This placed is Virginia themed, from the name (the flowering dogwood is the state tree of VA) to the decor (lots of pictures of native VA flora/fauna and maps) and even some of the menu items. Its a great place to take out of town guests, and its gotten good marks from my parents, grandparents, and college friends.
I've tried several of the menu selections here, as has Alison (my brilliant and lovely wife), and we both like what we've had so far. She swears by the Tidewater Po' Boy (with fried oysters and shrimp) and if I'm getting a sandwich I love the Commonwealth Club ( a triple-layer ham, turkey and bacon with swiss). The portions are great sized. She is a big brunch fan, and Dogwood is a frequent go-to place for us. They are famous for their DIY bloody mary bar - they bring you the vodka of your choice and a glass with ice and you make your own with their hefty collection of mixes and hot sauces.
I absolutely love their Tavern Bites menu for brunch though. I'm not a big fan of breakfast foods in general, plus I don't usually have a big appetite in the morning so these are perfect. It may sound stupid or boring but their basic chicken tenders are just plain excellent. Every time I've ordered them I've been happy that I did. Another that I've ordered is the Chicken Luray (named after the awesome Luray Caverns in NW VA), which are tempura-battered chicken skewers fried golden brown and served with buffalo-ranch sauce for dipping.
Its pretty awesome and reminds me in consistency of my all-time favorite chicken fingers from my favorite Chinese food place in the town I grew up in (I think it was called Chang-An II maybe?). The batter makes this dish a bit heavier than your typical fried chicken, but its a great combination with the sauce and the juicy chicken.
I was also feeling something I haven't tried yet, so I asked what the soup of the day was, and they said Harvest Beef Stew which sounded excellent since I am a huge fan of beef stews (so much so that I often prepare it even in the dog days of summer). However, this soup is deceptively named, as its not really what I was expecting. I was expecting something that was like beef stew - chucks of meat and potatoes and carrots, maybe some celery etc.). What I got was basically a vegetable soup.
Now don't get me wrong, the soup was delightful. Lots of vegetables, even ones I don't usually enjoy in soups like squash, all cooked to that perfect consistency where its soft but also has some substance to it and gives the vegetables a meaty quality. The broth was good too, flavorful and rich-bodied. I tend to prefer thicker broths to thinner ones for my soup (read: heartier) and this did not disappoint. But the broth was kind of a cross between beef broth and tomato soup. And no beef whatsoever in the actual soup. Like I said, not what I expected but pleasantly surprised by what I got. A simple name change for this dish would make it way better for me.
I can wholeheartedly recommend trying this place out if you're ever around Falls Church.
http://dogwoodtavern.com/
Its pretty awesome and reminds me in consistency of my all-time favorite chicken fingers from my favorite Chinese food place in the town I grew up in (I think it was called Chang-An II maybe?). The batter makes this dish a bit heavier than your typical fried chicken, but its a great combination with the sauce and the juicy chicken.
I was also feeling something I haven't tried yet, so I asked what the soup of the day was, and they said Harvest Beef Stew which sounded excellent since I am a huge fan of beef stews (so much so that I often prepare it even in the dog days of summer). However, this soup is deceptively named, as its not really what I was expecting. I was expecting something that was like beef stew - chucks of meat and potatoes and carrots, maybe some celery etc.). What I got was basically a vegetable soup.
Now don't get me wrong, the soup was delightful. Lots of vegetables, even ones I don't usually enjoy in soups like squash, all cooked to that perfect consistency where its soft but also has some substance to it and gives the vegetables a meaty quality. The broth was good too, flavorful and rich-bodied. I tend to prefer thicker broths to thinner ones for my soup (read: heartier) and this did not disappoint. But the broth was kind of a cross between beef broth and tomato soup. And no beef whatsoever in the actual soup. Like I said, not what I expected but pleasantly surprised by what I got. A simple name change for this dish would make it way better for me.
I can wholeheartedly recommend trying this place out if you're ever around Falls Church.
http://dogwoodtavern.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment