|
Night 22: Irish Inn at Glen Echo
I think I need a breeze to cool me off, so the next
night I head west to the river. When Chris Hughes and
his wife Libby took over the Inn at Glen Echo, they
set about turning a romantic restaurant into an absolutely
fabulous romantic restaurant. I had been there once
or twice under the former ownership. Now, with its Irish
flag rippling in the evening breeze, I was not sure
how the Celtic component would improve the place, or
how it would manifest in its menu.
When it was ready to open on New Year's Eve, 2003,
the Irish Inn had been refurbished into a dreamy hideaway.
Set as it is out of town, and down off the highway,
the somewhat wild riverside foliage — at least
on a springtime night — sits in each window quite
prettily. Each room, all of which vary in size, has
an intimacy to it that would make this the perfect place
to pop the question, announce the pregnancy, or celebrate
anything else. (Note: Do NOT come here to break up.)
The interior has been done in a soft but striking palette.
I wanted to eat each course in a different room.
And I definitely wanted to eat each course.
The menu is not strictly traditional Irish cuisine,
although, if that's what you pine for, the downstairs
pub will always have beef stew, corned beef and cabbage,
and shepherd's pie to offer. The restaurant menu is,
rather, refined; and, from the assortment of starters
and entrées a friend and I ordered, I would say
that Steve Jaeger, the chef, does well with everything.
A crab cake, although it did not deliver the lump meat
it has promised, was stringy but satisfying. A polenta
cake with ratatouille was just as good. My friend's
pan- seared scallops ("Oh, pan- seared scallops
again, Mom!???") were succulent, and my
leg of lamb was served with an unusual mix of peeled
white potatoes, lima and other starchy ground beans.
Both hit my culinary G-spot.
Barry Nolan, the manager, was solicitous and helpful,
as were all the staff. And his Irish accent was
real. Back to restaurant list
|
