To know Adrian and I is to know Tallula and EatBar, a side-by-side pair of restaurants in Arlington, a short walk from the Clarendon metro. As sad as we were to see the dive-bar Whitey’s go a few years back when we lived a block away, its replacement, Tallula, has earned its own special place in our weekend agendas. These days, it’s not even remotely near our neighborhood, but we still consider it our neighborhood bar. Funny, because it’s owned by the Neighborhood Restaurant Group who also own: Evening Star Café, Vermilion, Buzz Bakery,and Rustico, to name a few.
We go there regularly for birthdays, parents-in-town, and even the occasional random Wednesday night (before karaoke at the Royal Lee). The wine list is superb and the pours are generous - the price tag can be steep but the setting is intimate, you can actually hear each other. We definitely don’t know all the bartenders by name but we do know the chef - Nathan Anda. Over the years, he’s become our friend. You may have seen him on the line behind the counter, in his red glasses? He’s committed to local foods, dries and cures some mean meat and has a tolerance for the requisite glutie Q and A on a dish-by-dish basis. He’s even accommodating when I order his famed burgers with no bun. Baby burgers, that is. Small, juicy bites of heaven topped with caramelized onions and truffle butter.
Most recently, though, I was delighted, when I mentioned to our server that I was gluten-free and she extracted a laminated food allergy card from her billfold. Ok, to be clear: the card did not contain gluten information, but it at least had a color-coded section for wheat allergies. Together, we reviewed the dishes and I was able to make a reasonably fear-free selection - spicy ancho ribs over cheddar grits. That is not to say I didn’t whine when I set my eyes on Adrian’s gruyere muffin but we gluties can’t win them all.
While we’re on the subject of this restaurant group, I should mention I recently tried brunch at Vermillion and, despite their A++ decor, my server was largely clueless about wheat allergies and had no food allergen card to speak of.
But, rejoice, because both Mandy and Brandi have delighted in the gluten-free chickpea crust pizza at Rustico.
Update by Mandy–
Check out their Sunday night movie series! There’s no extra charge for the movie showing and they also come around to pass out free truffle butter popcorn! The movies start promptly at 8:00 pm, but come early to get the best seat!
March 16: Thelma and Louise (1991)
March 23: Pretty in Pink (1985)
March 30: Wedding Date (2005)
Tags: arlington · chickpea crust pizza · Evening Star Cafe · karaoke · Nathan Anda · Neighborhood Restaurant Group · Royal Lee · Rustico · Tallula restaurant · Vermillion · Whitey's2 Comments
2 responses so far ↓
I just went to Rustico Friday night to try out some GF chickpea crust pizza. I was so excited! But, could you imagine my sheer, complete, overwhelming joy when I spotted a GF beer selection?
I used to adore beer, and ever since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 5 years ago, I’ve wished for GF beer. So, as soon as I found the GF beer you can buy in stores - Redbridge and New Grist (pretty good ale) - I’ve stocked my fridge. But, it’s just not the same only having beer at home. And it really isn’t the same only having lighter beers. I’m more of a dark beer person.
Rustico - my new love - has three types of Belgian beer from Green’s. I tried “Endeavour” - a delicious dark beer. It was divine. Oh, I’ve missed dark beer so much. So, I bought one to take home with me to have with my left-over pizza. I plan to try the other two types as soon as I can and I’ll report back with some updates.
[...] Buzz in Alexandria, from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group that brings us GF pizza at Rustico and a GF menu at Tallula. Or CakeLove’s “Green Label” baked goods (Silver Spring location, [...]