GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll: Refueling Racers: Blue Ridge Restaurant

(Refueling Racers is a new feature on GamJams, where the restaurants, coffee shops and other eateries that support local racing are reviewed from the perspective of a ravenous epicurean athlete.)

by Judd Walencikowski, Food Editor

If you're a MABRA or VA-area cyclist, you've, no doubt, clocked some time on Skyline Drive. It offers demanding climbing and vistas that confirm the South’s terra firma is picturesque and fertile. If you ever find the legs and nerve to ride Skyline Drive to its southern terminus, you'll run smack into the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road snakes through the depths of Virginia and into North Carolina. Those states and that region have a culture, a landscape, people, and cuisine all their own.

Local restaurateur, team sponsor, race sponsor, and racer, Eli Hengst, has channeled the flavors of the Blue Ridge mountains and their surrounds and dropped them soundly in the midst of the District.

With his intimate connection to the cycling community, I thought it worth checking out Eli's latest offering. He has found success with other spots that cater to things cyclists seem to love (coffee at Tryst, The Diner, Open City and wine at Mendocino Grill, Sonoma, and Redwood), so I figured Blue Ridge would also be a worthy stop for a hungry and thirsty cyclist.

Blue Ridge (2340 Wisconsin Ave., NW) operates on a mission statement. In sum, food and drink aim to be seasonal, sustainable, sourced locally and the cuisine is meant to reflect the Blue Ridge region. After more than a half-dozen visits, I can report Blue Ridge succeeds. Dogged by some harsh press in mainstream media outlets (the Post, Washingtonian, and City Paper have been, in my opinion, unfairly negative), Blue Ridge does not seem to've dropped off in quality or ambition. My most recent visit suggested portion sizes of the mains have been trimmed slightly, but the quality has not suffered a similar fate.

The menu is structured a bit unconventionally. Though it's hard to distinguish "Snacks" from "Appetizers," the menu offers both. Appetizers command a slightly higher price point ($6-11) and the snacks are a bit more share-able and finger-food oriented.

In the past, I sampled some wonderfully seasonal, sweet, simply prepared, and generously portioned heirloom tomatoes presented with a few varieties of cheese. Minimally dressed, the quality of the ingredients had the chance to display the richness of the terra firma so clearly seen from some of those Skyline Drive pull-offs. Rappahannock oysters make an appearance on the snacks menu and the appetizers menu. Individually priced at $1.50 and served raw, these oysters are plump, expertly shucked to avoid any grit or shell, and clean in flavor. More on the restaurant's use of the grill later, but the raw oysters come with a lemon wedge that has seen time on the grill. An unexpected treatment, the smokiness of the grill marks combine nicely with the citrus to dress the oysters. I tend to not dress up oysters with mignonette or cocktail sauce, so the grilled lemon adds the right amount of complexity without detracting from the oysters' ocean flavor and brine. Cocktail sauce does accompany the oysters and is clearly homemade and not run-of-the-mill. It's tangy and sweet and chunky and even serves well as a dipping sauce for other snacks or appetizers (see the Lancaster finger sweets below). The oysters on the appetizer menu are broiled and covered in a savory breadcrumb mixture. Flavorful and savory, the high-quality oysters end up masked by the liberally applied breading.

Items on the snack and appetizers menu are seasonal and some change out regularly. Most recently, Lancaster fingerling sweet potatoes were featured and served simply fried and with a horseradish-chive yoghurt dipping sauce. It's entirely possible you saw these potatoes in their infancy at the last Lancaster area race you did! A bit sweeter than your run on the mill Yukon Gold, these finger-sized tubers are by no means cloyingly sweet. Fried, but not battered, these came out piping hot, but not greasy. A touch of coarse Kosher salt added some texture and the right amount of sodium to bring the potatoes’ sweetness forward. The accompanying sauce was decadent, creamy, and spicy from horseradish, but missing the advertised chive. The portion was definitely splitable.

My most recent main course was a grilled pork loin with smoky braised greens and pear jam ($17). This plate embodied Southern flavors. The pork loin was gristle-free and clearly brined. Cooked to a nice med-rare, there was no loss of moisture or tenderness. As mentioned, anything cooked on the grill at Blue Ridge takes on wonderful smoky flavors of the various local woods the kitchen staff uses as fuel for their fire. The flavors on this plate balanced well. There was strong acid and vinegar in the greens, but this tartness was nicely offset by the sweet pear jam. The plate could’ve used a bit more of all ingredients, with the pear jam being least present. I paired this plate with the house red, 2007 Avery Lane Merlot ($6/22), and found this to be a light, appropriate red for pork or even some darker meats.

I’ve also tried several fish dishes. Barton Seaver, known for his seafood-centric cooking at Hook and Tacklebox in Georgetown, consults as Executive Chef at the restaurant. It’s clear he not only sources the seafood at Blue Ridge, but also offers expert guidance to his cooks about how to perfectly prepare fish. Trout, mahi-mahi, and bluefish have all been cooked just to the point of staying moist and tender. All done on the grill, this feat is that much more impressive and flavorful.

The wine and drinks program is another of Blue Ridge’s strengths. Many of the wines are regional and others are from the California and Oregon. The price points are quite reasonable for the quality on offer. Mixed drinks also lean Southern and include classics such as the Old Fashioned (made with Virginia Gentleman, a bourbon distilled in Virginia, not Kentucky, bitters, and soda water).

Dessert are decidedly Southern and always include several pie options and various ice cream floats. Coffee service is another strength. Served in a French press, decaf and regular beans offer complex flavor profiles and a nice change from most one-dimensional restaurant coffee.

Service at Blue Ridge is a bit scattered. The youthful crew is enthusiastic and looks sharp in their plaid and denim. But there’s an aloofness to the team that is almost a bit too relaxed. I don’t mind being allowed to dine on my own schedule, but sometimes it’s nice to have a server keep things (ordering and pacing) on track. Case in point, I had my pork loin for about ten minutes before the waitress dropped off a sharp knife. I was getting by just fine with the butter knife, but the steak knife was a welcome, albeit tardy, addition. And a side order of mashed root vegetables was whisked away before I could finish the bowl.

Blue Ridge is a solid edition to Eli Hengst’s restaurant empire and offers tasty, fresh, seasonal food and drink for cyclists and non-cyclists alike. October 25th, Blue Ridge will sponsor the DCCX cyclocross race.

Judd Walencikowski is Food Editor for GamJams and races for Bike Doctor. Now that Kobayashi announced his retirement, Judd is considering ditching the cycling thing and entering the competitive eating circuit.