FW&D’S OCTOBER RESTAURANT REVIEW!

In the Del Ray section of Alexandria, FW&D found a pearl of a place for your October Restaurant Review. The area is nice to begin with, but La Strada Restaurant gives it that special something extra. Nestled in a location facing Mount Vernon Avenue (lovingly referred to as “the Ave”), friends and patrons may easily access the osteria (Italian for bar) and enoteca (which literally means “wine repository”) for post-work dinner and drinks. As relatively new clientele, we were surprised by the quality of the food and service, in the best possible ways. Along with us for this review was Photographer Eric G Brown, and Dan O'Brien of Axon Solutions.

The first of the many things that blew us away was the wall mural in the patio area. The image is so peaceful and serene, you can’t help but want to find a tree somewhere and just take in the view for a while. There was no question as to where we were going to sit for our meal. The mural alone set an expectation of friendliness, and bountiful peace- a perfect realization of an al fresco dining experience.

As the sun set, the patio lights began to glow softly, and all of a sudden, there was a magical sense of relaxation and well being. We hadn’t even ordered the food yet.

We enjoyed the bread and oil set before us prior to our ordering. There was a savory pungent flavor in the foccacia they served, and the bread was pleasingly fresh- a nice compliment to the herb-fused olive oil. A lot of restaurants put whole vegetables in the oil for flavor, but La Strada chops up their fresh herbs and spices before adding them to the olive oil in the bottle. This not only flavors the olive oil superbly, but it also allows the herbs to pour directly on the bread. Don’t forget to shake the bottle of oil (hopefully without spilling). The presentation of the bread, oil, and water was so quaint you had to sigh a little bit. That is, unless you were hungry, and we were!

This brings us to our delectable appetizers. The menu choices were plentiful, and we debated a few dishes. We ordered Shrimp Finocchio (I think someone ordered it because it made them think of Pinocchio, but don’t quote me), Tomato Summer Salad, and Asparagus Salad. For good measure we ordered Polpetta (a serving of three Meatballs made of Veal, sausage, and pork). Everything was tasty, fresh, and light. The Tomatoes in the Summer Salad were served on a bed of Mozzarella cheese (House made no less) with a light brushing of Champagne Vinegar and a bit of parsley, not only for effect but for a subtle shift of taste colors. The Shrimp Finnochio swam in a sea of Pernod with chili peppers and fennel, and the picture does not adequately show the size and meatiness of each shrimp. Paired with the fennel it was a nice coupling of flavors. The Polpetta Meatballs were a great mixture of three meats (beef, veal, and pork), with no one flavor overpowering the other, and the sauce was so good we wouldn’t give it back to the waiter once the meatballs were done (it made great dipping for the bread).

Just so you know the appetizer showstopper was the asparagus salad. The way it tasted was so unexpected (in the best way), we all looked at each other in surprise! The chopped asparagus was teeming with diced pancetta (a dry, cured meat) and shaved pecorino cheese, lightly glazed with lemon vinaigrette dressing. The other dishes were wonderful, to be sure, but that asparagus salad was something we would have to say just stole the show. I’m telling you, you simply have to try it! You’ll thank me later!

And don’t feel bad for the rest of the appetizers, we made short order of all the dishes.

Presenting a well rounded wine list, with information available from the ready wait staff, we chose Caparzo Sangiovese, a rather fruit forward, though light in body red that complimented all of our various dishes nicely.

When the main dishes came, we were pleased with the portions, which were a little on the large side, but not so gargantuan that we were not able to appreciate the flavoring of each dish. Chef Stephen Scott should be as proud of his culinary skills as we were happy to eat our menu choices. La Strada features authentic Italian cuisine that is locally sourced with seasonally sustainable ingredients. They make their own bread, pastas, and cheeses in-house, and the freshness gives a glow to each selection.

We dug into our choices with gusto.

First was the Saltimbocca alla Romana, a Veal scaloppini layered with sage and prosciutto with a white wine butter sauce marinade, and sides of spinach and polenta. The texture of the meat was good, not overly tough, and the sage was a wonderfully aromatic, but not overly powerful.

We also sampled the Tenderloin di Maiale. This Pancetta wrapped Pork Tenderloin served withharicot vert (French for Green Beans), mashed potato and an Amaretto sauce. The pork was butter-tender under the cooked top, and the green beans were amazingly fresh. Mashed potatoes were wonderfully thick while still maintaining the creamy flavor and consistency that can only be described as inspiring.

Roughly the full size of the plate, the Parmigiana di Pollo did not disappoint. With the Fontina cheese graciously melting all over the breaded chicken breast scaloppine covered in marinara sauce with roasted pepper (with a large slice of prosciutto under the breaded chicken). This doesn’t even touch the added flavor of the accompanying capers and anchovy salad. The piquant mixture of flavors was simply blissful.

Last, but certainly not least, the understated Spaghetti alla Aglio with chicken. La Strada’s own simple dish of homemade pasta with garlic and extra virgin olive oil was terrific. The chicken was fresh and light, the garlic was obvious but not obnoxiously so. At no point was any flavor out of tune with any other. It was simple, classic, and absolutely delectable. This scrumptious choice would be good for a less adventurous stomach. Not too exotic, not too bold. It tasted excellent and needed nothing more.

Well fed, but enjoying ourselves, we ordered dessert.

Don’t know how we were going to make room for it, but make room we did. Here was another surprise. The Tiramisu was light, creamy, and everything you would want it to be, as was the Canoli, but here we found that another showstopper in La Strada’s menu.

Of course, it was Ned’s Chocolate Mousse.

But this chocolate decadence came with a twist. It wasn’t sugary! The chocolate flavor was aromatic and rich, and the texture was pleasing. Though I didn’t expect to like it, being a Tiramisu fan, it turned out to be my favorite!

Meal completed from appetizer to dessert, we relaxed in the patio feeling warm, comfortable, and serene.

The location was nice, the food was wonderful (especially the asparagus salad), and the wall mural really made us feel like we were on a patio in Tuscany. Their service was very accommodating (even going so far as giving all new silverware due to a food allergy from one of the guests).

I know for a fact that we are going to make repeat visits.

1905 Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301(703) 548-2542Bus: Mt Vernon Ave & Bellefonte Ave
Go directly to La Strada’s Website
Open Mon-Thu and Sun 11:30am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-11pm

This blog article is from FW&D. 

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