14 June 2012

#128: Georgetown Cafe

Date Visited: 14 June 2012

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: The Georgetown Cafe is one of the oldest fixtures in Leesburg. Located in the historic downtown area on King St., it is across the street from Blue Mountain Cafe and Windy City Red Hots. Georgetown Cafe is just one of the properties owned and operated by Fabian Saeidi & family, including Leesburg Colonial Inn, Old Town Grill (formerly The Green Tree Restaurant), King's Court Tavern, Balls Bluff Tavern, and Bella Luna Restaurant (currently closed for renovations). We found out from our server that the plan is for King’s Court Tavern (a rented property) to move into the Bella Luna location (Saeidi-owned), but she was unsure of the fate of Balls Bluff Tavern. The decor of the Georgetown Cafe was simple, with trestle tables just like in the Old Town Grill.

Anyway, the Georgetown Cafe menu is filled with 17th century-themed meals, to go along with downtown Leesburg’s colonial vibe. All of the meals have interesting names (with historical notes included), such as Ben Franklin's Pleasure, The Hot Canadian, The Thoriughfare Gap Express, The Hessian Reuben, The Ambassador, The Blue Ridge, English Pub, Captain's Pleasure, and The Signer's Sandwich.

For starters, Wendy and I both had ice tea and soup. I got the 17th Century Peanut Soup, which was thick, creamy, rich, and very filling. The peanuts and celery bits were not too crunchy, making for a silky smooth experience. Wendy got the Tomato Basil Soup, which was also thick, chunky, and delicious.

For my lunch, I ordered The Ranger's Basket, described as a "half pound of fresh ground sirloin broiled, served on a kaiser roll, and topped with bacon & cheese. Served with lettuce, tomato, and fried potatoes." When the dish arrived, I saw that this was a fancy description for a bacon cheeseburger and fries platter. However, ordinary it was not. The bun was soft but perfectly toasted on the inside, the meat was actually cooked medium the way I ordered it, the bacon crisp, the tomato juicy, and the fries hot and crispy. Yum.

Wendy ordered one of the specials, a Grilled Cheese Sandwich, with the aforementioned Tomato Basil Soup. The sandwich was constructed with thick, Texas Toast-style bread, and the cheese nice and melty. She liked it.

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at Georgetown Cafe and plan to go back to try many of the other dishes. To be fair, most of the Yelp reviews rate the place as average to poor, but our experience today was great. We especially urge your support of this locally-owned and operated restaurant, holding up the traditions of Leesburg’s colonial heritage. Check ‘em out yourself!

Location: 19 S. King St., Leesburg, VA, 20175, 703-777-5000

Web site: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Georgetown-Cafe/122404092575

Total bill: $26.20 + $6.00 tip = $32.20

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Man, liking any of Fabian's restaurants casts serious doubt on your palette. Everyone in town knows these are the places that only tourists eat at, and only once at that. Not throwing rocks, particularly, but if your experience was really that good, it must have been the regular cook's day off. (That goes for Ball's Bluff and the repurposed Green Tree, too, since they all share the same kitchen.)