Proper now, although, the place that fascinates me most is an outdated Greek restaurant in suburban Virginia. The Maple Room, named after the road it’s on in Vienna, was launched by property developer Christos Sarantis and his spouse, Effie, who additionally personal 4 SouvlakiBar informal retailers within the space. Locals will acknowledge the façade as that of the Amphora restaurant, which closed after greater than 4 a long time in 2021.
Are you bored with further costs at eating places? The Maple Room costs you for what you ate and drank, plus tax, interval.
Do you miss receiving a basket of bread whenever you sit down? When you place your order right here, the waiters inform you that they are going to “put the bread to work.”
When you ask a query, you’ll rapidly obtain knowledgeable solutions. “Fifty-seven days,” a cheerful hostess responded once I requested how lengthy the place had been open on my first go to in February. The pork chop, a element that Christos Sarantis requested chef Cameron Cousin to incorporate on the American menu, is described in such element that it’s as if the waiters have been carrying a hidden earpiece and Cousin was whispering the recipe to them on the desk.
When you eat pork, don't cross up the chance to chop it into thick grilled slices, marinated in recent herbs and a bit of maple syrup. “Keep in mind your childhood,” says Cousin, a New Jersey native who got here from the previous Meeting meals corridor in Rosslyn. I can relate, though Mother served the applesauce straight and never into the cute hollows of the fruit, like Cousin does.
It is a menu that many individuals will like.
Traditionalists may decide for oysters below a carpet of creamy spinach, brightened with dried chiles and ethereal breadcrumbs, with lemon and lime zest, not masking the flavour of the seafood. Or a bowl of French onion soup whose deep taste comes from the meat and duck broth. Talking of duck, it comes as a primary dish: meaty confit mixed with creamy white beans and inexperienced flecks of gremolata to brighten up what would in any other case be beige.
The waiters' refinement extends to their apparel: white shirt, apron and tie: elegant uniforms that match Cousin's strong delicacies. Cubes of slow-roasted pork stomach, glistening with Korean barbecue sauce, are lined up subsequent to a neat topping of recent coleslaw, and tender ricotta gnocchi comes scattered with meaty mushrooms. The kitchen makes use of simply sufficient truffle oil to evoke earth within the meatballs, plus bits of baked Parmesan for crunch. He'd want the kitchen go away its head on the “entire” roasted branzino, however the principle course is a satisfying dish that features crispy bok choy and a fragile coconut curry. “We need to strive issues,” the chef says of his eclectic menu.
So will the diners. By listening to the particular affords, it’s possible you’ll change your thoughts about your order. Wednesday is Wellington evening and Sunday is an opportunity to eat ribs. (Word to self: Reserve each.) At any time when the “battleaxe” of swordfish is talked about, make the leap. The principle course features a supreme reduce of swordfish known as collar, from behind the pinnacle, on a mattress of braised kale stuffed with butter, a bit of hi there to the south. Fish collars are the offal of the ocean and are among the many tastiest components of fish, thanks partially to the bone that retains them moist.
The house owners, residents of the realm for 45 years, have hospitality of their blood. Christos' father ran Ascot within the district and Effie's father was behind Steve's Diner in Alexandria (each closed). Basic supervisor, the elegant and ever-present Gordon Leigh, has a long time of expertise below his belt, together with at Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse in Reston, Atlanta-based Liberty Home Restaurant Company and Capital Grille in McLean. The truth is, he cares for his new place prefer it's a elaborate steakhouse, which it’s to some extent. The menu contains numerous cuts of beef and succulent inch-thick lamb chops served with mint jelly.
The eating room is heat and welcoming, adorned with semicircular inexperienced tables, picket ceiling ribs, and crescent-shaped home windows—the sort of place that's pretty much as good for date evening as it’s for a enterprise lunch or household gathering. A (noisier) lounge subsequent door invitations solo performances and nights out with pals.
In the end, the Maple Room demonstrates why many suburbanites want to eat nearer to house than take care of the challenges of district scorching spots. Each the Maple Room and Le Diplomate serve memorable roast hen, for instance. But when I lived close to the previous, I'd love the brined magnificence, introduced with bitter cream-enriched potatoes and a slim pitcher of lemon juice, on the equally vigorous Virginia restaurant, which opens an hour early for dinner. (How fashionable. As Axios reported final fall, 5 p.m. is now not the unique area of upperclassmen.)
Changes to some dishes would enhance them. Whoever runs the pasta station ought to take away the noodles from the water earlier than they grow to be mushy. Their meatless Bolognese topping, made with seitan and chopped greens, is nice and deserves a firmer mattress. And the salmon tartare is curiously introduced with mashed avocado on chewy, fried rice cubes, the results of which tastes like a day-old sushi roll. The chocolate mousse cake appears like one thing you may discover at a banquet, however the apple pie is a flaky, not-too-sweet deal with topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce.
What I imply is that the successes outnumber the failures, and there’s no strategy to go house hungry. The Maple Room doesn't serve doll-sized parts.
Folks go to eating places not just for the meals, service and ambiance (as important as they’re) but additionally for the comfort.
Did I point out the Maple Room has parking? In the case of producing site visitors, the newcomer ticks all of the bins.
377 Maple Ave. W., Vienna. 703-223-5534. mapleroomrestaurant.com. Open for indoor and outside eating (climate allowing) from 4pm to 10pm Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, 4pm to 11pm Friday and Saturday. Costs: Appetizers $14 to $22, entrees $28 to $65 (for a pound of prime rib). Sound check: 73 decibels. Accessibility: Wheelchair customers can enter through a ramp on the again door; ADA compliant loos.