From classic Italian cuisine to farm-fresh dishes, these are the best places to dine in Northern Virginia, according to our food critics. Considering food, service, and ambience, our food critics have named the 10 best places to eat in Northern Virginia right now. You've never tasted a better cookie than the one served on Lovettsville Hill, known as Patowmack Farm. The hot dough crumbles and crumbles in the form of butter, with the help of the addition of soft, salty maple butter and homemade strawberry preserves.
The progressive nine-course menu has long stood out at this farm and restaurant, and chef Vincent Badiee has improved it even more over the past two years. But that's not the only way to enjoy the intense edible richness of the season. This fall, Badiee introduced Ology, an informal Sunday dinner that replaced her restaurant's popular brunch. There is a certain joy in watching fish swim by while you eat their siblings.
Not that the koi in the pond in front of 2941 need to worry. From hamachi to yellowfin, chef Bertrand Chemel uses only the best fish for his impressive tasting menus. In the usual menu, succulent brisket is another appetizing composition, enhanced with a pineapple chutney, smoked black beans, avocado and tender caramelized bananas. The adorable blue cornmeal arepas shaped like a shell add an earthy note.
And for dessert? A guava coating adds balance to a super creamy tres leches. Next to the table appears a glorious basket of barbaric fresh Iranian bread with butter, honey and olive tapenade. Be careful not to eat three baskets of bread, which would be easy to do. It will be worth the wait.
Carnivores should dive into mahechay. This braised leg of lamb is simmered by experts in their own juices with saffron, turmeric, tomato, garlic and lemon. There is no need for knives; the lamb, tender and beautiful, comes off the bone. Divan is divine, he may be the new kid on the block, but with his excellent cuisine and contemporary atmosphere, he will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Dry ice is usually a cheap trick, literally just expelling smoke. Costa Rican-born chef Tomás Chavarría shows that his culture is alive and well in The Study. The menu is based on old techniques, and smoke is a central element. A raw hamachi wrapped in tendrils of that material arrives.
Although it transports diners to an old fireplace, the dish, which combines fish with passion fruit mayonnaise, limes and avocado, is uncomplicated and modern. So is Steak and Onions, an exclusive dish that plays with a common Central American meal of low-quality steak sautéed with chopped onions. Here, it is enhanced with a tenderloin aged for 60 days, served over a pool of creamy candied onions. Best of all, Chavarría creates a strong juice with Lizano, Costa Rica's favorite prepared sauce.
This is a nod to the culinary history that is still being done today. And Chavarría continues to forge his own path. Every year, it will merge its native cuisine with that of a different culture. He has cooked all over the world, from the Philippines to Dubai, guaranteeing dishes that defy the imagination.
Krapfen are crispy and fluffy Austrian donuts with the center. They are served over puddles of cheesecakes with unbaked white chocolate and blueberry jam with fresh fruit. With every bite at the renovated Trummer's, contemporary Europe feels a little closer. The tender bites of octopus and crunchy potatoes are combined with a velvety scallion tahini sauce, with dried fruits and spicy, and the olives and pickled peppers give the dish another layer of flavor.
This is an appetizer worthy of being the center of the plate. In the same way, salad bowls, such as one filled with farro, seasonal vegetables and Parmesan cheese, all together with a roasted garlic vinaigrette, could be used to prepare a meal. Katherine Thompson's desserts are a fundamental reason to book here. Its olive oil cake mixed with Madeira is considered the benchmark of the genre.
A delicious fresh cream mousse and a honey and raisin compote enhance the crumb of the cake that melts in your mouth. Hot fruit desserts, such as seasonal pastries and pies, are comforting, spicy, and absolutely winning. The ambiance of the Maple Ave restaurant won't impress you. The box wrapped in windows in a dining room overlooks a not-so-charming view of the car wash next door.
The fact that it is among the 10 best is a testament to the cuisine of chef Justė Židelytė and to the attentive service of the general manager Ricardo Teves. All of this combines to create one of NoVa's most romantic and disarming dining experiences. That's because the four-course tasting menu includes two options for each round. Seafood lovers immerse themselves in Portuguese stew, a rich cioppino-like dish full of meaty mussels, clams, tasty sausage, potatoes and market fish in an elixir with fennel.
A huge slice of grilled sourdough absorbs excess broth. Be sure to make reservations, as food lovers flock here to sample chef William Morris' award-winning modern American menu. This exclusive, Read more With a huge salad bar and an ever-changing variety of good hot pizzas, this is a great place to have a late dinner on Friday or Saturday. Read more In the heart of the historic district, this tavern from around 1789 offers a sample of the interior decoration, cuisine and entertainment of the, Read more In this local favorite, run by Jean Franí§ois Chaufour and his wife, Franío§Ois For more than 30 years, an authentic French country prepared with love, Read more Located in a Romanesque Renaissance building (188), this restaurant was the National Bank of the People for more than half a century.
Northern Virginia restaurants are open to the public, and many offer creative options for indoor and outdoor dining. Located in the Virginia countryside, this sprawling restaurant serves German-influenced cuisine from Alsace. .