Vermilion

Address: 1120 King St. , Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: 703-684-9669

Neighborhood: Alexandria, Old Town , Alexandria

Cuisines: Modern, Breakfast

Opening Hours: Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday 11:30 to 10, Friday 11:30 to 11. Open for brunch Saturday and Sunday 11 to 2. Open for dinner Saturday 5:30 to 11, Sunday 5:30 to 9.

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Kid Friendly: Yes

Nearby Metro Stops: King St.

Price Range: Expensive

Noise Level: Chatty

Reservations: Recommended

Website: Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes Roasted scallops with leeks and a potato gratin; fried oysters with fennel; roasted chicken with smashed grapes and kale; rockfish with clams and a light chowder; Maryland rib eye and short rib with blue cheese; seared duck with duck sausage and dirty ric

Price Details: Starters, $4 to $15; main courses, $11 to $36.

Special Features:
Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly

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This charmer is a romantic nest amid Old Town's cobblestone streets and gas lamps. But it's Tony Chittum's cooking--the culinary equivalent of earthy, expressive roots music--that keeps us coming back. Many of his dishes read like something an accomplished home cook might try for a dinner party, but that's deceptive. He works variations on them like a pianist improvising on a standard. And he knows when to stop, lending even his most creative plates soulfulness.

What to get: Polenta-filled agnolotti; potato-leek soup with smoked cod; beet salad; rib eye with salsa verde; garlic-crusted cod with ham and potato; peanut-butter/chocolate tart; crème fraîche cheesecake.

Open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner. Expensive.