By Warren Rojas
Restaurateur Mark Craig has encouraged visitors to make themselves at home at his expansive hospitality holdings for decades.
His resume includes a tony meat palace (McKendrick’s) that’s been servicing the Atlanta suburbs for going on 20 years, as well as a string of Italian eateries (Travinia Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar) extending from the Florida Panhandle to the Old Dominion.
This latest experiment sets the bar even higher, gathering together beneath the same oddly angled roof an array of local brews, carefully curated proteins and coveted stogies.
It’s very obvious a lot has been invested in D.C. Prime.
The posh restaurant is tucked into a half-filled suburban office park operating in the shadow of the sprawling One Loudoun entertainment/retail hub and the glittering three-story driving range overlooking Route 7.
The exterior appears to be cobbled together from reclaimed timber and polished stone. Inside, guests are greeted by luxurious booths wrapped in wine-colored fabric and tables draped in starched white linens. A sculpture featuring giant shards of glass jutting skyward would fit right in at Kal-El’s crystalline Fortress of Solitude. A trip to the water closet invites inspection of poster-sized images of President John F. Kennedy and Jackie O at what appears to be some sort of state function or President Franklin Delano Roosevelt enjoying a libation, depending on which way one turns.
A wraparound patio doubles as a pet haven and smoking lounge—”You just can’t smoke at the bar,” one bartender cautioned, motioning to the outer rim of sofas as the designated tobacco row—providing sanctuary to those who favor four-legged dining companions and hand-rolled indulgences.
According to operating partner Rick Crowe, the nascent spot has already garnered the attention of seasoned pleasure seekers. “We are attracting a very wide variety of guests from cigar-, Scotch-, bourbon- and … seafood-lovers,” he says of the early adopters who have so far laid claim to the upscale venue.
Having an appreciation for the finer things in life certainly helps.
Executive chef Brad Weideman, a former sous chef at McKendrick’s and an alumnus of The Capital Grille family of restaurants, has spared no expense in designing his menu. At the heart of the carte are a handful of custom-cut and precisely aged steaks specifically carved out for the restaurant by Illinois-based Consumers Meat Packing Co.
In addition to preparing traditional filet mignon as well as heartier diversions—think intensely marbled porterhouses and sized-to-share tomahawk rib eyes—Weideman typically fields at least one wagyu option.
The Americanized version of Japan’s prized Kobe beef commands top dollar around the globe, and Loudoun County is no exception.
The 8-ounce, A-5 quality strip steak built into Weideman’s program will set one back $65 sans accompaniments. Then again, that seemed like an absolute bargain on an evening when staff pitched a doubly generous version of the same (20 ounces) at more than thrice the base price ($220).
Consumers are spared—nay, denied—from dealing with any such sticker shock when bending the elbow.
Neither the roster of craft brews, which features contributions from DC Brau Brewing Company, Old Ox Brewery, Old Bust Head Brewing Company and Atlas Brew Works, nor the collection of a dozen or so martinis and cocktails convey any indication of how much it will cost to whet one’s whistle.
“They’re all about $12,” a server explains when pressed about mixed drinks. A bartender had to ring in a draft to reveal that it would add $9 to the bill.
Per Crowe, beverage prices shift so regularly—both up and down, by his estimation—it’s simply more cost effective to share the information on a case-by-case basis. “It would be wasteful to have to reprint every time we change a price,” Crowe maintains.
Rye whiskey is pleasantly soured with the assistance of frothy egg whites and fresh lemon juice. Brandy becomes cloying when doctored with citrus syrup and a sugared rim (dial back the sweeteners a bit). Simplicity is rewarded with savings—as a fan of Tito’s learned after discovering the Texas-born tipple is just $6 a pop.
But man cannot live on spirits alone.
Gourmet spuds are mostly disappointing. A sampler of steak fries summons distinctly seasoned wedges—some dunked in duck fat, a few doused with vinegar and others speckled with curls of shaved Parmesan—that never quite add up to a whole. The highly hyped 1-pound loaded baked potato (“You’ve got to see it to believe it,” asserted one server) turns out to be a DIY project not worth the extra effort.
Fried oysters enrobed by pickled slaw are enticing. Zesty remoulade fires up the pan-seared then lightly breaded bivalves while a preserved fennel and red pepper medley cools things off.
Batter-fried lobster is complemented by tropical fruits and peppercorn-powered honey. The tempura treatment encases the succulent meat in a crispy shell, the grilled pineapple proves smoky-sweet, and the spice-laden reduction adds piquancy.
Not so when the top-tier crustacean is folded into golden noodles. “There was some lobster in there, right?” a worried server asks after glancing over and spotting nothing but broiled ziti dripping in oily dairy when lobster mac was supposed to have been hitting the table. We had, in fact, already excised two sizable chunks of claw meat from the dish, leaving just one more nibble of protein amidst a sea of clumpy pasta.
Filet mignon is lean but flavorful, yielding mouthwatering morsels sporting just kosher salt and black pepper. NY strip is more primal; wrenching the expertly dry-aged meat from the bone with the incisors and lapping up the subsequent gush of sanguine juice released is pure, unadulterated bliss.
Sea bass is seared until a crispy edge forms. The flaky interior is moistened by Pernod-spiked beurre blanc that imbues each forkful with the essence of anise and dill. Shaved fennel freshens up the remarkably buttery composition.
“Is this now your favorite place?” a neighboring diner asked her still-chewing companion while reaching for the check. “Well, only on special occasions,” she declared after assessing the final damage.
(December 2015)