Back around 1995, there was a small cafe in Mystic, CT that used to use all local produce. I enjoyed walking there for breakfast on Saturday or Sunday mornings (when I didn't have duty) and having omlettes or some variety of eggs benedict with local eggs and vegetables. Unfortunately, it went out of business not long after I moved to Mystic.I recently read an article somewhere about localvores and places that use local organic produce. Sunday was the first time in 13 years that I've happened upon such a place.
We tried this new restaurant in Ashburn. Actually, it's not really "new" age-wise, but it's new to us. It opened right about the time I left Ashburn two years ago. In any case, this place is AWESOME and immediately one of my new favorite places to eat.American Flatbread Ashburn (website)
I find that I am more and more attracted to the word "organic" on food or restaurant labels because it usually means NO MSG.
When I saw "Flatbread" in the name of the restaurant, I was thinking it was going to be like Panera or the Atlanta Bread Co. with sandwiches and stuff.
Nope.
Not even close.
This place is "flatbread" as in PIZZA.
Darn it! (Because you know I can't stand pizza - sarcasm).
The atmosphere and decor were modern and similar to Panera, except for the prominent brick oven behind the counter. The walls were decorated with small paintings describing the history of bread, and a large mural of Loudoun County annotated with the location of the farms where the owners purchase their produce.
The food was absolutely AWESOME. I had the special, which was a "Roasted Butternut Squash Flatbread." It had...
Oh my gosh it was heavenly good. They have some really good beer on draft, too.Local organic butternut squash with roasted garlic, sage, Cherry Glen Farm chevre, carmelized shallots, argula, and all natural mozz
The service was prompt, professional, and friendly.
I expected to pay a premium price for the "local" and "organic" aspects of the food, but the prices were better than I expected. The flatbreads just come in one size, and one flatbread was good for two people. My wife and I shared one flatbread, and we still had a couple of slices left over at the end. I think most of the flatbreads cost around $20, so that's not bad when you consider it feeds two people and then some. They had an individual sized pizza for the kids, too.
Anyway, if you're a LoCo type of person, I highly recommend giving the American Flatbread place a try.
Oh, I noticed they don't have a menu posted on their website, so in case you're curious what type of stuff they've got, I scanned a copy of their paper menu. Click on the image below to see a larger version. In addition to this menu, they had a hand-written specials board with three or four other items that all sounded pretty tasty.
Cool. We might have to give it a try. I wonder if their dough has milk... I'll need to investigate that... BTW, the website did have the menu http://www.americanflatbread.com/ashburn/menu_pop.htm
ReplyDeleteWow. Mystic is a place that I haven't thought of in a long time. When I was in Groton, we used to go there on the Friday or Saturday nights. I had just turned 21 and was interested in the same thing that most sailors that just turned 21 are interested in, so we were looking for booze, not locally grown food. There was a place that had like a hundred different margarita flavors. I can't quite remember the name, but I think it might have been something as unfortunately obvious as Margaritaville. Anyway, those days are quite a long ways behind me now, but when I saw you mention Mystic, it put me in the mood for a margarita.
ReplyDeletehey , im a new yorker SO i challenge you to a day old slice from the best of NYC i choose against a fresh slice of yours...honk honk . The King says its on !!
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