Restaurant Report: Ashlar Restaurant + Bar
Spring gnocchi
The ambiance at Ashlar is unlike any other. Walk into the historic Morrison House on S. Alfred Street, turn left, and—after your eyes adjust to the artfully dim lighting—you’ll see a Great Gatsby-meets-colonial Virginia-style bar that takes you back in time and prepares you for luxury. As you’re greeted by some of the nicest hosts in the area, you’ll realize that it’s time to relax and you’re at the perfect place to do so.
With hues of teal and greige alongside shining dark wood and stunning light fixtures constructed out of chicken wire, the main dining room conveys comfort and sophistication at once. Settle in and start with a glass of wine and a cheese board. After a prompt and seasoned inquiry from our waitress about what we were in the mood for, the bartender recommended a superb still rosé, which tasted great with the cheese board. Our favorite cheeses, all of which came from Goat Lady Dairy in North Carolina, were the Smokey Mountain Round—especially when eaten with the honeycomb—and the Lindale, Goat Lady Dairy’s cow milk gouda.
The cuisine is mid-Atlantic, rustic-meets-fine-dining, comfort food made elegant. In a word, it is fantastic. No matter how hungry you are (read: show up ready to eat a ton), you won’t want to pass up a second or third starter. The Pork Cheeks, braised in local Port City IPA and served with polenta maitake, are amazing. Evidence of that fact is that they just won the Best Savory Dish award at the Carpenter’s Cook-off for Alexandria’s Carpenter’s Shelter. The snapper crudo and baby beet salad are delicious, too.
Spring gnocchi
Surdam’s favorite thing to make is agnolotti, but he makes a spectacular gnocchi, too. The Spring Gnocchi, garnished with asparagus, fiddlehead ferns, fava beans, English peas, and mint pesto, is cooked to perfection. They also have four quality steak cuts, served with your choice of sauces so that you can engage with the menu and get exactly what you want out of it.
Finish with dessert: we loved the splendidly simple old-fashioned chocolate cake and the rhubarb clafoutis, but you can’t go wrong with any of the dessert options.
Picaroon’s Tub
Since the restaurant opened on April 20th, says Surdam, the bar has been consistently packed. Taste any of their colonial ingredient-inspired cocktails and you’ll know exactly why. The Rattle-Skull, made with black strap rum, applejack, porter, and lime, and the Shrub Cocktail, made with vodka, red bell pepper shrub, falernum, marjoram, and seltzer, are fan favorites. They also offer Soldier’s Bottles, punches that are served by the glass or by the bowl. I highly recommend the Picaroon’s Tub. Don’t feel slighted by the small portion size: the drink is made with rum, vanilla, oleo-saccharum, and earl grey tea, but it is predominantly rum. And it is delicious.
Phyllis and Susie flank Chef Robert Surdam
Executive Chef Bobby Surdam, who studied at L’Academie de Cuisine and previously worked at Red Owl Tavern in Philadelphia and Blue Duck Tavern in Washington, D.C., does a wonderful job. For what it’s worth, he’s also a really nice person, and he’s local. He graduated from West Springfield High School, but we West Potomac and Thomas Edison graduates won’t hold it against him.
Ashlar is open for breakfast and dinner daily. Breakfast is served from 7-10am on Monday-Friday and from 8-11am on Saturday; brunch from 8am-2:30pm on Sunday; and dinner from 5-10pm on Sunday-Thursday and 5-11pm on Friday and Saturday.
Try it and let us know your thoughts; we’ll be going back very soon, so we might see you there!
- About the team
The Patterson Group is one of the most experienced and trusted real estate teams in the area, serving Alexandria, VA for over thirty years. We offer professional, hardworking, detailed and friendly service and a large network of contacts and resources accrued over our many years in Alexandria real estate. Comprised of seven Alexandria locals, six of whom are licensed realtors and three of whom are accredited staging professionals, The Patterson Group is passionate and knowledgeable about Alexandria, VA and here for all of your Northern VA real estate needs. Allow us to help you find your home here and discover all that the Alexandria lifestyle has to offer.
400 South Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.310.6201
