25 June 2008

You Don't Have to Go Home But You Can't Stay Here (Restaurant Review: Indigo Landing)

Last Sunday, we gave Indigo Landing another try. This time we actually found a parking space on the first go 'round and enjoyed a 7:30 dinner. They have a nice bar overlooking the water but this was our first venture into the dining room.

Our view to the left...


straight ahead...


to the right...


Ahhhhh.

Ambiance: 25/30. Although it may not be obvious from these pictures, the restaurant is across the water from [insert name of doddering, folksy president who wasn't my grandpa] National airport and you could see the airport tower if the photo quality was better (camera phone quality leaves something to be desired). Periodically, you'd hear the planes overhead but it wasn't really intrusive. The room was pretty, too, but it's the view, with the Washington Monument and the Capitol dome in the distance and the occasional bobbing sailboat in the foreground, that continues to sell the place. People were anywhere from casual to chic in dress.

Service: 28/30. The service was pleasant, efficient and knowledgeable. We were seated promptly and given a very nice table. A question about a particular wine in comparison to others brought accurate information. (And they had a decent selection of wines, too.)

Food: 23/30. They've changed chefs. It's no longer all about low country specialty food but a nice range of options all the same. Overall, the food was certainly good without being remarkable. We tried the Grilled Garlic Naan and Homemade Hummus as an appetizer. Hubby had the Sesame Ginger Tuna and I had the Maple Lacquered Alaskan Salmon. The naan was chewy, the hummus good but could have benefited from a lift of lemon or garlic or something. Similarly, the fish was fresh and tasty but nothing outrageously fabulous. The high point of the meal came with the arrival of the bread pudding, complete with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream and bourbon sauce. Excellent!

Vegetarian Options: 5/30. Not much here for vegetarians outside of salad and the above mentioned appetizer.

Cost: 25/30. Pretty reasonable considering this town's penchant for over-inflated prices. Appetizers list for $6 to $9 and mains are mostly around $20 but you can get a sandwich for as little as $8 or a Filet Mignon for $29.

Bonus: +2 for the free parking. +3 for the bread basket because gotta give extra points to any restaurant that serves a warm assortment of breads. But keep reading...

The evening wore down and as the sun shifted, we could squint and almost pretend we were some place tropical. Ahh... Just about the time I was thinking someone ought to bring me something in a coconut,


the lights in the dining room came up full force. I joked "Last call!" and asked the waiter what was going on. He basically told me, it was, indeed, last call. The hour? 9:00. How rude! -5! No bonus for you!

Overall: 21/30.

7 comments:

Bilbo said...

Is Indigo Landing the same place that used to be called Potowmack Landing? If so, we've been there a few times, and enjoyed it. The food wasn't that much better than anyplace else around here, but we liked the location and relative ambiance. If you haven't tried it yet, you may want to visit The Serbian Crown in Great Falls...French/Russian cuisine, very nice. Of course, you have to like the strolling gypsy musicians, but the food is great and the service excellent. A bit pricey, but no worse than most other places. We go there for special occasions.

Gilahi said...

Bilbo, if you like that sort of thing Russia House in Herndon is excellent. Again, it's a bit of a drive and not particularly cheap, but the food is great and the live music is nice.

Janet Kincaid said...

Last call at 9:00? Seriously? That's a drag.

Where are the restaurants in this area that inspire gustatory orgasms? Everything in these parts is overpriced and underrepresented. I long for a truly fabulous dining experience. Thus far, nada. And I've eaten at places as high-end as Galileo and as humble as Ben's Chili Bowl.

Okay, I retract my rant. Ben's Chili Bowl is fabulous! Seriously. WYSIWYG and it's great! The rest of the D.C. restaurant scene: Meh.

GreenCanary said...

I second that Ben's Chili Bowl emotion. I could go for a hot dog and a thing of cheese fries right about now *stomach rumbling*

Shannon said...

I haven't tried the Serbian joint, but there's a Bosnian bakery in Alexandria near Huntington station. Mmmm, cevapcici!

Anonymous said...

Great review! I have linked to this at The DC Feed.

lacochran said...

To all: Thanks for the recommendations! :)

Bilbo: I think it is the same place.

D.C. Con: It sure felt like a drag to me!

Green: I must be the last one to try this place. Maybe it's time. I hope they have something that isn't meatful.

Shannon: Based on the wiki page, this looks meatful, too. Yummy but meatful.

DC Feed: Um, thanks, I guess.