Arlington's GREEN PIG BISTRO is indeed a place to pig out, but pleasantly!(9-15-20)

 When we heard that our friend, Chef Tracy O'Grady had taken over at the helm of Green Pig Bistro in Clarendon(Arlington,VA) recently, we decided it had to be our first place to visit across the river when we made that move. On Tuesday evening we met friends and sat outside on the quietest of streets with only about a 1/2 dozen other outdoor tables occupied. We felt totally safe and the food was fabulous, so it was a win-win for all.

Green Pig Bistro has outdoor seating as well as limited indoor seating, delivery and curb-side pickup!

The outdoor chairs are heavy cast iron and the even heavier stone slab tables would be a challenge if anyone decided to make away with them! The weather was pleasant, if a bit chilly, but I would assume that as it get's colder, we will see many heating devices all over the area! There is n o awing, so if you want to be outside for sure, pick a nice evening; no reservations are taken at this time, but there were plenty of tables open.

The menu is large and it's hard to decide, so we asked Chef Tracy for help and started off with a round of the PPB Craft Cockails:
Strawberry Margarita uses El Jimador tequila with muddled strawberries and strawberry simple syrup, GPB Dark & Stormy has Gosling's Dark Rum with House Made Ginger Brew and the Cosmo is usually made with Tito's but I switched it to Grey Goose and loved the loaded lime-iness. A Dirty Martini was just that and loaded with huge olives.

The regular menu is augmented by a specials list and craft beer list as well. We started with Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey & Butter which were hot and flaky and fabulous. Will declared the Fava Bean Hummus with Burnt Eggplant, Feta and Pomegranate Molasses to be the BEST EVER! I fell in love with the rich creamy divine Warm Lobster & Hearts of Palm Gratin Dip. the latter two were served with huge slices of fresh baked and grilled bread from Lyon Bakery nearby!

Our servers Jennie & Zach were amazing, always checking to make sure everything was okay, and always there to see if we wanted anything else, as we were outside, but this did not make it harder to get anything.

Our mains were simple dishes, but all cooked brilliantly. The Grilled Mushroom & Triple Cheese Sandwich comes with Creamy Mushroom Bisque on the side(with bacon) and is loaded with tons of cheddar, Swiss & Gouda as well as Shitake and White mushrooms.

The Perfectly Porked Panini has porchetta, pork shoulder, charred broccoli, gooey melted havarti cheese and basil mayo with a crunchy crisp panini and can easily serve two(we had the leftovers for lunch today!)! The burgers are excellent with a Black Angus Cheeseburger or the same with bacon served on a house made brioche bun with cheddar-smoked gouda and a super sauce.

Don't skip the sides here or have the Burrata & Prosciutto de Parma as a starter which comes with so many veggies and stuff it could be a 1/2 meal. The gluten free Gnocchi(potato) come with corn and lobster and also get top points.

We started with a bottle of tasty Gamay from Domaine Bergeron Vielles Vignes 2018 that had some nice spice, but was light for sure with our starters. The Malbec was sold out, so we went for a nice punchy Vlaravn Sonomo Zinfandel next. The wine list is not huge, but adequate with 8 whites, 16 reds and 6 bubblys, 1/3 of which are served by the glass!

Dessert is great here, and I usually skip it but managed to eat the entire piece of Coconut Cake with Coconut Frosting(it was divine, not too sweet!)with Lemon Curd and Fresh Berries. White Chocolate Rice Balls provided fun and crunch and the overall impact was super light and fluffy! The perfect ending to a perfect meal.

There is no question we will be back to Green Pig Bistro of GBP our new BFC, best food in Clarendon(or best friend chef!)!!

Katonah, NY's THE WHITLOCK will whet your palate(9-1-20)

 We dropped Sam at school for the rest of the year and decided to stay in nearby Bedford Village in Upper Westchester, so booked the quaint Bedford Post Inn. We had planned to dine in one of the two restaurants there(one is closed), but alas received and email midday that the chef had been in an accident and they moved our reservation to a spot about 10 minutes away in nearby Katonah. 

We arrived at the Whitlock and part of the street was closed and filled with tables and umbrellas with everybody well-spaced. The service was as best can be expected when the staff have to keep running from the indoor kitchen to the street tables, but it worked well and our server Michael did a great job.

We met my cousin, who lives nearby, and enjoyed a couple bottles of yummy Sancerre from Daniel Reverdy et fils 2018 in the Loire with our seafood dishes.

My starter of Scallops was pan-seared with a Parsnip Puree, bacon jam, Frisee & Brown Butter. It was rich, but delicious. Will liked the Everything Deviled Eggs with Bacon & Chives, but said they were not as yummy as the best ones we had at Dino's in DC (alas now shuttered). My cousin had the monster sized Roasted Cauliflower Salad with arugula, radicchio, red onion, parmesan, pistachios and house vinaigrette. He said he would take part home, but it was so good, it all eventually disappeared!

Will's main was a simple but yummy Lobster BLT roll with fries and my cousin chose the tasty Monkfish Special with Quinoa and Brussels Sprouts. I loved my Chorizo & Shrimp Burger which was huge and smothered in gooey Oaxaca Cheese with Jalapeno, Avocado, Lettuce and served with a yummy Lemon Aioli on a huge Brioche Bun. I opted for the side salad instead of fries and could barely get through 1/3 of that.

We could not resist splitting a Peach Cobbler with Salted Caramel Ice Cream for dessert which we all declared scrumptious!

We were sorry not to dine at the Inn, but our meal gave us a new option if we return to the area in the future.