Willow

Willow Restaurant
4301 Fairfax Dr.
Arlington, VA 22201

Type of Cuisine: Modern Continental (French and Italian influence)
Neighboorhood: Ballston (across the street from the Ballston Metro), plenty of garage parking (validation).

One place I had heard a lot about was Willow in Ballston. Since I've lived in Northern Virginia since college (and in Virginia for summers in college), most of my foodie life has been spent in this area. So I've been quite pleased with the sudden push of new restaurants into Northern Virginia in both Clarendon/Ballston and Alexandria. Since I now live in the Court House area of Arlington, I'm particularly interested in restaurants that I can walk to or get to on the Orange line. I had heard great things about Willow, so I was very excited when my boss told me that our department lunch was going to be at Willow. So I went to Willow for lunch with my whole department. Unfortunately for my menu knowledge, my department at my office includes my boss and myself, but my boss happens to be a bit of a foodie herself.

Menus: (the entree menu at Willow is subject to relatively consistent change)

Appetizer (shared): Margarita Flatbread - Tomato, Basil, Scallions, Fontina and Parmesan ($16)

Entrees:

Me - Potato Wrapped Norwegian Salmon Filet - Ricotta Cheese Pancakes and a Ragu of Brussel Sprouts, Apple Wood Bacon and Oyster Mushrooms with Mustard Fumet ($26 dinner, $16 lunch)

Boss - Sauteed Flounder Filet stuffed with Lobster Moussse - Oranges, Broccolini and Parmesan Raviolini ($30 dinner, $18 lunch - not currently on the menu)

Desserts (split):
Apple Florentine Torte w/ Caramel Sauce ($8)
Sticky Toffee Pudding w/ Caramel Sauce and Danish Sweet Cream Ice Cream ($8)

Sweet:
Salmon - I don't usually order salmon in a nice restaurant. There are generally too many other items that are intriguing and salmon is very rarely different. I can make salmon at home decently and there isn't much you can do to dress salmon up. This salmon seemed different for some reason (I think it was the potato wrapping). I'm quite glad I did try the salmon as it was delicious. The mustard fumet was quite good and it complemented the salmon (I like salmon with mustard seed) and the potato wrapping was that unique touch that really separated this salmon from other salmon I've had. All in all, it was delightful. I give the chef a lot of credit because of the side items. I didn't particularly enjoy the ricotta pancakes, partly because of my dislike for melted (or heated) cheese and partly because they were definitely too sweet for me, with a bit of a strange texture. The chef also served brussel sprouts, which I haven't tried since I was a little kid and I didn't like them then. I had them now and, particularly with the mustard fumet, the sprouts were fantastic. I was thoroughly impressed and finally understand why my father likes them so much. The slightly sweet fumet complemented the bitter nature of the sprout perfectly.

Flounder: I had a small taste of the flounder, but as I don't really enjoy lobster, it wasn't really for me. The flounder had a very subtle taste to it beyond the flounder, which was good. I tend to believe that a good flounder has a wonderful flavor by itself. My boss, who loves this place and lives right near it, very much enjoyed her entree. Judging by her impeccable taste (she's an extremely good cook as well), I tend to believe her impression. She said that the lobster mousse was very flavorful, perceivably from the lobster itself.

Apple Florentine Torte: The dessert was again, quite creative an interesting. The tortes are very high and the pastry shell is quite substantial. It's not overly buttery but very flavorful. The apple is not terribly sweet, but a nice ending to the somewhat heavy meal. It's a lot of flavor put together in one dish, which usually scares me away, but this time, it happens to work quite well.

Decor/Atmosphere: Willow is a neighborhood fancy restaurant. It's decor is friendly, but elegant. The set up is pretty good with tables spread enough to allow for friendly conversation. It's a pretty white and brown colored place that is not at all disturbing. The chef and chief of operations (husband and wife) both come out of the back regularly to meet with their clientele. I'm not sure how pleasant she was, but it's definitely a nice touch that I'm assured happens regularly. It adds to the "neighborhood restaurant" feeling.

Bland:
Flatbread - Apparently the flatbreads are a staple on their menu. They are one of the few things on Willow's menu that never changes. They are one of those items that are in between appetizers and entrees, but we chose to split one as an appetizer. They are almost like a VERY thin pizza with no outer crust. They are definitely a little more tomatoey than a normal pizza (although less saucy) and light on the cheese as well. It was a well prepared appetizer that really accentuated the flavor of the tomatoes while using the cheese very lightly. The crust was almost cracker like, but with a slightly sweet accent. All in all, it was a good appetizer, but I would not suggest the flatbread as an entree. I think that the flatbread would get a little old if you ate the whole thing and you'd be a little disappointed that you went to a nice restaurant and ate only flatbread. It was a little wet and difficult to eat.

Service - I know you didn't expect a "sweet" service from me and this is no exception. The service was good, but forgettable. The waiter wasn't overwhelmingly friendly and was a little too pressuring. They did a pretty good job keeping sodas filled, but seemed annoyed that we wouldn't order alcohol for a work lunch. He didn't do the greatest job processing the check which I believe is the only time a waiter should act quickly.

Bitter:
Toffee Pudding: It was nothing special. I was expecting a lot more with a unique dish. It didn't wow me and it's not overly memorable. I think it was a little sweeter than I wanted from it. So all in all, I would leave it.

Recommendation:
Quality: ***.5
Value: $$$.5

I'd give it three and a half stars. It was a very good restaurant with a nice homey feel. I give the chef a lot of credit for a creative menu and it seems like a gem in the middle of a very "chainy" area of restaurants, so it's a good one to know. It's a good restaurant nearby with easy parking, which is hard to find. That said, I think that the creative menu can sometimes lead to some mistakes and I think that they will ultimately come with any dish. I also think that the constantly changing, creative menu gives you little to rely on. Also, they claim that their specialty is probably fish, but you usually want to know what you go to a restaurant for (fish, meat, vegetables and appetizers, etc.). This place doesn't really have a calling card, it's general creativity, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a choice. It's also a very vegetarian and vegan friendly place (particularly vegetarian as there is a lot of dairy in things.

It gets a 3.5 value rating as well. I think it's a good value if you're going to like creative food. It's still an oasis in the middle of chain restaurant hell. The prices are not overly expensive for the food you're getting, so I think that you're still getting a very good value. I'd avoid the wines as the wine list, while creative and unique, isn't overly impressive or well priced. I really love the homey feel, so I would definitely eat there again.