Eight years ago, Joseph Alonso grew tired of cooking for customers who were “more interested in politics than food” and closed Le Mistral, his popular French-Mediterranean restaurant on Capitol Hill, to look for a restaurant closer to his home in Arlington, Va. He soon found one, and seven years ago opened Le Petit Mistral in “downtown” McLean.

It turned out to be a good move, both for the ebullient Alonso and for diners in Northern Virginia. Unlike its namesake, the cold, dry north wind that triggers ill tempers as it blows through Provence, Le Petit Mistral has won a loyal following ever since it opened in a nondescript space facing busy Old Dominion Drive. The space has been transformed by lemon-yellow walls, modern prints, bay windows adorned with red geraniums and a wrought-iron antique chandelier.

In fact, the Spanish-born Alonso is preparing to expand his 60-seat restaurant by opening a bistro and tapas bar next door later this month, complete with flamenco performers, to attract the younger, late-night crowd in the Arlington-McLean-Tysons Corner area.

The timing comes just as one of his regulars, McLean resident and former Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.), moves from Capitol Hill to just down the road as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

“Congressman Goss comes here with his wife,” Alonso said last week as he took a break during a busy luncheon to visit with my wife and me, along with a colleague from The Hill. “I hope he comes more often now.”

If he does, he’ll feel right at home, since Le Petit Mistral is a favorite of many current and former CIA employees. But you don’t have to be a CIA operative to figure out why it’s often hard to get a reservation at Le Petit Mistral. The kitchen’s deft touch and reliance on fresh, seasonal ingredients were evident throughout our meal, beginning with our appetizers.

My wife pronounced her mussels, cooked in white wine, parsley and garlic, “the best I’ve ever had,” while my colleague, Cynthia Sommerfeld, raved about her “escargot Mistral.” I convinced both to let me sample their choices and quickly agreed, especially after downing several pieces of the crusty French bread from D.C.’s Leon Bakery I’d dipped in the garlic-laden juices of the two delicacies.

I love endive salad with walnuts and Roquefort, and order it almost anytime I see it on a menu. Alonso’s version is pleasing not only to the palate but to the eye as well.
The endive was served in perfect circular symmetry around the plate with lavish additions of Roquefort and walnuts.