chart house

excellent food, great view, a bit too pricey. grade: b

we had wanted to do something in old town alexandria and, after looking through the extensive list of restaurants, realized we'd never been to the chart house.

this chain restaurant manages to provide a seemingly endless number of tables that have aviewof the potomac, giving a great deal of charm to the site. looking around, you saw many couples and families coming to celebrate some special occasion. without reservations on a saturday night you might not be able to get a table - we heard people coming in at 6 that there was no open seating until 9:30.

classic seafood dishes mix with house specialties, making an appealing menu. we chose the oysters rockefeller, hot and tasty with fresh spinach. the three soups - clam choweder, crab soup, and gazpacho - are available together in sample size as the "best of soup." all three are excellent, the clam chowder with smaller potatoes and clam pieces, the crab soup with plenty of crab meat and the right amount of sherry, and the gazpacho finished with a dab of sour cream.

the maine seared scallops were beautifully cooked but not particularly large and were served with a huge amount of buttered green beans and a ginger saffron risotto. very good - just not for the price ($27.99).

my entree, the salmon rockefeller, was stuffed with jumbo lump crab pieces, spinach, and bacon and topped with sauce bearnaise and accompanied by a pyramid of rice. as a kind of antithesis to my wife's dish, i suppose, mine was served with two pieces of asparagus. the flavors all worked wonderfully and made for a great dish. again, though, a bit expensive at $29.99.

the only dish that didn't come together well was the yukon gold mashed potatoes. stodgy and unseasoned, they seemed an afterthought to the kitchen. fortunately, our waiter adjusted the bill accordingly.

note: a list of side dishes is listed on the menu (such as the mashed potatoes listed above). most entrees, though, come with some form of sides, so it is best to ask your server about your meal's sides before ordering one a la carte.

overall, we absolutely loved the food and theviewof the water made for a very pleasant evening. the only thing we didn't like was the price.

my husband and i ate at this restaurant late on a saturday night and loved it. the atmosphere is romantic with a niceviewof the marina. the food was delicious and the service was great too! we both had mid priced entrees with a nice glass of wine and dessert totaling a little bit over $100.00. this is a great place to celebrate a special occasion.

an excellent restaurant. theviewof the marina is beautiful but the good is fantastic. i had the lobster bisque which was excellent and then had the short ribs. they were so tender you can eat it with a fork. for dessert had the cheesecake which was divine. a great meal.

key lime pie. oh boy. this is one big slice, topped off with whipped cream and settled in graham crust. this is klp like my wife tried to make.


-----17 feb, 2015-----

alaskan king crab. many legs and claws, more plentiful than most restaurants serve in a serving. the meat is done just right, not mushy and over done, and not raw. the meat with drawn butter is something like maine lobster, but less sweet, which is to my liking as i'm not into sweet things.


-----17 feb, 2015-----

again, consistently excellent. we are locals (sort of) as we own a vacation spot we can actually see as part of theviewfrom chart house. over the 15 years we've had the place in monterey, we've come to rely on the chart house as an upscale restaurant that exceeds the average in every way. it has become our major site for celebrating special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and such with family and friends.

this occasion was for my wife's birthday. she had the coconut shrimp. and there came a series of oo ah yum...as she dug into each moist, properly cooked morsel. my daughter in law and i had the alaska king crab. it was her first as she normally gets dungeness crab being from the san francisco area. in the end, she has converted to the king, long live the king. the grandsons did in a bowl each of the clam chowder, which they claimed was "exceptional." the oldest had the talapia. but he woofed it down so fast i'm not clear he actually tasted it. and then they then topped off with the lava cake that melted in their respective mouths. i thought the youngest was about the lick the plate, but he resisted.

the service was excellent. our waitress was always attentive and when the bar got backed up with orders, she came and explained why the delay. the ch was crowded to the hilt because the pebble beach pro-am was ongoing this weekend. and that was the only detraction...the noise level was higher than expected and more than experienced on past occasions.

the prices are high but the food, service, view, and ambiance add up to being worth it...especially for special occasions with best friends and/or family.

we thoroughly enjoyed our experience.viewwas great. service outstanding. particularly appreciated the special menu printed with anniversary wishes. oysters rockefeller were delicious! and very helpful to use open table for reservations.

eaten there many times & food is always very good. wonderful place for special occasions.viewis great!

great food like all the other chart house's - i love the salad bar and their blue cheese dressing is the best i have had anywhere on the world. theviewfrom the dining room of monterey bay was fantastic! highly recommended!

views impeccable, drinks delectable!. unlike its brethren in cardiff by the sea, ca or the grove at bayshore, miami – and despite its incredible location right on the potomac waterfront in old town, this ch lacks the luster, finesse and quality its near legendary national namesakes entertain! although i cannot score their culinary offerings highly on the scale, i can say it is a unique location, unequaled ambience and extraordinary views at the old town wharf! their service and attention to detail is pretty good although somewhat inconsistent, and the seafood renderings about average. if you are looking for exquisite seafood you may consider better offerings in northern virginia, and only a stone’s throw away – for the price! we frequent ch a few times a year, primarily for appetizers (which are very good) and their fantastic bar selections. few places in old town offer better mixed cocktails than that of the ch bar, and the libations are enhanced by theviewand atmosphere. their renditions of the classics mojitos and martinis, not to mention some of their specialties are beyond reproach and they do not skimp on the main ingredients! albeit, the prices are a little high for the libations, the occasional splurge at the riverside may be worth it.

the food is good, but i do not think this restaurant is good value. a single crab cake costs more than double the serving at the flying fish up king street. chart house is good for theviewand the decor. and the dessert menu is much better than other places around.

a true dissapointment. the level of food quality and presentation did not match the price. the food was just ok, and i expected excellent for the price. i would not return unless they hired a new chef that could do the great menu plan some justice. good service and prettyviewotherwise.

went there last night for a birthday dinner. server was great & attentive. we were seated with a greatviewof the evening bay lights. oysters rockafeller appetizers were piping hot & delicious. i had the shrimp & artichoke pasta special; hubby had the roasted beet salad, lobster & filet medallion special; friend had prime rib. all were wonderful entrees. it was a great evening & would go back there again.

great place for special occasions!. my husband brought me here for our anniversary and everything was perfect. awesome wine selection, delicious ahi tuna, stuffed tilapia and creme brulee! service was outstanding. greatviewwith an intimate surrounding.

i had prime rib and my wife had a filet. both very good. chocolate lava cake for dessert was outstanding, so save some room. chopped spinach salad was nice too. and, make sure to ask for a window seat. greatviewof monterey bay.

anniversary. my hubby suprised me yesterday with reservations for 7:30. it was our 12 year anniversary and my accomplishment in graduating with my associates in science degree in criminal justice which i recieved in tampa florida on the 24th of july. i had asked him for almost two weeks, where are we going and kept teasing me. this was our first time here and we will be back, despite the price was extremly high but worth it.the food was excellent, theviewwas excellent. i really enjoyed myself with the fine dinning and our waiter was friendly and nice along with the other staff.

wonderfulviewof the potomac. chart house is right by the waterfront, and looks out to the potomac on both lower and upper level. the lower level is where the bar is located, while the upper level has a little nook where the entire wall is glass. sam and i decided to be spontaneous on a friday night and go to old towne alexandria; so did the weather that night. we watched the lightning above the potomac as we had our dinner by candle light.

i had ordered the bbq salmon with mashed potatoes and greens. sam had the mahi mahi. we shared a slice of key lime pie for dessert. it was a very good meal, with a great view. if you want to try chart house- i recommend visiting it during alexandria's restaurant week when participating restaurants including chart house has prix-fixe dinners at an extremely affordable 35$- either for a three course dinner or dinner for two (depending on the restaurant).

[rain] check, please :)