Eventide (Clarendon)

The Occasion: Darryl's birthday week. I owe a lot to this guy. When I was a wee pup, he introduced me to a different level of sophistication and quality in such things as music, clothes, travel, conversation and dining. So on the occasion of his birthday, I sought a new, trendy and upscale location for dinner. At one time I would have called this genre of restaurant "infused and encrusted," but that's so two years ago. In my search, I found Eventide -- a four month old restaurant on the same block in Clarendon as another new staple of mine, The Liberty Tavern. Formerly the burnt down building of a secret society (hence the tall windows high from the ground level so people couldn't see in), the restoration is a magnificent space. Most of the outer walls are exposed masonry firewalls, leaving a rough outer shell embracing the softer luxury of the wood and textiles elsewhere in the decor. With such sophisticated decor though, more attention should have been paid to the bathrooms, which were plain and loudly painted. The first floor is like any other sidewalk restaurant with seating near a bar -- but the bar has popouts making conversation with your peers a bit more palatable. This room was filled with the type of folks you'd expect at a neighborhood bar. Baseball hats and after work clothes enjoying a cocktail. Nobody sheik and everybody very "Arlington." Dining on this level is first come first served. The second floor is the experience, with reservations required. The space is expansive, and the perception of it is embellished by the incredibly high ceiling and heavy blue drapes breaking up the space. The tables are set far enough apart where your dining neighbors can still have a private conversation without putting up booths or partitions between the tables. There is a grand staircase leading to the roof, unfortunately the flow of people from the rooftop bar prevents it from being accessible. The menu was split evenly between appetizers and entrees. Simple items with some kind of twist each. We began with the seared diver scallops. The twist on this dish was the red pepper and bacon puree. Who doesn't love bacon?  Darryl had the Lobster Tagliatelle which was poached lobster tail, lobster meatballs, fennel, brandied butter and arugula. I had the grilled tasmanian salmon with cornmeal gnocchi, spring pea ragout, and sorrel pesto. My salmon was grilled medium and was a very thick piece of fish, so I'm impressed it was so perfect. The portions were manageable and flavors playful. We popped a bottle of California Viognier that was much stronger than the Virginia Viognier I am used to, but once let to sit out of the chiller and after the taste of my pre-dinner cocktail died, it was quite good. The service was adequate. I was never quite sure who our server was. Two guys in suits attended to us. I assume one was the sommelier, but he told us more about the building than the wine. The other could have been the manager, but he acted like a jester busboy. Our actual waitress was fairly non-existent and forgettable. The actual busboy was more talkative than she when he brought a tasting of gazpacho shots with mint to begin our meal. And I just now realized we forgot to eat dessert! We were so focused on bringing out wine to the rooftop deck. I would have loved a strawberry rhubarb tart. Oh well, next time. We took the remainder of the bottle with us up to the third floor which is divided into two spaces. On one side is an outdoor seating area I would have liked to go to, but 1) it is first come first served and 2) It has a menu that isn't as appetizing (at least upon first look) because everything up there is meant to be served "not hot." I've had many cooked dishes outside, so this alternate menu confuses me to the point of stupidity. Do they think the chicken isn't going to survive on the patio? Executive Chef Miles Vaden of Eventide purports an interest in technological advances in cooking. Sorry bud, I think you missed the mark on a "cold food only" menu for the summer crowd in your outside space.  Keep that sort of thing for the vegan lesbian niche market in San Francisco. The other side of the roof top deck is a too-small bar with a stunning view of the sunset with a backdrop of the buildings of Balston. There was a mix between Arlingtoners in their brown flip flops and sexy summer sophisticates out for the evening -- drawn to this rooftop bar partly because of their eclectic drinks. I mean, who serves a Pimm's cup outside of England? What a great summer drink though.  One more thing that deserves mentioning is upon reaching the second floor where the formal dining room is, both sides of the elevator opens, revealing a baby changing room. The restaurant's web site purports understanding of being a parent. I question the rationale. This is a seriously upscale, trendy and posh place. Whoever in their right mind brings a child, let alone a baby in diapers, to such a place should be tarred and feathered. With the exception of the diaper room, I give the restaurant an A for effort and execution, but only a B+ for the rooftop. That space should have been so much more than it was.

http://www.eventiderestaurant.com/

Lost Dog Cafe (N. Arlington)

Tonight, I discovered the best gourmet pizza ever, and I've been searching for a good place since college to at least live up to Peppers on Franklin Street, Chapel Hill NC to no success. But in the Lost Dog Cafe, not only have I found the ultimate gourmet pizza, but it's a restaurant with a cause and if that were not enough -- they sell every beer known to mankind. Speaking of which, I had a Dundee -- a Rochester lager brewed with honey that had a big yellow bee on the label. Cute and tasty, just how I like my ... beer. Tonight was all about convenience. I am watching my friend Alyssa's critters for the week -- cats and fish, which require very little watching. So I went over to learn the routine and get a key. We then walked from her home to the quiet and eclectic Westover village of N. Arlington on Washington Blvd where we had a few dinner choices. I have to laugh at the call I made before driving over to ask if the place we were going to was casual as I considered jeans and a polo or shorts and a T-shirt. Apparently a softball uniform would have been okay since this hip place was clearly a very loud team's hangout. The aroma was a mix between wafted whacatacabacky. no judgement. Pizza smell and beer. The wooden booths were sticky and the waitress who sat down with us to take the order looks like she was beat with a hose and hung out to dry. But very sweet. Behind the bar was a wall of beer bottles, 90% of which you'd never heard of. A chalkboard listed the new brews for the summer, and the walk-in convenience store connected to the place let you take home a six pack of these rare beers. Alyssa and JP ordered the pit bull pie which was spicy with jalapenos, pastrami, ham, pepperoni, salami, red onions, basil and oregano. I ordered a Yogi the Lab's pie individual pizza which was basically a BBQ chicken pizza -- one of my favorite combos. It had housemade BBQ chicken breast sliced and topped with red onions, mozzarella and green onions. This version hands down whipped the ass of the original BBQ chicken pizza from the original Macaroni Grill north of San Antonio before they went commercial... That BBQ sauce came from their sister restaurant, an authentic Texas BBQ joint next door. So it is saying a lot that some lost dog place this far from decent BBQ could beat that original pizza. (The commercial version doesn't compare). And don't even talk to me about comparing it to the slop at CPK. The conversation flowed, as did the beer. The place finally came down a few decibels as the softball boys left. At this point, I started to notice all the dog art on the wall and in the bathroom and wondered what the place had for dogs that was so strong. Then there was a wall of people and their dogs, little pictures. Alyssa then mention a place down the street called the Stray Cat which sold sandwiches and was somehow related.  It wasn't until I got home and looked up their web site that I realized their cause that I previously mentioned. I will copy/paste verbatim from their site, which is www.lostdogcafe.com. Being a dog lover and owner of a rescued schnauzer who has brought so much love to my life -- even if the pizza sucked, I'd go back to this place. Thank god the pizza didn't suck.

--- From their site:

The Lost Dog Café has been serving up great pizza, hot sandwiches and beer from around the world in Arlington’s Westover neighborhood since 1985. Wellknown as a place to get great food at a great price, the café also serves up a hefty slice of compassion with each pizza. Café owners Ross Underwood and Pam McAlwee have been rescuing stray dogs and cats almost as long as they have been in business and the effort continues.

It began with a few “lost” dogs needing a place to stay until they could find new homes of their own. In 2001, thanks largely to the success of the Lost Dog Café, the pair established a non-profit foundation dedicated solely to the cause of helping homeless and abandoned dogs and cats find forever homes. Today the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF) places almost 2000 animals per year into permanent, loving homes—each one spayed or neutered prior to adoption. The foundation’s efforts continue to be supported by the Lost Dog Café and its sister restaurant (just a few doors down), the Stray Cat Café.

It’s the compassion that makes the Lost Dog Café more than just a great place to eat—here you can rest assured that you are helping to make a difference—one dog or cat at a time.

To learn more about the foundation’s efforts, to donate, or to volunteer, visit the Lost Dog and Cat rescue foundation website at www.lostdogrescue.org.