Vermillion - Old Town Alexandria, VA

Well, I have taken it upon myself to make my Wednesday night the night to go out and have a good meal before I make the trek back to Jersey (assuming I am not teleworking from Jersey that week).  Tonight I decided to hit Vermillion in Alexandria, as it is just a few steps from "The Bistro South."

I sat down at the bar and was greeted by Alex, who has been my bartender before.  I ordered a glass of pinot noir, and he gave me 2 different options to "try before I buy."  Needless to say, I went the Burgundy route (2009 Jean-Michel Guillon), and was plenty happy with this.

I decided to try the tasting menu tonight, and I was very impressed.  First out was a canapé, with a pureed carrot of sorts I think.  Needless to say, this was a nice starter to wet my whistle.

Next course was a Softshell Crab BLT, that I thought was nice and creative.  The soft shells were fresh with nice flavors, though a bit on the watery side, but this happens.  This was served with a crisp smoked bacon, curly endive, 2 slices of delicious fried green tomato, and a whipped avocado. The flavors were succulent, and the preparation was very nice.  I would order this as an appetizer again in the future.

From here we went to today's Atlantic Fish selection, which was grouper, and this was by far my favorite item on the tasting menu.  This came with a perfect sized piece of crusted grouper, served over a bed of fresh market vegetables and bacon.  There were some other ingredients here as well, but I can't remember them off the top of my head.  Even so, this was very fresh, very light, and extremely delicious.  I could eat this a few times a week and never get bored!

For the steak course, I ordered a glass of cabernet (2009 Pellegrini “Cloverdale Ranch”).  This was a decent cabernet for a by the glass wine.  It was more new world and fruit forward, which is sometimes how I like them.  Tonight it hit the spot.

From here the next course was a Flat iron steak and this too was delicious.  Nice tender strips of flank steak with baked crespelle, spinach, Maitake mushrooms, and a truffle jus.  Aside from the steak, the highlight here for me was the Maitake shrooms.  The flavors were amazing, and they were cooked absolutely perfectly.

Finally for dessert was a piece of cheesecake with a pecan granola, fresh local rhubarb, and a sherry gastrique.  Though I am not a huge cheesecake fan, the flavors here were delicious, and it was a great way to close out the meal.

At the end of the day, this was a great meal, and a good value.  There were a lot of fresh flavors and ingredients, and it made for a nice meal.  As always, the service behind the bar was great, and this was Alex's 2nd to last night behind the bar before he heads to ChurchKey in DC.  I wish him the best, and will be sure to check the place out in the future.

Vermillion will be on the list for another glass of wine in the future, and as always I look forward to it.  Cheers!  -F. Scott

Vermillion
1120 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone:  703.684.9669
http://www.vermilionrestaurant.com/

Boudro's - "Texas Bistro on the River Walk" - San Antonio, TX

Zelda came to visit and at the urging of one of her friends who lived here for 19 years, we hit Boudro's!  Needless to say, both the service and the cuisine were great!  We were told that there were only two restaurants worth visiting on the River Walk, and this was one of them!

The ambiance was great, minus the family who felt the need to literally butt up to our table, where their asses were literally resting on our table and obstructing our view.  This however was promptly taken care of, and we asked them to move.

The tabeside guacamole is a nice touch, and was delicious!  My prime rib was a bit on the fatty side, but the flavors were delicious!  Our server suggested I ordered it blackened with a sie of horseradish, and it was great!  Zelda's fish was also rockin', and she loved it!  Overall, this was a great meal, and our server was a rockstar!  I'd go back for the guac alone!  Cheers!

Boudro's - Texas Bistro
314 E. Commerce, Suite 402
Located on the River Walk
San Antonio, TX 78205
http://www.boudros.com/

Bread pudding

Zelda's ice cream treat!

Ostra - San Antonio, TX

I know exactly what you are thinking, and I was thinking the exact same thing!  A restaurant in a hotel on the River Walk!  Absolute tourist trap!  Well, you would think so, but we were pleasantly surprised!

We walked past Ostra and the bar looked very inviting.  From the outside, you could see the soft blue glow of the wine cellar against the bag wall, and the glass topped bar had nice lighting and all the fresh seafood at a raw bar that you could possible want!  That said, we pulled up a chair at the bar, and had some chow.

First I looked at the wine list, and although they had some great wines and great storage conditions, that markups were kind of insane.  That said, we opted for cocktail as I am not a big fan of 300% markups.  Nevertheless, they had a great list, and wines that many restaurants would envy.

We skipped starters tonight and cut right to the chase.  Maybe this was a mistake as the stuff on the raw bar looked great and fresh!  Anything from oysters, to fresh shrimp, to crab, to maybe even sea cucumber.  Everything looked fresh, and some of the stuff was still very alive.  Even so, we were still a bit stuffed from lunch.

Zelda went the seafood route tonight and ordered the Iceland Arctic Char.  She had the choice of having this prepared 3 different ways, and she went with it hot off the grill, and it came out perfectly!  The texture of this fish was perfect, and it was absolutely delicious.  From the picture, the portion doesn't look huge by any means, but it was a decent size.  Not quite a "small plate," but also not a regular sized entree.  Even so, the quality was there, and I am sure she would eat this again.

Being someone who loves the meals that I love, I went the short rib route, and these were Wagyu beef short ribs.  Again, the picture from the Blackberry doesn't do this justice, but these were nicely braised, and fork tender.  The au jus that these were in was delicious, and they were cooked as perfectly as possible.

For sides we ordered two.  The first being the Tempura Fried beans that were OK, but were extremely greasy.  Yes they were drained, and yes I understand that fried foods are greasy, but they were a little too greasy for me.  Zelda ordered the Gold Mashed Potatoes, and they had a nice texture to them.

Overall, this was a pleasant dining experience with good service, and I actually went back here with Budda for a beer one night to see what the raw bar had.  It's not often I'll frequent a restaurant in a hotel as they tend to be let down's, but this was a pleasant surprise!  Cheers!

Ostra at the Mokara Hotel and Spa
212 West Crockett Street
San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone:  (866)605-1212
http://www.mokarahotels.com/sanantonio/menus/ostra_lunchdinner_menu.pdf