noel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 611
Loc: St. Louis, MO, USA
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Someone posted a recommendation for a French restaurant in D.C recently, and I can't seem to find the post. I'm there next week and hope to find it. Please let me know if you can help. Thanks, Tim
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GayleR
Reged: 11/18/02
Posts: 1200
Loc: Toronto, Canada
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I don't remember seeing the post but could it have been the fantastic Michel Richart's Citronelle in Georgetown?
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Kara Brooks
Reged: 09/30/02
Posts: 1394
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Is this the post?
-------------------- Kara Brooks
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noel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 611
Loc: St. Louis, MO, USA
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That's it! Bistrot du Coin! Thanks Kara, and thanks Gayle. We'll put Citronelle on the list too. Regards, Tim
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Kara Brooks
Reged: 09/30/02
Posts: 1394
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Restaurant Nora is another great bet in DC -- the country's first completely organic certified restaurant.
-------------------- Kara Brooks
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noel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 611
Loc: St. Louis, MO, USA
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Thanks! That was one of our favorites when we lived there (1980-83), along with Bistro Francais in Georgetown, both still going strong it seems. Thanks again.
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Lauren
Reged: 10/10/02
Posts: 1332
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Some additional French restaurants for your consideration:
Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar 1736 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. (202)333-0111
Small cozy place as you would find in a small village in France, reserve early, quite a few journalists love it here.
Lavandou 3321 Connecticut Ave., N.W. (202)966 3003
Refined, expensive.
Provence 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. (202) 296-1166
Bring your jacket and tie.
...and in Virginia, right over the Potomac very close...
La Bergerie 218 N. Lee Street Alexandria, VA. (703) 683-1007
Cobblestone street romantic.
Auberge Chez Françoise 332 Springdale Rd (703 759-3800
Great Falls area, forested, very nice place.
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Brian
Reged: 10/22/02
Posts: 594
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Good list, Lauren. I have been to all those in DC.
Just to add my thoughts, du Coin is a large open room with typical bistro food -- tartine, moule, etc. It's loud, packed, and much fun. The wine flows freely and you can always count on a fun crowd of all ages.
Nora is somewhat the opposite. It's amazing organic food, as Kara noted. It's very quiet, with tables separated a good distance. It's a jacket-and-tie kind of place, where you have a scotch at the bar before a beautifully prepared gourmet meal. Food is not French. It's American, but also out-of-this-world great.
Nora and du Coin are very close to each other. Nora is west of Dupont Cirlce (on R Street) and du Coin is north (on Conn. Ave.)
Lepic is a small place at the top of Georgetown (on Wisc. Ave.). They have a wine bar upstairs. It's a regular restaurant setting -- not as loud as du Coin and not as quite and reserved as Nora. The wine bar is very good. It only seats about a dozen people so you can feel like you have it all to yourself. The food is quasi-authentic bistrot.
Lavandou is in Cleveland Park, right on Conn. Ave. It's more of a neighborhood restaurant -- less city feel. The atmosphere is less authentic French than du Coin, but the food is very authentic.
Nora is consistently considered one of the best restaurants in DC, and you pay for it. Du Coin is very reasonable, but we always seem to end the night with a big bill because we've ordered round after round of wine, as we laugh the night away with friends.
Lepic is somewhere in between, and Lavandou is a bit below that (mostly because it is suburban).
Citronelle was mentioned in the linked post. It's not really French. It has some French style food, but really, it's American gourmet. Not one of my favorites. It's about as expensive as Nora without the great taste and atmosphere that Nora offers.
B
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noel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 611
Loc: St. Louis, MO, USA
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What a great list! Thanks Lauren and Brian!
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rb22
Reged: 10/21/04
Posts: 57
Loc: Redondo Beach, CA
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Michel RICHARD is the proper spelling of his name. He is a friend of my family. Just FYI
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dwl
Reged: 02/12/04
Posts: 59
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Can anyone recommend a DC restaurant for a nice (but not formal or super pricey) brunch for a group of 6? We will be there this weekend.
Thanks!!!
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Lauren
Reged: 10/10/02
Posts: 1332
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Well, violating all of your stated requirements, the Sunday Brunch at the Hay-Adams Hotel across from the White House on 16th street is fabulous. They have a roof-top terrace that is open during clement weather, but probably not this weekend, which is a shame, as that is the place I like to go for very special times. Try this web site and then click on "brunch" for the menu. It is refined and expensive, but quite a treat:
http://www.hayadams.com/Dining/lafayette.htm
However, the Clyde's Restaurant Group runs the Old Ebbitt Grill downtown on 15th Street, and that is casual and much less expensive, probably something to look at:
http://www.ebbitt.com/main/home.cfm?Section=Brunch&Category=Menus
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