By the Gastronomes

Like most of you, we are creatures of habit and sometimes it’s hard to step outside of that box! But….we did just that on an early Sunday afternoon on one of those “warm” late August days and treated ourself to brunch at Hummingbird Restaurant and Bar. We definitely aren’t strangers to Hummingbird or “brunch” but we have never really considered combining the two. It has always been cocktails and snacks on the patio or celebrating a birthday lunch or two during the course of the year.

Hummingbird is the brain child of Alexandria’s Eat Good Food Group (creators of the former Restaurant Eve) and is under the extremely creative wings of Meshelle Armstrong and her very capable staff. In describing the cuisine, they say it best on their website: The menu follows the rhythm of the seasons and celebrates the seafood pride of favorite coastal waters from the Chesapeake Blue Crabs to Dublin Bay Prawns. Rest assured, there are also lots of “landlubber” offerings at Hummingbird as well. We will leave you to your own devices and ability to tap into their full menu on their website via your communication devices.

We were there for brunch, so let’s talk about that. The brunch menu is very diverse without being overbearing. It is evident that they want you to have an enjoyable meal. At the top of the menu there is the following suggestion:

For your delight and to ensure prompt kitchen timing for service, we recommend sharing the “Happy Beginnings” prior to the main courses. We are happy to substitute potatoes for salad or fruit.

There are six shareable “Happy Beginnings” ranging from their popular Cinnamon Rolls and Avocado Toast to the Old Bay Poached Shrimp Cocktail and the Hummingbird’s Salad and Heirloom Tomato Salad – salads are available with add on’s of grilled chicken or chilled cocktail shrimp. Followed by eight “Happy Brunching” offerings. These range from a standard Farm Breakfast (two eggs, choice of meat, etc.) to Hummingbird French Toast. In between these two you will find Crab Hash, Salmon & Grits, Steak & Eggs, Huevos Rancheros, three different “Friends with Benedicts” – classic w/Virginia country ham, lobster and barbeque – and classic French Toast. All are prepared with a Hummingbird “twist” and served with a choice of red bliss potatoes, or fruit. Rounding out the menu are the Fried Chicken Sandwich and the Hummingbird version of the latest fad – the Beastly “Smash” Burger. There were four teenage boys sitting at a table next to us and between them we witnessed the chicken, the burger, and the steak and eggs. The sandwiches are large to say the least and the steak and eggs would have fed both of us.

Before getting around to ordering our “Happy Beginnings”, we ordered cocktails. Our beverage choices were a Bloody Mary and an R&R – one of their specialty cocktails consisting of rye whisky, Appleton rum, orgeat and pineapple juice. The Bloody was very good but they were out of pineapple juice so we asked them to substitute orange juice and it worked out fine. They have several specialty cocktails and a couple of non-alcoholic offerings along with a nice selection of wines by the glass. Sparkling Mimosa’s by the glass and by the flight piqued our interest but we decided to save them for the next time. Full bar service and beer is available as well.

Our “Happy Beginnings” consisted of the much talked about house cinnamon rolls. Just like the description – three big squishy rolls – they are nothing short of amazing. Once they appeared on the table, we had to order a cup of coffee to share because we just knew it would make them taste even better. We split one and took the other two home to enjoy with our coffee the next morning. For the record, the coffee at Hummingbird is amazingly good – not sure exactly was set it apart from other good coffee we’ve had but it did.

Moving on to “Happy Brunching”, the classic eggs benedict and Hummingbird French toast were our choices. Both of these dishes were very good but neither hit it out of the park like the cinnamon rolls did. The eggs, the Virginia ham and the hollandaise on the benedict were all prepared well and tasted amazing but the dish arrived room temp. The Hummingbird French toast caught both our eyes when we looked at the menu. Both of us are partial to island flavors and this dish with caramelized pineapple, rum and banana maple syrup and candied nuts wasn’t to be ignored. Beware that it is really sweet but it is worth checking out. We weren’t sure what the nuts were but they appeared to be candied pecan pieces tossed in powdered sugar. A few of these go a long way and we would suggest that switching them to toasted pecans might be the way to go. In either case, we would order them again.

The Sunday we were there may have ended up being temperate enough to sit outside on the patio but we weren’t taking chances so opted to eat in the dining room. We are very partial to the décor here since we are very fond of the water, sailing and all things nautical. Meshelle has a very discerning eye and when it comes to interior-decorating, she excels. The look here is both rustic and chic with clean lines and bursts of color. Hummingbird’s signature royal/navy blue and white checked shirts and dresses that the servers wear is a refreshing change to the seemingly standard black pants and black shirts or black pants and white shirts donned by the majority of eateries in the region. While we are on the subject of servers, our service was spot on without being intrusive. The main dining room area was very busy in addition to two private events going on in both spaces to each side of the room but it didn’t appear that any diners were lacking in attention.

When we left, the patio had several people enjoying cocktails and eats. There was a bit of a breeze coming off of the water and the umbrellas were doing their job. We spent our fair share of time on this patio while all of the waterfront construction was taking place and the view was not exactly desirable but that isn’t the case today. Whether inside or out, there is a nice view of the water and if you are there for an early morning breakfast (they open at 6:30 am Monday – Friday and 7 am Saturday and Sundays) you might be able to catch a sunrise! September is a primo month for dining al fresco and this patio is a grand place to be.

The restaurant is located in the Hotel Indigo at 220 South Union Street and operates with that address and you can walk through the lobby to the entrance, but we think the best way to get there is walking along the waterfront on The Strand and entering from the patio side. It isn’t directly on the new River Walk, but it is still situated close enough to the water to be considered water front dining.

For those of you who have yet to visit Hummingbird, don’t be put off by it being situated in a hotel. While it does provide room service to Indigo’s guests, it is more of an independent restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch to tourists and locals alike.

Hummingbird Restaurant & Bar

220 South Union Street

Old Town Alexandria

703-566-1355

Hummingbirdva.net