In the city of blinding lights

I spend many of my work days in the outer edge of Old Town Alexandria, and one of the things I enjoy the most about the location is the view of the Potomac river. From this vantage point I get to see a lot - mostly jets about to land into National Airport, and many sailboats enjoying summer breezes. The development of National Harbor, across from the Wilson Bridge in Maryland, entertained me to no end - barges were carrying whole walls and heavy machinery down the river at one point. As a dedicated flâneur, the Gaylord Resort always gave me something to peer at while I jetted down the river bank on my way to Old Town proper, a giant jewelry box, all steel and light, the kind of structure that is so storied in size that you cannot help but wonder about the people in it. Last week I finally got the chance to find out. After a 20 minute ride on the water taxi from the Torpedo Factory ($7 USD each way, with boats every hour starting at 11 AM during the winter) I found myself in the midst of the lights at the other side of the river and all they had to offer - the atrium is 240 ft wide and 230 feet tall at its highest point. Their 60 foot synthetic glass tree, part of their Christmas display, is not the kind of thing one sees in the Mid-Atlantic (as a reference, Gaylord owns Opryland in Nashville, as well as Orlando and Dallas). The property has fantastic views of the Potomac, and though its size suggest a theme park of sorts, one is very clearly in DC/MD/VA.

If you are coming in as a local and not a visitor, the best bet would be to make a day out of it, or at least break up your meal into several parts, which is what our group did. We started out at Moon Bay Coastal Cuisine, a re-imagined fish market. After some cocktails and a very warm welcome from Chef Duane Keller, fresh oysters were brought out, perfectly chilled and briny. The dining area has an open kitchen and the bar is flanked by a wall of wine. The sushi rolls were very good, though the pieces were a bit bigger than one could daintily handle in mixed company.

We went upstairs to Old Hickory Steakhouse to continue our meal. Chef Wolfgang Birk presides over the black-and white space, a modern take on a Georgetown townhouse. Though the kitchen is tucked away, there is plenty to look at - a cheese cave and a humidor that boasts Cuban cigars from 1959 - pre-embargo. As an entree we had tasting portions of three of the Chef's signature dishes, including almond-crusted jumbo lump crabcake - the almonds gave the crab a nice earthiness. The beef was well-cooked and the sauces added to the plate without overwhelming the beef. My favorite thing on the table was the colt salt stone that came with the butter - a great way to control the level of salt and a beautiful presentation.

Old Hickory has something rarer than Cuban cigars on stock - a Maitre de Fromage. Carolyn Stromberg is a veritable sherpa on all things cheese, food that seldom gets in due for sheer complexity. Carolyn presents the cheese table-side, and one cannot help but share in her enthusiasm for these very well-traveled, hand crafted, cheeses that cannot be found elsewhere. She'll have you at "sheep's milk cheese wrapped in walnut leaves." You won't even mind that most of them are not pasteurized.

After a quick dessert with Remy Martin composed by Old Hickory's bartender, we headed over to the 18th floor, the highest level at the hotel. The atmosphere and music selection will take you back to those bars on cruise ships right over the pools, the ones with the pop and the panoramic views. Though you won't see far enough to see the Earth's curvature, you will find a variety of infusions - rum and vodka based - to keep you amused, everything from citrus to mocha and everything in between. It is definitively a place to keep in mind for controlled debauchery, including bachelorette parties.

Go to see the look of light on things, stay for the food, go back for the incredibly attentive service.

Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
National Harbor, MD
www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-national/

Dinner at the District Chophouse and Brewery

Ahh, a rainy Friday evening - perfect for dinner at a steakhouse with a casual and fun vibe. If you haven't been, the District Chophouse and Brewery is a really great spot right in the heart of Gallery Place. The restaurant offers a fairly standard menu as far as steakhouses go, but I would think pretty much anyone could dine there and end up with a dish to their liking. The prices are a bit less than some of the other more "chi chi" steakhouses, and the somewhat casual ambiance goes along with this quite well. The Chophouse was crowded on Friday so we waited for a while at the long bar that spans the length of the restaurant on the left-hand side. The homemade beers on tap are actually generally very good, but most folks started with a cocktail or a glass of wine. We were seated at two nice tables toward the back of the venue, just by the stairs to the upper level which features a pool table and various other bar-type gaming options (which also is a great option for after a meal or just for passing time when in the neighborhood). Our table started with the ChopHouse Sampler, which arrives on three large tiers and features a selection of shrimp, fried calamari, onion rings, chicken tenderloins and grilled portobello mushrooms. Everything on the platter was quite tasty, and the various sauces that came with each item were delicious. The Asian-style apricot sauce with the calamari was gorgeous, and who doesn't like crispy fried chicken with creamy ranch. The onion rings were truly stellar, and absolutely huge. The outer layer of a couple of huge onions must be what is used to make them. The platter supposedly serves four, but if you are enjoying it pre-entree I think it can easily satisfy more like 6 to 8 folks. We enjoyed a crisp and refreshing Bollini Pinot Grigio fron Trentino with the appetizer platter. The acidity wasn't too strong but just enough to cut the greasy and delicious fried treats we paired with it. For my main I ordered the Chop Chop Salad Crisp which features greens tossed with smoked turkey, Gouda, roasted pumpkin seeds, sundried blueberries and avocado all tossed in an herb vinaigrette. The salad was quite large and satisfying and was perfect after the touch of fried food I started with. The addition of the pumpkin seeds and blueberries made for an interesting sweet yet also rich flavor and certainly added a nice dimension to the texture. I also had a small glass of a David Bruce Pinot Noir which was gorgeous - a great producer for sure and the Pinot is phenom. Most other folks ordered one of the varieties of steak, including Filet Mignon Oscar, or two grilled medallions served with asparagus, lump crab and Bearnaise sauce; Filet Mignon, or center cut beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon and served with a choice of Cabernetthyme jus or Wild Turkey® whiskey sauce; Pepper Crusted New York Strip, which is aged 16-ounce NY strip, crusted with cracked black peppercorns, sautéed and dressed in cognac cream sauce; and Tenderloin Tips and Mushrooms, or pan-seared tenderloin with mushrooms and balsamic Stout glaze. Everyone really seemed to enjoy the meal and the company as well as the wine and other drinks for sure. It really is a great spot for a rainy evening and will set you along the path to washing any blues away.

District Chophouse and Brewery

509 7th Street in NW DC

http://www.chophouse.com/

Morton's

Friends and I gathered for a Paso Robles wine tasting at Jury's in Arlington on Tuesday. There was a lovely selection of about 30 wineries and lots of yummy red wine. I am usually not a Zinfandel fan, but the region really does produce some great ones. I also enjoyed several amazing blends and Syrahs. J. Lohr, L'Aventure and Robert Hall were hands down favorites. There was some nice cheese and finger food, including crab cakes and seared tuna with aoili and mushrooms in phyllo dough, on hand as well. Even better, we befriended one of the wine reps and he offered to take us to Morton's for dinner afterwards, on his account. Hmm, not a tough decision. It was a gorgeous and very warm evening, so upon arriving at Morton's we decided to dine on their outdoor patio. We started with a nice bottle of Pinot Noir, to keep the evening going and all. I ordered the lobster and a side of sauteed mushrooms - absolutely gorgeous, really. Mark, Lee, Kristin and the rest of the table ordered one of the amazing steak offerings, and for the table we went for sides of spinach, sauteed potatoes and mashes potatoes. Ahhh, so good. It ended up being a very late and somewhat crazy Tuesday, but a great time was had by all.

Morton's

1050 Connecticut Avenue in NW DC

www.mortons.com

Dinner at Bobby Van's

Last night the dinner club I am part of dined at Bobby Van's on New York Avenue in downtown DC. I met a friend for a pre-dinner drink at Capitol City Brewing Company, which is right nearby, and when I arrived at Bobby Van's the bar area was packed with the usual and somewhat rowdy and festive happy hour crowd. We were a group of 30, and were seated at one long table in a relatively quiet part of the restaurant, which was conducive to relaxing a bit and to conversation. I already had a glass of the house red wine, which was a Malbec last night, and joined the group in trying to figure out how to navigate the fairly expensive but delicious-sounding menu. I already had checked it out online, but there are no prices offered in that format. Most folks ordered a martini or another cocktail, and served for the table was whipped butter with sliced baguette and raisin bread. I decided to just do one course, figuring I could sample a bite of what other folks ordered, and opted for the Harry's Salad, which is chopped shrimp, string beans, tomatoes, red onions, roasted red peppers all topped with bacon. It actually was delicious, and served in a somewhat small bowl it didn't seem like much, but it was enough for me. I also shared the sauteed mushrooms with Angela, which were well-seasoned, garlicky and fabulous. The strong savory flavors in each dish paired nicely with the Malbec as well. Each side comes in a portion for two, but at $8 a pop I sort of wished they offered individual portions as well. Sides include a choice of preparations of Spinach (Steamed, Creamed or Garlic), Asparagus, Crispy Fries, Home Fries, and Baked Potato. Yes, Virginia, this is a steakhouse, and so you will probably pay around $40 for a steak entree, and your side of greens will be an upcharge. Anyhow, Amy had the St. Louis Ribs, which came in a heaping pile with lots of sauce, and chipotle mashed potato, home made cole slaw and jalapeno corn bread. The sauce was a bit thick but had a nice vinegar flavor, but still was a bit sweet for me, but was tasty nonetheless. Most folks ordered one of the varieties of steak, which all came a little well-done for my taste, but still were very juicy and delicious. The Gorgonzola Sirloin was my favorite, ahhh so good, but I also tasted the Porterhouse, which had a nice char on the outside but was moist and flavorful, and the Filet was lovely too. Joe kindly gave me a nice portion of his Calamari, which was very crispy and had lots of seasoning, and was served with an absolutely delicious and pungent peanut sauce which also would have been a perfect pairing for a Sate of some sort. My end of the table was not offered dessert for some reason and just received our check after the mains, but I think everyone was more than sated anyhow. We lingered over our drinks and enjoyed the rest of a festive, Friday evening.

Bobby Van's
1201 New York Avenue in NW DC
www.bobbyvans.com