The Carlyle Grand is a very large, noisy American restaurant in Shirlington's little pedestrian mall area. The lower level has a busy bar and loud, close tables, while the upper level is for quieter dining. We ate upstairs. I like restaurants with large tables and large utensils (the oversized silverware is one of my primary reasons for adoring the Daily Grill), and this place certainly delivered. I also liked the big pub-pint glasses they gave us. Heavy, solid tableware for a nice American restaurant.
Our server was very friendly and flirty, and seemed somewhat queer, which put the three of us in a good mood. He brought us a nice basket of breads: sliced cheese bread baked up with real cheddar, and warmed ficelle with rosemary. It was hard not to totally devour every crumb; the ficelle was especially satisfying. The breads came from the Best Buns Bread Company, which is also in Shirlington. I'd heard good things about this bakery, but I hadn't yet gone in there. I am already planning a special trip there just to buy a few of those ficelle.
Unfortunately, the array of vegetarian options was no more diverse than it had been several years ago; I think one appetizer was meatless, there was a meatless salad, and then there was one entr�e. I ordered the lone entr�e, the straw and hay fettuccine. I was not disappointed: the spinach and regular fettuccine tasted of fresh egg. There were slivers of shiitakes, yellow and red peppers, and onions throughout the dish; they were delightfully easy to pick up and twirl with the pasta, and they were perfectly cooked. There was a creamy, savory garlic-basil sauce and real parmegiano-reggiano cheese topping the dish off. I dove in with my fork delightedly, and ate until I honestly couldn't consume any more. What a great meal!
We didn't order dessert or anything else, and Erin and our guest ordered meals with fish, so I couldn't taste anything anybody else had. That's too bad. I wish Carlyle Grand had more options, because I'd gladly go back again to try them if they existed.