leafing through

Eventide is a relatively new restaurant located in Arlington, right outside the Clarendon metro station. It made it to this year’s WashPost Fall Dining Guide, which means it’s supposed to be pretty darned good – but, I’ll be the judge of that. Seitsema cares about ambiance and service and all the little perks of dining out beyond just the food. Me? I’m all about the food. Everything else is a nice-to-have. I’m the kinda person who’d kowtow to the Soup Nazi if it’s really that good.

We started with an amuse of this small ball of curry chickpea in a horseradish sauce. I’m probably mangling the description. It could’ve been bunny liver for all I know. Whatever it was, it was delicious.

Of the three dishes ordered, the octopus escabeche was the most memorable. It was grilled marinated octopus on a plate of pickled olives, cauliflower, peppers, and mashed chickpeas served part warm (chickpeas and octopus), part cold (the vegetables). I enjoyed the crunch of the pickled vegetables.

Expecting a generous enough portion size, we decided to share an entree: Arugula, Shiitake Mushroom and Lemon Risotto. They kindly brought it to us in two plates. The aftertaste of each mouthful was a lemony creamy nuttiness. Hmm, maybe this was my favorite dish. There were also roasted and pickled baby beets and root vegetables and pea tendrils. A great vegetarian option.

Even though I couldn’t finish my half of the risotto, somehow I managed to find room for dessert. Whaat?!? There’s always room for Pumpkin Bread Pudding!
Cinnamony goodness. It’s topped with a thin pumpkin seed brittle.

A very enjoyable meal. Besides the food, it has a romantic ambiance – beautiful fancy chandeliers paired with an industrial-feeling brick wall. Boring bathroom. Attentive and knowledgeable staff with no hovering. I would come back but there are too many other places to try. I would recommend this place if you’re in the area regularly. I don’t know if I’d tell someone to make a special trip out just for this. Tallula may be worthy of a special trip though. I wish I had taken pictures at (Tallula)EatBar. I will be going back there.