Alpine Restaurant

The site is now up for sale. Probably more cuttie clutter condos will be built. Those Liberty Tavern assholes have ruined a great institution.
The new owner said on buying the place that he would keep all the staff — then he fired them all in 1 week. Fuk u Liberty Tavern, Northside Social — young guys too who have no values except $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Delicious and beautiful but not cheap. But you knew the prices going in. And it is a good deal for what you get.

Alpine is closing!

The atmosphere here is… well, alpine. As in shockingly early-​20^th-​century Piedmontian cabin-​ish. It’s gorgeous and one-​of-​a-​kind. Walking into it off of the ugly Arlington street it sits on is like falling through a wormhole. Hands-​down the best place I’ve ever been for a date. The meat platter was out of this world. Some of the best meat I’ve ever eaten. They must marinate it for days. The first bite literally made me drool. Other dishes were just ok. But worth going just for the meat and atmosphere.

We had not been to the Alpine in literally ~30 years. For some reason we decided to stop by last night, and it was a little like stepping through a time tunnel. The food was pretty good. My wife ordered veal, but didn’t like it, so we traded. I thought it was ok – IMHO with veal you get what you pay for, and nowadays, $ 22 seldom gets you great veal. I ordered (then gave up) sole almondine, and it was very good – my wife enjoyed it very much. Caesar salad was not too hot. Clams casino appetizers (time tunnel) were very good!
We actually started the evening having a drink in the bar. It was filled with a few bar-​flys, several were smoking. But the bartender made us some good drinks, and we spoke to and reminisced with the very friendly owner/​chef. He also wondered if getting rid of what was a wonderful outdoor area, complete with grape arbor, was a mistake.
On this particular Friday night the Alpine was virtually empty. For some reason the service was very slow.
I don’t know if we’ll ever go back. Can’t complain, but… all things being equal, if we’re in the mood for Italian, we’re probably more likely to go to Tutto Bene or the much trendier Setto Bello.

I have been coming to Alpine for years with my family. Their food is really good, i espcially like their calamari because its spicy, the clams casino, the lamb chops, the shrimp cardinale, and the tenderloin. sometimes you can even get pizza which is reallly really good too. the service is very attentive regardless if you sit in the bar area or dining rooms. the only drawback is that the place is not swanky at all there is a really old feeling about it not to mention the regulars that go all the time and the over 60 crowd. but hey good for them that they go out and have a good time!

I am an out of towner who ate there recently and I was definitely not impressed. It was way too over priced for the food that we were served. The pasta sauces were home made, but they were the same consistency as milk. They could have been a lot thicker. And the bread was cold (I mean straight out of the fridge cold) and the butter was not spreadable. It was cold and hard as a rock.

What is wrong with you people? Is it possible that Alpine is «too authentic» for my rote tastes? Did I just get a bad dish?
I went here for a birthday dinner extravaganza. I was thrilled by a Chef’s Special that allows you to get an appetizer, a salad, entrée and dessert for something like $ 35. I got the calamari, salmon covered in an inch of coarsely ground mustard and key lime pie (my counterpart got Tiramisù, and I didn’t want to copy her). I thought the calamari was fine, though my companion said it wasn’t very good. I reminded her that it’s supposed to be chewy and that they are not, in fact, tiny onion rings. Apparently she already knew that. My problem was my main entrée. I forget the name, but it was a salmon fillet covered in a mustard sauce — except they piled so much sauce on top, that’s all I could taste. That amount of mustard did terrible things to my bowel movements for days. The Tiramisù, however, was really good — not soggy like it is at some places. Too bad I didn’t order that.
By the end of the meal, I guess I didn’t really feel like I got $ 70 of joy out of my experience. I’ve gotten a better joy-​to-​dollar ratio out of Macaroni Grill or maybe even CiCi’s Pizza. It didn’t help that our waiter seemed angry at us all the time… maybe because we couldn’t understand what he was saying? The girl I was with didn’t like the décor — not even the castle-​shaped lamp cover above our table!
This is the first time Unilocal has let me down, and I owe all the other reviewers a limp slap to the face.

I REALLY wanted to like Alpine since the previous reviews have been great and it’s really close to my house. We did go about an hour before closing on Thursday night so the service was a little slow although the host who seated us (I think he was the Manager) was extremely friendly and energetic.
Unfortunately though the pasta part of my ravioli was very good, as was the gorgonzola sauce, the filling was extremely lacking. It was thinner than either half of the pasta. Disappointing since I picked ravioli over pasta for the filling.
The atmosophere was great (just liked you’d imagine an Italian grandmother’s kitchen) so I’m not going to write it off completely and will hopefully try it again.

I have never been disappointed at the Alpine. Its a great place to take out-​of-​towners (who are still impressed by the pictures of newsmakers past and present that adorn the entryway).
I think most of the pasta is homemade. I have had lasaga and manicotti, both were devine. Most times I have had a steak or prime rib. The place is cozy and the service is excellent.
This is one of the few places left that knows how to cook in the traditional way. That might mean I am way too old.

I was not impressed at ALL! after reading many reviews i thought this place was going to be good. I had a linguini with clams dish that was well below average. The place was a little pricey and I felt that I was walking into an old barn. The service was ok but nothing to rave home about. I think this place was at some point good… but now everything just looks really old and the food is sub par. I did not have a good expierence. I may have been expecting to much, but I have had way better Italian at Olive Garden (not saying much).

Service was fantastic. Very personal. The manicotti and ravioli was very good.
Would recommend to anyone.

I had the best linguine alla vongole (linguine with clam and white sauce) it was simply amazing with a beautiful presentation & large portions. The oyster and crab-​stuffed oysters is delicious~!! The calamari is a little bit too spicy for the kids, but great for adults. A very quiet restaurant, we had 3 kids with us and a room to ourselves.

I once dreamt of a ski lodge for the Mafioso, where the mob would go to unwind after a season of rubbing people out and expelling vowels to the nth degree, a place where they trade hot lead for hot cocoa. It was a dream, but I have found its doppelgänger in The Alpine, a large but cozy Italian restaurant at Glebe and Lee Highway.
The Alpine is nondescript in a descript sort of way. The type of place where when you drive by, you say, «What the f is that place like?,» but never actually go in because you don’t want to get yourself into a uncomfortable position of having to eat dinner at a dump just because you don’t want to offend the proprietors doubling as host/​server and chef/​hat check person.
From the outside, it’s like that. On the inside, you are surrounded by antlers on the wall, autographed pictures of Redskins, presidents, news folk, and Tip O’Neill! As well as great service and great food.
We went on Saturday night, probably around 7pm, and it was not crowded, as we were sat immediately w/​lots of open seating. Their small parking lot was full (auxiliary parking across the street — watch out for the metal post in the middle of the turn in), but there are multiple nooks/​dining areas with many open tables, so I really don’t know how busy they were.
Like I said, the service was great and the food was top-​notch. All four of us were very pleased with everything. Nothing stood out as a «you’ve got to get …» dish, but everything we did have was great, fresh, authentic. The wine selection was decent, as were the prices (I think, but I’m pretty ignorant in wine issues).
If you are famous, you should go because they will put your picture on the wall (I don’t know if you have to supply your own frame). If you like good Italian food, you should go because that is what they offer.
Whether you need a dark, intimate place to hatch a plan, or you want Italian food that is good to eat, don’t say, «What the f?» Say, «What the hell…»

Best Italian I have had in DC yet! Alpine is unsuspecting from the outside from two respects. It doesn’t look like a top-​notch restaurant and it looks small. Don’t judge a book by its cover. The restaurant has excellent Italian food, I highly recommend the Osso Bucco. It probably has enough space on the inside to seat a couple hundred and would be a great venue for a large banquet.

Best Italian in the DC area. Great place for a date or dinner with family.
Every dish is good — especially love the fresh pasta and the sauces. The waiters are always friendly. Nice atmosphere.
Sometimes tight parking, but there is an addtional lot across the street.

Very nice and cozy Italian restaurant. Got the portabella mushrooms salad as an appetizer (hearty slices of portabella adorned on top of mixed greens and sliced tomatoes, drizzled with a light zesty dressing). Delish and tastes great with their freshly baked bread. I had the veal chops and they were amazing (came with polenta, truffles, sundried tomatoes, and a side of spaghetti). My dessert of profiteroles weren’t that great. Didn’t like the custard filling inside. I personally liked this restaurant better than Da Domenico.

Good real Italian Food. The Best Calamari I have ever had. Very spicy but absolutely delicious. Nice quiet bar. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much, but the inside is warm and cozy. Lasagna is very good, pasta and sauces are excellent as well.

Has a nice winter cottage feel with fireplaces going. On weekend nights there is a violinist.
Linguine a la cardinal:
Tenderloin black and white (crabmeat) which is so good:
Pic at the table: