Reston, VA (Reston Town Center)

I visited with friends on a Sunday morning to get some lighter brunch/lunch fare. Familiar with typical dinner options at the Mosaic branch, I was eager to try the brunch offerings at a different location. The clean outdoor seating area proved relatively quiet and conducive to conversation among the three of us. Our server greeted us promptly and offered responsive yet unassuming service throughout our meal. I should have asked for a name, as her checking with me on how I liked my food along with what she liked was most welcome and added to my experience. My food arrived at reasonable times if not a little sooner, so pacing seemed quite appropriate as well. I ordered the strawberry lemon pancakes followed by the beef burger with kale salad side and finally the summer mango tart. The pancakes look and taste like a healthier pancake and had good texture. I wonder if a dressier and more flavorful garnish to go along with the lemon cream (more would have been nice for my taste) would be either some house-made strawberry preserves/jam or maybe an infused syrup with strawberries and mint or something. Maple syrup while traditional seemed too sweet for some reason. The burger was the opposite of a typical greasy fast-food version, and I very much liked the combination of Parmesan, arugula, and well caramelized onions. Meat temperature looked between medium rare and medium to me and tasted subtly enjoyable. I wonder if the bottom bun would be less compressed and soggy if half the arugula were placed beneath the burger. Otherwise toasting the bun would have nearly perfected this burger along with maybe some kind of spiced aioli instead of mayo. The kale salad to me needs lemon (which I requested and got) to brighten the flavor but satisfies regardless. The mango tart has a pleasing appearance overall even with an unorthodox green color that apparently results from the mix of vegan creams used for the custard. I definitely detected a subtle mango flavor, and I would have appreciated a bolder flavor and orange color along with a few mango pieces as garnish. The crust sits in the background and allows the custard to be the star. As I recall the total for my meal settled around $40 or so excluding tax and tip. Prices seemed to be slightly higher than what I might expect for the area, but I did not leave dissatisfied with my experience from most any angle. I could return here and delve into a few other choices that caught my eye.