The Carlyle Grand

The Carlyle Grand has been one of my favorite restaurants for a long time. The excellent service, great food, and fun atmosphere never fails to deliver a wonderful lunch or dinner. I've had a majority of the menu but for this review will focus on what was ordered during my last foray at the Carlyle.

To start things we had the blue crab fritters. These are served roasted red peppers and a grilled corn salsa. The fritters are light and never too oily even though they have been deep fried and every bite contains ample amounts of crab. The sweet corn salsa paired with the roasted red peppers are a great contrast to the saltiness of the fritters and bring out great flavors. If crab isn't your thing every other appetizer on the menu is just as good.

The picture is a bit blurry but they are of Mongolian Lamb Chops. The lamb chops are served with couscous and dressed arugula. The couscous and arugula were good but nothing spectacular and a bit bland. The lamb though was excellent. Thick cut (double rib cut) and perfectly grilled medium rare the lamb chops had a smoky char grilled aroma and melted in your mouth with every bite.

The Hickory Smoked & Grilled Black Angus Rib Eye Steak was served with roasted mushrooms and cauliflower mash. Like the lamb chops the rib eye was perfectly grilled medium rare. The rib eye was tender with every bite filled with hickory. The mushrooms were roasted in a brown sauce that was a bit salty. The highlight of the meal was the cauliflower mash. The cauliflower mash was creamy and very buttery but not overpowering.

The Carlyle has great service and best of all during the warmer months they allows pets! You do have to sit outside but the servers do the best they can to accommodate people with pets with treats and water bowls. The decor of the restaurant is 1930s themed and consists of two levels. I suggest getting a table upstairs as the view over Shirlington is great especially during the holidays when they have Christmas decorations up. The service, food, and atmosphere you get for the price you pay is almost unbeatable. A great place to dine!

Rundown:

Price: Moderate

Service: Great

Food: Great

Restaurant Decor/Setting: Casual

4000 Campbell Ave
Arlington, VA 22206-3424
(703) 931-0777

http://www.greatamericanrestaurants.com/carlyle/