I’d been trying to get into Mulvaney’s for dinner for a month, and things kept popping up. The first time, I couldn’t get the right time. Then I became deathly ill with the flu after getting a sweet 7pm Friday reservation. Finally, this past week I smoooooooothed on in with a 7pm Saturday. Score!

And then I got tickets for Doubt at the B Street under a 2-for-1 offer for their 8pm show. I called Mulvaney’s back, and they told me I was AGN* for 6, although they could get me in at 5. A tad early. A couple hours later, I gave another ring and the perky young woman on the other side of the line said I had called at the “Exact right time!” and she could squeeze me in at 6pm. Double score!!

We parked a block away, and moseyed over to the ex-firehouse. We were greeted by Alterna-hostess, looking very stylish in an LBD**, black-frame glasses, and vinyl boots. Impressive, and we were seated immediately after she thanked us for letting them know we’d be about five minutes late.

The room is extremely open. Dining area blends into four-stool bar blends into food-prep area, although… the actual kitchen where the fire lives is set off behind a pass-through. High ceilings prevent the chatter from being overwhelming, and knick-knacks abound.

The first surprise of the night was discovering that it was Mulvaney’s Second Anniversary, as scrawled on the chalkboard. Our solicitous server treated us to trout balls (to paraphrase Marilyn Monroe, “Couldn’t they have used some other part of the trout?”) rolled in sesame with a hint of horseradish. Delish, and they were paired with half a glass of vivacious prosecco.

First off on the non-complimentary items was smoked salmon with homemade Irish bread and garnishes: hard-boiled egg whites & yolks, capers and red onions. The salmon was in carpaccio-like strips and drizzled in crème fraiche. I am a hard-core ovophobe, but my dining partner said the eggs added a very nice subtlety to the whole arrangement.

This was followed by a beet salad that was incredible. The beets were devoid of that over-earthy flavor that can be their Waterloo, and the fresh greens and slice of grapefruit offered a hint of complexity that was just right. Mulvaney’s prides itself on taking a very local approach to its ingredients—I wouldn’t have been surprised if the salad had been picked earlier that afternoon.

And the main course. I opted for the sheep, whilst my companion chose swinechop. Let me tell you, this was no dried-out, pressed-into-oblivion Safeway chop. It was easily two inches thick, and actually contained juice and flavor. It was complemented by a delectable reduction of something-or-other and I’m totally blanking as to what else was on her plate because I was too busy being blown away by…

The best lamb I’ve ever had. Another two-incher, this was actually two lamb T-bones—each still on the bone—and resting on potatoes au gratin. Each T-bone had a dab of salsa on top, which was not what you’d expect, yet utterly delightful. Medium rare, the meat almost melted under the knife. If I hadn’t been trying to impress my date, I would have followed my grandfather’s philosophy of “Just pick it up…and you have to growl.”

Alas! We had no time for dessert, as we had leisurely dined our time away and had to get to the play. All this was under a hundred bucks, included a $10 glass of Petite Verdot that was actually very close to being worth ten dollars. Service was clean and efficient, without being obsequious. There was no mention of associates. I can’t recommend this place highly enough.

I have never parked so close to the B Street, and it turns out there were two plays going on. Business must be slow. And after seeing the play, I can understand why. Here’s my capsule review.

Doubt: I’m skeptical.

*Ain’t Gettin’ None
**Little Black Dress

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