The Study at Morrison House — Restaurant in Alexandria

The Study was a pleasant surprise if you stay at the hotel. Most hotel restaurants aren't that good and are over priced. What the Study is trying to achieve for the price is out of the ordinary in a good way. They have the right people and the ambiance is there. Unfortunately, the food and service fell short of my expectations.

The location is nice and the Study feels like a cozy place to get a bite with a loved one. There were two other couples there and six in the bar. I was really impressed with the staff's demeanor. Everyone was friendly and easy to talk to. However, there were some major service issues. (Before we get to the food)

The service overall was extremely slow. We ordered two drinks on the menu. One was made incorrectly and it took twice as long to get the correct one. I placed an order for two appetizers, two entrees and asked for them to come out as they were ready. There was a ten minute gap between appetizers. And what seemed like a fifteen minute gap between the last appetizer and our first entrée. The second round of drinks didn’t come till we were ordering desert. But my first drink was gone with the second appetizer. There were no more than twelve customers total. The wait time did not make any sense.

We ordered the hamachi, the lobster and potato, pork belly and seafood stew. Followed by the sweet corn tequila desert and the tres leche cake.

The Hamachi was dull in flavor. The smoke flavor was there and you got some acid. It just needed salt and I got nothing from the passion fruit mayo.

The lobster potato dish was very small in portion size, but was one of the best dishes. The lobster claw seemed like an after thought. There was no buttery flavor and had an overcooked texture. It came on a plate with some wilted micro greens. You'll see these greens on everything. The potato came with a little scoop of caviar in a very flavorful broth. It truly wasn't just a potato but that's what I'm calling it. This was my favorite dish of the night. I would order it again and ask to pay more for an entrée size portion.

The pork belly had a gamey pork taste to it. It should have been marinated and or soaked in buttermilk to pull that tast out. If it was what I ordered for myself, I would have sent it back. The pork was also not crispy, it was soggy. It was almost like it had been sitting, because the mash or pureed potatoes underneath were cold. The cold potatoes and snow peas were the best things on the plate.

The seafood stew was good and bad. I love grilled octopus and this had a decent portion size of it. The broth or soup was bland and I added salt to it as I did with the hamachi. The catch of the day/ fish was dry and overcooked. It looked like my wilted micro greens. The clams, shrimp, scallop and potatoes just all lacked flavor. Even though it appeared that some of these things were cooked separately before being added together. Thus, the reason my octopus was still slightly crispy and had a nice char taste. The presentation of this dish was nice.

Last, the deserts. The sweet corn tequila desert could have been great. The server poured a few spoonfuls of tequila on the desert while it was lit. That would have been fine. But he poured the rest of a small cup on to it. The alcohol was not able to fully burn off, because of the cream that was in the bowl. It completely destroyed the cream. I asked for another bowl and another serving of cream, which they kindly brought out. They should have remade it. I took a bite of the cake and it was also done by the tequila. What I didn't like at this point, was that my server tried to imply that I did something wrong. And that it was supposed to taste that way. It tasted like tequila. You can see it in the picture. The other dessert was fine. I noticed that they are using the same cream for 2 different desserts. It's not a true tres leche cake. I would order the sweet corn dessert again without the tequila. I would not order the tres leche.

Total 160. Will not return, but they...

Enjoyed a very nice meal here a few weeks back while staying at the Morrison House. I can't say enough things about Earl, our server, who was absolutely brilliant- pleasant, professional, helpful, and patient with all our questions about the menu! We had several visits from the manager Leo, who was helping the servers as the night went on and tables got full. So service was top-notch. We started with the Heritage Croquettes, which were very interesting because of the perfectly fried outside, with an inside that was light and creamy. The red onion pickle and trout roe caviar was a nice touch of saltiness! For mains my wife had the Run Down Stew, their very tasty version of a bouillabaisse! It included an excellently grilled octopus tentacle, very large shrimp, several good sized and perfectly seared scallops (with which they happily replaced the clams my wife doesn't enjoy), a nice piece of cod, which coincidentally was my main meal as the fresh catch. The cod was meaty and thick, but prepared expertly as my fork easily separated layers for my enjoyment! Her broth was a tasty scotch bonnet stock, which wasn't too spicy and added another layer of flavor to the other marvelous ingredients! There was also a few purple sweet potatoes, which gave some starch to a very protein-intense meal. They were soft and filling! My cod was on a bed of very tasty bok choy, which is often-times over-cooked, and had soaked up a bit of the dark tomato broth beneath. We decided to splurge on the Churros In A Row- again, expertly fried with no evidence of excess oil, and a generous amount of both cinnamon sugar and spicy chocolate sauce! We explored the wine menu, which had some nice selections. Often we simply try glasses to enjoy better pairings with our individual dishes. Although small, the wine list was more than adequate, as was their offering of beer and cocktails! Ambience was warm and cozy, with plenty of space between tables and booths, something many restaurants seem to forget by cramming a few more 2-tops in normal aisle or walking space. My only regret was that we couldn't eat there again during our weekend, as they aren't open every night. For Alexandria with its plethora of restaurants, The Study is near the very top. Clearly the management has provided an experience that requires an excellent and well-trained team, which is something they should certainly be proud of, never mind they're a "Hotel Restaurant". Probably the best dining experience we've had since visiting Alexandria over the...

Words cannot express our utter delight dining at The Study. In an area filled with various eateries this incredible gastro experience is tucked away-off the beaten path in the Morrison House-A Marriott signature hotel. Now, don't ever let a restaurant attached to a hotel give pause. This was amazing. It's elegant, sublime, approachable, and memorable.

The menu consists of uniquely paired seafood, beef, vegetable dishes masterfully and creatively prepared. That's what was exciting. Real creativity! The bar, rightfully so, gets a lot of attention but the food, oh, the food! I do have to give a shout out to the perfect martinis, one gin, one vodka, both perfect

We started with the "snack "of house made pickles. Fresh summer squashes and cucumbers adorned with flower petals and three flavored "sauces" were quite a surprise. Refreshing, a little spicy, and memorable- it was perfect for a warm spring evening and the martinis.. The crudo tostada trio was beyond our expectations, and we almost ordered more. The three worked so well together- yet each was a standout.

Of course we had to try the croquettes and were not disappointed. That sauce is worth writing about. When you get a serving with three, and you battle each other for the third, that's a statement. Delicious.

As for mains-I had the steak and onions, he had the bass. Silence fell upon the table, and bites were exchanged. Both were so different and yet very exciting.

We were stuffed, but decided to go full throttle intro dessert. We talked briefly to the chef who had just made fresh corn cakes, which we had with a boozy tequila cream sauce. It may sound odd, but it was magic. We also shared an order of the tree leches cake. Both desserts were well portioned at the end of an amazing meal.

If I had but one suggestion it would be to have spoons set with the flatware service. We scraped all of the sauces with our knives and forks, and yes, when no one was looking, and index finger.

Please look at this menu and see if it is of interest to you as a diner. True gastronome's will love the experience. In a town full of amazing food choices I encourage you all to peruse The Study....