We were offered kidney, liver, riblets, a portion of roasted leg of goat, and braised shoulder. The meat was paired with a Moroccan-style couscous, which added an exotic hint of spice to the succulent meat. Vive la Spring goat!

Two more quick thoughts: The current presentation of foie gras, which is sauteed and placed between halves of warm brioche, is really fabulous. Who knew that a foie gras burger could be so good? (Answer: Chef Armstrong). Second, Todd's wine pairings were top notch - as usual. Todd never fails to find just the right wine and his selections literally span the globe.

Thanks folks for yet another great evening.

-Beau

(Bad Wookie, bad!)

[brr]

from todays Post - Q&A w/ Todd

What are you working on now?

A special gin and tonic. It's made with a syrup of honey, yuzu juice and quinine from a Brazilian rain forest. I'm even making my own tonic, using a seltzer bottle, and the ice cube will be long and narrow like a test tube.

This sounds delicious

[mhberk]

This weekend will be our second anniversary and, just like the first, we'll be spending it with Todd and his crew in the tasting room.

We can't wait!!

[fimbul]

I just noticed this month's Food & Wine listed Eve among its choices for best wine lists. Congratulations, Eve-peoples!

(Eve-ites? Eve-ians? Eve-eteers? ...Eve-wegians? )

[Alex]

Did they say how long the deal will continue? (I'll be in DC July 17-21.)

Pretty sweet sounding lunch deal going on at Eve right now (from an email from the restaurant):

The Lickity Split-Lounge Lunch Menu $13.50

Welcome to Restaurant Eve, we use the freshest ingredients that local farms and area markets can provide.  We change our menu often, to provide you, the best of the season. Bon Appetit!

This special promotional menu is available only in the bar and lounge from 11:30-4:00  (Valid One per guest only-cannot be shared Thank you.)

Selections

Choose any 2 items....YES!...We mean ANY TWO.

DAIZE’S SEASONAL COCKTAIL Local Strawberries, Limes and Absolut Citron Vodka

KEN FORRESTER Petit Chenin Blanc 2003 (South Africa)

CASTILLO DEL BARON Monastrell 2003 (Yecla, Spain)

VICTORY-Pilsner-Draft

Virginia Asparagus with Virginia Ham and Everona Piedmont

Market Salad; Mixed Greens, with Garnishes from Local Markets

Spanish Omelet (Tortilla Español) with Grande Aïoli

Virginia Asparagus Soup with Créme Fraîche

Manilla Clams with Chinese Sausage and Spring Garlic

Salad Du Jour

Sandwich Du Jour

Risotto

Fingerling Potatoes

Irish “BLT” with House Made Chips

“Birthday Cake”....Just Because

Chocolate Torte

Apple Fritters

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[bilrus]

Did they say how long the deal will continue? (I'll be in DC July 17-21.)

Sorry, I don't still have the email, but I do know it is still in effect.

[Alex]

Did they say how long the deal will continue? (I'll be in DC July 17-21.)

Sorry, I don't still have the email, but I do know it is still in effect.

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I just called them (I know, I could have done that first) and they said it'd be running "throughout the summer."

[sandra_alboum]

Hi everyone! My first posting.

I had the pleasure of working with Todd when he was the bar manager opening at Cafe Atlantico downtown. The best bartender I've ever worked with -- hands (and tumblers) down.

I don't know if he remembers me, but if he's reading out there, hey Todd. I'm the one who was always speaking in Spanish with the kitchen staff (and in Catalan with Toni Yelamos)! (In fact, I think that's why Gonzalo hired me. Being bilingual has its perks.)

Ciao!

[Ralph Wiggum]

Tuesday night my wife and I celebrated our anniversary with a spectacular meal in the tasting room at Restaurant Eve. Everything was fantastic from start to finish. Some of the highlights were…

Corn Nut Crusted Maine Diver’s Scallop with Corn Tamale – A perfectly seared scallop encrusted in house-made corn nuts (!).

“A Wolf in Lamb’s Clothing” – This dish consisted of a piece of Wolffish set atop a lamb-filled ravioli. My wife reluctantly shared this dish with me.

Gnocchi with Oven Dried Tomatoes and Spring Arugula – this may have been the star of the night. As our waitress said, “who would have guessed that an Irishman can make such darn-good gnocchi”. The tomatoes and arugula did not overpower the gnocchi; instead, it served as a light sauce to showcase the gnocchi. Hats off to Chef Cathal for this dish.

Four Styles of Artichokes – My wife was surprised at how much she enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the different preparations, but they were darn good (I know that is not much help).

Cheese Course – Eve has a very nice selection of cheeses, many of which come from Cheesetique in Alexandria. We each got to choose 3 different cheeses. The absolute best was the Epoisse De Bourgogne, which the menu describe as “Herby, Stinky and Fruity”. Who knew something that smells like feet could taste so good! This cheese was runny, gooey, and stinky, but absolutely delicious.

Oh yeah, the Apricot Baked Alaska and the Chocolate Souffle were terrific, but repeated heavy-handed wine pourings prevents me from remembering specifics. We chose the wine pairings with our meal and Todd certainly did not disappoint. The standout wines included the Robert Sinsky Cabernet Franc, as well as the Domaine Du Mas Blanc, which paired remarkably well with the Chocolate Souffle.

Thanks again to Chef Cathal, Todd Thrasher, and the rest of the staff for such a remarkable evening.