David K.
Yelp
Not impressed. My Khoresht e Bademjan - a Persian medley of beef, eggplant, and lentils in a tomato-lemon sauce served over rice - was underseasoned, with little to distinguish it from a similar dish of Italian, Mexican, Greek etc. origin. The meat was kind of dry so I'm guessing they used the wrong cut of beef (too lean) for this style of cooking. The onions were raw and consisted of 2 uncut quarters. I didn't mind that they were raw - a nice contrast with the warm stew - but slice them up please!
A very limited selection of wines by the glass, though were a good number of full-bottle offerings. Nothing local (WV, VA, MD) though. Same with the beers - nothing local though I passed several "craft breweries" in the area.
Decor: well at least they made an attempt at Mediterranean. But some of the touches were hilarious, like the Greek-style columns that didn't quite reach the ceiling! Real white tablecloths - nice - but flimsy paper napkins - not so nice.
Unexpected because not explained by menu or waitperson, but appreciated: the complimentary first-course of pita bread, hummus, feta cheese, tomatoes. Not a single-bite "amuse-bouche" but a decent appetizer portion, and quite good. This in fact earned Alfredo's an extra star, moving it up from a disappointing 2 to an adequate 3.
Service could use work. Entree was brought out while I was still working on the starter. Waitperson never asked about dessert but simply told me when ready to pay at the register. I did ask about dessert though, and he gushed so enthusiastically about his favorite thing that I had to try it. It was a mediterranean apple cheesecake. Unfortunately not what I expected. Cheese filling was too soft and not what we think of as cheesecake here. Ricotta? Something else? Not sure. I did like the apple/caramel topping - not too sweet, and the crisp thick crust. Sorry to disappoint the waiter but I didn't finish it. When I was ordering it he told me it was their largest dessert but he said it was SO good that I'd finish it and want another!