Last night we returned to The MAJESTIC at 911 King Street in Alexandria, VA (www.majesticcafe.com) which was recently purchased and revamped by its present owners the Armstrongs (of Restaurant Eve and Eamonn's Fish & Chips in the same neighborhood) clearly improving on what was once really a glorified diner.
Gone are the black and white old photos from the dining area and replaced with subdued recessed lighting which really enhances the feel. There are no fancy linens and the simplicity remains, but the menu is very different and allows many options and a fine wine list with superb Schott crystal makes my day.
We started with a bottle of KEN FORRESTER 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa that was so creamy and rich, we thought it had to be oaked! It was so good, we had a 2nd bottle! The two boys munched the excellent biscuits and sipped Shirley Temples or Ginger Ales and ordered the amazingly priced $5.00 children's PASTA with Red Sauce. I was amazed at the quality of the amazing homemade pasta, which the chef called Fettucine, but it was a thicker, tastier (they called it Northern Italian) version almost akin to long strozzapretti! They also had a yummy side dish of Glazed Carrots.
Huge portions would be an understatement here, as my STEAMED MUSSELS with APPLES, Cider Cream, Bacon and Shallots must have had 3 dozen of the plump tasty bivalves. This is easily one of the best mussel dishes around with great flavor in the thick broth, but also because they are squirted with the tasty cider cream (that looks like cake icing because it is white). The FRIED CALAMARI is the crunchiest around without a hint of grease for miles as are the excellent FRIED GREEN TOMATOES with Artichoke-Onion Ragu and Parmesan Barigoule Sauce. The CHICKEN PATE was also rich and creamy, but I thought the winner was my
mussels by a mile.
Our red wine is also served by the glass so we were able to taste it before ordering a bottle of the HUGH HAMILTON Sangiovese Blend "The Mogul" 2005 from McLaren Vale, Australia. The wine was spicy with hints of cloves and not huge, but just right to go with several different entrees. When the bottle itself came, it was way to chilled (the cellar is kept at 55 degrees) and it took quite some time for the fullness of the wine to be experienced; this is our only real complaint about the entire dining experience.
The entrees were all superb: SEARED SCALLOPS with Oyster Cream, Swiss Chard, Potato and Wild Mushrooms was a big hit as was the tender and tasty PORK RIB CHOP with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, Apple-Onion Ragout and Cider Jus. My CALVES LIVER with Onion, House Cured Bacon in a Red Wine Sauce was simply perfectly cooked, but so large I had to take some home.
Our server, David, deserves kudos for handling the four of us, plus the two boys so well. On Sundays, Majestic offers a Sunday dinner special (if ordered in advance) and the place was booked solid from the time we arrived at 5pm, until we left at almost 730pm! Kudos to the whole staff under Chef Shannon "Red" Overmiller for getting everything out so perfectly.
The desserts were a bit heavy or creamy for my tastes (very modern take on traditional American, which is nice, but not my style), so I opted for the AMERICAN FARMHOUSE CHEESE PLATTER which had 5 super cheeses last night:
BERKSHIRE BLUE from Mass was a sharp intense blue, but not overpowering at all
GRAFTON Vermont CHEDDAR
SAN ANDREAS hard goat from Calif
GRAYSON from Mass
and my favorite, the soft, almost alive goat BOM BOUCHE from Vermont that was tart and intense.
The platter came with a tasty quince paste and balsamic (this worked nicely with most of the cheeses) and a yummy homemade NUT TOFFEE which was like peanut brittle that had not yet hardened.
Pastry chef Rebecca Willis has numerous offerings such as the LEMON CARAMEL TARTLET with lots of whipped cream and Dulce de Leche Ice Cream, CHOCOLATE & BUTTERSCOTCH PARFAIT which has butterscotch pudding, brownie bits and Grand Marnier whipped cream and a BROWNIE & PEANUT BUTTER CREAM Sandwich with Chocolate Ice Cream. The boys enjoyed Dulce de Leche Ice Cream, although Samuel was not thrilled and got a replacement scoop of Lemon Sorbet; what great service.
I have to get back to Majestic soon just to try the MEATLOAF since nobody ordered it!
