In the Glass: Grape & Bean (Old Town)

4 ½ George Washingtons (out of 5)

We only wish the space were larger.  Or that they were open later on Friday or Saturday nights—they close shop at 10, and good luck getting a seat at 9.  But these complaints stem entirely from the fact that we adore this little wine and coffee bar.

Grape and Bean is as much a wine shop as it is a bar and restaurant.  They have a large and carefully-curated selection of bottled wines, from around the world, and also have periodic wine tasings with importers and growers.  We attended a tasting months ago with a grower from France, and found the experience to be both educational and a great deal of fun.

Above all, though, we enjoy coming here for a glass of wine in the evening.  The shop has a bar at the front, and a small selection of tables in the back nestled in among the wine bottles.  The selection of wine is usually excellent; it’s rare for us to try a wine that we don’t like here, and the breadth of taste and textures among the offerings can often yield some delightful novelties and surprises.  The glasses are reasonably priced (considering what you get).  And the servers are quite knowledgeable, and will help you find the wine to suit your palate.  If you’re nice, they’ll usually let you taste a few of the wines before ordering.

If you’re looking to eat with your meal, the food here is sparse but very good.  It’s our suspicion that their only cooking equipment is some sort of hot plate or Panini press (at the very least, we highly doubt they have an oven), but they use top-of-the-line ingredients and everything they can make tastes fantastic.  We particularly recommend the flatbread, which changes periodically but at the moment comes topped with your choice of prosciutto or a combination of peppers, olives, and basil.  The signature salad, with almonds, cucumber, and citrus dressing, is excellent.  And the cheese plates offer a good selection (again, the waiters will generally help navigate the choices) and are on the generous side.

If you come in the morning, they won’t make you a latte, but they do have a nice selection of made-to-order drip.  We would say that they should add pastries in the a.m. or desserts in the evening (apart from the delicious pre-wrapped chocolate bars that they do have for sale), but we suppose that people linger long enough already.

Four and a half George Washingtons is a strong rating.  This is one of our favorite places in Old Town, and we would come more often if only it were easier to find a place to sit.

Bittersweet

2 ½ George Washingtons (out of 5)

We’d been meaning to try this place for awhile—it always has crowds outside on weekend mornings, and we figured it might be a good place to linger for a bit and enjoy the first meal of the day.  One thing we haven’t yet found in Alexandria is a truly great breakfast place, and we were hopeful this would be the one.  It wasn’t, at least for us.

The highlight of our trip was seeing Newt Gingrich order a coffee and take a seat at a table by the windows.  Patrons stopped him for photos, and it took him a good 15 minutes of posing and hand-shaking to make his way from the counter to his table.  

Celebrity-sighting aside, the experience was disappointing.  The egg sandwich was served on either a somewhat soggy croissant, or an overly-dry biscuit.  The oatmeal, meanwhile, was served in a cardboard cup that was reminiscent of what you might receive at an office cafeteria.  On the whole, we didn’t think the breakfast rose far above what you might expect at a place like Starbucks.  Serviceable, but nothing special.  On the other hand, we did think the coffee was very good.  The latte was strong, but not too bitter, and the perfect temperature.

The ambiance is generally bright and attractive, with large windows and substantial wooden tables.  We did think, though, that the lay-out left something to be desired.  There was no menu at the counter, except for lunch options (which seemed premature at that time in the morning), so it was difficult to know what was on offer.  You have to wait by the counter for your food and drink, which is fine but does leave you navigating the crowd (food in hand) to wind your way to a table.

Two and a half George Washingtons isn’t a bad rating.  It just means this place is good, but not one we would necessarily revisit when looking for a hearty breakfast.  We might return to try a chocolate sweet (those looked like they could be delicious), or to try out the Mexican food that they apparently serve at dinner (an intriguing transformation).  We would definitely stop by again when in the mood for a cup of coffee.  

http://www.bittersweetcatering.com/cafe/overview.php

Market Fresh: Brussels Sprouts (King St. Farmers’ Market)

For today’s “Market Fresh,” we ventured out in the cold to the King Street Farmer’s Market–one of the nation’s oldest continually operating markets.  While George Washington may not have eaten here, apparently he actually did sell here, sending up produce from Mount Vernon to market.

Unlike some other area markets, not everything here is “local” (even if “local” is generously defined to include areas up to one state over).  But, with some common sense and questioning of the vendors, you can stick to local-only produce if that’s your goal.  There is also a fantastic selection of flowers here. The handicraft sellers used to bother us, until the holiday season hit.  Then we were grateful.  Although the market’s opening hours were recently extended until noon, it’s advisable to go much earlier if you’re looking for the best selection of produce or pastries.

In the dead of winter, the market is a lot smaller, but some stalwart vendors remain. We braved the chill and picked up some brussels sprouts. The way we prepared them may not win any healthy-living awards, but it just might convert some of the brussels sprouts-averse.

Holy Cow

3 ½ George Washingtons (out of 5)

There are a lot of different types of hamburgers in this world, and, with them, a lot of different types of burger people.  There are the West Coast types, who like thin patties slathered with yummy mayo and fixings; there are the East Coast types, who like a thick patty that bleeds on your hands.  There are those who like their burgers classic, with lettuce and tomatoes.  And there are those who want nothing more than a novelty burger, with a creative name (in D.C., usually politics-related) and an even more creative selection of toppings.

Holy Cow is the burger joint for all these people.  The patties are a compromise — wide, but not too thin or thick.  They have a selection of “specialty” burgers on offer: the Holy Pig, the Big Deal, the Popper, etc.  And they also let you design your own, providing a generous selection of toppings and fix-ins for you to select from.  Whether you’re an East Coast person, a West Coast person, or something in between, there’s something here for you.

The specialty burgers are good, if a bit over-loaded with toppings.  The Holy Pig–a patty topped with a generous mound of barbeque pork from next door’s Pork Barrel BBQ, part of the same restaurant group–was a particular hit.  Building your own can be more hit-or-miss, depending on your creativity and burger-building IQ.  Just a plain cheeseburger can be a bit dry, at least in this writer’s estimation, and benefits from the addition of one of the restaurant’s various excellent sauces.  Try the Sriracha Aoili in particular.  The fries were heavenly, an appropriate balance of crispy and chewy, and also come in sweet potato.

We stopped in for a quick dinner on a Friday, and there was only a short wait to order.  The set-up is pretty typical for a NoVA burger joint:  You order at the front, and they bring the burger to your table.  There was no wait for a seat, and the tables turn quickly.  The servers were very friendly and the place would be great for little ones.  On the whole, the atmosphere was relaxed, clean, and a little bit Spartan.  One nice perk:  Twenty-five cents from every meal goes to charity, and you get to pick the charity from a long list at the register.  Most of the charities are local.

Three and a half George Washingtons is a solid rating — a five is truly exceptional, and a four is very good.  We would have given it a higher rating, except in the effort to please everyone Holy Cow falls short of truly amazing anyone (at least in our group).  In our opinion, this is definitely a place to try, particularly if you’re hoping to please a large group of varied burger tastes.

http://www.holycowdelray.com

George Washington Ate Where?

Welcome to George Washington Ate Here* (a.k.a., GWAH*), a blog for people interested in good food in the Alexandria, Virginia area — and particularly in Old Town and Del Ray.  Your friendly editors are local residents who enjoy good food, and who noticed that (while there are certainly a lot of restaurants, bars, and markets) the area is lacking a truly great resource for reviews and other food-related needs.  This blog will, hopefully, go some way towards filling that void.

We’re planning a number of features, which we will develop as our interests and day jobs permit:

*  Reviews:  Alexandria has a lot of restaurants, and more are opening all the time.  Sometimes the task of choosing where to eat can almost seem overwhelming.  We eat there first, so you don’t have to.
* Market Fresh:  Produce produce everywhere, but what to cook?  We’ll be making trips to the local markets, and suggesting recipes to cook with the choicest ingredients.  Usually, we’ll focus on what’s local, in season, and available at the Old Town and Del Ray farmers’ markets.    
* In the Glass:  You can’t eat all time time — sometimes you also need to drink.  In this feature, we will review the local bars, providing the skinny on where to try the best wine, cocktails, or other brews in Old Town and Del Ray.
* Field Trip:  One of our favorite “food” things about living in Alexandria isn’t actually located in Alexandria — it’s all the great Asian food in Annandale.  So we’ll be taking the occasional “field trip” beyond Alexandria to see what’s available next door, or even further out.  

So, with that, welcome to GWAH*. 

Disclaimer

*He actually didn’t. But he probably slept nearby.