Sweetwater Tavern

Hello folks,

I have a rule when it comes to dining.  And that rule is to never eat at a chain restaurant for dinner.  Now I know from my last week's review I did go to a Ruth Chris, which is technically a chain place but I think any reasonable person would not confuse a chain like Ruth Chris with say Applebees'.  OK disclaimer out of the way, let get to what makes this restaurant, Sweetwater tavern in falls church special.

In one word?  Free!! well my brother in law and family paid for it so it was free for me.  Other than that the food was very unremarkable.  Except... du du de dum, the wings.  They were so good in fact that I didn't even get to take a picture.  Not sure what was in the "puddle sauce" but the wings were juicy, and smoky, with just a little bit of spiciness to give it that kick that sent it out of the park.  My wife even remarked that they were the best wings she ever had, to which I agreed.  They were probably the best wings "she" ever had.  But all kidding aside, they managed to get the smoky, spicy goodness into the meat itself and not just on the skin which to me is the mark of a delicious wing.  Sorry no picture, seriously the wings flew off the plate before I could get my camera out.

Along with our wings we also had some bruschetta which were served with toasted garlic bread.  The bruschetta was very well seasoned with the right amount of vinegar and olive oil, a nice counter balance to the smoky richness of the wings.  Our drinks were also very tasty, with the mango martini being my favorite between the pomegranate margarita and their red sangria.

With our appetizers gone in a matter of seconds my somewhat cynical side was starting to let its guard down.  Mmm maybe I finally found a good american restaurant?  Maybe after all this time I've been too picky and let some real gems escape my attention?  Or maybe pigs can fly!!

My 12 ouch prime rib arrived barely above room temperature with no au ju or horse radish.  To me the horse radish I can forgive but the steak being cold is definitely a cardinal sin right up there with using the same sauce for an appetizer and an entree.  To be fair the stake was cook to medium like I ordered but without the right accompaniment it definitely suffered in my book.

The rest of our meal was well liked by the aforementioned brother in law and family.  My sister in law had the burger, and my mother in law had the fillet.  shown here.

They looked pretty good but I can't judge since I did not get to taste any.  But at least they look good:-)  My brother in law had the drunken ribeye and a loaded baked potato which he also enjoyed.  

I did get a taste of my wife's Jambalaya pasta which you can tell was not made in house, but the sauce was actually pretty good.  It had a nice spice level which I did not expect, not because I don't know what jambalaya is but rather because in this type of restaurant I expected it to be some what watered down.  So pasta dish was a win despite itself.

Over all the meal was satisfactory.  Aside from the somewhat minor flaws I found with my dish and the "non home made" pasta, I'd say it is a relatively good value for your dollar.  Our meal for a family of 5 was about $26/person before tip.  Would I go back there again?  Probably not, but the company and the 3 fire alarms definitely made it a memorable.  Yeah the fire alarm went off 3 times during the meal, and according to our server, someone kept "accidentally" pulling it in the basement.  Seriously?  3 times?  Eventually they just disabled the sound while the fire department went to check it out.

Anyway, I think I'd give this place a 6/10 based on the whole experience.  It's not a bad place per say but for 26/person I know I can get a better meal in many other places.  Ok folks till next time, keep eating well and remember, don't settle for less with it comes to what goes in your stomach.