Irish Eyes are Smiling at the Eat Good Food properties

From the Washington DC 41st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal, Chef Armstrong

The Majestic- 911 King Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.837.9117
At The Majestic St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated all month long with March’s Nana’s Sunday dinner “The Saint and the Spud.” Roast leg of Spring lamb and a dessert of Irish rice pudding with whiskey pay homage to the saint and the American contribution to the Irish palate. On St. Patrick’s Day, Majestic will offer a traditional lunch of Irish Spiced Beef Sandwich; house cured corned beef and sauerkraut on house made rye bread. A dinner of House Cured Corned Beef and Boiled Potatoes with parsley, braised cabbage and mustard sauce is sure to warm the Irish soul.

Eamonn’s- 728 King Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.837.8633
The only authentic chipper in the area, Eamonn’s is the place to be on St. Patrick’s Day.  Located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, come by to feast on fish and chips and drink a Guinness or Smithwicks.  No fighting Irish allowed, but for those looking for a delicious fry—Fish, bananas, Milkyway bar and yes even a ‘burgher’—Eamonn’s welcomes you. Resident mixologist Clinton Terry gives props to his boss, Irish native Chef Cathal Armstrong, with the Eamonn’s Sour Irish made with Irish red lemonade and Powers Irish Whiskey. These special Irish offerings will be offered all week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.

Restaurant Eve- 110 South Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.706.0450
Banish the stereotypical Irish myths. The elegant Restaurant Eve will be offering its signature, annual, seven courses, aptly named  ‘An Irish Feast.’  The celebration dinner is signature to the Tasting Room, and includes Chef Armstrong’s refined twist on traditional Irish favorites using key ingredients such as Cashel Blue Cheese, Guinness, White Pudding, Irish Whiskey, Salmon, Wild Flowers, and Dublin Spice.  $ 125 per person for seven courses.

For those in the truly festive mood, celebrate St. Patrick’s day like the original Irish Celts with the Ancient Celtic Lunch special, available the week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. The three course menu offers a union of old and new; traditional Irish food inspired by ingredients available to the original Celts of Ireland. Smoked Mackerel Salad with Heirloom Beets, Bitter Greens, Young Flowers and Horseradish Vinaigrette, Corned Beef Sandwich on Potato Roll with Housemade Sauerkraut, and Guinness and Treacle Cake with Lyle's Salted Cream and Jameson's White Chocolate Ganache, are paired with Mixologist Todd Thrasher’s St. Patrick’s Whey Cocktail for $35.

Virtue Feed and Grain- 110 South Union Street, Alexandria, VA, 571.970.3669
Follow the leprechaun, he’s sure to bring you to Virtue’s gold, where “gastro” Irish pub grub and over 80 domestic and imported beers await you. As Irish dancers dance throughout the restaurant, Chef Ryan Wheeler will serve Irish Feast Specials paired with featured Irish whisky and beers. Pastry chef Rebekka Baltzell will feature desserts using Irish ingredients, such as the Side Car Cupcake made with Jameson frosting and a Guinness pastry filling. Specials available for the Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day Parade, as well as the entire week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.

Society Fair- 277 South Washington Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.683.3247
The newest addition to Eat Good Food Group will offer imported Irish market and butchery items to allow diners to recreate their own taste of Ireland at home. Wake up to a traditional Irish breakfast on Saint Patrick’s special day, with Society Fair’s Irish Breakfast in a Bag, including Irish Scone Mix, jam and Kerrygold butter, with Irish Breakfast Tea. Irish Oats with house made Granola and Irish Tea are staples in the cabinets of Society Fair, and would do well to make any sleepy eye smile like the Irish.

Survive in Demand: Randall Linebacks

In 2002, the Randall Lineback, the last remaining American breed of cattle, was on the brink of extinction. In fact, the American Livestock Breed Conservancy listed them as critically endangered, with only about 100 left in the world.

The original Randall Linebacks were bred for three purposes in the New World: as sources of meat, dairy and oxen power. The breed became popular throughout New England in the late 1600s, before anyone had ever heard of feeding antibiotics (or grain) to a cow, and to this day, the cattle have maintained their clean body mass: hormone free and sustained purely on grass, as nature intended.

Chapel Hill Farm in Berryville has played a tremendous role in reviving this dying breed, starting with 25 cattle in 2002 and bringing that number up to 300 today. Joe Henderson, the owner of Chapel Hill Farm, estimates that to ensure the breed’s survival, that number needs to rise to 1,000. He’s on his way there—in an ironic twist of fate, today the breed’s survival depends on its demand. Eating the rich meat, high in Omega-3s, Vitamin E, and CLA, is actually helping the Randall Lineback survive.

Today, many top Northern Virginia restaurants offer Randall Lineback beef from Joe Henderson’s farm. In Old Town Alexandria, the beef is offered from time to time on the menu at the four star Restaurant Eve, as special Randall Lineback burgers at the American tavern Virtue Feed & Grain, and sold to prepare at home at the new Society Fair, an epicurean emporium for food lovers.

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How to “Dress” a Burger: Winning Flavor Combos
Chef Ryan Wheeler at Virtue Feed & Grain shares a few ways he’s dressed his Randall Lineback burgers:

- Aioli, avocado, and fried egg
- Caramelized onions, and Cashel blue cheese, and Guinness stout sauce
- Sauteed local mushrooms and aioli
- Blue cheese dip and pickled jalapenos

Eat Good Food Group Kitchen Love Stories

How they ‘Make it Work’

There’s more sizzling behind the scenes at the restaurants of Eat Good Food Group (Restaurant Eve, The Majestic, Virtue Feed & Grain, Eamonn’s a Dublin Chipper, PX, and newly opened Society Fair) than delicious food. It must be something about the smell of roasting garlic or the sound of clinking wine glasses, but something seems to be in the air. From co-owners Chef Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong, Todd Thrasher and Maria Chicas, to Chef de Cuisine Jeremy Hoffman and manager Michelle Hoffman, the couples in the restaurant ‘family’ are very much in love. But just how do they keep the love strong amidst the stress of orders, reservations, holidays, and long hours?

Ground Rules for Working Together:

Chef Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong (Co-Owners) 

Meshelle: “No one’s aloud to talk about anything [work related] on Sundays.”
Cathal: “She’s not allowed to torture me with anything having to do with work”
Meshelle: “That’s why, when Monday comes around, he gets an earful!”

 Chef Jeremy and Michelle Hoffman (Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Eve and Human Resources Manager for Eat Good Food Group)
Michelle: “Trying to keep the personal relationship aside. When we were both working at Restaurant Eve, I had to remember to call Jeremy ‘chef.’ I had to remember to act professionally with him at work. One day, on Jeremy’s first night manning the kitchen, I was captain of the Tasting Room and had to request a change of order for a vegetarian dining with us. It was the only time I let my guard down under the stress of the moment, and accidentally addressed my husband as ‘Jeremy’ and not ‘Chef’ in the kitchen.”

Mixologist Todd Thrasher and Maria Chicas (Co-Owners)
Maria: “We make an effort to make our time together count as quality time—even if it's a walk up King Street mid-day on our way to the bank. When at home, we email each other work stuff so we keep work out of our personal time.”

John Wabeck and Melissa Horst (Sommelier at Restaurant Eve and Beverage Manager at Virtue Feed & Grain)
Melissa: “The key for us, is that we have a mutual respect for each other's need for quietude, and can enjoy companionable silence. We spend so much of our daily grind interacting with guests and staff that often times we're plain talked out. It's refreshing to sit quietly, read the paper, and simply enjoy one


Now make your own Love story....

Restaurant Eve- 110 South Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.706.0450, 

Who could ever resist ‘The Original Temptress’….EVE. Don’t let Restaurant Eve’s Saint Valentine Menu name fool you. Couples and others alike will surely find Chef Armstrong delicious Seven Course Menu quite naughty. 

The Bistro 3 courses - $95 per person

Tasting room-7 courses $180 per person, with 2 selections in each course

Wine pairings-$99

If you are dining at Eve, make reservations to have a cocktail at PX first!

PX- 728 King Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.837.8633

….The Provocateur! Enjoy some of Mixologist master Todd Thrasher’s steamy libations with his Romantic Cocktail Tasting Menu for Two. Couples can get cozy and share a 5 course cocktail menu, guaranteed to get their love flowing

$65 Per Couple

‘Tis the Season... to be Hungry at Eat Good Food Properties

 
The Majestic - 911 King Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.837.9117, www.majesticcafe.com

At Majestic, Chef Shannon Overmiller pays homage to the holiday season with December’s Nana’s Sunday Night Dinner.  Offered all month, the “Christmas Dinner” features Roast Beef with Red Wine Horseradish Sauce, Mixed Greens with Blue Cheese and Sherry Vinaigrette, Scalloped Potatoes, Sauteed Wild Mushrooms and Chocolate Cream Pie.  ($22 per person, served family style).   All pair well with one of Majestic’s classic cocktails or seasonal house-made sodas.



Majestic New Year’s Eve:

The Casually Swank Majestic will offer a three-course dinner menu priced at $75 per person (exclusive of tax and gratuity).  A la carte menu items will be offered all evening at the bar. For a small supplement, diners can indulge in Chef Overmiller’s featured items, including Osso Buco with Saffron Risotto and Roasted Pearl Onions and Foie Gras Two Ways, seared and torchon. Reservations are available between 5:30 pm and 10:00 pm.

Majestic Holiday Hours:
Sunday, December 25th – Monday, December 26th – CLOSED
Tuesday, December 27th – OPEN for normal service (lunch and dinner)
Sunday, January 1st – CLOSED
Monday, January 2nd – OPEN for normal service (Nana’s Sunday Dinner & a la carte items)

Eamonn’s/PX - 728 King Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.837.8633, www.eamonnsdublinchipper.com

Snuggle up with two of mixologist Todd Thrasher’s newest creations at speakeasy PX.  Por mi amor features macchu pisco, canton ginger, yuzu juice and spicy gingerale.  Thrasher's cocktail names always have something to do with the inner workings of the restaurant; Clinton Needs to Clean the Office and Stop Smoking combines a Sweet Potato Puree mixture with licor 43, Mt Gay XO, and Captain Morgan 100 proof.  Downstairs at Eamonn’s A Dublin Chipper, guests can purchase Selection Boxes, composed of an assortment of 8 different Irish candies and chocolates decorated in a Christmas themed box.  Selection Boxes come from a modern Irish tradition where children collect boxes of various chocolates after they finish their Christmas dinner, trying to collect as many “boxes” as they can.  Selection Boxes range in price from $12-$24.

New Year’s Eve at PX:

PX will be open on New Year's Eve from 6pm till 2am, offering craft cocktails by Drink Maker Todd Thrasher.  PX is the perfect place to start off the evening before dinner or ring in 2010. Lit by decadent chandeliers, accented by candlelight and decorated with snowflakes hanging from the ceiling for a ‘winter wonderland’ feel, PX is a 1930s social lounge that beckons the days where men wore hats and ladies donned themselves in lavish jewels.
Reservations can be made online at http://www.eamonnsdublinchipper.com/PX/index.html, or by email at Clinton@restauranteve.com, Subject line NYE.
PX opens at 6:00 pm.

PX Holiday Hours:
CLOSED Sunday, December 25 - Monday, December 26th

Eamonn’s Holiday Hours:
CLOSED Sunday, December 25th, Monday December 26th and Sunday, January 1st

Restaurant Eve - 110 South Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.706.0450, www.restauranteve.com

Now that Winter has truly arrived, diners can tuck into some of Chef Cathal Armstrong’s new hearty additions to the menu including Burgundy Truffles, which are shaved on butter poached filet of winter flounder and pureed with a creamy smoked risotto, and Shaffer Farms’ Venison Loin, pan roasted and served with Dukka (an egyptian spice mixture of toasted hazelnut, black sesame, cumin and coriander), Beluga lentils, fresh chevre coulis, and finished with a lentil mouse. Other seasonal items include Foie Gras with Honey Miso Puree, pickled honey cap mushrooms, and candied peanuts.

New Year’s Eve at Restaurant Eve:

The Chef's Tasting Room will be serving a Seven Course Tasting Menu with two choices within each course. The cost is $180 per guest (exclusive of tax and gratuity). Wine pairings are also available, by sommelier, Todd Thrasher if you would like to partake of that option at an additional $99. The Bistro is offering a pré fixe Three Course Dinner with selections within each course for $95 per guest (exclusive of tax and gratuity).
The bar will serve the bistro menu with pricing à la carte.

Reservations are being accepted between 5:00 pm -10:00 pm

Restaurant Eve Holiday Hours:

Saturday, December 24th - Tuesday, December 27th – CLOSED
Wednesday, December 28th – Dinner Service Only (5:30pm)
Sunday, January 1st - CLOSED

Virtue Feed and Grain - 106 South Union Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.706.0450, www.virtuefeedandgrain.com

Virtue Feed and Grain, the comfortable escape to tasty morels, beer inspired ‘hoptails,’ big screens and vintage arcade games is prepared to provide the classic backdrop for the holidays. Decorated with hanging Christmas trees (even better than kissing under the mistletoe), sparkling Christmas lights, and reefs on many walls, the decorations are only a precursor for the seasonal beer list that will feature a different holiday beer everyday leading up to Christmas, starting December 18th (stay tuned to Facebook/Twitter for announcements). The once strongest beer in the world, the Schloss Eggenberg Samiclaus is aged 10 months before bottling and only brewed once a year, on December 6th. Virtue will be featuring this holiday Bier with a pairing special on Wednesday, December 7th of Chef Ryan Wheeler’s Alsatian Style Savory Tart.

Pastry Chef Rebekka Baltzell’s special creations for the holiday season include a Chocolate Candy-cane Cake, Guinness Gingerbread Cake, and White Chocolate Eggnog Mousse.

New Year’s Eve at Virtue Feed and Grain:

For New Years, the restaurant will be serving the full menu, including Feast Specials of Lobster, Prime Rib, and Whole Suckling Pig. There will be a midnight toast alongside the dropping of the ball on the big screen.

Virtue Feed and Grain Holiday Hours:

Saturday, December 25th - Monday, December 26th – CLOSED
Sunday, January 1st - CLOSED

* All Properties will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day




And a new year brings in new things... Society Fair, an epicurean emporium of delight, coming soon.

From Our Pantry: Cozy Cocktail

November is a month for warmth, comfort, and hearty dinners. Especially with the endless array of winter crops available—including the variety of squash and potato, ready to be baked, steamed, fried, mashed, or better yet, made into a drink.

Todd Thrasher, mixologist at PX in Old Town Alexandria, has whipped up something special for the season: a drink made with pureed sweet potato that hits the spot in terms of warmth and comfort.
He's named it Clinton Needs to Clean the Office and Stop Smoking. But don’t let the name fool you. November is also a month for family—and sometimes family are the only ones to call you out on your bull. At PX, Restaurant Eve and other sister establishements in Alexandria, they're all family, and Thrasher would never miss an opportunity to help PX manager Clinton Terry grow into a better individual...(plus he really enjoys giving drinks interesting names).

Some other cocktail names include The Cocktail with No Name, It Could be a Wee Bit Drier, Plight of the Honey Bee (named and designed to bring attention to the decreasing number of these enormously beneficial creatures), and Smoker’s Delight (concocted with Old Virginia tobacco to help Restaurant Eve's Chef Armstrong kick his pack a day smoking habit). But perhaps the most notable, I Have Too Much Thyme on my Hands Right Now at This Point in My Life took first place at the 42Below Vodka Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand with the longest name in cocktail history. The name was inspired by all the thyme growing in Thrasher’s garden, proving his creativity to stem from more than just a good drink, but also a moment, a smell, or even a memory.

Clinton Needs to Clean the Office and Stop Smoking
Sweet Potato Cocktail Recipe from Mixologist Todd Thrasher
1/2 oz. Licor 43
1/2 oz. Mount Gay XO rum
1/2 oz. Captain Morgan 100 proof rum
2 oz. Sweet Potato Puree mixture (recipe below)

METHOD:
Stir all ingredients until well incorporated.

FOR SWEET POTATO PUREE:
4 cooked, peeled sweet potatoes 1 star anise pod
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
Clinton Needs to Clean the Office and Stop Smoking
4 whole allspice berries
1 cup maple water (1/2 cup maple syrup combined with 1/2 cup hot water)

METHOD:
Puree all ingredients and simmer for half an hour. Strain Mixture.
Until golden brown. Brush with thin coat of jam for shine as desired.

From Our Pantry: FIGS

Restaurant Eve’s Foie Gras Mousse coated in fig jam with brûléed fig and Fig ‘Newtons’

The fig is an interesting fruit. On the outside it appears rough, inedible, and seemingly “male.” But once cut open, it unearths a rich, sweet interior, that D.H. Lawrence so cunningly describes in his homage to the fruit, Figs, as “female.” The fig is known to be the sweetest and oldest fruit recognized by man—dating back to 2500 B.C. The guising sensuous nature of the fruit has lead many to believe it to be the true forbidden fruit eaten by Eve in the Garden of Eden—perhaps it’s no coincidence that she wears one of its leaves . . .

It therefore seems appropriate that figs are important to Restaurant Eve as well, especially in the height of fall, when the main fig crop ripens. Chef Cathal Armstrong incorporates the fig in many ways, whether it be his own rendition of the “newton,” paired with foie gras, or in a fig and frangipane tart offered at his modern American tavern, Virtue Feed & Grain (recipe below). The appearance, sweetness, and folklore surrounding the fruit have all connected it as an aphrodisiac--which could explain the numerous anniversary celebrations at the restaurant (most recently, the President and the First Lady).

Virtue Feed & Grain’s Fig and Frangipane Tart

FIG AND FRANGIPANE TART
Pastry Chef Rebekka Baltzell, Virtue Feed & Grain
For the Tart:
1 frozen tart shell
For the Frangipane:
Ingredients:
8 oz. almond paste
1 oz. sugar
3 1/2 oz. butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 oz. cake flour
Method:
In a mixer, cream almond paste and sugar. Gradually add butter in small amounts until fully incorporated.
Gradually add the eggs and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes, until mixture is light and airy. Mix in vanilla and flour.
For the Fig Jam:
Ingredients:
2 pints figs, rinsed, stems cut off, quartered
1 orange
2 Tbsp. honey (local clover if possible)
1- 1/2 cup of sugar
2 tsp. salt
Method:
Place figs, sugar (1-1 1/2 cup for desired sweetness) and zest of orange in sauce pot over low-medium heat until figs begin to release juice and break down (approximately 20 min.).
Place in blender and puree until smooth.
Return to sauce pot, add honey and salt, and cook on low heat until thickened. Stir often. Be careful, it will begin to pop and bubble as it thickens.
To Assemble:
Partially bake the tart shell.
Put an even layer of cooled jam over center of tart shell. Cover with frangipane to just under the rim of the shell. Add fresh cut figs to the top as desired.
Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown. Brush with thin coat of jam for shine as desired.

Hallow's Eve Round-up!

Ghouls and zombies are in the air this weekend!

Restaurant Eve celebrates Hallow's Eve with a bang, spreading the haunt to sister restaurants in Old Town. After all, it's historic Old Town for a reason... and on one night of the year the ghosts come out to play. 

The round-up this year goes a little something like this:

Virtue Feed & Grain is bringing out the haunt in historic Wales Alley. The over two- hundred year-old alley will host the Halloween Bash, a night of frightening revelry with live DJ and cauldron brewing mixologist Todd Thrasher’s signature potion. $10 entry includes a Cauldron Cocktail and sweet treats—proceeds will go to Chefs as Parents, an organization dedicated to improving the culture and nutrition of Alexandria public school children. A trick or treating station for the little ones will be setup from 5-7pm—but you might want to hide the kids afterwards, once the darkness creeps on and the fun begins. Specials for the occasion include Red Velvet Spider Cakes, Bloody Pirate Jelly Donuts, Pumpkin Torte, and a Pumpkin Spice Soup with Bat Wing Croutons.

And over on King Street, The Majestic is dropping the "casual" and going all "swank".... gangsters and flappers style. While PX may be the ‘speakeasy’ of the group, the Majestic is stealing the thunder, prohibition style. In honor of the roaring 20’s, The Majestic will be offering classic prohibition cocktails, including the Mary Pickford, Classic Martini, and French 75. Chef Shannon Overmiller will be stirring up desserts with her Spooky Cookies, Chocolate Bloody Bundt Cake—a double chocolate cake with black cherry port wine sauce—and a Pumpkin Crème Brûlée with ginger snaps.
 
Come in to get your Gatsby on!

For Hallow’s Eve, Restaurant Eve is treating without the tricking. Along with cat shaped shortbread to go with post dinner coffee or tea and sinful dessert options on the menu, diners of the tasting room will be given a take home Pick Your Poison box of petit fours, to do as they will with. We recommend eating them before someone else does!