Restaurant Eve

Had dinner at Restaurant Eve last night – 5 of us. I won’t spend time describing what we had, other than to say we opted for the 9-course chef’s tasting menu with wine pairing. The food was good, not great, but some of the better dishes were the caviar (extra $$), lobster (extra $$) and the OOO. Quite disappointing was the wine pairing – low-end wines and some of the pairings were off. Definitely check out the cocktail menu – Gin and “Tonic,” I Cudda Been a Contenda, and Eamonn’s were great.

The service was fine and friendly, with two exceptions. As we waited for the risotto course (with white truffles – YUM! – extra $$) to be served, the waiter informed us that it would be 10-12 more minutes due to one of us having been in the restroom when they were ready to serve it. We would have been better off had they brought it out when she was in the restroom – the risotto that we did end up with was quite undercooked. The truffles were amazing, though.

The second, and most glaring, exception was when one of the service people spilled 2 glasses of wine all over my blouse and in my lap. I did receive a couple of napkins – one to wipe it up and one to wear under my blouse, so I wouldn’t freeze to death (it was pretty chilly in the tasting room, anyway). Given what we were spending on the meal, I would have expected at least something off of the bill for having sat through the majority of the meal uncomfortably wet – not to mention the dry cleaning bill for my blouse, slacks, and silk jacket.

Overall, if anyone is trying to decide where to eat a nice meal in the DC metro area, I would say to keep Restaurant Eve on your list, but look more to CityZen, Marcel’s, Citronelle, and even The Inn for better food at similar price points – we paid $325 per person (without tip). For food that is just as good at a much lower price, definitely go to Equinox – that is the best value for the quality of food. Restaurant Eve is way too pricey for the food and service that we experienced. We all walked away feeling regretful at the amount of money we spent on this meal. Especially considering we ate at the French Laundry two weeks ago for about that same price – totally different experience and in a bit of a different league. The lunch deal at Restaurant Eve sounds like a better option – we’d probably go back for that.