I wrote about Walker’s Grille in September. This Franconia restaurant displayed good potential, but poor execution killed the meal. Both of my roommates had reported having eaten mediocre food there in the past.

One of the roommates (Cy) and I ate at the restaurant a couple of days ago, and tried out their Restaurant Week lunch menu. The Restaurant Week specials continue through February 10th, and their Valentine’s Day/ Love Week menu runs February 11th-15th.

So, was this meal riddled with execution errors like the brunch I wrote about previously?

No. It was a good meal, with some notable dishes. Everything was made from scratch including the dipping sauces.

The “Hand-Battered Buttermilk Chicken Tenders were crispy and tasty. They were, however, not battered at all, but coated in flour and spices (including Old Bay). The roommate who was with me for this lunch LOVES Old Bay. Both dipping sauces (Ranch and Honey Mustard) were house-made. I am NOT a Ranch Dressing fan, but I’ve never had it freshly made before, and I didn’t hate it (like I would have expected). The Honey Mustard dipping sauce was very good.

The “Trio of Hummus” includes three house-made varieties: Cilantro Lime, Black Olive, and Red Pepper. All three of them were very good, with the olive variety being my favorite and the pepper variety being my second favorite. This appetizer comes with pita.

We both enjoyed the Steak Frites, but for some reason his steak portion was twice the size of mine. It’s more an issue of the size difference than actual portions.

The Chocolate Mousse was exceptional, and included layers of hazelnut cake, a pomegranate reduction, and Chantilly cream.

The Warm Apple Beignets would have been better if they had included pieces of apple instead of an apply ring. The beignets did not fit in the tiny container of dipping sauce, and we couldn’t just rip them because of the apple rings. You are supposed to cut them with a knife and fork and then dip them but it seemed counter intuitive and unwieldy. The beignets weren’t bad, but the mousse blew them away.

So, I’m not sure if this restaurant is stronger on Restaurant Week, or if it has to do with a personnel change they had 5 or 6 months ago, but this restaurant does seem to have improved. You still have a few days left of the Restaurant Week menu. Or, you could try the Love Week menu.

-JAY