Turning "xx" never tasted so good!

June brings us the first of summer veggies plus another FDP Birthday. To celebrate her um, number shall remain unnamed, birthday Molly chose Willow restaurant in Arlington. While some of us had sat at the bar before none of us had actually dined there. We were excited that the evening was actually a tolerable DC summer night, so we were able to sit outside. Unfortunately Virginia has silly alcohol laws and we were not able to bring our usual bottle of birthday Bubbly. However, our server was able to recommend a nice, refreshing California Sauvignon Blanc to start things off.

The menu is changed daily and is inspired (mostly) by local meats and produce. For starters we had to try one of their flatbreads. They offer them in smaller sizes for only $9, so they are perfect for a sharing appetizer. We chose the one with smoky chorizo and pecorino. The bread was nice and crisp and the toppings were in perfect proportion. We also had a to die for Smoked Tomato and Pepper Soup with Green Olive Tapenade and Croutons. The flavor was so intense but the texture was light and frothy. It was an addictive combination. And our third appetizer selection was Smoked Paprika Glazed Shrimp. The shrimp were juicy and tender while the glaze was mouthwatering.

Second round meant a second wine of course! We had the Xavier Côtes du Rhône, which we thought would be a good match for the Dry Aged Sirloin we had coming our way. Since the portion sizes are very generous we opted to share 2 entrees. So we picked two dishes that couldn’t be more opposite! The first was English Pea Ravioli with a Mélange of Vegetables. The Vegetables included tender baby carrots, sugar snap peas and French radishes. The raviolis were thick and al dente and topped with a carrot vinaigrette… Certainly a vegetarian’s delight. But we needed to balance everything out so we had the Dry Aged Sirloin with a Creamy Spinach Tart, Red Wine Jus and Portobello Fries. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the tart was divine. The Portobello fries were thick and hearty and perfect for dipping in the Jus.

As if we weren’t full enough, we ordered dessert. The lemon pound cake with blueberry compote arrived with the appropriate birthday candles (no singing) and again was a generous portion. We had no problem devouring it though! The cake was soft and delicate, for a pound cake, with a sweet and tangy compote.

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Willow. Service was a bit slow but our server informed us that it was because they expected a slow evening and had cut other servers. But it turned out to be quite a busy evening, so he got a work out. Despite that he was great with the recommendations and very personable. Great food and service earn this spot 3.5 oinks from the FDPs!