4 May 2021
The few times I eat out these days in midst of the COVID era, I always ask myself if I should write a review. There are so many questions, from restriction-related issues to my own lack of enthusiasm for writing, from the deep-seeded sense of wanting to support the industry to the sheer joy of experiencing something we had taken for granted for so very long.
For a long time I had a not-always-enforced policy about writing reviews of places in my local area, but let’s be honest the pandemic has thrown all of that out the window. Dining out somewhere a 30-minute walk away seems like destination dining these days. But I’m always happy to highlight a wonderful dining experience, and this dinner at the popular Old House Cosmopolitan Grill in Old Town Alexandria certainly fits the bill.
I have not dined out much even as restrictions loosened. First of all, I’m still in that vaccine purgatory awaiting my second Moderna. Second, I really hate to take up a two-top (or larger table) in a distanced, space-challenged restaurant that needs to maximise its occupancy for the few tables they are seating; it makes me feel very guilty, even if I generally end up spending more than a party of two. Third, it makes me miss “normallity” too much, and I don’t need more melancholy in my life at this point.
But this weekday evening at Old House Cosmopolitan Grill was exactly what was needed. Dinner with a friend for some excellent conversation and fabulous food, all in a convivial environment. I had missed the bus no thanks to the flooding in my part of town from a usual spring downpour but the non-very-usual stupid road construction that caused the flood, so got there by a rather slow Lyft. We both relaxed with a cocktail and caught up, as it’s been over half a year since we’ve had the chance to catch up.
The German-centric menu looked fantastic, the Balkan dishes being the most attractive. And one of the best things about this restaurant is the Balkan-heavy wine list, from which we chose a nice red from Bosnia. As we enjoyed our convo with the tasty wine, our taste buds were further rewarded with the starter we split…
Oh, ćevapčići, such a joy… I love eating these things, and if there ever was a place that did these as an all-you-can-eat while drinking, that would be my version of heaven. So juicy, so meaty, so delicious. With a copious serving of excellent quality breads (not pictured), I could have done this for my entire meal. Fabulous stuff, one of my guilty pleasures.
Oh, and no, they did not serve an odd number, my friend ate one before I managed to grab my phone!
The wine flowed as we polished off the starter and required a second bottle, so we migrated a little south to Macedonia and picked a richer red for the main courses. Most of the menu here is German-centric, but they had as a daily special a mixed seafood grill that I chose for my main…
Quite delicious, and a nice selection of seafood. The scallop and the crab cake were the two stars of this plate, absolutely succulent. That’s not to say the mussels and shrimp were any less so, quite good with the tasty rice. But being off carbs for weeks now, this was a heck of a hit on my system. Very filling, tho I definitely cannot eat carbs the way I used to!
As the restaurant has emptied out a little towards the pandemic-mandated earlier closing time, we slowly wound up and polished off our wines as we awaited our desserts. I just can’t bypass this, having lived above a Greek restaurant for a year during college…
A rather good baklava and a heaping mug of black coffee, and this was the perfect close to the evening. I tend to like my baklava not swimming in honey, and this is actually a wonderful version for my taste buds. My friend headed out by Lyft, but since it’s cooled down thanks to the rain I took the half hour stroll home — which helped to work off the carbs too!
I have to say, this has been one fine evening. Old House Cosmopolitan certainly is one of the gems of Alexandria’s Old Town, and a fine destination for wonderful hospitality and delicious dishes — and lovely wines from the Balkans. The proprietor is a gem as well, and you’ll enjoy Balkan hospitality at its very best here. Love it.
Old House Cosmopolitan Grill
1024 Cameron Street
Alexandria, Virginia
melhuang1972 