We did do our part to try to eat a lot of rich food, though, to help clear out the larders before Lent. My friend Jevon, who used to office two doors away from me at Georgetown, and I ventured out to far west Arlington for dinner at a place neither of us had previously experienced, Restaurant Vero. I had to juggle both subway trains and Metro buses to get there, but it was worth the trip.
Restaurant Vero is very suburban. It's located in a mostly residential neighborhood in the end of a long shopping strip building that probably once held some kind of retail store. Inside, the walls are painted a very fashionable dark taupe with a hint of color I couldn't quite discern in the fashionably dark dining room. The space is essentially an el-shape, with the bar area in the thick foot of the el. The menu is surprisingly large for a small, independent restaurant, and they have a lengthy wine list with over two and a half pages just of red wines.
It was Mardi Gras, though, so we celebrated with Mardi Gras Abita Bock beers. They were surprisingly tolerable for seasonal beer from Louisiana, sort of hoppy, amber lager with a crisp finish.
While there was a page in the menu with daily specials, we both stuck with the standard dinner menu. Jevon started with a grilled Caesar salad. They took the heart of a head of romaine lettuce, grilled it, then drizzled it with Caesar dressing and freshly grated parmesan cheese and garnished the plate with a couple of blistered tomatoes and a parmesan crisp.
I had their miniature Maryland-style crab cakes. Three little tiny crab cakes rested on a plate covered in corn-tomato relish and a chipotle remoulade dollop rested atop each cake. I found the crab cakes to be quite good, and I'll be interested to try the crab cakes on the entree menu to see how the full-sized version fares.
Jevon knew as soon as he opened the menu what he wanted for his main course: pan seared duck breast. The presentation for this dish was interesting, since the duck was practically hidden by the other items. Dominating the plate was a large serving of butternut squash bread pudding, a very intriguing savory interpretation of the dessert classic; some raw European bitter greens and some sautéed julienne of carrot took up the rest of the space, nearly covering the duck. The duck itself came with a fig and cherry compote.
I opted for the slow roasted pork shank served on a bed of creamy Virginia-style grits. Sautéed rainbow chard surrounded the dish, and a sprig of fresh rosemary garnished the top of the pork. The pork was falling-off-the-bone tender. I wasn't overly fond of the tomato sauce enrobing the pork, but the pork itself made up for it. The grits were a nice touch, and I would have liked more of them.
The dessert menu was rather disappointing, given the fact that the restaurant has a pastry chef. It was basically the same stuff one sees at restaurants all over town. I thought my pear-almond frangipane tart with caramel sauce was tasty, but as far as D.C. restaurants are concerned, it was rather ordinary and nothing special.
Jevon, on the other hand, ordered a milk chocolate mousse cake that unexpectedly displayed the artistry that one should get from a restaurant with a pastry chef. It was really more of a mousse capped by chocolate wafers, but the fresh strawberry sauce and fresh fruits provided balance and variety to the plate. Sprigs of mint garnished both desserts. We also had coffee with our dessert, and Jevon in particular thought the coffee helped to balance out the sweetness of the mousse.
Restaurant Vero is a fine place. There are a lot of things on the menu I'd like to try, and based on their performance with the duck and pork plus my crab cakes, I think they warrant another visit. The food was good and the service was well trained and inobtrusive. I also found the prices to be surprisingly moderate for the food quality.
Jevon was excited to have the opportunity to join the Kody Pose gallery, so here he is with his Mardi Gras beer.
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