Comfort Food at Ted’s Bulletin

C – If you squint, you can see Ted’s Bulletin in this picture. It was a cold and grey day, and what would typically be a bustling green area at the Mosaic District looked a little bleak. The perfect day for some comfort food.

Everyone’s been raving about Ted’s. Specifically, their adult milkshakes and homemade pop tarts. I heard rumors of crazy long waits – they don’t take reservations during peak lunch/brunch times. So, I showed up about 30 minutes early. I walked in, was told the wait would be 30 minutes, put my name on the list and decided to run across the street to Target. I was given a pager and I left my phone number in case I was too far out of range. I walked out the door, saw my friend – also super early – and the pager went off. No wait whatsoever. Strange for a Saturday just before noon, but hey, luck was on our side.

The atmosphere: upscale diner, cozy and comfortable. Counter seating, a generous amount of booths for two, and tables for larger parties.

The food: Deeee-lish. Not low-cal, for sure. My friend had “The Rachel” – basically a Rueben with turkey. I had the “Short Rib Sammy.” I’ve been on a bit of a short rib kick lately, so this was an interesting variation. Grilled texas toast, Vermont white cheddar, arugula, red wine gravy and red wine mayo, served with “bowling alley” onion rings. Fat Fest 2015. And I ate every bite.

The signature items: After enjoying the previously mentioned Fat Fest 2015, I couldn’t in good conscience order both of their signature items. So, I skipped the adult milkshake and split the salted caramel pop tart with my friend. There was a bit of a disagreement over the splitting of said pop tart. Tears fell. Plates were licked. It was an ugly scene.

Ted’s Bulletin
Mosaic District/Merrifield, VA
Reston Town Center, VA
Gaithersburg, MD and
1818 14th Street in DC

Cafe Deluxe… Can we discuss the cobbler?

Image from http://www.cloverrestaurantgroup.com

C – Every time I go to Cafe Deluxe, the first thing out of my mouth is “what’s the cobbler of the day?” If you’ve never been to this moderately priced mini-chain, you have no idea what you’re missing. More on that later.

Cafe Deluxe has long been my off-the-top-of-my-head choice for easy, stress-free meals. If I’ve had a rough day, I tend to suggest meeting friends here, rather than trying something new. I know I’ll get something I like without having to put forth much effort. And the atmosphere isn’t too chaotic, even when it’s at capacity.

Something between a bistro and a brasserie, Cafe Deluxe serves hearty American food, but they can also whip up a nice, light and flavorful salad. On my last visit (really, on my last two visits), I opted for the Crispy Goat Cheese Salad to start and the Braised Boneless Short Rib, which is served over risotto, as my main. It’s a very filling meal, and every bite is packed with flavor. The meat simply crumbles on your fork and dissolves in your mouth. The risotto is the perfect partner to this dish. Most of the entrees are above average and, if you have room for an extra side, I’d recommend the Mac & Cheese. It’s out of this world.

Serving lunch, brunch and dinner, Cafe Deluxe can pretty much cater to most comfort food cravings. But the real star of the show is the cobbler. I don’t know exactly what they put into that crust (crack?), but it is exceptional. The cobbler comes in one flavor depending on the season – strawberry, blueberry, peach, etc.) and it’s served with two heaping scoops of ice cream. This is not a desert for one – make sure you’ve got at least two people in on this. That said, you’ll be fighting for the last bite. This, coming from someone who doesn’t care for fruit-based deserts. (I feel like I’m getting cheated or something when fruit is presented as an after dinner treat). A great alternative to the cobbler is the Apple Crumble which works with a similar base but is instead covered in cinnamon and brown sugar clusters. As if we needed more sugar.

So, my advice on Cafe Deluxe? Go for the cobbler, enjoy the meal.

Cafe Deluxe
Various locations around the DC area including Tyson’s, Bethesda and Cleveland Park.

Farewell Eventide

C – Consider us shocked! Eventide in Clarendon served its last meals on Sunday. I was there, but through a ridiculous little date mix up, my dining companion had made reservations for the following Sunday. So, I left without brunch and we decided to meet again the following week. While I waited (stomach growling furiously) in the foyer, it didn’t seem like there was anything strange going on. There was no indication they were closing up shop. There was no mad rush to get in one final brunch. It was business as usual. So what happened?

 

According to ARLnow, the owner of A-Town bought the business and lease. Don Tito, a “Tacos, tequila and beer” establishment, will go in its place.

We will miss Eventide. It was a great place for brunch, it had a lovely roof top, and the Odd Bar was a great choice for a last minute meet up.

Brunch at The Liberty Tavern #Clarendon

C – Just when you thought it was spring, winter comes back around. On my way to Union Station this morning, it was 30 degrees and, of course, I did not dress for it. This winter was a hard one. To deal with it, I spent a lot of time brunching.

The Liberty Tavern in Arlington is one of those places that makes you feel all warm inside. On a recent Saturday, a friend and I met for their weekend buffet brunch. It was cold and pouring rain when we arrived, and the last thing I expected was that they would not have a record of my reservation. Thank goodness for the iPhone – I was able to show the hostess my OpenTable.com confirmation and we were promptly seated. Let this be a warning: OpenTable isn’t perfect.

It was a lovely buffet with an odd, but fantastic variety. The usual brunch items were excellent – eggs, biscuits, sausages, etc. The banana pecan French toast was to die for. As was the coffee. It apparently comes from the cafe across the street. I didn’t get the name, but I must have had about 4 cups.

At $20 bucks, this brunch is a great value. I suspect temperatures will rise at least slightly this weekend, but I went ahead and booked for Saturday anyway. Looking forward to warming up at The Liberty Tavern.

**Sorry, no pictures. Too busy eating!

The Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Bsoulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22201
Phone 703.465.9360

Cyclone Anaya’s – Mexican in the Mosaic District

C – So, this was a nice surprise. It was a Sunday and we wanted something that wasn’t your typical brunch and we got it. Cyclone Anaya’s Mexican Kitchen opened in November 2013. It went up so fast, I didn’t even see it happen. That section of the Mosaic District now boasts several new restaurants I’m dying to try.

But back to the Mexican grub. Cyclone Anaya’s offers quite the brunch spread including the typical Huevos Rancheros and the not so typical Carne Asada and Eggs. But we went straight for the lunch fare. This girl wanted a taco.

I had the Del Rio Dinner: Crispy beef taco, homemade tamale and a beef enchilada. Served with guacamole, Mexican rice and beans. It was a lot of food, and yes, I totally cleaned my plate. Every last morsel.

I should say that there didn’t seem to be anything spectacular about the food. It was typical. But typical totally works when you’re in the mood for Mexican.

Cyclone Anaya’s Mexican Kitchen
Mosaic District
703-992-9227
2911 District Ave., Suite 170
Fairfax, VA 22031

**check out their website for the fascinating story of Cyclone Anaya – the professional wrestler who started a family restaurant. http://www.cycloneanaya.com/our-story/ 

Boozy Brunch at P.O.V.

C – We were in the mood for a boozy brunch on Sunday, so we took an honorary 3rd Girl to P.O.V. on 15th Street. High atop what used to the be the Hotel Washington, P.O.V. is now the jewel in the W Hotel’s crown. With views that sweep across the city, it’s an experience you should embrace more than once in your life. The food isn’t cheap, but it isn’t outrageous either. Small plates are their thing, and we found four were enough for the three of us. The pitcher of White Peach Bellini set us back $65.

K- Besides the pitcher of Bellini, we ordered the cheddar-jalapeno fritters, beef short-rib steam buns, fried chicken and waffle, and 7 grain French toast with bacon. The fritters were nice, crunchy and with a bit of spice – not greasy at all. The French toast had a wonderful grainy texture and flavour and the maple syrup added a little sweetness to it. The steam buns were very spicy – if you aren’t use to something with quite a bit of heat you may want to think about it. The fried chicken was crispy as was the waffle. The four small plates were more than enough for the three of us so we unfortunately had to skip dessert.  While we enjoyed our brunch we had a great roof top view of the city, which included the White House and Treasury. Overall, it was a fabulous view, good food, yummy drinks with wonderful friends!

The Food:

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The View:

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P.O.V.
515 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
TIP: Make reservations through http://www.opentable.com for anytime up until 8:30pm. At 9:00pm the club starts thumping (untz, untz, untz!) and it’s a free for all.

Eventide and Odd Bar in Clarendon

C – Eventide sits in an old 1920’s building in the heart of Clarendon. The ceilings are high and the decor is casually elegant — exposed bricks, long, dark blue drapes and incredibly comfy booths that close you in by the moveable armrest. I went for Easter (2013) brunch. It seemed to be the most cost-effective experience in town that day. $19 each as compared to $29 for Liberty Tavern’s Easter special. It was not an extravagant spread, but each item was pure quality. So, I did what anyone would do in that situation. I pigged out. I literally ate everything there. The ancho glazed beef short rib was my favorite, but I also liked the egg scramble with gruyere and scallions and the banana cream pie for desert. Great atmosphere. Excellent grub. I’d definitely go back.

K – Odd Bar and Roof Terrace

I did not have Easter brunch at Eventide but I’ve been to the bar and the roof terrace. The bar has changed a bit in decor and is now called “Odd Bar.” Besides the addition of beers the food pretty much remains the same, which is great because I’m a huge fan of their truffle fries. They have a nice herbed, garlic taste and the basil aioli pairs well with them. The bar does get filled up pretty quickly so it’s better to get there early.

The roof terrace is quite nice in the summer. It’s nice to look at the Clarendon city-scape while drinking a nice chilled glass of white wine or prosecco or even a cold glass of beer. The only thing is, there is a two-hour limit on the roof top. If no one is up there you might possibly stay longer but it’s usually quite busy up there.

Eventide Restaurant and Odd Bar
http://www.eventiderestaurant.com
3165 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington