Mesmerizing, Magical, Majestic

The Majestic: Amish Chicken with Fettuccine

Until last week, I had experienced the pleasure of indulging at three of Cathal Armstrong's establishments -- Eamonn's, Eve (both the tasting room and bistro, pre-blog), and PX. -- but had yet to try Majestic.  This was not for lack of effort -- "Nana's Sunday Dinner," a family-style prix fix, is a hard reservation to get.  But the magic of a rare 60+ degree evening in mid-February changed our luck and B and I walked in and got an early table without a reservation last Thursday.

The understated dining room is backed by classic diner tunes playing at a volume appropriate for conversation.  And the friendly, accommodating staff (we had to be in and out in an hour and our waitress graciously coordinated with the kitchen) set the tone for what would be an unpretentious but indulgent meal that will have us coming back often.

This is the type of comfort food that you wish would find its way to your neighborhood.  The dishes seem effortless in the warmth that they bring to your table, but the scene from the open kitchen makes it clear that they are anything but.  Amish chicken with a side of creamy house made fettuccine was hearty and flavorful drawing out the natural richness of the dark meat.  A special of veal osso bucco was fragrant in an herbed gravy set off in both color and flavor by the saffron risotto nestled below. 

A side of Chef Red's (named for head chef "Red" Overmiller) onion rings, thick cut and fried tempura style, were accompanied by housemade ketchup, an aoli, and Ranch dipping sauces.  This order was totally gratuitous on our part, but also one that was greatly enjoyed.

And while prior plans did not permit time for dessert, the truffles that accompany the check were filled with decadent dark chocolate studded with chocolate chips and rolled in coconut.  If this one bite tease is any indication of what those delicious towering cakes yield, I will surely allow time for dessert on our next visit.

Two glasses of wine, two entrees, side, tax, and tip came to $105.

Old Town Eating: Union Street Public House

Old Town Alexandria's: Union Street Public House

When it comes to dining in Old Town Alexandria, what comes to mind most immediately is Cathal Armstong's burgeoning empire--Restaurant Eve, the Majestic, PX, and Eamonn's--which this year is slated to expand by another 50% with the planned opening of Virtue Feed and Grain (upscale Irish and global comfort food to seat 300) and Society Fair (a European style market with a bakery, butcher shop, wine shop and prepared food store, with nightly food and cocktail demonstrations).

This past weekend we found ourselves on King Street in Old Town without an Armstrong dinner reservation. This lack of planning led to a fun food find. Union Street Public House operates in a renovated Colonial warehouse adjacent to the soon-to-be Virtue Feed and Grain space. The ground floor of the space is a large and loud bar, which was filled to capacity when we showed up late Friday evening. Advised by the bouncer that there was a dining room upstairs, we made a beeline through the crowd to the stairwell. Wrought iron chandeliers, exposed beams and brick, and booth nooks adorned the upstairs space.

My first thought was how similar this place seemed to Durgin Park, a century old Boston institution in an equally touristy area.  At Durgin Park, once you make your way through the first floor bar and upstairs, you also discover an old world charm and some classic (albeit no frills) New England cooking. Is Public House the Old Town equivalent? I am happy to report that is in many ways (minus a century or so of history) it is. The friendly service, the classic reasonably priced dishes, and the draft beers all made this place feel genuine.

An order of Wally’s oysters brought plump bacon topped broiled fried oysters kicked up with pepper butter.

Union Street Public House: Wally's Oysters

The Cioppino, shown in the split portion below, was teeming with fresh seafood, clams, mussels, and white fish.  The dish would have benefited from a bit more heat and pasta cooked a tad more on the al dente side, but it was nonetheless a hearty comfort on a cold night.

Union Street Public House: Cioppino

For dessert we opted for the completely gluttonous option: icebox cake.  While I was expecting something more like Magnolia Bakery’s version, I was not in any way disappointed with the moist tower of cake interlaced with a chocolate buttercream.  This is a chocolate lover's dream.

Union Street Public House: Ice Box Cake

The meal was washed down with a few local draft beers.  We enjoyed lingering over our final sips with the standards and jazz playing in the background.  Dinner for two with shared appetizer, entree, dessert, tax, tip, and three beers was $50.  And while we did not partake, their restaurant week special was a $35 three course dinner for two -- half the price of the standard deal. 

Fabulous French Fries: Eamonn's

Eamonn's: A Dublin Chipper's Chips

B and I are headed to New York this weekend for three days of friends, food, and of course, french fries from our favorite fabulous, no frills (if you don't count the countless dipping sauces) Pomme Frites in the East Village.  But what to do if your weekend plans don't call for such a jaunt?  I recently discovered that Eamonn's in Old Town Alexandria is the answer for hearty, fried-to-order chips with a variety of homemade dipping sauces.

This counter service, dark paneled galley space and homage to all things fried (and I do mean all: dough balls, snickers bars, but to name a few menu choices) is the brainchild of Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve.  The restaurant's brass accents, mirrored walls, and huge community tables are charming, but space is at a premium, so do not expect to linger without getting dirty looks from diners angling for a place to break into their brown paper bag of fried treats.

While Eamonn's is known for its Dublin-style fried fish, the hand cut fries are alone worth the trip, which is precisely the only thing we dined on during our most recent venture.  These hearty fries have a crunchy exterior which yields to an ample potato core.  The mayo-based dipping sauces are all homemade: tartar, Marie Rose, chesapeake, hot chili, Kitty O'Shea, and Fronch. There is also the option of one non-mayo based sauce, curry, which is served hot. Bottles of ketchup and malt vinegar are on the tables.

The only downside we experienced was the wait time for fries alone -- nearly 25 minutes seemed enough time for Ray's to serve you a steak!  Annoying since we did not count on that long of a lag between placing our order and sinking our teeth into the fried goodness. But it is worth the wait which on previous visits had been closer to ten minutes.

And no, these fries will not help with any New Year's resolutions to eat healthy or get fit.  But look at it this way, with all those resolutions out there, perhaps the line will be shorter!  And this is an inexpensive diet-busting splurge at under $5.  So though it may not be gentle on your waistline, it is on your wallet!

Cocktail with the Blue Light On: PX

PX: Two Cocktail Hunters Outside the Infamous PX Blue Light

It is hard to believe that PX has been open since 2006 and harder to believe that it has taken us over three years to try it out.  That is not to say that we haven't enjoyed the mastery and pageantry of Todd Thrasher's cocktails at Restaurant Eve, toasting to our 30th birthday, as well as at other events around town.  We have always been impressed with his unique creations and takes on classics.  Thrasher elevates both simple and complicated cocktails to an art-form, which are all center stage at his homage to the cocktail, PX.

Todd Thrasher Cocktail Master at Taste of the Nation 2010

The reason for our hesitancy in heading to PX was a combination of not wanting to trek to Old Town Alexandria for a cocktail as well as my continued failure to understand the speakeasy trend -- new a few years ago, but now a mainstay in the DC going-out scene with places like the Gibson and the Columbia Room.  Yes, Eating Around DC can be a late adopter.

PX is open from Wednesday - Saturday at 6; when the blue light is on, cocktails are flowing.  PX takes reservations for tables and walk-ins can ring the doorbell and see if space is available at the bar.  This strict policy means no one standing over you ordering a drink, which results in a fabulous, non-cluttered bar ambiance.

Entering PX is like stepping back in time.  You climb a narrow, creaky, candlelit staircase, to a very dimly also candlelit series of rooms in an Old Row House (upstairs from Armstrong's Eamonn's Dublin Chipper).  The darkly-lit wooden bar looks like a pharmacy with viles of hand made tonics and mixers.

The menu is a bit difficult to see by candlelight, but offers about 30 creations which range from the classic gin and house-made tonic, to the exotic including such ingredients as egg creams and burnt orange peels.  The bartender carefully makes each drink, served in rounded martini glasses or tumblers with perfectly square ice cubes.  It is nothing short of a shaking, stirring, flaming, cocktail pageant.

B adores gin, but was equally as enamored (excuse the glowing adjectives, but they are warranted) with a twist on the classic Manhattan.  My latest drink involved the aforementioned burnt orange peel and about seven other ingredients.  Since taking pictures or notes would have ruined the atmosphere, those are the only details I can recall!

Drinks average around $12 including the free cocktail show that comes with every order!

The Colonial Diet at Gadsby's Tavern

Ever since moving to DC over five years ago, I have been looking for an excuse to try Gadsby's Tavern, the quirky Old Town Alexandria landmark established in the 1770s, and famous for purportedly serving George Washington.  When I heard about a benefit dinner that showcased Yard's Beer paired with four courses for $85 a person, I thought I had found the perfect opportunity to sample this institution and enjoy a night of good food and great beer.

Wrong!  And here is why:

The night, which began in the adjacent museum, started with an incredibly strong fowl "Is it rude if I hold my nose odor" that was so pervasive it lingered all night.  That odor, from what I could tell, a combination of body odor and dirty clothes, was none other than the Yard's Brewery representative.  His stench was truly vile.

Gadbsy's Tavern: Roasted Duck with Whipped Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables

And the food was not much better than said stench.  After being treated to Colonial cuisine (euphemism) all night, I am proposing a new diet based on this fare.  As a woman that loves to eat, I would be a size 0 if all I had to eat was bland potatoes, salty, tough duck, and rubbery, flavorless vegetables.  It was disgusting. 

The other issue was the beer pairings were really small--we were poured four 6 oz beer samples throughout the three hour experience.  If there was ever a night where I would have appreciated large mugs of beer -- didn't they have that back in the day? -- it was this one.  The beer may have helped mask the blandness ofthe food and allowed us for a minute or two to forget about that odor.

Gadbsy's Tavern: Spruce Custard over Gingerbread

The best part of the night was Dairy Godmother's creation of Yard's Spruce Ale custard.  Finally, some flavorful, savory food and not a bit too soon!

It is safe to say that I have had my fill of Gadbsy's.  Stop by for the history, but save yourself the misery and the money and head to one Cathal Armstong's many offerings in Old Town Alexandria for some truly terrific eating and drinking options.