"Lickity Split" Lunch At Restaurant Eve

If you ever find yourself in the wilds of Old Town Alexandria, trying to recover from the lack of oxygen in the Virginia air, I recommend popping into Restaurant Eve for their Lickity Split Lunch.  For only $14.98, diners can enjoy any two items from the Lickity Split Lunch Menu, which includes cocktails and desserts. (That's my kind of lunch — cocktails and cake.) Lickity Split is only available weekdays, from 11:30 am to 4 pm, and only in the bar/lounge area.  The menu changes over time, but it typically includes a sandwich, soup and salad of the day. Yesterday's menu, for example, featured a burger, (Texas-raised) antelope scrapple served with poached eggs and hash browns, salmon mousse, and a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. My friend and I settled on the salad de jour, risotto, pork belly rillette, and topped off our meal with the Birthday Cake.

The salad de jour included a perfectly seared piece of skate wing (fish) served with a mixed green salad made with granny smith apples sliced paper-thin and red apple "matchsticks." The tartness of the apples and the vinaigrette's acidity paired up well with the rich, buttery skate.

The pork belly rillette was served over a thick slice of sweet potato that had been breaded and fried to golden perfection.  The crunchy texture made for a perfect contrast to the silky rillette and harissi aioli.

Finally, the Birthday Cake, with its touch of whimsy, brought back memories of elementary school birthday parties except that this cake tasted a whole lot better! And it's pretty damn cute.

This was my first trip to Restaurant Eve, and while I'd love to try the Chef's tasting menu or even the regular ("Bistro") menu, I think the Lickity Split Lunch menu provides a taste of Chef Cathal (the "t" is silent) Armstrong's culinary skills at a great, low price.