2607 N Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 697-4234
http://renochicago.com/

$ – Cash Only

During a recent trip to Chicago we had a great brunch at Reno Chicago. In the interest of full disclosure Reno is co-owned by my brother in-law’s nephew Jason Normann. That being said, it was a great meal. Reno Chicago is in the up and coming Logan Square area next to the upscale Telegraph also owned by Normann and his partner.

We settled on two sandwiches for breakfast that came quickly. I ordered one called the Cowboy Killer which came with maple fennel sausage, fried egg, bacon, American béchamel, and rajas on a trinity bun. The maple fennel sausage was a treat. It had a wonderful sweet taste that blended nicely with the roasted poblano chili peppers (rajas). I tried to single out the taste of the American béchamel sauce but could not identify it. Béchamel is a French roux often mixed with cheese for flavor. Since it did not have the color of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese I assume its name is not derived from American cheese.

The rest of the crew ordered the Egg BLT on a tasty bagel with cheese melted onto it. Everyone was happy and said they would not hesitate to order the same things again.

The Stumptown Coffee served is rich and full bodied. I need this to get going in the morning. The noise level was on the high side and by 11am the place was hopping and things were moving fast. The staff was all friendly and our waitress was on top of every need. The busboy was like a Ninja hovering nearby but never intrusive always making sure I had coffee in my cup. It was several minutes before I noticed he had cleared our table.

Our meal was an excellent value for high quality well prepared food. My one complaint is they do not accept credit cards. I have not carried cash for 5 or 6 years. Luckily my wife carries cash and she paid. If I lived in the neighborhood I would be disappointed I could not stop in and eat.

Claire’s At the Depot‎
65 South 3rd Street
Warrenton, VA 20186-3304

Voice: 540.351.1616
Fax: 540.341.0302

claires@clairesrestaurant.com
reservations@clairesrestaurant.com

American | $$

We have been to Claire’s many times for brunch and dinner. I thought it was time to share brunch with everyone. Located in a beautifully renovated train station the tables near the fireplace are a treat as fall arrives. During the summer months several tables are available on the patio if the humidity is not oppressive.

Bruch begins with wonderful Cranberry-Orange Scones.

I started with a terrific she crab soup. It had a nice creamy consistency with ample crab. A little on the salty side but I usually chalk that up to minimizing my salt intake and being a little more sensitive than most people. I will have it again.

My wife and a friend split a nice looking Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with organic baby greens, goat cheese croutons, yellow & red beets, candied walnuts, dried cherries, and poppy seed dressing.

My favorite for brunch at Claire’s has long been the Steak and Eggs with a grilled Black Angus N.Y. strip, Edwards’ peppered bacon, sausage, farm fresh eggs over hard, herbed hash browns and fresh fruit. The steak was cooked perfectly. The homemade sausage had a magnificent earthy taste with just a hint of spiciness. I grew up on dinner type hash brown potatoes shredded and on the crispy side. The herbed hash browns for this dish are good but more like small seasoned breakfast potatoes. I am not sure I would call them hash browns.

My wife chose the Pan Seared Trout with scrambled eggs. The trout was moist and not over cooked. The selection of fruit was all fresh with strawberries ripened to perfection, a surprise for this time of the year.

Our server was the wonderful Tiffany. She was helpful with menu suggestions, took care of our every need, and always had a smile. I hope she helps us on our next visit.

Claire’s brunch can fill up fast after church lets out so reservations are recommend for dinning after noon. The noise level was moderate, around 65 decibels when we arrived, and on the high end of moderate at 75 decibels with nearly every table was taken when we left. On this afternoon I spotted Claire out of her chef’s uniform and in the dining room filling water glasses and observing the flow of staff and guests. I am sure this hands-on approach has a lot to do with the quality of the service.

If you’re looking for a nice Sunday brunch in the country don’t miss Claire’s at the Depot. Warrenton is a lovely town about an hour from Washington, DC and Claire makes it worth the drive.

42461 Lovettsville Rd., Lovettsville, VA 20180
540-822-9017
www.patowmackfarm.com

Farm to Table | $$$$

A note about who prepared our dinner. We joined friends at the restaurant in mid-July before the Great Northern Virginia Chef Shift of 2013 which had the chefs from three prominent restaurants on the move. Chef Chris Edwards from the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, who prepared our dinner, moved to Sheila Johnson’s recently opened Salamander Resort and Spa in Middleburg. Well known chef Tarver King of the Ashby Inn moved over to the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm and David Dunlap, executive sous chef at the Inn at Little Washington, became the head chef at Ashby Inn.

I started my meal with a light and crispy Chesapeake Bay Jumbo Lump Crab Beignet with sauce remoulade, Delmarva crab spice, and nasturtium leaf. The nasturtium leaf was especially interesting with a sweet and slight tangy taste.

I ordered the Seared Sea Scallops on a bed of hay smoked new potatoes with Swiss chard jelly, summer squash, and a tarragon extract. Evan with our yearly trips to Virginia Beach and the wonderful seafood meals we have I can easily say these were the best scallops I have had. The searing coupled with the smokiness of the potatoes was perfect. The fusion of the squash and tarragon was nice.

Our friend loved their Braised Veal Cheeks with roasted beats, cracked wheat, Swiss chard, and a red wine reduction. The veal melted in your mouth.

Another in our party ordered the Ashley Farm’s Chicken Breast with black garlic puree, button mushrooms, baby spinach, and chicken jus. Ashley Farms of Winston-Salem has been in the business for over 50 years and known for some of the finest poultry available today. Their free range slow growing Heritage breeds are antibiotic, toxin, and pesticide free. She was delighted with the taste and would not hesitate to order it again.

My wife had the Wineberry Sorbet with wild wineberries, blueberry-lime curd, mint meringue, white chocolate and olive oil cake. She loved all the great tasting berries and we were all loved the white chocolate made to look like a fettuccini noodle.

My Lavender Chocolate Mousse with honey nougat, milk chocolate hazelnut crunch, coffee brittle, and blueberry paper was incredible. The coffee brittle was paper thin and sat on top of the lavender infused chocolate mousse.

The view from the glass enclosed greenhouse like dining room looking down on the Potomac River is beautiful. We arrived early and were the first parties seated. Noise level during dinner never got above a moderate 65 decibels. Service was impeccable. We ordered ice tea and were treated to a sweet tea made from Oregon Chai concentrate. When my wife commented to our waitress she thought it might make a nice hot tea in the winter our server returned 5 minutes later with a cup of hot chai for her to sample. Management is lucky to have such thoughtfully aware staff on their team.

Dinner at the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm has been on our list for some time. We were glad to meet with friends and have such a superb meal. Known as one of the true farm to table dining experiences in our area I would recommend it to everyone.

Seasons 52
At Tysons Corner Shopping Center
7863L Tysons Corner
McLean, VA 22102
(703) 288-3852

Upscale Grill | $$

This summer we met a close friend at Tysons Corner Mall to celebrate a birthday. Our friend was coming from Baltimore and my wife from her nearby office so it was the perfect central location. Tysons Mall has some nice restaurants. We often eat at Coastal Flats or La Sandia. This time we tried Seasons 52 a chain with about 40 restaurants across the country.  The menu describes their food as “seasonally inspired cooking with every item less than 475 calories.” The restaurant has a nice décor and amply staff. We arrived around 11:30am and by noon the place was nearly full.

I started with a great raspberry sparkling green tea from Steaz.

My wife had a nice Lemongrass Salmon salad with organic field lettuce, pineapple, mango, jicama, and toasted sesame dressing.

Our friend had the BBQ Chicken salad with baby spinach, romaine, roasted corn, roasted red peppers, pumpkin seeds, and crumbled blue cheese.

I was disappointed to see the menu did not offer a beef burger. Under Wood-Fired Burgers the choices were Turkey, Tuna, and Buffalo burgers. I went with the Rocky Mountain Buffalo burger with truffle sauce and blue cheese. All I can say is cows taste better than buffalos.

With my burger I tried the Roasted Idaho Potato Wedges with truffle sauce and tamarind BBQ. The potatoes were paired nicely with the dipping sauce.

My first choice for dessert is always Butterscotch pudding, which I rarely find. Next is chocolate pudding or mousse. I had this wonderful Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse which had a great rich mix of chocolate and peanut butter flavor. I would definitely get this again.

The food was good but I felt it was a little expensive. Total with tip came to $84.30 for a lunch of salads, a burger, soft drinks, and desserts.

Panache Tysons
1753 Pinnacle Drive
McLean, VA 22102

Phone: 703-748-1919
Email: tysons@panacherestaurant.com

Mediterranean Fusion | $$$

In April we decided to celebrate our anniversary at Panache in Tysons Corner. We have eaten here before and were very happy with our meal. We arrived for our 5pm reservation and were happy to see they were not busy. We try to eat as early as possible before restaurants fill up and the noise level makes it hard to talk. Service was excellent as you would expect in a better restaurant. Located in a Tysons Corner office building, the large ground floor windows provide ample light to see your menu. A nice change from many restaurants that prefer the dungeon lighting scheme to hide their prices.

We started with a sautéed black olives on a small piece of bread appetizer. In the center under the black olives was a small amount of humus. We had a nice light bread with a herb, mayo, and butter spread.

My wife had a beautiful small filet on a bed of mushroom risotto. The risotto had a nice light mushroom taste that was not soupy.  She also got a side of sautéed spinach and garlic that had just the right amount of garlic and was not overpowering.

My steak was cooked perfectly with a wonderful peppercorn sauce. I thought the small bits of onion in the sauce were a nice touch. The wild mushrooms were sautéed ever so lightly, a change from the usual dark fully sautéed mushrooms you get in many restaurants. The roasted potatoes were very good and lightly dusted with a little garlic.

I often choose Crème brûlée for my dessert. Mine came with diced strawberries on top of a perfect hard caramel layer covering the rich custard. The custard was a little on the sweeter side which is fine with me. For some, the sweeter custard with the powder sugar toping may be a bit much.

My wife opted for a nice small cheesecake with blueberries.

Chef Giovanni Carlos came by our table to make sure everything was to our liking. We certainly enjoyed our dinner and will be back soon.

The Ashby Inn and Restaurant
692 Federal Street, Paris, Virginia 20130
Local: 540.592.3900
Toll Free: 866.336.0099
info@ashbyinn.com

Farm to Table | $$$$

We had a wonderful dinner with friends at the Ashby Inn & Restaurant in Paris, VA recently. We have visited the restaurant several times and knew what to expect. We were not disappointed. The food and service was superb.

I began my dinner with an amazing crab cake in cherry vinegar.

For my main course I usually choose a steak because Chef Tarver King buys his beef from Martin’s Angus Beef. Having purchased their meat at our local farmer’s market it is exceptional. My dish was a rib loin of beef with potato confit, Swiss chard compote, stilton cream, and cocoa. It was cooked perfectly and covered with the wonderful stilton cream sauce.

My wife had the pork belly with okra and daylily.

I loved my dessert, a peanut ice cream with cashew & bacon brittle, croquant, crème fraîche, and honey.

My wife decided on the buttermilk sponge cake with rhubarb purée, sorrel gelato, cherries, and hyssop streusel. She found the rhubarb purée very refreshing.

The dining room was well lit and fairly quiet. We go early when it is not as busy to make it easier to hear. There is a large outdoor seating area for those who prefer the fresh air of the countryside. A three course meal for four, tea, coffee and two drinks was a little over $350, about what you would expect to pay at one of the higher rated restaurants in Northern Virginia. And well worth the price. As an added bonus Paris is located at the intersection of routes 50 & 17 and no matter from which direction you approach you are guaranteed a scenic drive.

The Inn at Willow Grove

14079 Plantation Way
Orange, VA 22960
(540) 317-1206

This Sunday brought us together with a group of wonderful friends from the Charlottesville area to celebrate two birthdays. We have been to the Inn at Willow Grove before and were really looking forward to a return visit. We were not disappointed.

Arriving at the Inn you are greeted by a beautifully restored 18^th century plantation house on a 40-acre estate in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

On our previous visit we were seated in the main dining room on the first floor. For this get together management was very accommodating to our need for access for a scooter and put our party of ten in a lower floor room which we had all to ourselves. I preferred this because without the noise of the larger dining room it was easier for everyone to talk and catch up.

Wonderful plates.

Brunch started with a delightful Almond Cinnamon Cake and Cinnamon Twist. The cake had tasty whole almonds and the perfect crumb cake type topping. I was a little surprised the Cinnamon Twist was dryer than it look, but still very much edible.

After cake we received a biscuit and sausage gravy appetizer that had a moist perfect small biscuit lightly covered with warm sweet sausage gravy. I could make a meal out of their sausage gravy and biscuits.

For my main course I chose the French Toast Brick. I had this on my last visit and it was too good to pass up on this trip. Not the type of French Toast you come across often. It is a cross between an eggy Texas Toast and coffee cake. About 2 inches high and 3 to 4 inches long it truly is brick like. It has a wonderful taste and consistency. Topped with a sugary coating, mascarpone cheese, blackberries, warm maple syrup and killer apple smoked bacon. This is such and great unique dish I fear I do not have the will power to order something else on future visits.

Others in our group ordered the Halibut with poached egg, tomato hollandaise, and roasted vegetable hash.

Tossed baby spinach, orzo pasta, capers, Holland tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and blond balsamic vinaigrette.

My wife had the pork tenderloin with egg on an English muffin and black eyed peas. The pork tenderloin was melt in your mouth quality which almost tasted like ham. We both agreed the black eyed peas were incredible and the best we have ever tasted.

Breakfast sandwich of fried chicken, scrambled egg, lettuce, tomato, Swiss and American cheese, and herb aioli, on sourdough bread.

A portion of the grounds directly behind the Inn.

Also on the property is function space for wedding receptions and special events.

Guest often stay in small chic cabins behind the Inn.

A beautiful natural spring crosses the property and complements with outstanding landscaping.

Everyone in our party had a wonderful time, loved their dishes, and spoke of returning again soon. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and professional. I found the cost reasonable given the quality of the food and ambiance of the Inn. Our portion of the check was about $55 for two. You can see the menu and prices here. I can’t wait to go back and see if I can muster the strength to order something other than the French Toast Brick.