Dashes of Flavor
A Look Back at Restaurants Featured in Previous Columns

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Restaurant Vero and Wine Bar

5723-A Lee Hwy. (between Kensington and Lexington streets)

Arlington

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://www.landinibrothers.com.

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.

Just steps from the Alexandria waterfront, in the middle of Old Town's main tourist area, Landini Brothers has ensured its longevity by catering to locals. Franco Landini estimated that about 70 percent of his dinner customers and 100 percent of his lunch crowd are from the area.

Traditional northern Italian food constitutes much of the printed menu. There is also a long list of daily specials that feature the freshest local ingredients and more contemporary preparations. The lunch menu includes panini, crostini and lighter main courses. The wine list is long, with some of Italy's most famous wines.

Pastas, a specialty, are available by the half-portion, and even those are large for a starter. Classic veal preparations, such as veal piccata (with lemon and capers) and grilled steaks are always good choices.

Bistro Bulgari

509 S. 23rd St.

(just off Route 1)

Arlington

703-979-7676

http://www.bistrobulgari.com.

One of the unique eateries in the Washington area is Bistro Bulgari, a sliver of a dining space on South Arlington's 23rd Street. Bulgarian specialties such as shopska salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and spring onions topped with feta cheese) aren't exactly household terms. But Bulgarian cuisine, influenced by its neighbors Greece, Turkey and Eastern Europe, combines aspects of each to form its own national dishes.

Much of the menu will seem familiar -- there are stuffed grape leaves, a version of moussaka, schnitzel and cheese pies -- but none are exactly what you might be used to. Probably Bistro Bulgari's versions are better.

Main courses tend to be heavier and mainly meat, with some chicken preparations and a lone rainbow trout selection. Be sure to try dessert. The milk banitsa is similar to Italian panna cotta, but it has phyllo dough on the top and bottom and is topped with a rich vanilla pudding icing.

-- Reviewed by NANCY LEWIS