Colvin Run Tavern

I’m not sure what differentiates it from mortons, except for the company it keeps- mortons is in the hermes building, while CRT is in the tiffany’s.

edit: To expound on my too-flip review...

The service is haughty where it should be helpful, the food [and drinks] I had did not live up to their price tag, and the clientele is ... well, it’s Tysons. Do you really want to be eating with the Tysons dot-yuppie-khaki-wearing-crowd? I don’t. They talk too loud, for one thing. And the conversations are rarely entertaining.

Colvin Run Tavern tries just a little too hard, I’m afraid. The decor is modern but comfortable, but somehow comes across as too precious. So does the menu. Although the preparation is perfectly competent, there’s an awful lot going on. Chestnut soup has shaved black truffles, truffle oil, and a foie gras flan in it. Lobster and shrimp bisque isn’t necessarily better for the fresh pea filled ravioli at the bottom of the bowl. Both dishes were unbelievably rich, so that the effect was somehow less than the sum of all the parts. But both were perfectly prepared. A main course of Muscovy duck was likewise perfectly prepared, but here’s the whole description: served with dried cherries and a Pinot Noir sauce flavored with ham (which was utterly indiscernable), alongside a duck confit, with chestnuts, braised red cabbage, and steamed baby turnips. That’s a lot of strong flavors competing on a single plate. Dessert was a tarte tatain (did I spell that right?) that was pretty darn tasty.

Now for a few quibbles: service. I can always complain about service. I would never had known about that yummy dessert if I hadn’t overheard a waiter at the next table describe it — and it needed to be ordered at the start of the meal. I wasn’t offered a second cup of coffee until after I paid the bill, even though I drained the cup and moved it to the outside edge of the table. OK, that might seem excessively picky, but when first course prices are in the teens and twenties, I expect perfection or something damn close.

This restaurant is very good, but for the price it outta be alot better.