Being a blogger has brought me some really awesome experiences that I never would have had otherwise, along with friends that I may have never met. Last Tuesday, the two combined and I got to try out the new Summer menu at Oz Restaurant & Bar. I’ve been to Oz before with some of the Bubbles & Bloggers crew, and was absolutely thrilled when Angelica graciously passed along her invitation to the tasting to me as she would be out of town. Oz is seriously so much fun and homegirl loves to eat and try new foods.
Before dinner, on the outside patio, the new summer drinks were being passed around. I had the Aussie Spritz and LOVED it- prosecco, apple liquor, and hibiscus. The perfect summer drink. The last time I was in, I opted for sparkling rosé, which was wonderful, but the cocktail was so refreshing and a perfect summer sip. The other new summer cocktails are the Ripparita (Exotico tequila, Chacho Aguardiente, and a blackberry + jalapeño puree) and Grapefruit Soda Juice (freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, mint, brown sugar, soda, and rum). With dinner I had a sparkling Shiraz from Riverland, Australia and while I’m not used to sparkling reds, I loved it! Owner Michael Darby is quite proud of the wine collection at Oz, and I can see why!
Dinner was 5 courses and I apologize for the the pictures- I don’t normally photograph food and, in my opinion, I can’t do the plates justice! I was lucky enough to sit with Oz’s owners, Michael + Ashley Darby, along with 2 local area food writers. The food was fab, the drinks were flowing, and the company was fantastic. You could tell how proud Ashley + Michael are of their baby and I have decided that I need to get back there for the brunch. We also had several appearances from Chef Brad Feickert, who explained the inspiration behind each course.
Carrot Mango Cold Soup
The whole time I was eating this, I was thinking, “dang- I’m so glad I’m not allergic to carrots anymore!” While this is something I probably wouldn’t normally order myself, I’m so glad it was on the tasting menu because I would 100% order it again. The concept of cold soup is somewhat foreign to me, but this was SO delicious. It had a little bit of a kick and so much flavor.
Watermelon + Rocket
This may have been my favorite part of the meal because, as many of you know, I cannot get enough watermelon. Complimented with a very light watermelon vinaigrette, feta crumbles, peppery rocket, and house made granola, this dish has everything my mouth wants in summer. This may sound absolutely ridiculous but it was a like a party on my taste buds.
Thai Salad
I chose the Thai salad for my third course: a mix of cold rice noodles, cucumbers, pepper, mango, carrots, and peanut mind vinaigrette. One of the goals for the summer menu is was to bring in a bit of Asian fusion. This dish did that flawlessly. Ugh. As I’m writing this all the flavors are coming back to me and I want to get back to Oz ASAP and continue the tasting. Awesome thing about this dish? Despite the noodles, it’s gluten free! In fact, most of the dishes at the tasting were GF or could be altered to make them so. Having a lot of GF friends, I know where we can go for dinner!
Unfortunately, my picture of the Top Sirloin Steak just did it so very little justice that I didn’t even want to include it. It came with tempura battered asparagus and pommes darphin (think fancy hash brown). Honestly, my favorite part of this dish was the horseradish sauce, just because it added that little unexpected kick to my steak. The tempura was perfect- and I’m really picky about that after trying out so many sushi places around the city.
French Silk
Now I’m not a huge dessert person, but my mouth is actually watering remembering this amazing chocolate cloud from heaven. That is the only way to describe it. I would go to Clarendon just for this and a cocktail. Seriously.
I want to thank Oz for having us and Angelica for sharing her invite with me! I want to get back there for bottomless brunch with penny mimosas, so if anyone wants to come with let me know! You can find Oz steps away from the Clarendon metro (or a 15 min Uber ride from my place~ so convenient!)
2950 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, Virginia • Tel: 703.664.0693
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