Not that I was actively looking for it, but I finally found Eventide’s weakness: its brunch menu, into which chef Miles Vaden has injected a little whimsy and sophistication in an attempt to shake up that most predictable of services. The dish I’m thinking about specifically is the BPLT, the standard three-ingredient sandwich but with an added layer of starchy fried plantains. The bite is, by far, the driest, dullest thing that has ever passed my lips at Eventide. I point this out not to embarrass Vaden but to prove that even brilliant young chefs miss the mark on occasion. Fortunately, Vaden doesn’t miss it often at this Clarendon eatery, whose imaginative New American menus have helped turn a once conservative dining neighborhood into a culinary destination.

3165 N. Wilson Blvd., Arlington (703) 276-3165