Tavern on the Lake, Reston - Closed.

[bilrus]

There actually is a tapas place at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston called Tavern on the Lake that opened last year. I've not been because Lake Anne never seems very convenient at lunch time for me, but I've been meaning to get there. Maybe this will spur me to try it today.

I couldn't find their website, although I do remember seeing one at one time. Here's an article from the local newspaper and here is their listing in Zagat.

[bilrus]

El Manatial on N. Shore drive is pretty good and offers a tapas menu. We like the chorizo and oysters. They do a pretty good Spanish omlet, too.

http://www.elmanantialrestaurant.com

*Smacking self on head* - I was just there yesterday. The garlic shrimp are very good and I love the mushrooms - just a big bowl of mixed mushrooms sauteed in oil and garlic, but great with a few pieces of bread for sopping.

I just got back from Tavern on the Lake and it was a mixed bag, in several respects. The tapas menu has about 20 items, all ranging between 4 and 7 dollars, but their origins are scattered. A little bit Spanish, some Mexican, Asian, Indian, and American all mixed in.

I had a Vietnamese marinated beef that was very good - grilled flank steak marinated in a lemongrass fish sauce marinade. Very tender, if a bit sweet, but small for the price. A chicken flauta was also very good and more substantial. The only real miss was a baked crab dish that was like a crab bread pudding. There wasn't any discernible flavor, even after the dish cooled from its initial lava-like state.

Very quiet today - only about three or four table taken, but a surprisingly nice, light filled room. I always find the places around Lake Anne to be a bit dismal and depressing to go along with the 1960's-modern Soviet-feel architecture. And especially considering that the former occupant of this space - a short-lived Lebanese place - was depressingly dark.

[joycek]

Stopped by Tavern on the Lake in Reston tonight. While the food never held more than barely marginal appeal, it was a decent alternative at times to the Reston Town Center. Alas, it was completely shuttered, and even had debt collectors' bills hanging off the doorway. Sorry to see it go, if not for the food but for the decent atmosphere (at times) and the smattering of hope it offered to the increasingly pathetic offerings of the potentially great Lake Anne Shopping Center. Yes, we've been to Jasmine Cafe, the French place, and Lakeside Cafe. Tavern on the Lake was head and shoulders above the rest, and that's not saying much. *Sigh*

In any event, we headed back to the mothership of RTC and went for another great bar meal at Passion Fish.

[chefleen]

Stopped by Tavern on the Lake in Reston tonight. While the food never held more than barely marginal appeal, it was a decent alternative at times to the Reston Town Center. Alas, it was completely shuttered, and even had debt collectors' bills hanging off the doorway. Sorry to see it go, if not for the food but for the decent atmosphere (at times) and the smattering of hope it offered to the increasingly pathetic offerings of the potentially great Lake Anne Shopping Center. Yes, we've been to Jasmine Cafe, the French place, and Lakeside Cafe. Tavern on the Lake was head and shoulders above the rest, and that's not saying much. *Sigh*

In any event, we headed back to the mothership of RTC and went for another great bar meal at Passion Fish.

I had seen it up for sale late summer, guess there were no takers ($1.6m). it's a huge space to fill and i don't think i ever saw a big or medium crowd inside. the patio was a great place for a drink on a nice day, but that can't carry you through the year