convivial

convivial
801 O St NW, Washington, DC 20001
tel: 202) 525-2870

what was consumed: happy hour! cheese plate, spicy lamb sausage, bacon cheese burger, panisse (chick pea fries), floating island (dessert)

yay for happy hour! friend k and i head to convivial for some delicious eats and good conversation.

even on their HH menu, you can sample so many delicious things, as well as get a sense of the creativity that those in the kitchen offer their patrons. the chick pea fries, for example, are a great and creative alternative to traditional fries and the dipping sauce! oh so delicious.

be sure not to skip out on dessert! we wanted something interesting and opted for the floating island dessert - a meringue ball in a pool of delicious caramel "soup" topped with crunchy nuts. a great way to end our delicious meal!

online: http://www.convivialdc.com/

dbgb

dbgb
931 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001 (CityCenter DC)
tel: 202) 695-7660

what was consumed: happy hour! the frenchie burger, thai sausage, maryland crab cakes

lookin' for a place to grab a quick and delicious HH bite? be sure to check out dbgb! chef daniel boulud does not disappoint with the flavors that he offers. the thai sausage, in particular, is super delish. the sausage is flavorful on its own, but all of the garnishes along with a delicious bun makes each bite so delightful. i'll look forward to checking out the rest of the menu ... soon!

online: https://www.dbgb.com/dc

    

la maison

la maison

house 16, street 47, F-7/1, islamabad, pakistan
tel: 051) 8441341

what was consumed: delicious delicious food. lots of cheese (apparently flown in, weekly, FROM FRANCE). fresh bread. foie gras. steak (tenderloin, i believe) with morels, and frites. and a delicious chocolate cake.

oh, la maison. i'm so glad you exist. i'm not sure how or why or what brings your owner to pakistan (and islamabad more specifically), but i'm glad that he's here and that i can make reservations at his delicious restaurant.

i loved that once we sat down, waiting for the rest of our party, we were treated to a few tastes of deliciousness to include cheese from quetta and bits of cured meats atop freshly made bread (i definitely recommend making reservations if you're going as part of a group, even if it's a small group).

i love that when you order cheese, the server comes with a giant platter of cheese and you get to pick and choose from the variety. that always makes me want to eat all. the. cheese. my eyes are definitely larger than my stomach. but is that necessarily bad? i'm not sure.

and the steak! mine was cooked to a nice medium rare and was coupled so well with morel mushrooms and delicious sauce. YUM.

and to top it all off, our order of chocolate cake that we so decadant and dense. the one cake was enough for all of us (though more of a reflection of our bellies already having been stuffed with cheese!).

la maison, even with french prices, you'll see me again, and very soon at that. thanks for welcoming me with open arms.

online: https://www.facebook.com/LaMaisonCoffee/

le diplomate

le diplomate

1601 14th street nw, 20009

tel: 202) 332-3333

what was consumed: mussels, steak, chicken liver mousse

le diplomate has been on my list (as it has been on everyone's list) as soon as it opened. and despite invites time and time again, i turned them down to wait for bjl to get in to town. bjl has his own story with le diplomate (i'll let you hear it from him) and i was happy to save my visit to le diplomate so that i could go with him.

we walked in, reservations in hand. we were quickly engrossed by images of delicious bread being cut, a bar overflowing with food and drink, and food passing by as the staff prepared our seat. bjl knew what he was going to order, but i kept going back and forth between so many delicious options. i was distracted! our server placed a delicious basket of bread with quite a variety along with a healthy scoop of butter. which, turns out, i couldn't get enough of it as i slathered the butter on as much of the bread as i could. and they bring you more!

we started with the chicken liver mousse, a large serving of creamy mousse which arrived with deliciously toasted bread. we then quickly moved to mussels that were perfectly cooked in broth that i wanted to slurp up. and the steak frites! the frites were so crispy! salted and seasoned with such balance! and the steak was cooked so deliciously - seared so well on the outside, juicy and medium rare on the inside.

some comment on the frenchie-ness of the service, but we had a great experience. our server was well versed in the different dishes and able to ask all of our questions, our dishes brought with an air of pride for their tastiness, and everything cleaned up in good time. wonderful!

my frenchie foodie friends also really like le diplomate. that's a good sign, eh?

oh, just thinking about their chicken liver mousse is making me mouth water. i want to go to there and eat, eat, eat!

online: http://lediplomatedc.com/menu

béarnaise

béarnaise
315 pennsylvania avenue SE, washington, dc 20003
tel: (202) 450-4800

what was consumed: brunch! mussels dijon (nueske's bacon, creamy whole grain mustard broth, 63 degree farm fresh egg, fried onion straws). and the brasserie burger (8oz grass fed pennsylvania beef burger, carmelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, swiss cheese, truffle aioli, frites, with farm fresh egg added). someone try the creme brûlée french toast (brioche, maple creme anglaise, blueberry compote) and let me know how it is! it's supposed to be way delish (though perhaps a little too decadent and dessert-y for me, but i'm curious!)

spike mendelsson ... again! i understand that béarnaise is actually more of a family establishment, run by spike's sister. whoever it is, though, is doing a great job, imo. the first time i went was over easter weekend, the first weekend they had brunch! we were also with béarnaise-regular, s, so she helped us maneuver through the experience.

thankfully, we had reservations for their first brunch service for right when they opened. good thing too because they were booked and didn't even have walk-in seats available. we were quickly seated, drink orders taken (their coffee is really good), and were soon greeted with some delicious (looking and tasting!) chocolate croissants to nibble on while deciding on our orders. béarnaise serves a variety of brunch favorites (e.g. omelets, ), i opted for the mussels because i can't resist mussels (and fries!)

their béarnaise sauce is a must. be sure to ask for extra so you can dip your bottomless (and delicious) fries. BOTTOMLESS!

i can't wait to visit again! i'll be sure to try out the dinner menu this time. no guarantees i won't order mussels. or a burger. again.

online: http://www.bearnaiserestaurant.com/

nurish food & drink

nurish food & drink
1231 good hope road, se, washington, dc 20020
tel: 202) 903-7134

what was consumed: lemon zest belgian waffle (belgian waffle infused with fresh lemon zest, served with fresh fruit & syrup); mushroom & gruyère tartine (open sandwich with tomato sauce, sautéed mushrooms, gruyère cheese, and fried egg added); indian spiced pork loin (slow-roasted, curry spiced pork, red cabbage & carrot slaw, jalapenos, fresh coriander on ciabatta); aaaaaaand spicy grilled cheese sandwich (cheddar cheese, hot peppers on pain au levain)

i've known kera carpenter for quite a few years now, both as employer and friend. i continue to frequent domku (it's a usual stop for me when in dc, especially for brunch) as i enjoy both the food and the company. over the years, i'd also heard that she was embarking on a new venture, this time in anacostia.

nurish is located in the anacostia arts center. i like that i can go, see some local art, and enjoy some delicious food. for now, the only quip i have is that i, as someone completely reliant on public transportation but less familiar with the bus routes, find it hard to get to without a vehicle (yes yes yes, i should spend a few minutes figuring out the bus situation ... !!! will do). but i imagine that will change as dc continues to change.

i've read and heard that nurish does a tasting menu/family dinner sort of event. the next time i'm in dc, i'm going to for sure check it out. can't wait!

online: http://www.nurishfoodanddrink.com/wordpress1/

the sweet lobby

the sweet lobby
404 8th street SE, washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 544-2404
hours: monday-thursday 10am-9pm, friday-saturday 10am-10pm

what was consumed: macarons! i've had a variety of flavors, but my favorite is the salted caramel. by far. once, they didn't have any (they were making more) and i almost cried. seriously. k also tells me that their cupcakes are delicious. i trust her opinion. you should too.

i'm not big on sweets. i've even once said, albeit facetiously (because all presents are wonderful), that i'd waaaay rather receive a bag of beef jerky over a box of chocolates (and FOR SURE over flowers. flowers suck. no offense). i'm also the lame restaurant patron who will ask if a side salad or fries (always fries!) may be substituted in a price fixe menu. nevertheless, my desire to try all things food does not preclude me from trying delicious desserts. so, when k told me that i had to try the "perfect macarons" from the sweet lobby, i couldn't resist. per usual.

after a nice lunch, k and i were looking for a little something to have with our mid-day cocktails (yay mid-day cocktails!). she mentioned that there was a (relatively) new place on barracks row that i had to try. she knows that i'm not one for sweets (she really isn't either), but she said that i just had to try the macarons. i, of course, was happy to oblige. so, we head over to the north end of barracks row into a really tiny tiny store front, where we were greeted by a glass case of cupcakes, neatly lined up. looking oh so sweet and pretty. on the other side of the L-shaped counter was the glass case of the macarons we were there to enjoy.

i don't have lots of experience with macarons. i've had some delicious ones in san francisco, but that's about it? i understand, though, that the texture is just as important as the flavor of the macaron. agreed!

k and i got a box of 6 to share. the sweet lobby has a variety of flavors for you to choose from. some are more ... traditional flavors as well as unique and new flavors. we got a few of the more interesting flavors (including passion fruit and green tea). she told me that i just had to try the salted caramel, her favorite; we each got one.

the macaron shell was just perfect - light, soft and yet crisp on the outside, just the right texture. the filling was chewy, but not gummy, sweet, but not overwhelming. i'm glad k suggested i get the salted caramel - it is now my favorite macaron. a nice combination of salty and sweet. YUM.

the sweet lobby also has a neat story - be sure to check it out on their website (they do a far better job telling the story than i do).

k has since gone to, and returned from, paris and had authentic macarons. i'll have to ask her how the sweet lobby compares. in the meantime ... i'll take another salted caramel macaron, please! thanks ^_^

online: http://www.sweetlobby.com/

central michel richard

central michel richard
1001 pennsylvania avenue (between 10th street & 11th street), washington, DC 20004
tel: 202) 626-0015

what was consumed: oysters on the half shell, cheese puff balls, french fries, cassoulet, beef cheeks, sea bass, braised rabbit ...

michel richard is known for some of the best french food in DC. here's the thing - i don't know that much about french food besides the fact that i enjoy it (i know i've said that before). oh, who am i kidding. food is exciting to me (thus this blog, of course) - i like eating and talking about the things i eat. it just so happens that central is a french place.

so, teresa's cousin was in town and they wanted a recommendation for a nice place to eat. last minute! not enough time! it's saturday night - need to make reservations! ahhh!!! i made calls, made arrangements, etc. why do i say yes when people ask me to do that sort of thing? probably because i enjoy it more than i admit, but ... anyway, we decided on drinks at poste, then dinner at central - hurrah, we got reservations! and thanks for taking me along ^_^

all of us finally met up at central and i (at least) was STARVING. and everything on the menu looked absolutely delicious. madonna (cousin) suggested oysters (who doesn't like oysters?!?!), cheese puff balls were recommended, and you know me and fries - always on the menu. totally get the cheese puff balls - light and airy, with a lovely cheese in the middle (don't know what kind of cheese, don't really care. totally delicious).

we all decided on getting different entrees (i got the cassoulet - remember? starving - despite it being more of a stew because who doesn't like a stew-y combination of a gillion meats?!). not only were the dishes so pretty in their presentation, but the flavor combinations were absolutely delicious. fresh, seasoned well, and most definitely pleasing to the palate. i was thinking that stuffing my face with the appetizers and bread would diminish some of my thoughts about the entrees, but that was not the case. i had a bite of the others' dishes (which were all delicious) and proceeded to finish off my dish as well. and for those of you who have ordered cassoulet before, even a small bowl is deceivingly filling (but my bowl was large). all gone, and totally delicious.

no dessert for us fancy ladies! maybe next time. and i do mean next time. can't wait to go back! maybe i'll have the mussels. or the rotisserie chicken. or ... so many things to choose from, that is for sure. yummmmmmm~~~~

my couple of notes: i would recommend making reservations. better to than not. the place seemed to get filled up pretty quickly and they turned their tables over a few times in the night. and if wine and dessert are going to be added to your tab (and for sure you should add wine - we had a great white wine. don't remember what it was, but much of it was consumed), this won't be an economical meal (but totally worth it, let me tell ya); however, the portions are not small ... something to consider.

online: http://www.centralmichelrichard.com/

bistro d'oc

bistro d'oc
518 10th street NW (between e street & f street), washington, DC 20004
tel: 202) 393-5444

what was consumed: bread, mussels, sausage, tripe, anchovy salad ...

i've passed in front of ford's theatre on my way to/from landmark e street cinema (one of my favorite theatres here in DC) what feels like a hundred times, but i had never seen bistro d'oc. or maybe it's that i just never payed any attention to it ... so, when friends proposed having dinner there, i was curious to see what it had to offer. per usual, i did my internet search to see what was recommended, what other people thought, etc. the reviews were hopeful, but not stellar - too bad!

we walked in, having made reservations (note, there weren't very many people in the restaurant to begin with), but the host/server seemed to be confused that reservations were made at all (i found this rather odd ... or maybe they just never get reservations? i don't know). no matter - we were immediately seated and the hostess/server came to take our drink orders. while they didn't have a large selection of beers or wines (and they only have bottled sodas), they did have hoegarden, which i like. we were given menus; additionally, the server brought out a large white-board with the day's specials ... and this specials list was as long (or longer!) than the menu. i was happy to see mussels on the specials list, though, because i had read about them, but didn't see them on the regular menu.

anyway, we quickly ordered and waited for our food to come out, which it did in a timely fashion - total plus. the mussels i ordered were good, though not anywhere near the best that i've ever had (unfortunately). they were mostly creamy and could use a bit more seasoning (but again, these are just my opinions). of course, that didn't prevent me from sopping up the sauce/juice with bread (which was pretty good). the best part of the meal? the fries. i love fries, but these were really delicious! and all this despite the reviews that i had read about them. turns out, they're fried in palm oil (i think she said palm), bringing out a different flavor, a delicious flavor.

there seem to be quite a few french and belgian restaurants in the city. while i am glad to have visited bistro d'oc and try their cuisine, i have a feeling i'll select other options for future dining experiences. - sigh -

online: www.bistrodoc.com/

montmartre

montmartre
327 7th St SE(between S C St & S Pennsylvania Ave) Washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 544-1244
hours: tuesday-friday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-9pm; saturday 10:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-9:30pm; sunday 10:30am-3pm, 54:30pm-9pm

what was consumed: wine! mussells, endive salad, rabbit, steak

i don't know that much about french food. like when people talk about being classically trained in the french style, in french cuisine, i'm not really sure what that means. what i do know is that when i eat so called french food, i totally enjoy it and look forward to eating more and more and more. YUM.

when i was living over by RFK stadium, i would frequent eastern market and i would see mantmartre, always filled with people, thinking that i would have to try out "that french place." so, i finally got a chance to make my visit to montmartre, i was really excited ^_^

reservations were made. you've got to (at least that's how it seemed to me). while the dining area isn't small, it's not too large either. most of all, it was packed with people the entire time we was there. we were quickly seated and, from what i remember, quite close to the tables around us - close enough for it to feel close, but spacious enough for servers to get through.

we started our meal with a nice french wine. oh, who am i kidding. what do i know about good french wine? they're all delicious. i've seen restauranteurs who know wine do tastings in order to decide upon their wine menu. i have faith that montmartre's restauranteur selected his/her wines well. and yes, i enjoyed our wine. a nice red wine that could be versatile and good for whatever would be ordered.

we began our meal with some appetizers. while i could eat salad 24 hours a day, the mussels were calling my name (as they usuall do). there was a nice amount of mussels that were presented to me, in a nice white broth. the endive salad was good, but i was totally a fan of the mussels (which i proceeded to polish off in what felt like seconds. it was probably more like minutes). because i didn't have more than a bite of the endive salad, i can't say too much about it. it was good (i think), but the flavors were quickly forgotten as more mussels made their way into my mouth ... yum.

entrees. i had read up on montmartre prior to my visit and other patrons recommended a number of different things. the entree that came up more often than not was the rabbit. rabbit? rabbit. i remember having rabbit once when i was in elementary school during ms. lewis's 3rd grade class (she is, by far, my favorite elementary school teacher). the rabbit was braised and came with some linguine in a cream sauce (menu description: braised rabbit leg with olives, shiitakes mushrooms and creamy linguini with truffle oil). YUM. the rabbit was juicy (tasting sort of like a more game-y chicken) that absorbed many of the flavors of the sauce well. the linguine was cooked just the way that i like it in a creamy, but not overwhelming, sauce. thanks to all those who recommended it! i also had a bit of the steak (kobe steak with potato gratin, french beans and endive, green peppercorn sauce), which was good, but i was happy to have ordered the rabbit~

what am i going to get the next time i go? i'm already thinking about it ... YUM.