[CrescentFresh]

I don't delve deeply into the menu at Les Halles. In fact, except for a Tony Bourdain dinner there 1+ years ago I never go there for any reason other than to sit out on that patio on Penn. Ave. That's my favorite reason for going there and I did so last night with Black Sheep and MelGold.

I like it there because it's spacious. You're not sitting on top of one another. But you are close enough to hear snippets of conversation and try to determine "what the deal is" with your neighbors. And if you can't figure it out, you can make it up. Local working schlubs (like me!), skateboarders, oddly dressed tourists, and the occasional gaggle of circus freaks (like me!) are always meandering down Penn. Ave. so there's plenty of opportunity for great people-watching.

Last night it was accompanied by a "didn't wow me" steak tartare, sucky fries, a cheese plate that had some very generous portions of 5 types of cheese, some apples and nuts for only $9.50, a basket of bread with some delicious butter, and bottles of overpriced (but not TOO overpriced) Loire red that hit the spot on a perfect evening weather-wise.

But even though the food is so-so, it's perfectly fine snackage for a gorgeous, unrushed night with a little wine, some nice company and a great place to sit and soak it all in.

[Meaghan]

I totally agree. It's a perfect place on a Sunday afternoon when the weather is as it is today (perfectly sunny and 72 degrees). I think it's something about the way the sun hits it and the canopy of bigger, older buildings in the distance. I remember the last time I was there-the awakening of spring last year. It was one of those days when you know you should be doing something else, but you just drop it and enjoy every last moment you have. Until. Monday.

[Waitman]

A few years back, when my family and I were moving to Denver, possible forever, we had a farewell dinner outside at Les Halles, on a perfect Sunday night. The party ranged in age from 4 to 50 and there were maybe 12 of us -- it was a brilliant French/yuppie twist on a Norman Rockwell painting, with the Capitol Dome visible from some seats and the Monument looming above others. We did some serious fucking damage - at one point the number of empty bottles plus the number of dirty dishes must have approached triple digits; the kids were having a great time and the adults were having an even greater time and Pennsylvania Avenue was our dining room. Fucking brilliant.

I almost felt guilty moving back, after a sendoff like that.

[happyguy]

I opened Les Halles in 1993 as the bar manager and some of my best memories are of sitting with michel (now owner of Bistro DuCoin) on the patio at night drinking wine and smoking some phenominal cigars. When We opened, the food was great-best fries and steak frites around-now i think the only good thing about it is the patio and the view. I miss it sometimes.

[Xochitl10]

CrescentFresh, on Mar 11 2006, 01:17 PM, said:

I don't delve deeply into the menu at Les Halles.  In fact, except for a Tony Bourdain dinner there 1+ years ago I never go there for any reason other than to sit out on that patio on Penn. Ave.  That's my favorite reason for going there and I did so last night with Black Sheep and MelGold.

snipped.

I saw the original posting and became momentarily jealous that I had other plans for Friday night. During the summer, my co-workers and I can frequently be found on the patio at Les Halles, drinking Champagne and well-made Gimlets and basking in that commodity rare among lawyers -- the ability to be drinking Champagne and Gimlets outside at 6:00 pm on a Friday night. We enjoy the cheese and find the fries passable, but the outside and the drinks are really the draw.

[Pappy]

happyguy, on Mar 12 2006, 02:19 AM, said:

I opened Les Halles in 1993 as the bar manager and some of my best memories are of sitting with michel (now owner of Bistro DuCoin) on the patio at night drinking wine and smoking some phenominal cigars. When We opened, the food was great-best fries and steak frites around-now i think the only good thing about it is the patio and the view. I miss it sometimes.

Les Halles in the 90s put out some very good food. The mussels were clean, plentiful and cooked just right. The onglet was chewy and flavorful and frites were perfectly twice fried. The steak tartar was the best in town. The bread was real french bread with yeasty aroma. The the wine list had some bargains. And Michael was a wonderful host.

Unfortunately, the food at Bistro du Coin seems to be an afterthought. Of all the other "bistros" in town, I think only Bistro Francais in G-town approaches it.

[Miami Danny]

Pappy, on Mar 12 2006, 02:40 PM, said:

Unfortunately, the food at Bistro du Coin seems to be an afterthought. 

While I love to inhale bus fumes as much as the next person, I don't think it is necessary to trash Bistrot du Coin in a thread on Les Halles. I had the good fortune to stop in at BdC 3 times in the last month, and the generous cheese plate, mussels, smoked duck salad and a bartender named Ben made all three times memorable-and of course Michel's kooky hand-made shirts and half-smoked cigars always bring a smile to my face. Getting back to Les Halles-that place slipped after Michel left, and maybe before, and has never regained its footing. It's telling that all the good memories on this thread are like ten years old!

[DanielK]

I was at Les Halles the other night for a quick pre-theater meal.

There were only 3 of us, so there wasn't much of a deep dive into the menu, but I can tell you that their Pre-Theater menu is quite a bargain. For $17.89, you get either soup or salad, and an entree from a choice of four (steak frites, chicken, fish, or pasta).

The soup was a very nice potato chowder. I thought the steak frites was very well prepared. Cooked exactly to medium-rare with a reasonable amount of char, and very flavorful and beefy. The double-fried frites were crispy and tasted of potato.

Service was pleasant, if a little bit confused, but after being told of our 7p show, they had us out with time to spare. If you're in the neighborhood, and it's nice outside, it's definitely worth a diversion for pre-theater dining.

[CrescentFresh]

DanielK, on May 11 2006, 09:19 AM, said:

Service was pleasant, if a little bit confused, but after being told of our 7p show, they had us out with time to spare. If you're in the neighborhood, and it's nice outside, it's definitely worth a diversion for pre-theater dining.

We ran into DanielK briefly on the patio at LH. Our service was pitiful. The worst I've ever had there. I'd finish a glass of wine and reach to the ice bucket to pour another, start pouring it and by the the time the first milliliter dropped into the glass there was a server grabbing the bottle out of my hand to pour it for me.

Dude, if you can get there that quick when I start pouring it, where the hell were you when my glass was empty?

The cheese plate, which normally varies between pedestrian and ok for the price, was terrible, too. The cheeses came out so cold they tasted like clay. That was if you could taste anything. Cheese that's too cold is just like wine that's too cold.

And, two visits in a row now, no steak tartare.

I'm almost wishing that the weather would turn too freakin' hot so I can stop having an urge to hang on their patio until October.

[legant]

Miami Danny, on Mar 12 2006, 06:52 PM, said:

...has never regained its footing...

Any updates? They serve until midnight which makes it a good place for after-theater dining. A true rarity in downtown DC.

[hillvalley]

Engh....I'd go if nothing else was open.

I went today for lunch because I was craving steak tartar. I chose LH because I was looking forward to some imput into how my tartar was made. How stupid of me to assume that just because the tartar was prepare at table side I would get to add my two cents into how I would like it prepared.

My plate of fries and salad came at the same time as my lunch companion's streak frites. (I owe him big for suffering through that steak to placate my craving.) But it took at least another 5-10 minutes before the guy with the tartar cart came over to the table. He then went ahead and prepared the tartar without asking how I like it prepared, with the exception of the amount of tabasco he added. For the record, there was too much onion and dijion mustard and not enough tabasco. What's the point of tableside service if you aren't going to at least pretend to make the customer happy by asking their preferences?

The only thing that made up for the tartar was watching the table of tourists behind me realize what was being prepared and explaining it to the 8 year old boy with them.

[Joe H]

I've never understood why Anthony Bourdain admitted to an association with the D. C. outpost or the New York original. My wife and I were there a week ago Sunday and I spent almost the entire time thinking about Paris and how much better even the middling Hippopotamus was!

[jparrott]

I'm a big fan of Les Halles. But only if I'm on that side of town and it's after 10:30. Basic steak and chips, a decent beer or basic Bordeaux, and sometime the bartender is even communicative.

[Miami Danny]

Joe H, on Dec 27 2006, 06:42 PM, said:

I've never understood why Anthony Bourdain admitted to an association with the D. C. outpost or the New York original. My wife and I were there a week ago Sunday and I spent almost the entire time thinking about Paris and how much better even the middling Hippopotamus was!

Bourdain was cooking at Les Halles in NYC when Kitchen Confidential came out. Of course, Les Halles in NYC was a 'throwback' when it opened, and an instant success, almost single-handedly reviving the classic French bistro/steakhouse, and introducing a generation to onglet. Bourdain did not join the staff until years later, when the place had already hit its stride, and when he became famous, he was, in fact, the 'Executive Chef' of Les Halles, whatever that means, as the partners who owned Les Halles, had obviously already created the recipes and menu. Jose, who 'co-wrote' the Les Halles Cookbook with AB, has not had an affiliation with them for years. I haven't been back to the NYC or DC Les Halles in a while, but I remember with misty eyes the meat counter at the front of Les Halles in New York, where the hanger steak (who knew?) was on display for retail sales-yeah, the original was also a butcher shop.

[Waitman]

Joe H, on Dec 27 2006, 06:42 PM, said:

I've never understood why Anthony Bourdain admitted to an association with the D. C. outpost or the New York original. My wife and I were there a week ago Sunday and I spent almost the entire time thinking about Paris and how much better even the middling Hippopotamus was!

Bourdaine never claimed to be a particularly brilliant chef (nor, apparently, did he set out to be the media star he's become, though he doesn't seem to mind it either). The book that made him may have had a cover photo shot through the window of the restaurant he happened to be working at at the time it was published -- probably because the lighting and gold leaf lettering made a nice picture -- but the book has relatively little to do with Les Halles.

Not that he should shun the association. When it opened -- and intermittantly, ever since -- Les Halles put out a swell steak frites, something that was hard to find elsewhere (anyone ever go to Le Steak in G'town in the 70's?) and things like blood sausage and well-priced southwestern (France) wines that were a rarity. It also had a version of the same butcher shop Miami Danny remembers from New York, located conveniently two blocks from my office and a half-block from my bus stop, so I could pick up an onglet (effectively introduced to DC by Les Halles) or some saucisse on my way home. It is always fun and occasionally brilliant, and the last time I was there I watched well-known foam-and-tapas pusher Jose Andres wolf down some beef and spuds combination or another with no apparent problem. Good enough for me. Neither AB nor LH -- in the long run -- have any apologies to make.

And in my limited but not insignificant knowledge of steak frites in France, LH does much better than "middling".

[theakston]

Aside from their Steak Frites and their patio in Summer I always enjoyed their Choucroute specials that they roll out in the Winter.
It's been a while since I went but I remember tucking into one at the bar opposite Senator Moynahan who was tucking into something similar and tipping back a glass or two - shows how long ago that was!
Looks like it will be featured again this Winter - must try and check it out:
link to details

[Drone]

About a year ago, there were a number of postings here about Les Halles' general mediocrity -- lousy service, pedestrian food and the like. Anybody been there recently & seen or heard of signs of improvement?

[chickenlover]

Drone, on Feb 4 2007, 12:21 PM, said:

About a year ago, there were a number of postings here about Les Halles' general mediocrity -- lousy service, pedestrian food and the like. Anybody been there recently & seen or heard of signs of improvement?

I was there about 6 months ago. I can confirm the general mediocrity.

[DLB]

A few weeks ago I had a very good Cassoulet, and my wife raved about the steak au poivre. I still think on a good night they have some of the best fries in town. The tart tatin was also pretty good that evening.

[xcanuck]

Drone, on Feb 4 2007, 12:21 PM, said:

About a year ago, there were a number of postings here about Les Halles' general mediocrity -- lousy service, pedestrian food and the like. Anybody been there recently & seen or heard of signs of improvement?

I still think it's a fine place to go, if you're careful about what you order and can accept indifferent service. The frites are definitely some of the best I've had in the city and I have yet to taste a better steak tartare (and what a deal it is, too!). As mentioned earlier, the steak au poivre has consistently been fantastic. In the summertime, I love sitting out on their patio.

On the other hand, I'm not in favour of their hanger steak, especially after tasting RTC's. Their boudin noir pales in comparison to the boudin at the Manhattan Les Halles.

Play it safe and you'll have a very good meal at decent prices.

[ferment everything]

Killing time on Saturday between a wedding and the reception, and Les Halles happened to be across the street from the reception so we stopped in for a bit, midafternoon. Bartenders were good (although a buddy of mine asked for a manhattan and got something made with jack daniel's ), duck confit was pretty damn good, cheeses were great, and the bar was spacious enough for a bunch of dudes not used to wearing suits to hang out and relax. It really hit the spot, and the fact that they serve food all day long was a serious bonus. My interest was piqued by the country pate (which I think I had at taste of the nation; it was awesome), pork rillettes, escargots, boudin, and the cassoulet. Might wait a couple months on the cassoulet, but I think I'll be returning to try the rest before then.

[TedE]

Au revoir

[jparrott]

Jeez. If I left home now, I could still get there in time for one more tartare and one more Ricard.

Cue the Piaf. For all the foibles, LH, you will be missed.

[Ericandblueboy]

I rather eat at McDonald's, at least they don't pretend to serve good food.

[jparrott]

The race is on to see if the building owners can get in a TGI McFunsters in time for a lucrative inaugural party. Mudslides for everyone!

[Pat]

TedE, on Nov 17 2008, 10:07 PM, said:

Au revoir

It sounds like the employees didn't get advance notice that this was happening .

[synaesthesia]

Pat, on Nov 18 2008, 09:13 AM, said:

It sounds like the employees didn't get advance notice that this was happening .

Yeah, one of my writers called them yesterday to ask them about Beaujolais Nouveau, and had a lengthy convo about it. A rather unfortunate and frequent occurrence in the industry.

[twillis]

No we got no notice at all. I bartend there.This is my second closing in less than a year. The only reason I found out before my shift was that someone told me they saw online that Les Halles closed.

[B.A.R.]

No notice at all, huh? That's odd, because on their website it says they closed because their lease expired.

[DanielK]

B.A.R., on Nov 18 2008, 02:58 PM, said:

No notice at all, huh? That's odd, because on their website it says they closed because their lease expired.

I don't think it's odd at all. Just because management knew the lease was expiring doesn't mean that anyone below the person whose signature is on the lease was told.

[twillis]

DanielK, on Nov 18 2008, 03:25 PM, said:

I don't think it's odd at all. Just because management knew the lease was expiring doesn't mean that anyone below the person whose signature is on the lease was told.

I find it pretty odd especially since we were booked solid with holiday parties which generally require a deposit and we had a huge confirmed buyout for the inauguration. I understand how these things work, no owner is going to tell their staff they are closing. Doing that would invite theft but this was odd. I have at worked at places before and this was handled very strange.

[B.A.R.]

Most leases don't expire on a Sunday mid-month. Methinks they are trying to put "lipstick" on the proverbial "pig".

[jparrott]

I am drinking a traditional-style, moderately-priced Bordeaux right now. And it makes me want to have an LH steak frites. Maybe I am taking this harder than I thought.

[DonRocks]

jparrott, on Nov 18 2008, 05:06 PM, said:

I am drinking a traditional-style, moderately-priced Bordeaux right now. And it makes me want to have an LH steak frites. Maybe I am taking this harder than I thought.

By all means, pine away for Les Halles, but not for the Les Halles of the past few years.

[jparrott]

I understand. Not great. But how many places served proper trad claret at somewhere close to the right temp (that excluded BdC) and a reasonably price steak frites, tartare, or duck confit? And who else offered a lovely floc de gascogne as an aperitif?!

I dunno. And if something great replaces it, that's wonderful. But if it's McFunsters (and Elephant and Castle pretty much falls into that category) in that spot, well then grrr. Just grrr.

[mr food]

I organized a couple of wino offlines there and LH was very accommodating with corkage and allowing us to be very noisy and just plain loud. I agree with Jake about the food-sometimes that's all one wants to accompany an older Bordeaux.

[twillis]

B.A.R., on Nov 18 2008, 03:54 PM, said:

Most leases don't expire on a Sunday mid-month. Methinks they are trying to put "lipstick" on the proverbial "pig".

You are correct. I went out last night for drinks with the managers and was informed that the scum bag owner had not been paying the rent. It was quite obvious yesterday when I ran down there to make sure I got my last paychecks(I didnt)that they were being evicted. That space is empty. I have never been angry about a closing before but this enraged me. Alot of the former staff arent fortunate enough to have a savings to tide them over and are more than likely living paycheck to paycheck. How this man could knowingly do this a month before the holidays just pisses me off.

[DonRocks]

twillis, on Nov 19 2008, 11:04 AM, said:

You are correct. I went out last night for drinks with the managers and was informed that the scum bag owner had not been paying the rent.

This sounds like a job for Tim Carman or Jamie Liu.

This is what was on Todd Kliman's chat yesterday: "Philippe Lajaunie, the charming, permanently tanned owner, told me last night, 'I tried using my option but the new rent conditions were just unbearable. It has been swell.'"

A very vague sentence to be sure ... "my option" (what option?) ... "new rent conditions" (what new rent conditions?).

Cheers,
Rocks.

[twillis]

DonRocks, on Nov 19 2008, 11:09 AM, said:

This sounds like a job for Tim Carman or Jamie Liu.

This is what was on Todd Kliman's chat yesterday: '"Philippe Lajaunie, the charming, permanently tanned owner, told me last night, "I tried using my option but the new rent conditions were just unbearable. It has been swell."'

A very vague sentence to be sure ... "my option" (what option?) ... "new rent conditions" (what new rent conditions?).

Cheers,
Rocks.

I have edited my post due to the second hand nature of the information I received. I still stand behind my feelings that this was handled very poorly. Whatever the reason for the closing it was done very quickly and not even the managers had any knowledge of what was going on. I have never seen anything quite like it and I am quite frankly very upset with the way it was handled. I have never heard of an established buisness not coming to a lease agreement over night.

[Beto]

twillis, on Nov 19 2008, 11:32 AM, said:

I have edited my post due to the second hand nature of the information I received. I still stand behind my feelings that this was handled very poorly. Whatever the reason for the closing it was done very quickly and not even the managers had any knowledge of what was going on. I have never seen anything quite like it and I am quite frankly very upset with the way it was handled. I have never heard of an established buisness not coming to a lease agreement over night.

Yeah, they didn't pay their rent. You can see the case details by going to the DC Courts website and searching for case number 2008 LTB 018548.

[DonRocks]

Beto, on Nov 19 2008, 05:18 PM, said:

Yeah, they didn't pay their rent. You can see the case details by going to the DC Courts website and searching for case number 2008 LTB 018548.

That website doesn't have any details about the case, but it does appear to be some type of landlord-tenant issue, since the plaintiff is the owner of the building.

Cheers,
Rocks.

P.S. Asking in purely general terms, and having nothing to do with this particular situation, is there legal precedent for employees seeking compensation when a restaurant is shuttered on short notice? At the minimum, it seems "abrupt" for management to give workers zero notice when they know in advance a restaurant will be closing.

[beachgirl54]

To the best of my knowledge, DC is an employment-at-will jurisdiction. I.e. - they're SOL.

[JPW]

DonRocks, on Nov 19 2008, 05:39 PM, said:

P.S. Asking in purely general terms, and having nothing to do with this particular situation, is there legal precedent for employees seeking compensation when a restaurant is shuttered on short notice? At the minimum, it seems "abrupt" for management to give workers zero notice when they know in advance a restaurant will be closing.

One day my brother showed up at his office to find armed guards at the front door. At 9:30 everyone was told that they could enter in small groups escorted by the guards and had 30 minutes to clean out their desks. Operating unit closed. Have a nice day.

You have the legal right to get paid for the work you did. And that's about it.

It'd be nice to give warning or an extra couple of weeks pay, but closed is closed. Doesn't make them criminals, just schmucks.

[Beto]

The first docket entry states:

06/12/2008 Complaint for Non-Payment of Rent/Notice to Quit Filed Receipt: 311129 Date: 06/12/2008

[DanielK]

JPW, on Nov 19 2008, 06:08 PM, said:

You have the legal right to get paid for the work you did. And that's about it.

Actually, not even that. If they go into bankruptcy, employees are pretty far down on the list as far as creditors go.

[qwertyy]

jparrott, on Nov 18 2008, 05:44 PM, said:

I understand. Not great. But how many places served proper trad claret at somewhere close to the right temp (that excluded BdC) and a reasonably price steak frites, tartare, or duck confit? And who else offered a lovely floc de gascogne as an aperitif?!

I dunno. And if something great replaces it, that's wonderful. But if it's McFunsters (and Elephant and Castle pretty much falls into that category) in that spot, well then grrr. Just grrr.

I'm very sorry about this closing. Yeah, it was never great, but working across the street, it was EONS better than Aria, and I had just (just!) managed to get my work crowd to move from E&C to Les Halles for happy hour--a gargantuan effort. Too bad, really.

Glad I just had my first Cafe du Parc patio experience recently, which will ably stand in for Les Halles wonderful outdoor seating.

[tentimesodds]

DanielK, on Nov 19 2008, 11:43 PM, said:

Actually, not even that. If they go into bankruptcy, employees are pretty far down on the list as far as creditors go.

This isn't true. Wages (for the 90 days before the bankruptcy) are given a priority claim, above any unsecured creditor.

[Michael Landrum]

Owners in DC rarely tell staff of imminent closures until the very last moment, if at all. There is a great tradition of this here in DC, going back at least as long as I have been in the industry. In fact, some highly regarded and media-adored restaurateurs (industry leaders and prominent preeners at RAMW functions at one time or another among them) are quite famous for this, to no ill-effect in their standing in either the media or the community, and in some cases quite to their financial benefit, I'm told--thereby establishing the standard and setting an example for others to follow with a cavalier sense of impunity, since in truth, consequences are rarely attached to this conduct.

The trick is to string along creditors as long as possible before pulling the plug, with as little advance warning as possible, creating balances-due as large as possible, which can often easily reach into the tens of thousands of dollars at each of any number of purveyors (even for produce) and under ideal conditions, with a big enough name, enough charm and a little luck, can approach six figures for higher cost products (especially in DC where wine can be purchased on account).

Even more delectable to some is the game of keeping staff working for as long as possible for paychecks which will be worthless and/or for the promise of already-bounced paychecks being made good, having pocketed what should have gone to wages--stolen waters tasting the sweetest, as the Hebrew/Arabic saying goes (usually meant disapprovingly, I should add--usually)--and then pulling the plug with neither warning nor possible recourse.

I have no knowledge of this being the case with Les Halles (or any reason to surmise it is) and no past or present association with the restaurant; and I certainly do hope that it is not the case here, and wish all inolved, principals, managers, and staff the best.

I am merely relating what has always been known to be the unfortunate norm in this market.

ETA: When an earnest restaurateur, or the earnest partner in a difficult partnership, goes out of business the personal losses can be devastating beyond belief and it can be a truly tragic event, one for which an almost unimaginable sympathy is called, as much pain as it also causes staff and others involved.

[Ericandblueboy]

I'm sure it's not just the restauranteurs who are guilty of this. A little story for the unwary busines owners. Often employment taxes are withheld from paychecks but not paid over to the IRS. The funds are instead used to fund the operation of the business. Despite the business itself having limited liability, the tax code makes the person responsible for withholding personally liable for employment taxes.

[mr food]

Ericandblueboy, on Nov 20 2008, 09:49 AM, said:

I'm sure it's not just the restauranteurs who are guilty of this. A little story for the unwary busines owners. Often employment taxes are withheld from paychecks but not paid over to the IRS. The funds are instead used to fund the operation of the business. Despite the business itself having limited liability, the tax code makes the person responsible for withholding personally liable for employment taxes.

The IRS pays particular attention to pay roll taxes payments as this is a common fundraiser for restaurant owners.