I needed to leave the office early today, so, of course, that's when we got a 43 page document in that needed comments back within 45 minutes and a 200 page document that needed review within a few hours. It all got done by lunch time, but it made for a hectic morning.
We took our departing secretary out to lunch at Hamburger Hamlet and then did follow-up work in the afternoon. I was distracted and kept checking United's web site to verify the status of Robert's flight. Fortunately, it was on-time and I timed my departure fairly well. Things go so much better when he follows instructions and we didn't have any difficulty meeting at the West Falls Church metro this time, unlike the summer's fiasco.
Our exciting plans for the evening were dinner at 2941, a very fancy restaurant in Falls Church. It's in a somewhat unlikely location, essentially the lower level of an office building. We couldn't find the main entrance, so ended up coming in via the building garage, which is just as well, given my aversion to valet parking. At any rate, it was worth the effort involved in finding the restaurant.
They're well-known for their breads, and I particularly liked the pumpernickel with a slight hint of chocolate. There was an amuse bouche, which consisted of a small cup of a warm pepper soup (very tasty) and a somewhat bland shrimp and endive canape. For the first course, Robert got the wild mushroom soup (which I tasted and liked - very intensely mushroomy). I got a beet salad, which consisted of slices of red and golden beets, along with a round of goat cheese and spiced walnuts. That was tasty, but a little bit on the sweet side for a starter. For the main course, Robert had Japanese sea bass, which was apparently so good that he wouldn't let me taste it. In exchange, I didn't let him taste my Chilean sea bass, which came floating in a lemon verbena consomme and was topped with chopped eggplant, jicama and peppers. It was very moist and flavorful - truly exquisite. We didn't really need dessert, but how could one not indulge at such a place? Robert is trying to avoid chocolate, so got a vanilla custard and toffee pudding combination, while I got a dish that consisted of three tiny bits of different chocolate mousses, each surrounded with white chocolate, and capuccino ice cream. They also give you a plate with little sweets (a couple of chocolates, some sort of cookie with pistachios and fruit, and something else that I've forgotten, which doesn't mean that it wasn't good) and their signature touch of whimsy in the form of a bowl of orange-flavored cotton candy.
All in all, I'd certainly say that the restaurant's reputation is well-deserved. The atmosphere was also pleasant and unhurried and the service was efficient, though the waiter was a little too effusive in describing a special of kobe beef. It would have been more romantic to be at a table overlooking the lake, but that's a minor point. This does not, of course, come cheap, but it's not like we do this sort of indulgence all that often.
Copyright 2006 Miriam H. Nadel