Chef Tomas Chavarria wants to tell a story with every plate. He began doing so in NoVA early this year when he joined King & Rye at The Alexandrian Hotel as its executive chef. Today, his role expands to include The Study, a cocktail lounge and fine-dining restaurant inside The Morrison House, also an Autograph Collection by Marriott hotel, in Alexandria.
What story is he telling? “As a chef, I always try to make a connection with our vendors,” he says. But his inspirations come from the traditions of his homeland, Costa Rica, as well as places he’s cooked, including Cuba and the Philippines. Food comes from farms in Pennsylvania and the Shenandoah Valley, and Chavarria will use ancient Mesoamerican techniques such as smoking and curing meats over a fire. He has also worked assiduously to make sure that the dishes pair ideally with the seasonally inspired cocktails created by lead bartender Emmanuel Pressley.
For example, a plate of regionally sourced kurobuta pork belly (one of the meats prepared over the open flame) with cassava puree and peas is intended to be paired with Eve’s Mistake, a combination of green apple and Monkey Shoulder Scotch. Drinks are all named for literary inspirations. The Giving Tree is a take on a yogurt-based Indian lassi with Citadelle gin and chartreuse. The Beautiful Little Fool, a reference to The Great Gatsby, is a New York Sour with a Malbec float.
Dishes showcase local products simply–bar snacks include a pickle board, a cheese board featuring Lancaster and Firefly Farms curds, Dutch-oven-baked sourdough with a trio of aged butters. Much of the rest of the menu is more ambitious, but still focuses on regional ingredients. A tartare using beef from Seven Hills Food Co. is flavored with cured egg yolk, orange gel, yogurt, grain mustard, and crispy parsley. A scallop tiradito is bathed in ginger emulsion and enhanced with crispy rice, ginger mayo, caviar, and cassava chips. Dessert hews Central American, with a chocolate sampler, as well as tres leches cake, churros, and a sweet corn cake with dulce de leche and a tequila flambé.
The Study will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Every day but Wednesday, piano music will accompany dinner, courtesy of Bialek’s Music.
116 S. Alfred St., Alexandria
Feature image by Rey Lopez
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