The Light Horse - at least go for the mac and cheese

The Light Horse
715 King Street, Alexandria, VA

Smack dab in the middle of King Street stands the Light Horse, named after Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, the father of Robert E. Lee and one of George Washington's top officers during the Revolutionary War. The Light Horse restaurant underwent a renovation not too long ago, and the result is a smart-looking, airy tavern. The downstairs restaurant is done up in modern yet comfortable decor, with large circular booths that are exceedingly comfortable and great for groups.

At the Light Horse, chef Adam Lippe and his team promise to cook "high-quality, unpretentious comfort food with the proper effort it deserves. Because of our love of fresh food, we make as much of it 'in house' as possible."

Craving comfort food, we started with the Almond Stuffed Dates, which were wrapped  in a thick-cut, salty smoky bacon and drizzled with a balsamic reduction. We also had the Sweet Potato Fries, which were seasoned with "five spice" and salt, and accompanied by a bacon mayonnaise. The fries were perfect - not greasy, and with little salt - but the mayonnaise didn't stand up to the awesomeness of the fries, which was disheartening, but at least I was saved from a complete calorie overload.

Overall, the food was not fancy but it was certainly enjoyable. To offset the killer-calorie apps, I had a Sweet Garden side salad and the Lobster Corn Chowder. The salad was good, fresh and delicious, but the accompanying sweet pine nut brittle was a turn-off (the hubs was happy to eat it). My only gripe: the chowder was crazy salty. And this girl likes her salt. The taste was there - rich, seafoody and buttery - but chef Lippe was just a little too liberal with the Morton's. I reported the over-salting to the server in the hopes that they would tone it down a smidge.

Our committed carnivore dining partner had the Butchers Secret Steak, an 8 oz. shoulder cut, which was delicious. The quality was great, and it was accompanied by redskin mashed potatoes, chives, house-made steak sauce and grilled asparagus. The hubs had the PEI mussels, which were small but sweet, and served in a white wine, garlic and tomato broth. Then he ordered a side of macaroni and cheese. Oh. My. God. This made the meal. The mac and cheese was rich and gooey, made with penne pasta and three cheeses - Monterey jack, gruyere and cheddar. It was rich and creamy, and definitely the type of dish one would order for a good cheering up.

As for drinks, we were impressed with the Light Horse's beer list. They had solid bottle options, a number of local micro-brewers and even a French micro-brewer. I gorged on Left Hand Milk Stout, and left with a happy, hefty tummy.

Overall, we like Light Horse. The food is solid. While nothing on the menu really stands out as a stellar option, we were very happy with what we ordered. This place is great for when you're looking for a low-key, homestyle meal with a great beer list.

All photos credited to Light Horse