Yesterday was a rough day at work for both me and Mal, and with the sudden realization that it was Restaurant Week here in the DC area, we decided to treat ourselves. Normally we like to use Resaturant Week to try someplace new, but as reservations were few on short notice, we ended up at our old standby, The Liberty Tavern in Arlington.
Oh, Liberty Tavern! I almost hate to sing your praises, lest it become even harder to find a reservation or a parking space nearby. Since our first visit when you were newly opened, we've had nothing but wonderful food and wonderful service. Last night was no exception. Once again, the Tavern proves that pleasing their customers is their first priority by making their entire menu available for Restaurant Week--none of this stingy only-offering-three-choices-per-course business. Mal started with a spectacular duck confit la orange with Chevre and olives, and I with the grilled octopus and clams.
Yes, that's right, squirmy, grilled octopus, and if you're remotely interested in ever trying octopus, try it here. Octopus, like calamari, can be tough and rubbery when not treated just right, but at Liberty it is tender and meaty and sweet and really really really good. This was our second time having the octopus: the first time was a recent visit where our entrees were taking a little while to make it out to us. We hadn't actually noticed a great delay or complained, but a manager came and apologized for our wait and brought us a free appetizer (the octopus) to tide us over. This is the kind of service we run into time and time again here.
For our main dishes, Mal had the tenderloin, with an amazing roasted Concord grape sauce. Sounds sweet, but it was beautifully balanced, and Mal literally swiped the plate clean with bread at the end. I had egg noodles with rabbit confit, fresh peas, carrots, onions and mushrooms with a grain mustard sauce, and it was just wonderful. Again, if you've ever had the inkling to try rabbit but were too squeamish, here's a great dish to try... Mal won the dessert competition with his three sorbets: cantaloupe, strawberry, and pineapple-basil (sounds strange, but is incredible). I got the molten chocolate cake with homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream, but the cake was a littel dry and not really molten. A small disappointment, but very much the exception at this restaurant.
When we finally rolled out after a long leisurely evening, we were both back in good spirits again. Thanks again, The Liberty Tavern! We may be back next week to try the lamb shoulder confit.
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