Restaurant Review: Peppermill Grill American Bistro, Leesburg, Virginia

Menu American-Style Dining.

Price Range Moderate. Lunch: $7 to $20. Entrees: $13 to $22.

Smoking Call for information.

Suggested Attire Business casual.

Address 5 Catoctin Circle SE, Leesburg Virginia

Location Next to the Shell station on the corner of Business Rt. 15 and Catoctin Circle.

Phone 703-445-6200

Summary

Peppermill Grill American Bistro is a decently good restaurant with the potential to be a crowd pleaser if they can quickly complete the transition away from Zeffirelli Ristorante Italiano. I certainly hope that updates to the interior decor are underway. While the food and service are wonderful, I'm afraid they will lose patrons to Tenderjacks and Blue Ridge Grill without a fresh American-style casual dining atmosphere.

Our Experience

My dining partner and I love nothing better than a modern American restaurant. We count classics such as Rock Bottom Brewery, Capital City Brewery, the Pufferbelly, and Coastal Flats among our favorites. The name "Peppermill Grill" stirs up visions of well-seasoned, fire-broiled goodness and we had high hopes for this new bistro on the site of the former Zeffirelli Ristorante Italiano. We did not find the crisply polished eatery we expected; Instead, we found a decent fine family dining restaurant in the midst of a major transition, with unfinished murals and Zeffirelli's decorations still hanging on the walls.

Atmosphere

We visited on a Sunday evening in early October 2008. Zeffirelli's Italian was obviously a staple of the neighborhood. Patio seating by the front entrance is pleasantly adorned with plants and cherub statues. Upon entrance to the Bistro, our eyes were met by a poorly lit, blank white plaster wall with a pass-through to the kitchen. A folding screen hid part of the wall but the overall impression was poor. In the vicinity was a strong old-restaurant smell, which was fortunately limited to that part of our visit and only lingered slightly into the dining room. A small bar to the right of the blank wall, with modern fused glass drop lights and an older TV, suggested potential. The bar fit into our visions of hip American casual dining when little else did.

We were seated at the first booth in the restaurant (understandable on a slow business night). There were three or four other occupied tables nearby. The decor was obviously Zeffirelli's: heavy yet tasteful curtains and romantic light fixtures featuring mauves, greens and golds, with a lot of marble white. The tall booths featured engraved glass separators, one of which featured a capital "Z".

Peppermill Grill American Bistro would be the perfect setting for an Italian Restaurant if it weren't for the strange unfinished mural above us. Hand painted on the wall was a seaside view through wood-framed windows. At first glance I thought it was a new mural. It had an unfinished window and a bit of the artist's original drawing still showing through. However, in places it looked as though someone had applied tape and ripped it off, resulting in crumbling paint. It also left me wondering what it had to do with the Restaurant. Either the murals needs to be finished to match the opulent decor, or the decor needs to be changed to match both the seascape and the theme of the restaurant.

Service

The service we received was excellent. Our hostess was pleasant. Bread and water arrived promptly. Our waitress was friendly and understood gluten intolerance, from which she and I both suffer. She was very understanding of my questions about the menu and the side items. Sadly, the kitchen was out of two of the three sides that I could eat (my treatment diet is fairly strict) but being used to the limitations I was contented to order a double serving of broccoli. Yet given the odd atmosphere, service alone was not going to be enough to justify the moderate menu prices.

Redemption is a Plate of Duck Breast with Walnut Pomegranate Sauce

Despite the inconsistent decor and funky smell by the entrance, the entrees were served hot and delicious. My partner's Peppermill Chicken was generously portioned. Red and yellow peppers decorated well-seasoned chicken breasts, accompanied by his choice of mashed redskin potatoes and rice pilaf. He enjoyed the meal and was pleasantly surprised by the pilaf which is not one of his favorites. I found the duck more than satisfying both in taste and portion. The medallions, cooked medium to order, were as well prepared as any I've had and well complimented by the sweet and nutty sauce. The broccoli was fresh, green and delicious. Other patrons around us seemed equally satisfied by their selections.

With a little work, Peppermill Grill American Bistro can be a staple of the neighborhood. As it is, it may be difficult for them to win over a lot of new loyal customers, when popular competitors such as Blue Ridge Grill are a short drive away.