The Majestic

Address: 911 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: 703-837-9117

Neighborhood: Alexandria, Alexandria, Old Town

Cuisines: Modern, American

Opening Hours: Open for lunch Monday through Saturday 11:30 to 2:30. Open for dinner Monday through Thursday 5:30 to 10; Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 10:30; Sunday 1 to 9.

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Kid Friendly: Yes

Nearby Metro Stops: King St.

Price Range: Moderate

Noise Level: Chatty

Reservations: Recommended

Website: Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes Chicken-liver mousse; crumb-crusted whole sardines with caramelized onions and sage; Coco’a Vin; slabs of meatloaf with mushroom gravy; coconut cake, served in tall, thick wedges; bourbon milk punch.

Price Details: First courses $6.75 to $12; main courses $16.50 to $24.

Special Features:
Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly

How often do you see a Caesar salad and think, “Not that again”? But Cathal Armstrong’s swank diner redeems the cliché with a tableside preparation in which chopped garlic, an egg, grated Parmigiano, and shimmering boquerones are transformed in a wooden bowl into the Caesar of your dreams.

This is the Majestic’s MO: to take familiar American cookery and treat it to a fresh turn. More often than not, the effect is gratifying, and sometimes—as with a whole fried bass with black-bean sauce—it’s thrilling.

As at all Armstrong restaurants, the booze menu is overseen by cocktail master Todd Thrasher. Forgoing his potions is like going to a 3-D movie and skipping the glasses. Don’t miss: Oysters Rockefeller; chicken-liver mousse; meatloaf; coconut cake; churros with chocolate sauce. Open: Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, Sunday for dinner. Expensive.