Dashes of Flavor
A Look Back at Restaurants Featured in Previous Columns
Thursday, November 23, 2006; Page VA05
Restaurant Vero and Wine Bar
5723-A Lee Hwy. (between Kensington and Lexington streets)
Arlington
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703-538-4600
Arlington's Restaurant Vero and Wine Bar just keeps getting better. The annexation of the next-door space has been accomplished, and if you didn't know it was a recent addition, you probably wouldn't be able to tell. The same soothing milk chocolate and merlot colors flow from one room to the next, but the dining space has been doubled. The small bar now wraps around the corner where the wall between the two spaces was removed.
Restaurant Vero, owned by Joy Reinhardt and her partner, Veronica Kunkel, features the nuanced cooking of Reinhardt's twin brother, Jay. The menu changes frequently, and there are usually several specials. Appetizers and soups are small portions and priced proportionately. The spring lamb chops will have you gnawing on the bones; the risotto is both the right consistency and filled with flavor; duck ragu is more like barbecue, and delicious; and the fish and seafood offerings are fresh and never overcooked. The thoughtful wine list is moderately priced, as are the main courses.
The luncheon menu has been expanded, featuring two quiches daily (one with meat, one vegetarian) and a hot entree in addition to salads and sandwiches.
Save room for dessert -- there is now an in-house pastry chef.
Landini Brothers Restaurant
115 King St., Alexandria
703-836-8404
http:/
Franco and Piero Landini, who hail from a little Tuscan fishing village about 100 miles north of Rome called Porto Santo Stefano, have been operating Italian restaurants in the area for more than 30 years, first in Arlington, then on King Street and in the present location across the street since 1979.
