Vermillion

Last night I went to meet a friend for dinner that is currently working in Washington, D.C. She was staying in Old Town Alexandria, VA.

First, a word on Alexandria.

Old.

In Texas, the only things we have that are this old are Missions. I think every building down there was over 200 years old.

Tons of restaurants and shops.

The picture on the right is of King Street, which, as far as I can tell, is the main street of town. And, yes, there are that many people on the street.

We didn't really have a place in mind to eat, so just decided to drive around. I know. That's usually a horrible idea. But, since King seems to be the main drag, we just cruised that until we found a couple places clustered together.


You know how sometimes things just fall perfectly into place? That was Vermillion.

I had no idea what this place was like, if the food was good, or anything. The menu looked pretty tasty, so we decided to try it.

The place was perfect for the mood I was in. Nice, modern looking place in an old building. Dark, yet pretty open. Got a table immediately, but there was still a ton of people there. Good atmosphere. Local place, not a chain.

The food was amazing. I had the Beef Tenderloin Au Poivre with a soft shell crab, fried green tomatoes, and avocado starter. Yum. Me.

The waiter was very knowledgable about the wines and suggested a French Pinot Noir. A 2004 Domaine Jean Michel Guillon. I'm pretty sure that that most of the Pinots I've had have been American, but this one was excellent. He also suggested that if I was ever interested in splurging, to try the Gypsy Dancer Estates Oregon Pinot Noir. Claimed it was the best he's had. And I got the impression that he knows wine. It wasn't the most expensive he had, but, at $85 a bottle, I wasn't feeling that flush with cash.

Good food. Good wine. Good atmosphere. Good Find.