Clifton Restaurants

The four of us went to celebrate the retirement from federal service of a spouse. I'd been once before but before the restaurant was greatly expanded. I do want to return to sample the short ribs which my best friend enjoyed immensely. The greeters at the front were great and enthusiastic. Once seated though, we had a new waitress who admitted as such and she did not know the menu very well. That's ok and we understood. Once looking at the wines, I was dismayed at the prices. Virginia wines I know well were 4x prices I usually buy at and the cheapest Pino Grigio was $51 per bottle. I settled for a CA Chardonnay that was ok, but with a terrible pour. Served a giant glass, it barely covered the bottom. My buddy had a good German beer and the wives had cocktails that they seemed to like ok. The Brie and Crab Dip appetizers were very good. No complaints there. The menu was interesting and diverse, although an item or to on the combined dinner menu would have been better if we could order them al a carte. Two of us ordered the schnitzel, probably the cheapest thing on the menu, and at least I regretted it. The dill german potato salad was not quite up to dill standards... a little bland and the schnitzel was flakey and perhaps little overdone. I managed while my buddy loved the short ribs which I really wanted! My mistake. My wife loved her pumpkin butternut squash and it was gone in a flash. The wives shared a chocolate dessert and shared a bite with us that was delicious. The bill was $331 and we had a good time and most of the food was very good, with vastly overpriced wine. Still, I would go back again, drink the German beer, have the short ribs and still refuse to pay $6 or $9 for bread. Its a wonderful town, very scenic, but the prices and atmosphere were geared more to tourists than regular loyal local customers.

This was our first time there. It was a nice place. Friendly service. The grilled chicken Alfredo is delicious.

Michael in the bar lounge always takes the best care of us and makes the best martinis. The burger and steak sandwich at lunch were cooked to perfection. Both had outstanding flavor.

We've always had great experiences with Texas de Brazil at Fair Oaks, this was no exception. Everything was excellent, including the new bacon-wrapped jalapenos. Our server, Joshua, was attentive, responsive, and friendly. Looking forward to our next visit!