www.restauranteve.com
110 S Pitt St
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 706-0450
This is the second time I have eaten at Restaurant Eve and this meal did not disappoint. Eve, in old town, is chef owned (I always view this as a good sign). It is located in a renovated townhouse. For a restaurant with few windows, it is surprisingly light and airy in the inside.
We began our meal with cocktails. All of the cocktails are the creation of sommelier Todd Thrasher. My bitter orange and house cured olive martini was well balanced. The residual olive oil added a bit of viscosity so that the martini coated my tongue and enabled the flavors to develop in my mouth. Thrasher's cocktails always inspire me to create my own concoctions when I get home.
For my first course, I had steak tartar. Eve tosses their tartar in a slightly spicy mustard based sauce and serves it with homemade pumpernickel toasts. I highly recommend it. My dining companions had pan fried anchovies--the fish was juicy and mild flavored under a perfectly crisped crust--and Australian snapper. The snapper, served sashimi style, was just ok. I thought the fish was overpowered by its black pepper crust.
For my second course, I had oven roasted leg of veal. The waiter warned that the veal was free range and would not melt in my mouth. Regardless, it was very tender and nicely flavored. My companions had the bouillabaisse, tilefish and halibut cheeks. The bouillabaisse was wonderful--the broth was heavenly and the fish and shellfish--not surprisingly--was perfectly cooked. The halibut cheeks was my favorite dish. The cheeks had a different texture from "normal" halibut and the flavor was akin to a cross between lobster and skate. The tilefish, a bottom feeding fish whose flesh flakes nicely, was good but not memorable.
As always, the wine list was phenomenol. They had one of my favorite wines--Green and Red Zinfandel--which was a perfect complement to a thoroughly wonderful meal.