This three-story charmer on the short, sleepy downtown strip of Clifton feels warm, welcoming and come-as-you-are, yet the level of cooking and service elevate it to a great candidate for special-occasion dining. Biscuit-hued walls, windows galore and tropical-looking fans circling above create a serene spot for digging into such seasonal starters as a tomato tart loaded with 15 varieties of tomatoes from a Manassas farmer named Bill Blevins or a ring of grilled brassicas surrounding a luscious knoll of hand-pulled stracciatella cheese—the new burrata.
Executive chef Jon Cropf and pastry chef Meagan Tighe migrated from South Carolina at the end of 2016 to take over the kitchen, and both the rich cornbread starting the meal and the side of creamy grits gilded with shaved truffle do that state proud. Heftier plates could include a farm-raised venison roasted till rosy in the center and accented with coffee-roasted baby carrots and a beluga lentil puree, or smoked Arctic char with perfectly crackly skin and summer’s best corn.
Order Tighe’s signature dessert, an ode to the flavors and textures of orange, with toasted olive oil cake, orange-vanilla sorbet, orange meringues and orange segments poached in Grand Marnier (pictured on page 43). In the spirit of “in it to win it,” pair dessert with something from the 500 or so wines from the cellar.
Trummer’s on Main
Modern American | $$$$
7134 Main St., Clifton
