A while ago, our friend Chris told us about a nice dinner spot he discovered in Flint Hill, Virginia (near Front Royal), The Blue Door Kitchen.  I made a note to check it out if we were ever in that area.  Many months later, we were able to check the place out.  We were on a camping trip and had not planned to go out for dinner so we did not have “proper” attire for a nice restaurant.  We called to check on the dress code and found out that it was a casual atmosphere and shorts are fine.

The restaurant is beautiful, with great attention to detail.  Distressed farm-style furnishings serve as tables.  A local artist creates beautiful, unique dishware exclusively for The Blue Door.  A mirror covers one entire wall, giving the impression that the cozy dining room is larger than it actually is.  I enjoyed the very old air vents adorning a second wall.  Chris really enjoyed the sculpture with a chicken sitting on a pig sitting on a cow.  We worked at Blue Talon Bistro, adorned with chickens, for nearly eight years, and had recently started a new job at Cochon on 2nd, adorned with pigs.  Based on the sculpture, we seem destined to work in a cow-centric spot sometime in the future.

I am always interested in tasting new cocktails, so I ordered a Lemon Pop Martini, a gin martini with Limoncello and a splash of prosecco.  It was a delicious choice.  Who knew that I would enjoy gin?  Chris asked for a not spicy Bloody Maria.  Unfortunately, the drink was tomato juice and tequila, not quite what he was looking for.

Our server, Lewis, was friendly and personable.  He gave us plenty of time to look over the menu and did not rush us when it took a while for us to decide what to order.  We started our meal with grilled shrimp with radicchio, chickpeas, and chili.  The almost crunchy chickpeas added a beautiful texture to the dish.

We moved on to appetizers next.  Chris had the poached octopus with grilled fennel, Taggiasche olives, spring greens, and Kalamansi dressing.  The octopus had a deep, rich flavor countered by bright tomatoes (from the garden behind the restaurant) and a wonderful salty pop from the olives.  I chose the yellowfin tuna tartar with citrus ricotta, roasted cauliflower, and black truffle vinaigrette.  The beautifully composed dish was amazing.  I loved the wonderful truffle flavor.  Caperberries rounded out the dish and I really enjoyed the delightful crunchy chips on the plate.  This was hands down one of the best plates of food I have ever tasted.

For our main course, Chris picked Black Angus beef tenderloin with celery root purée, porcini mushrooms, and huckleberry red wine sauce.  The steak, garnished with a delicate edible flower, was a perfect medium-rare.  The sauce was delectable and the celery root purée was silky smooth.  The fondant potatoes were tasty as well.  After waffling back and forth between four different dishes, I finally settled on the organic Acquarello risotto with garden tomatoes and sea scallops.  The dish was beautifully plated, but while the scallops were perfectly seared with a gorgeous golden crust, the risotto was severely undercooked, actually quite crunchy.  I pointed out the problem and they recooked the risotto, but unfortunately, the second plate was still slightly under.  The flavor was amazing, but I missed the creaminess that risotto is known for.

Of course, I could not leave without dessert.  While the peach soup dessert special was intriguing, I decided on the apple strudel with caramel rum gelee and sour cream ice cream.  I enjoyed the elegant plating of the dish.  The gelee was exquisite, but the luscious ice cream was the star of the dish.  The dessert was a great finish to a wonderful dinner.

Cost for three cocktails, three appetizers, two entrees, and a dessert $156.75.