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Best Bargain Restaurants: Union Street Public House

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Union Street Public House
Alexandria

Unlike many other restaurants, which tend to get sloppy when they're packed, it's the slow nights you want to avoid at Union Street Public House. When the place is full, the servers and kitchen seem to work together with an almost choreographic precision; when it's less than full, you might find a single harried waitress trying to handle a whole room. With this exception, there's remarkably little to complain about at Union Street Public House. It serves good beer and pub food of remarkably high quality to an appreciative audience of Old Town couples, families, and singles.

The Low Country quesadilla, filled with crawfish, andouille sausage, and jack cheese, is a good way to start, as are the fried calamari and the old-fashioned but still delicious baked oysters and clams casino. The US Burger, seasoned with beer, caraway seeds, and onion and served on rye bread with melted cheddar, is a distinguished example of burger innovation. Pastas are good, especially the Pasta Jambalaya. Seafood stew, a generous assortment of seafood and vegetables in a cream and fish-stock base, is full-flavored and satisfying.

Union Street Public House , 121 South Union Street, Alexandria; 703/548-1785. Open Monday through Thursday 11:30 am to 10:30 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 am to 11:30 pm, Sunday 11 am to 10:30 pm. AE, D, DC, MC, V. MapIt!

QUALITY: ****Excellent; *** Superior; **Very Good; * Good
PRICE RANGE: $$$= Very Expensive; $$ Expensive; $=Moderate; ¢=Inexpensive

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