I recently stopped by Flat Iron Steak & Saloon on King Street on a work related visit and got to sample some of their stuff. The place itself has a bit of a sports bar vibe to it, especially upstairs, but the menu offers more than tavern-chic fare. They have a surprisingly large variety of butcher’s cuts (bistro, skirt, rib eye, T-bone, New York strip, etc.) which are all sourced locally and 100% certified angus. Their starters seem to be well executed versions of gastropub classics – mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat, salt and pepper calamari – nothing innovative or interesting, but things that go well with beer while still doing more than just satisfying a growling stomach. I had two starters, which I thought were a tad overpriced for the amount served. Fortunately, each one of them appears with a $5.00 price-tag on the Happy Hour menu so I recommend getting them then… If you happen to find yourself in Old Town Alexandria between 4-8pm on a weekday, that is. A pretty decent app, in my opinion, are their signature Parmisiana Tots, which come with a trio of sauces. They’re more like croquettes than tots, thankfully. Creamy mashed potatoes mixed up with a salty, smoky bits of applewood bacon and made ooey-gooey with a medley of cheeses thrown in as well. Formed into little balls, breaded and fried to a good crunch, dusted with grated parm. Cracking the crust and being greeted by the mushy soft filling is a nice experience and the yellow “house secret” sauce (probably chipotle mayo, it’s always chipotle mayo…) ain’t bad either. I also recommend the Angus Filet Mignon Sliders, which at $5 are quite the bargain. Three sliders made with a juicy little hunklette of “the cute filet,” with tender strings of sweet sauteed onions, some gooey cheddar jack cheese and a tangy horseradish mayo sauce slathered onto the two halves of a slightly sweet, fluffy little bun. The bread was good enough to not make me just want to discard it and go for the bites of beef. The caramelized o’s were nice in there too. The only issue I had was with the cheddar jack, which I thought was a tad unadventurous and tasted a bit like processed whiz when juxtaposed with such decent quality meat. Otherwise, a great little snack to go with your Port City brew.