In late June, I took my parents out for a great dinner at the Bistro at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Virginia. I experiment much less in the DC area's restaurant scene than I used to, but when I first visited a few years back I thought this restaurant one of the best splurges in the DC area--my recent experience confirmed that opinion. The food was all top notch, excellently prepared with quality ingredients and well-presented. My parents were particularly taken by the mussels we shared as an appetizer--something we often enjoy in New England, but not at that level of quality. The main courses were all superb as well, with my dish--an Arctic char prepared by a chef visiting from Iceland--being particularly stunning. I was also very impressed with the attempt to craft a level of service that makes the service an integral part of the whole restaurant experience. As their attempt in that regard is particularly ambitious (I never notice such an emphasis at most higher-end restaurants I visit), I think they still have fallen a bit short of their own goals (as I did when I visited the Tasting Room of Restaurant Eve in the past), but I remain encouraged with the amount of effort and expertise they apply to make the service memorable.
Great wines as well. I had heard people around town talking about the new Virginia sparkling wine venture as a collaboration between a producer from Champagne and a Virginia wine consultant. So my mom and I got a glass of the Champagne and the new Virginia offspring:
N.V. Thibaut-Janisson Monticello Blanc de Chardonnay Brut (Monticello, central Virginia, USA) by the glass at Bistro Eve – smell thicker, more basic nose, still nice, kind of elements of corn to it, simple but pleasant nose, mouthfeel amazingly airy foam, this was repeatedly a pleasure and incredibly fun, taste nicely balanced fruit, crispy, nice enough but doesn’t seem to tell a story, nothing wrong here, wonderfully acceptable for the price (I think it retails around $30), but though the mouthfeel was incredibly sophisticated the taste didn’t communicate anything particular to me, a bit anonymous, perhaps?
N.V. Janisson & Fils Champagne Brut Rosé (Champagne [Verzenay], France) – by the glass at Bistro Eve – appears beautiful salmon color, smell a phenomenal wow nose, savory and sweet, not abrasive but nonetheless you can’t miss it when it enters the room, amazing, mouthfeel is intensely light barebones fizz, the texture of the fizz reminds me of the most delicate brittle cookies that crack when you look at them wrong, taste is wonderfully direct intense and like a rose, but intensity with delicacy, I don’t know how this wine pulls this off, but it does, lovely aperitif, wresting it away from my mom for a taste required some subterfuge and distraction . . .
A talk with the wine steward regarding the wine list was a very interesting one. He was very well informed and very capable to talk about the wines in ways that were very helpful to me. Zind-Humbrecht has a prominent place on Eve's winelist and the wine steward was very enthusiastic about its food pairing potential. I never had a ZH before, so this seemed like a good time as any. It worked very well with the meal and we loved the bottle. I am not so sure, though, that it would be as versatile with food as the wine steward thought it would be.
2005 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Herrenweg de Turckheim (Alsace AOC [Turckheim], eastern France) bottle at Bistro Eve, appears deep gold, smell intense apricot, the nose on this is immediately appealing and to some degree is so flashy that you really have to probe to smell the deeper beauty underneath, goodness gracious I would swear there was elements of fresh meat underneath those apricots, in any case, the nose has depth that I did love probing, and even without that depth, it is a delicious nose, taste sweet but smooth, lots of savory elements, Indian spice and curry, bbq sauce, finishes bright and lasting, my mom loved it and I was really taken by its savory depth
A glance at the dessert wine list didn't have anything tempting for me--which was a very good thing, as their selection of port and madeira by the glass provided me with an excellent opportunity to probe into these wines with which I have little experience.
1986 Smith Woodhouse Porto Late Bottled Vintage (Porto, Douro, Portugal) by the glass at Bistro Eve – smell simple musty, focused, alcohol coming through (I don’t have a lot of experience with the nose of port, so all I can really say is it was a nice nose), mouthfeel thick but moving, pretty amazing mouthfeeel, taste initial entry isn’t impressive, but then licorice, tobacco, prunes, smoky campfires come rolling in on the tongue, wow, some kerosene, bacon, smoke at a farm, lots of childhood memories with this port, lovely, lovely stuff
N.V. Broadbent Madeira Malmsey 10 Years Old (Madeira, Portugal) by the glass at Bistro Eve – appears orangeish bronze red, smell concentrated raisin nose, taste intense rich velvet fruit, hot and fun, bright and lovely, excellent balance, focused and precise, pointed, lovely if a bit rough, I am loving that cooking heat that I get with Madeira—it somehow always feels like it just came off an old tall ship, my experience with Madeira have all been incredibly positive and this lovely one continues the streak