Yay! Founding Farmers has a Tyson's Corner location!

It's not often Hubs and I go to a restaurant soon after it opens, particularly one that has recently been named as one of the "New Restaurants to Try." So the fact we tried it in advanced to this Washingtonian's list is pretty cool in my head. 

Hubs and I are really big fans of the farm-to-table concept and Founding Farmers is one of those places that ranks high up on our list. It's one of the first places we think of whenever we venture into DC. However, being suburbanites in VA, trekking into the Capital isn't always appealing. When we heard that Founding Farmers opened up a location in near by Tyson's Corner, the restaurant went towards the top of our "places to go" list.  

Left to Right: Optimal Wit, Kolsch 151, Farmhouse, Vienna lager

Decision #1: Appetizer?  Normally, I want to try "all the things" when I go into a restaurant and have the appetite to do so. And it's a rarity that I don't force Hubs to get an appetizer. But this visit I was feeling a little less famished. Instead of getting raw oysters, devil-ish eggs, or blue cheese bacon dates, I decided to get a liquid appetizer. True to the local concept, all of the beers on the menu are from Virginia. Both Hubs and I got the Beer Flight, he chose his four and I went with the "Dealer's Choice" - where the bar tender or the waiter/waitress will select from their beer list. I was very satisfied with the beers that I got. 

Decision #2: Main Course I had a really hard time making a decision, having so little stomach space for all of the great foods that were on the menu. I narrowed my choices down to the chicken dishes and asked our waitress for a recommendation. She suggested the Spicy Fried Chicken and Jefferson Doughnut.

Oh. Man. Was. That. Good.

Before I start, I have a confession to make, I am terrible when it comes to eating fried chicken - I normally will eat a few bites with the breading, then peel it off and eat just the chicken. Not the case. This is perhaps one of the best fried chickens I've had. The breading was crunchy and peppery - so good that I ate all of it. The meat was moist and flavorful. Before we started eating, I made the decision that I was going to take one of the pieces home, but kept picking at it after I finished the first one. The mac and cheese was gooey and just oh-so-yummy (I also took part of that home too). The green beans were perfectly cooked, crisp and well-seasoned. And then, there's the Jefferson doughnut. Basically, I didn't need to get dessert because it came with my meal. The dough was savory and the vanilla filling and glaze gave it the perfect amount of sweetness. If we were going to get a dessert, it would have been another one of those.

So, Hubs was jealous of my meal. He said that it was the best thing ordered between the two of us - and mine cost way less than his. If you can't think of anything else to get when there, I recommend the Spicy Chicken and Jefferson Doughnut.

Midweek lunch date

Thank goodness Spring is just around the corner! However, hubs and I did not let February's bitterly cold weather keep us from going to try new (to us) places. We had decided to go on a mid-day date a few days before Valentine's day, which included going to Iron Gate for lunch. 

While I am sure that Iron Gate has come across my list of DC restaurants to visit, it stayed on my mind after a White House staffer mentioned it. She over heard me me go on about my love of fine dining and recommended it. This was right after

the intern lunch with Dr. John Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, in the Navy Mess within the West Wing. Another awesome experience! But, I digress. 

After playing tourist, hubs and I went over to Iron Gate. We loved the atmosphere of the whole place. To get to the dining room, we passed through the carriageway-turned bar and garden patio areas. The dining room had a cozy, tucked away feel. And we were seated near the fireplace, which was great considering how chilly it was outside. 

Crispy feta

Round #1: Small plate starter

On the menu, there are a number of small plate items and a handful of entrees. Hubs and I decided that we would start the meal with an small plate recommended by our waiter, the crispy feta with local honey and balsamic vinegar. 

Have you ever had an appetizer that was so delicious that the first few bites made the trip worth it? I would say that's how we felt about this dish. And that's considering that feta is one of those cheese we just like. If we had not ordered entrees, we might have gotten more of the crispy feta. 

Scallops in tomato broth

Round #2 Entrees 
There are a few entrees that are automatic go-to's for hubs and I. For both of us, it's any scallops dish. The special for that day was scallops and beans in a warm tomato broth. However, I'll also gravitate towards any dish that has lamb in it - in this case the open faced lamb sandwich. Scallops or lamb! I just didn't have the stomach space for both. And since I had a hard time choosing, hubs decided to forgo the gyro special and went with the scallops dish. So I was able to try both. And they were very tasty!

Open-faced lamb sandwich

Lemon tart with rosewater whipped cream

Round #3 Dessert? Um... Yes!
I really should curb my sweet tooth. But after reading the sweets menus, I begged pleaded pouted asked for dessert. And I love lemon desserts, so we got the lemon tart (also highly recommended from the waiter). While the lemon tart was very tasty, the rosewater whipped cream was memorable. I feel like the taste of the rosewater lingered for a long while after the meal. 

During our meal, Exec. Chef Tony Chittum came out to talk to one of the tables near us. I will admit that I'm not the best at following chefs or even looking them up before going to their restaurants. This is partly because I'm less focused on who's making the food and more focused on the whole experience, especially if was worth it to come back. Hubs and I have been to a few places where we had been intrigued by the name of the chef but were disappointed with the meal.

Anyway, when saw Chef Tony come out, we both were thinking, "He looks really familiar." Hubs was the one who remembered that Chef Tony was the one who prepared and explained the the farm table meal we had at Vermillion a few years back. We were both really excited we were able to enjoy his creations yet again at Iron Gate. We even got a few moments to tell him that. 

Will we come back to Iron Gate again in the future? Considering that it will warm up soon and that there are dining opportunities for brunch and dinner as well as an outdoor patio for happy hour, I think so. 

The tasting menu from the farm table meal we had at Vermillion in 2012