The best dining in Old Town, any local knows, lives far from the waterfront. La Fromagerie epitomizes a neighborhood spot, quaint and cozy.
The modern American restaurant with European influences by French-born chef and owner Sebastien Tavel serves a tight menu of snacks (marinated beans, escargot, cheese and charcuterie) paired with biodynamic wines, but also exquisite seasonal dishes like salmorejo—a sister soup of gazpacho with a deeper, haunting mix of peak tomatoes and sherry vinegar, crowned with a floating baguette, confit egg yolk and prosciutto. There’s beauty in asparagus tangled in a pea shoot-ricotta dressing, hanger steak next to warmed, breadcrumb-topped tomatoes and wild baby greens tossed so every last leaf is slicked with flavor, and is as important as the pan bagnat with which it’s plated.
Minimalism marks a tomato and burrata salad: a salted peach, house-pickled cherries fragrant of fennel, herbs from the restaurant’s garden. It’s an ingredient-driven sensibility, making simple food not just good, but sublime.
La Fromagerie
French + Modern American | $$$
1222 King St., Alexandria
