Morrison House Grill

In the weeks leading up to Christmas there are always lots of fun and exciting parties and performances and various holiday events. One such event I always look forward to is my husbands company Christmas dinner. Superking works for a very small home-based business in the IT field.  When I say small, I mean really small...6 employees. And all the employees/employers are either close friends or family...the boss, the boss's wife, their daughter-in-law, my husband, my brother-in-law, and my brother-in-law's wife, and then there's me. I'm the only one not an employee but thankfully I get to tag along for a good meal.  For our Christmas dinner we always go to a nice upscale restaurant nearby.

This year's choice was The Grille at the Morrison House.  The Morrison House is an old Federalist-style mansion located in old town Alexandria that is now an inn. The Grille, the restaurant located in the mansion, serves a contemporary French American cuisine. Each room is filled with beautiful antiques, several fireplaces, and even a piano bar. Our meal that evening was accompanied by a talented pianist playing Christmas carols in the style of Vince Guaraldi (see A Charlie Brown Christmas).  

Our meal began with a fancy cheese platter for the whole table to share. Five glorious cheeses...Ameribella (cow cheese from Indiana), Brabander (a Holland goat cheese), Umber (New York cow), Moses Sleeper (Vermont cow), Cashel Blue (Irish cow).  I don't really remember which was which, all I know is that they were all delicious. I haven't met too many cheeses I didn't like. This was a nice variety of mild, sharp, tangy, and creamy.

One of my favorite French dishes is the classic escargot. Yep, snails. If you are a little put off about trying escargot, I always tell people if you like shrimp in garlic butter, you will like escargot.  The escargot itself doesn't really have much flavor on its own, it has a similar texture to shrimp, and its soaked in garlic butter.  Everything tastes yummy if its drenched in garlic butter.  And they are served hot with a nice piece of crusty bread!

Superking also had the Country Pate. It was served with pickled onions, cornichons (tiny pickles), a few greens, grainy mustard, and a crusty baguette. A mixture of salty meat and tangy sharp mustard.

He also had the seared filet mignon served with Yorkshire pudding, sauteed mushrooms, and a bordelaise sauce. I was a little disappointed to discover that Yorkshire pudding is really just a popover.  Not that it wasn't tasty, I just thought a Yorskhire pudding should have something in it for the "pudding" part! Oh well! The way I understand it, it is a light fluffy bread thats made with drippings from the meat and thats what makes it special.  The sauteed mushrooms were deliciously earthy! The bordelaise sauce is made with a dry red wine, bone marrow, butter, and shallots.

The pan seared Rock Fish, while the skin was a little too salty for my liking it was crispy and the fish light and flaky. It was served over a mushroom risotto and wilted kale. It could've done with a little less kale (which would've been better if it was crispy) but the risotto was delightfully creamy.

A couple people in our party ordered the dark bavarian chocolate cake which seemed to be quite delectable. But I had to go for the Chevre Cheesecake. When we ordered it, the waiter asked us, "you know thats goat cheese; do you still want to order that?" We chuckled and replied, "of course we know thats goat cheese; thats WHY we are ordering it!"

The cheesecake itself was superbly creamy and tangy and it was topped with a shortbread crumble and huckleberry jam, which was a nice balance of sweet and tart as well.  Next to the cake were several meringues made with rosemary.

All in all it was a tasty meal and a great time with friends and family!

Eiffel Tower Cafe

One Wednesday every month, I have the privelege of getting a wonderfully relaxing massage in downtown Leesburg.  Its the one day I don't have to work, I run errands only if I have to, and I can explore some shops and eateries that I don't normally get to go to very often.  So I had one these days recently and it just so happens my massage ends around noon...just in time for lunch.  Where to go? There are so many unique little cafes and such in oldtown Leesburg.

I leave the massage parlor and begin walking down the street contemplating this very matter when I happen upon a little building that looks like an old house with a small hanging sign that says Eiffel Tower Cafe.  It seems kind of quiet. Is it open? I'm not sure.  What kind of atmosphere? Can't really tell.  Ah, but there is a menu out front.  Hmm, a few things catch my eye.  My only alternative is to go in and find out what kind of establishment it is.

The main door is on the side of the building where there is an adorable little patio area where I imagine on a nice summer evening it being full of couples enjoying a glass of wine by the ivy and twinkle lights.  The bell on the door jingles as I open it.  It does not appear there are any other customers inside but a middle-aged gentleman with a friendly smile, greets me with a menu and asks if I am alone. Yes, just me, I reply.

He leads me to a table against the wall which is decorated with many paintings and various ornaments of the Eiffel Tower and Paris scenery.  The tables are all covered in white linen and adorned with single red roses and small table lamps. In his genuinely French accent, the waiter tells me about the specials, takes my drink order of San Benedetto sparkling water, then apologizes that its not more busy in the restaurant.  Its always busy on the weekend evenings, he assures me.

He returns with my fancy water and I order the tarragon chicken salad sandwich. A few minutes later, out comes this beautiful plate with a greatly portioned chicken salad sandwich on a croissant which is so buttery and flaky and the tarragon just sings right through so joyously. It is topped with fresh dark greens and a slice of ripe tomato.

Next to this delicious sandwich is a lovely dark green salad lightly dressed with some sort of citrusy vinagrette. It is a delightful compliment to the tarragon chicken. In addition to the salad, there is also a side of pasta.  Penne with some olives and feta cheese.  An interesting Greek flair in a French cafe.  But it works so nicely together.  A lot of food but still light on the tummy as well as the wallet. That whole wonderful feast was only eight bucks!

Thankfully before I was finished with my meal, a group of ladies had come in for a lunch date so I didn't feel so bad that I was the only one in there anymore.  I would love to go back on a Saturday night sometime when the weather's a bit warmer and have a date night with my Superking on the patio.  Their desserts looked pretty amazing too! While I finished up my lunch that day, I felt as though I had been transported to a little cafe in the heart of Paris herself.  What a delightful addition to my day!