2009 Fall Dining Guide

By Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009

This intimate dining room next to Eve's bistro in Old Town lavishes more of its attention on the plate than on the scenery. But who cares if the floors are pine and the design centerpiece is an old buffet? This diner will take just about anything chef Cathal Armstrong puts in front of him over hundreds of dollars' worth of fresh flowers in the room. My last tasting dinner there was a nearly uninterrupted flow of dishes I can't wait to relish again: carrot veloute with a hit of cilantro and a crunch from almonds; a crab-filled crepe glistening with caviar; a classic Rossini pairing a tender beef filet with silken foie gras, the richness lightened with snappy haricots verts. Pork belly, the protein du jour among chefs of all stripes, is featured as confit, with a poached pheasant egg and a stinging ham hock vinaigrette. Wisely, Armstrong tempers the splurges with palate cleansers such as a pink sorbet that the tongue picks up as perfect ripe tomato; a second taste of summer surfaces in the underlying basil granita. (It's up to you not to eat too much bread, including Eve's knockout biscuits.) Halibut cheeks in a flat mushroom jus don't rock my world, but the elegant cheeses and desserts do. And when it comes to cocktails, no one trumps bar master Todd Thrasher. "This is better than the inn!" I hear a woman applaud her meal from across the room. I wouldn't go that far, but the Tasting Room shares this with its competition in Little Washington: four-star commitment.

Fixed-price dinner menu per person: five-course $110, seven-course $125, nine-course $150