vermilion restaurant & bar

vermilion can be found on king street in alexandria which is essentially a murderer's row of really good food. from hank's oyster bar to the majestic, there isn't a shortage of places to find an enjoyable meal. vermilion (for some reason i just like typing that out) has a lunch special called the ceo where you can get a starter and a main course for a discounted price and if you add a dessert, they take a bit off of that also. um...sold! i've noticed that most of the nrg's restaurants offer similar specials and while they're not fast food joints (i think the proper term may be casual fine dining though i would hope any place i eat is fine dining...), i think i "combo" meal is agreatidea for any restaurant since it gives more leeway to try bits of their menu.

i chose the intern option for $13 featuring half mixed greens salad, a cup of potato chowder made with creme fraiche, celery, bacon and potato, and half of the goat herder sandwich with whipped goat cheese, honey roasted beets, red peppers, and garlic confit. the portion was perfect, and i loved that it all came out together. a perfect option for those taking a quick lunch break from work. the beets were generous and the french bread wonderfully crispy and chewy. the soup hadgreatflavor too, and was lighter than the typical chowder.

my boyfriend and i come here all the time. it's one of our favorite places in old town. we've done brunch twice, happy hour countless times and dinner at least once. they do reallygreatseasonal cocktails. the staff is friendly and very accommodating. we've never left disappointed and that rarely happens to us. our favorite appetizers are the hot pockets, hands-down. followed quickly by the old bay fries.

valentine's day choice of the obamas. the food isgreatand i love the atmosphere! been here many times for lunch, happy hour, and dinner. the lunch menu is very reasonably priced. dinner is expensive.

outstanding. one of the best meals i have had in a long time! it's pricy but i have paid more for less. service team is appropriately attentive without disrupting.greatfor business dinner or romantic evening out!

amazing family event. this is the restaurant you want to go to if you want amazing food and to be treated like you're their most important customer. i coordinate a lot of dinners and gatherings for friends/family and have done so at many restaurants in the dc area. my experience at vermilion was the best i have ever had planning something like this.

i contacted vermilion to see if they could accommodate our party of 6 celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary on a saturday night. the general manager, dave, worked with me the week of our dinner to prep a selected menu based on the current weeks options, which they printed and had waiting at our table when we arrived to make the evening extra special. our waiter was extremely knowledgeable and explained in detail each item on the menu. he knew we were celebrating a special occasion and made sure to space our courses out perfectly to give us time to talk in between. we stayed for 3 hours and never once felt pressure to hurry up and leave as you do in so many other establishments.

the food was out of this world. my husband and i have been to vermilion before and have always been impressed by the food, but you do get a little worried when you are taking people out who have never been there before and are celebrating a special event. everyone is still talking about how delicious the meal was from the appetizers to the desserts. chef chittum is a magician with food.

it was a wonderful night that my parents will forever remember. whenever i have planned a special dinner out for a group in the past, i've spent days calling around to restaurants only to be told that i have to work with an outside company to reserve for a large group and sign a contract for minimums to be met (which are usually extremely high for a weekend). none of that was the case at vermilion. i simply picked up the phone to see if they would be able to accommodate a party of 6 for a special event and everything flowed perfectly from there. no additional fees or forms to fill out. justgreatcustomer service and food that we'll surely go back for many times over.

i wish there were more establishments out there like vermilion. it's now at the top of our list of restaurants in the dc area.

serious, fun food in old town. had agreatdinner, after many disappointing ones in old town recently. terrific combination of ingredients, often surprising and creatively presented. the rolls in the bread basket very homemade and terrific. service is friendly, low key, non pretentious. waiter really into the food and ingredients. not cheap, but you are getting a lot for your money -- probably the best restaurant in old town.

cougar town.greatbeer selection. food is very good, a bit crowded at the bar.

always a pleasure. as always, the service and food in this restaurant rocks. the lamb chops, the pork, the chicken are always wonderfully prepared. and agreatplace for after dinner drinks.

went here for first time last night. don't get to old town very often (like maybe once per decade), but i will definitely be back. other reviews refer to it as pricey, but compared to restaurants downtown, it was comparable. all the dishes were excellent, but the best by far was the bbq style pork. it was cooked perfectly, tender, the perfect spice factor, flavors that stood out, and really fantastic. the soft shell crab blt appetizer was almost as good. so was the lamb chop (very rare, and very tasty) and the steak tartar.greatwine selection and absolutely perfect service (unobtrusive, yet on top of it and helpful) as well as a cozy atmosphere, made for a wonderful night. we will be back ( and i will get the pork dish again).

nice romantic dinner. this place has agreatmenu that changes with the seasonal availability of products. it's always good. upstairs seating is our favorite.

notgreatvalue for the dollar. had a salad that i took one bite from and had to return due to incredible saltiness (dressing of oil and balsamic so go figure). entree a little too small for each order (four guests) and dessert menu not very diverse or balanced.greatmixed drinks and atmosphere.