Market Table Bistro
13 East Broad Way
Lovettesville, VA
540-822-3008
Upon entering the dining room of the Market Table Bistro I saw co-owner and chef, Jason Lage, molding bread dough, presumably for dinner service. This is an indication that we were in for an exceptional meal, I thought. Any chef who takes the time to make scratch bread takes cooking seriously. My initial impression of the dining room was that a deliberate attempt was made to achieve a level of feng shui, giving the tidy room a subdued energy and placidity. The glow of the fireplace added welcome warmth to the space on a chilly, mizzly spring day. From what I could see of the back-of-the-house, it was also orderly. This is a good thing. We chefs have an expression: “Order in the kitchen shows up on the plate.” Neatness is a mantra of professional chefs world-wide.
Market Table Bistro is located in Lovettsville, Virginia―in the upper reaches of Loudoun County and a stone’s throw from West Virginia. It’s a bit of a hike to Lovettsville, but the metro area gives up quickly to the countryside, and within a few minutes the verdant glades and pleasantly rolling hills come into view. It’s also worth the trek if you happen to appreciate extraordinary cooking, which is what awaits you at this country eatery. As our waitress―whose effervescent personality made our visit all the more delightful―rattled off the luncheon specials, I wondered why we were the only customers. I chalked it up to the fact that MTB has only been open since September and to the inclement weather.
As we mulled our menu choices, we sipped potent and generous Bloody Mary’s. Then we snacked on appetizers of organic chicken liver pâté, soups and smoked meats. The pâté ($8) was topped with a very compatible red onion marmalade. It was unctuous and creamy with a mild nuance of liver flavor. Even simple dishes like this can be elevated. We had two soups: bisque of butternut squash and black-eyed pea with ham. The squash soup was velvety and tasteful, but a little on the sweet side. The pea soup was chock full of ham bits and tender legumes, but a tad salty for my palate and I’m partial to salt. The soups were $6 each. We also shared a charcutèrie plate that consisted of house-smoked pork ribs and MTB’s version of tasso―a specialty of Cajun cuisine. Tasso is usually a peppery smoked pork shoulder or butt. The infusion of the smoke flavor paired well with the sweet taste and succulent pork. When any meat is dry-rubbed and smoked to perfection―as is done at MTB―slathering on cloyingly sweet, overpowering sauces borders on the criminal in my opinion. Another indication that MTB’s resident charcutièr, Wayne Greenwalt, knows his stuff was the depth and color of the “smoke ring” (noticeable just at the surface of the pork) achieved during the smoking process. (The smoke ring is a crucial criterion in BBQ contests.) The fact that MTB smokes its own meats (including pork bellies for its own bacon) speaks volumes about Lage and his staff’s approach to cooking. These are food purists.
One my companions ordered the BBQ pork on a Kaiser roll ($9), which was of equal quality to the charcuterie plate. We ordered the pappardelle (broad, ribbon-like fettuccini) pasta with sautéed mushrooms in a cream sauce ($16). This straight-forward dish was made all-the-better by the tender, house-made pasta. I ordered the pan-seared salmon filet ($16) that came with organic greens, candied pecans and locally-produced goat cheese. A crusty veneer formed on the filet when cooked sealing in the natural juices. We also munched on the Croque-Monsieur―long recognized world-wide as the gold standard of the grilled ham and cheese sandwich. This French icon is made at MTB with house-smoked ham (of course) and gruyere cheese. It was ample, buttery and delicious.
Being a pastry chef myself, I usually order dessert with some level of trepidation. And for good reason, too often dessert is relegated to an afterthought. We ordered the bread pudding with Cognac crème Anglais―a classic dessert sauce made with vanilla bean, egg yolks, sugar and milk. The pudding itself was delicious and served warm as it should be. The sauce, on the other hand, lacked even a hint of brandy flavor and was thinner than I feel this particular sauce is supposed to be. These were small flaws in an otherwise good dessert. The dark chocolate crème brûlée ($6) is a chocolate lover’s nirvana. It’s a chocolaty, custardy delight topped with a thin crust of caramelized sugar. It’s served with ginger snap cookies. We couldn’t resist the warm Granny Smith apple compote with streusel ($6). While the streusel topping seemed a little doughy and soggy, this dessert was made with fresh apples and just the right amounts of spices and sugar. One thing I noticed about MTB’s desserts is that they are not sickly sweet as is often the case with desserts made by American chefs. Western European chefs, on the other hand, tend to use sugar sparingly as a condiment not to interfere with other ingredients.
By meal’s end it was clear to me that Chef Lage and his staff are perfectly capable of cooking beyond their current menu repertoire, but choose to cook what they like and for their target market. Many chefs today cook to feed their own egos. MTB knows that it is a country restaurant and the owners serve the kind of food one would expect to find at a country restaurant or as Lage describes: “We’re serving ‘refined comfort cuisine’ here at Market Table Bistro.” When the chef is away the kitchen doesn’t miss a beat, it’s left in the able hands of the Sous Chef, Jason Brusky.
MTB’s customers benefit from the staff’s diverse culinary expertise. Lage makes regular menu changes, exchanging dishes as the season and food availability dictates. Chef Lage takes advantage of being located in an agricultural venue. He obtains locally-grown leafy greens, vegetables, poultry, cheeses and eggs as the season and availability allows. It would seem that Lage and co-owner, Rebecca Dudley, have embraced locavorism―using locally-grown products to offer fresher ingredients and reduce the carbon footprint created when food is transported from afar. This also recycles the money in the local economy.
On our return trip to Alexandria we were somehow diverted to several of the outstanding wineries Loudoun County has to offer. It was a good day. Having a superb lunch with friends at Market Table Bistro and hitting a few wineries reminded me why I enjoy living in the Washington area. All was right with the world.
Oh, incidentally, by the time we finished lunch the dining room was nearly full.
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