{EAT} Cashion's Eat Place: Comfort food for the adventurous

For me a good restaurant starts with food and ends with hospitality.  What got me in the door 7 years ago to the Adam's Morgan anchor, Cashion's Eat Place, was the food.  Since, the knowledgable staff, chef's focus on good, local product and Cheer's-like atmosphere has kept me coming back. So naturally, I spent Valentine's Day at my neighborhood restaurant.  Three, count them three, of the items I ordered were heart shaped! Overkill? I think not.  

The blini with Skuna Bay dill-cured salmon accompanied the 4 Blue Point oysters I quickly slurped down to start.  The "Hearts of Hearts" as chef called it moo'ed across from me as my boyfriend picked away at the spicy beef tartar.  If you look close enough you'll notice the heart-shaped crispy potatoes. Nbd. And to top it off, two heart-shaped espresso-hazelnut pralines flanked a chocolate mousse that we ended with.  

 I ordered the Ecofriendly Foods (organic, pasture raised, hormone-free) pork loin which sat on top of red sauerkraut.  The pork was cook medium and moist.  The sauerkraut didn't stand up to the pork lacking robust flavors.  It didn't matter much since the sweet potato puree paired well. There aren't many restaurants in D.C. that are serving such fresh, organic pork.

While I enjoyed the pork, the veal osso buco was the clear winner of the night. Chef Manolatos' speciality is mediterranean flavors, which explains why this dish really sang.  The veal shredded off the bone to nearly melt in our mouths.  The creamy saffron risotto, also Milanese-style, maintained its structure served alongside the veal. 

There's no doubt I will go back again and again to Cashion's.  Beyond the fact that years of patronage has gotten me to the point where everybody knows my name, the food never fails to be comforting yet adventurous.  The menu changes daily and with the season: I'll be on the lookout for the veal osso buco.