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Rural Society (Formerly Federalist and Palette) at Loew's Madison Hotel, 15th and M Street - Chef Luis Goral's Argentine Restaurant and Steakhouse


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Walking by the Loews Madison at 15th & M earlier today, I noticed big signs in the windows announcing that Jose Garces is bringing Argentinian food to DC.  No name or opening date were given.  I hadn't heard anything about this previously.  We are big fans of his Spanish restaurant, Amada, in Philadelphia, so it will be interesting to see how this turns out.

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It's an Argentine Steak House.  Because when you're a big time out-of-town chef opening in DC you immediately think, DC needs another steak house.  Yawn.

I too found it difficult to get excited about another steak house, but after dining at Rural Society this past Saturday night, I'm glad I set aside my trepidation and gave it a try.  I was impressed by the food and service.

I had beef tenderloin as an entree, prepared in a massive wood-fire grill.  It was fantastic- simply prepared but full of flavor. The meat was so tender that I barely needed to use the high-quality steak knife that was delivered with the dish. I shared the tenderloin with a friend, so we could sample a wider variety of vegetables.. a wise decision.  Roasted potatoes with black truffle hollandaise, grilled mushrooms with parsley and truffle (because there is no such thing as too much truffles), and roasted beets with orange coriander vinaigrette were all beautifully executed, and amply portioned.

Fugazza- Argentine pizza- with grilled artichokes, fontina, and black olive was good, although not particularly special. A more memorable starter was a light and flaky empanada with Swiss chard, onions and cheese.

My husband went nuts over noqui gratinati- pasta with mushrooms, peas, grilled swiss chard, taleggio, and pistachios. He found it to be extremely rich (in a good way) and very satisfying.

Our primary server was knowledgeable and attentive, as were others who checked in on us periodically. The service was warm and affable, without being intrusive. The manager stopped by our table as well, explaining that he makes sure to touch base with every table at least once.

I had seen several online reports about Rural Society that piqued my interest, and indicated that the restaurant is more than just a steakhouse.  Even so, my expectations were surpassed.

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Geez, Sietsema just gushes about Rural Society...this definitely read like more than a 2.5 star review. Gotta get in here as soon as I can now.

I don't get it. Maybe I've spent too much time in Argentina to appreciate this food. I thought the food lacked the deep savory soul that makes traditional Argentine food so great and the restaurant lacks the casual and convivial ambiance that makes a parilla a parilla. For example, humita is one of my favorite foods on the planet and Rural Society's is dry and bland. The desserts didn't all include dulce de leche, which is so not Argentine. Nor are the prices, but that is a different issue.

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This is a good restaurant, worthy of the 2.5 stars that Tom Sietsema gave it -- at least for much of the menu. All of our meat tonight -- though still good -- was oversalted. Even without that, Rural Society is vastly overpriced. Everything should either be 30% cheaper or a third better. Go for happy hour and stick to appetizers. Beyond that, you'll get a much better steak for the price at Ray's...or maybe any good steakhouse.

There's still an old-school steakhouse culture in this town, but it's a hell of a lot smaller than most "big city" chefs seem to think. In any event, even that crowd would never go this far up 15th for an average steak when there is as good or better on Pennsylvania Avenue. There's certainly enough other good stuff at this restaurant to draw attention. Garces should highlight those things instead of average, overpriced beef.

I actually did like the restaurant. But, if I went again, I wouldn't even think about ordering another pricey steak. The beef just isn't worthy of the hefty price tag.

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Brunch at Rural Society strikes me as a pretty good deal: $25 for two courses, plus a decent basket of Argentinian pastries and choice of OJ, tea, or coffee. For firsts, Bob had the "panqueques," essentially two crepes with dulce de leche, blackberry jam, and wood-roasted pecans; a bit sweet for my tastes, but good. I opted for the empanadas with swiss chard, melted onions, and sardo cheese--probably the best dish of our visit, nice and gooey but with a good, flaky crust, and great to share (there's two in the order). Bob's omelet with Serrano ham and crispy potatoes was maybe the main disappointment: the omelet itself was well-made but plain, seasoned only with onion, and buried under finely shredded fried potatoes. Taken as a whole, it maybe was okay but the parts were underwhelming. The bistec with eggs is a better deal; even if the steak itself is a bit puny, it had nice flavor, the merkén-spiced potatoes were fine and over-easy eggs perfectly cooked, and a small but well-dressed salad rounded it out. (I don't recall any chimichurri on my plate, as the menu states). Coffee was very good also. A solid B or above for the food overall.

My only real complaint is the general atmosphere of the meal: set in the front room of the restaurant, I had the feeling of being in a fancily dressed diner. Tables were set fairly close together, the music was set so low that it added no ambiance, our server was efficient but she didn't really rise above the level of a competent diner waitress. (And her failure to clear our first-course dishes rankled.) Maybe it was just the experience of being in the midst of hungover New Years' revelers, but there was something dis-spiriting about the whole experience--zilch energy or vibe to the room. It was just . . . weird. We were also a bit surprised that they automatically added a 20% gratuity to our bill. We probably would have done that ourselves, given our usual tipping habits, but this is the first I recall that it's been added to a table for two. There's enough here that's appealing that I can recommend it (and some of the other dishes looked very good), but I would hope that the other meals bring more zip.

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Ate here during Restaurant Week and really liked everything, though we thought the steak was the weakest part of the menu.  Didn't notice any salting problems and thought the flavors all popped really well.  The wait staff seem very well trained and were very pleasant and attentive.

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