18 November 2019
I was in Old Town Alexandria after some local government issue I was involved with. The meeting was tedious, and when I finally headed out it was steadily raining. I figured I’d just find somewhere nearby for dinner. A quick look at the map on my phone I see a place called The Warehouse is less than a block away, so I went with it.
My very capable barman, Carlos, made a nice sazerac to start the evening as I went through the menu. I ordered and relaxed with the drink. A quiet evening, so it was easy to strike up a conversation with the still-busy barman. Good guy, good drinkmaker. I finished and ordered a second as my starter arrived. First up, some gator bites.
I’m always a fan of alligator, it’s delicious meat. These are chopped smaller than I’m used to, but they did its job. I like the peppery bite, though the mustardy dip was a bit misguided and I wish there was something that fits gator a little better than mustard. But not a bad start, and at this point I switched to a boulevardier upon my barman’s rec. Then my main arrived…
Mmmm, this loooks good, fried catfish smothered in a crawfish and shrimp étouffée. The catfish was fried perfectly, and the breading just thick enough to keep it from getting soggy but thin enough to not interfere with the delicious fish underneath. Surpisingly good execution here, something you sometimes don’t see on quiet Monday evenings in any restaurant. And it was a hefty portion, with some garlic rice under all of that goodness. Excellent stuff, I’m impressed.
As it was getting late, they came asking for last orders for the kitchen. Alas, I was full and I didn’t want to keep the staff here on a rainy night just for me, so I just had a liquid dessert and continued my chat with the excellent barman before I headed out into the rainy night.
I’m surprised by this evening, as over the decades I’ve had so many shoddy nights of dining in Alexandria’s Old Town (ones I never reviewed), this was a shining light. If this is an indication of how much this area has improved, I’ll be dining out more frequently. Very much recommended!
The Warehouse
214 King Street
Alexandria, Virginia
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