Wow guys, I have been so busy catching up after our vacation that I
completely forgot to post this about our first night out after we
returned from the cruise. BLUE RIDGE (2340 Wisconsin Ave, NW) opened
quietly late last year in Upper Georgetown under the guidance of Chef
BARTON SEAVER (ex of Cafe Saint-EX & Hook) and seems to have an almost
local following.
When we arrived early on Sunday, the place was virtually empty,
although it did fill up a little by our departure, and most of the
folks seemed to be regulars moseying in for a bite. Whatever the case,
the chef was not in evidence, and while there were a number of
highlights, there were some lows as well.
Wonderful yummy and irresistible popcorn with brown sugar, oregano and
paprika comes to the table instead of bread. While I love the popcorn,
and it is surely less costly than bread, it can't be used for sauces,
and often serves as just a filler.
This was that period of the cold freeze in DC, so we went right to the
red wine with a JEFFERSON (Monticello, VA) Vineyards 2007 Cabernet
France which was medium bodied and just right. Many Virginia wineries
are making this varietal in a near perfect form, so it is a wine that
you rarely can go wrong with. Our second wine was a LIOCO INDICA 2006
Carignan/Petit Sirah from Mendocino, California that had much more
body indeed and stood up to the heftier main courses. There is little
to be faulted in the extensive and really fun wine list.
Our starters were DEVILED EGGS with Celery Root Slaw and Trout Caviar
which is a nice take on the tasty American dish, BIBB BACON &
Buttermilk BLUE Salad was okay, but it was my CHEF's CHARCUTERIE
Platter that was the star for its size, value and variety. It
consisted of SMOKE DBLUEFISH PATE, PORK RILETTE, Mesquite BACON, and
Bev's 14 month Long-Leg HAM. There are many choices for the
charcuterie, but you must decide on only four, and I can't say that I
was not very impressed by all four choices. These come with Corn
Chips, Pickled Radish and Walnuts.
The main courses varied with CREAMY CORN GRITS GRATIN with Black Eyed
Pea & Turnip Green Ragu being a vegetarian treat, and Florida MAHI-
MAHI with Braised CABBAGE served in a CHORIZO Vinaigrette with
Fingerling Potatoes being a winner for fish lovers that don't mind the
tasty sausage for bite. It sadly arrived at room temperature, which
was a problem with several of our main courses. We were too tired to
complain or make note of this, as we just wanted to eat, enjoy our
friends' company and head home to bed. The RUSTIC PORK MEAT LOAF in
Smokey Tomato Sauce with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes inwould have
been tastier if it came out hot; the dish was indeed well created,
just not well served. It was further marred by a side of greens that
were very lemony, greasy and acidic.
We opted to split two desserts choosing the HONEY CRISP APPLE CRUMBLE
and New Jersey BLUEBERRY COBBLER. Both were tasty and we went home
thinking that the recipes (save the side of greens on the meat loaf)
were right, but someone in the kitchen was not doing their best with
food temperatures. I assume this would not happen if Chef Barton were
in house, but then one never knows when the boss is away; so how to
plan ahead?
FYI-quiet this week as I am dieting!
Hi folks,
I made a major error that spell check did not get as it was simply a
BAD DOUBLE NEGATIVE.
Hopefully, when Will posts the review to the website/blog he will
correct this one word as below from the BLUE RIDGE review I just sent
out. Here is the corrected version...
it was my CHEF's CHARCUTERIE
Platter that was the star for its size, value and variety. It
consisted of SMOKED BLUEFISH PATE, PORK RILETTE, Mesquite BACON, and
Bev's 14 month Long-Leg HAM. There are many choices for the
charcuterie, but you must decide on only four, and I can say that I
was very impressed by all four choices. These come with Corn
Chips, Pickled Radish and Walnuts.
