172018 Thu Sep 30 15:36:45 -0700 2004 9 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 923704 Five of us (myself, LaBacchante & Martin,husband, Steve Siegel, John B.) gathered for lunch today at Restaurant Eve in Old Town. It was my first visit since their second week of operation. For the others their first. We sat in the Cafe which, at 1:30 was packed without an empty seat anywhere. Restaurant Eve has grown; it has become a special destination with several truly outstanding dishes. A shellfish bouillibiasse was more intensely delicious than any that I have had, even from Yannick Cam or Michel Richard. I would even use the word extraordinary to describe its rich depth of flavor. Truly a Great dish, certainly worth crossing the Potomac for if not the Atlantic. We had eight or nine other first and second courses which were passed around. Unfortunately I did not take notes. I actually hesitate to describe several since I will not do them justice. (I.e. a wonderful inch thick cod filet, another was a treatment of "belly of lamb")But overall we agreed that it was an outstanding lunch. Putting it over the top was a dessert simply labelled "birthday cake." Butter laden yellow cake with extraordinary strawberry frosting. Perhaps the best slice of cake I've had anywhere in the D. C. area! Several other desserts may have actually been even better including a cup of caramel which house made deep fried pastry was dunked in, superb chocolate cake with large "leaves" of flaked chocolate. My descriptions-lacking a menu or notes-are totally inadequate and my apologies for this. But Restaurant Eve is a serious destination; not just the best in Old Town but now one of the D. C. area's best. We'll return in a month or so; next time I'll take notes and "borrow" a menu for reference. I believe there is a real level of excitement now with this restaurant. A prix fixe dinner in the more formal dining room is to be eagerly anticipated! Thu Sep 30 15:36:45 -0700 2004 0 Joe H. 1 923707 Thanks for the positive report. We have reservations in a couple of weeks in the tasting room to celebrate our anniversary. I am eagerly looking forward to it! Thu Sep 30 15:54:07 -0700 2004 923704 0 SusanDB 1 923717 At Restaurant Eve, we were 4 for 4 - each one of the main selections were super delicious. Confit of Pork Belly, Duck Confit Salad (do you detect a theme?), Potato Crusted Cod, and Bouillabaisse were all full bodied dishes with lucious flavors. How often does that happen? We were in the hands of an expert kitchen, and they took us where they wanted us to go. The room itself is like a secret hideaway. Appetizers were a bit drab, though. Bacon and Egg Salad, and the terrine of game birds - a touch dry and austere. The rillettes were a refined version - not so shamelessly fatty like you find in France. I am sure that for Chowhounds and others, Eve will be the site for many memorable meals. Thu Sep 30 17:12:02 -0700 2004 923704 0 Steve 2 923720 There also was a house-cured salmon appetizer that was fine but no match for the outstanding main courses. I probably liked the bacon, egg, and cheese salad best among the appetizers. Luscious is certainly the word for the pork belly, which was as described on the sample menu on the website with glazed vegetables. Bouillabaise was more complex than any I've had before. The broth tasted infused rather than simply the sauce from cooking the shellfish. The cod was perfect, and the duck confit salad as a whole was subtly wonderful. I'm not much of a sweets-eater, but caramel is my downfall. This one was browned just a bit more than is standard, which gave it more depth of flavor. Link: http://www.restauranteve.com/home.html Thu Sep 30 17:30:03 -0700 2004 923717 0 bacchante 3 923723 Agree with all the above comments. This is one case where the "order appetizers" strategy seems to have failed. The main courses and deserts were great and the hits of the meal. I don't know if this was by chance or if there is a systematic reason. But for sure it will be fun trying more of the items on the menu. One more comment. Todd was perhaps the most gracious host I've happened upon in a restaurant for a long while, and it is clear that he and the staff at Eve care very deeply about what they are doing. And that is perhaps the best recommendation of all. Thu Sep 30 17:51:12 -0700 2004 923720 0 johnb 1 925479 Anniversary dinner in the Chef's table room. Fairly stupendous. She had the 5 course prixe fixe (which is good for non-meat eaters) while I had the 9 course. Deviled quail egg with caviar (1), then raw salmon diced with shallots (1 tablespoon) as the "amuses" before the real meal. Quail eggs were nice, interesting, but not a standout. The salmon had the depth and complexity that are the trademark for Rest Eve. Then lobster brulee with the standard sugar crust. Never had sweet and lobster together before. Oyster stew with a lot of other ingredient that started with "O". I almost started giving my "O" face. One or two other courses that were good, but are slipping my mind. A teeny lamb chop with the entire rib bone still attached. 2 inches of meat and 9 inches of bone. A bit startling. Sweetbreads on caramelized apple and spinach, a personal first. She had a choice of three cheeses from a list of 9. 6 of which were very obscure. Waiter was helpful, but seemed to be a bit over his head. I'm a big cheesey guy, so my standards for cheese is high. A raw milk camembert from Canada (great), a good USA young goat cheese, and a somewhat offensive Emmentomme redolent of ammonia. My cheese course was a very good cheddar soup and a forgettable Irish bacon sandwich. 2nd to last course is a bit late to be throwing smoked meat at the diner. A house-made yoghurt with with somewhat leathery caramelized pear slices. A 3 way of pear upside-down cake, pear soup with cinnamon ice cream (one of the best things I've tasted), and puree of pear. Then a chocolate box full of chocolate mousse with orange. A couple of the appetizers were a bit adventurous for me. The mains were very good. The dessert was outstanding. The Madeira, sherry and sauternes with the cheese course and desert were most excellent. And I hate wine. Beer selection is one of the best I've ever seen in any restaurant, ever. Service was ... interesting. A total of 9 different people brought us food. The bowing and scraping involved in going to the bathroom was disconcertingly earnest. They seem to have a standard "jump well aside into a corner, slight bow of the head, a hand motion showing the way". Getting that 4 times in 20 feet is a bit much. Maybe I have psychological issues around being subtle about hitting the can. Michelin style delivery of food and drink. Anything you ask for is delivered VERY promptly. Description of the food as you get it is required and well delivered most of the time. My one, single complaint: 6:30 reservation. Finished the meal at 10:40. My ass fell asleep we were there so long. 18 total food deliveries to my side of the table, spaced out every 12 minutes. It was turning into a battle between my fascination with what was coming next and my desire to get out. I prompted for quicker service twice, then just rode it out. Amusing part was the table next to us. Two Texas business men whose palates were tuned to steak, Scotch and cigars. Was fun to hear, "What the hell IS this crap?" And, "I'm the VP of Sales, fer crissake!" Sad to see the chef's efforts wasted. Then he spilled a full glass of red wine on the setee. Fri Oct 29 05:58:24 -0700 2004 923704 0 Chris B 2 925505 They probably sat in the wrong room! I think (and I could easily be wrong) that the style of the tasting room precludes dishes such as their bouillibasse. My wife and I need to go back to Eve but, first, I am intent on their bouillibasse again. I make my own on Saturday and am curious to see how it compares. Fri Oct 29 11:24:08 -0700 2004 925479 0 Joe H. 3 925520 Joe, check out Eve's web site. The bouillibasse recipe is there. Try it vs yours and let us know which one wins. gerard Fri Oct 29 15:15:18 -0700 2004 925505 0 Stray Gator 4 925533 Incredible timing! I was just making the fish fumet! Thnak you. Fri Oct 29 19:08:15 -0700 2004 925520 0 Joe H. 4 925534 The recipe is NOT there! A beautiful photograph but nothing to download nor anything to list the ingredients! Todd, help! Where's the recipe? Am I missing something? I have fish heads and bodies simmering for a fumet as I type this... Fri Oct 29 19:14:31 -0700 2004 925520 0 Joe H.