Corduroy, Fine Dining at the Convention Center - Chef Tom Power's Magnificent Cooking

[JPW]

According to reliable sources, I was the only person (at that time) to order the foie gras ce soir. Presque trop belle pour manger. Vachement! Je blague pas. Tres bien equilibre.

A fond farewell to the pork belly, which I imagine will be leaving the menu before too long on summer break.

To have one of the best potato salads around, order the halibut.

[Heather]

Last night it was Corduroy to the rescue!

[A bit of background...My father called yesterday afternoon to invite me to dinner with one of my cousins in town on business. We agree to meet at the Sofitel at 6:30, then go to dinner. I show up on time, make myself comfortable in the lobby, and wait. At 6:35 I get a call from Dad saying that he's delayed because of traffic, and by the way, would you mind figuring out where to eat and making a reservation somewhere for 7 o'clock. (dad is the kind of person that personal assistants were invented for, and is diabetic, and gets cranky when he has to drive downtown) BUT, he doesn't want to eat at the Sofitel's restaurant, doesn't want to walk any distance, and Bobby Van's (across the street) is out because my cousin ate there the night before. And nothing too "weird". I call around and everyone is booked or unsuitable. I finally get a res at Bistro D'Oc, hop in the car and it gets vetoed (and I forgot to cancel. argh!) I finally snap and just tell him to drive to 12th and K and give me his phone so that I can see if Corduroy has a res for, like, right now. And they did. yay!]

We had a lovely meal. My cousin had the special lobster salad appetizer and the scallops as his main and raved about both. My notoriously picky youngest brother was delighted with his green salad and roast baby chicken. Dad had the caesar salad and strip loin with the Gruyere potato cake and praised both. The beet and goat cheese salad is still lovely and my medium rare strip loin was perfectly cooked. Dad and I had a glass of Malbec with dinner and my cousin had a Bordeaux. None of us had room for dessert but enjoyed a plate of Ferhat's cookies and some candied grapefruit peel that came out with our coffee.

We were informed that they were out of the pork cheeks fettucine and trumpet mushrooms but Chef Power waved his magic wand and sent out a taste for the table before our mains arrived - thank you! They are just decadent and I look forward to a full portion the next time.

Thanks Corduroy. Our service was right on but unobtrusive, Rissa is a dear as usual, and the room was quiet enough for us to talk and catch up.

[Hannah]

We were in last night as well, for a most excellent anniversary dinner before an equally excellent show at the Black Cat (Hard-Fi). I swear there has to be some sort of Faustian soup-bargain going on at Corduroy, because I've never had a soup there that was anything less than stunning - this time it was the parsnip with tarragon and creme fraiche.

The scallops and the pork belly were just as good as they have been on previous visits, and we finished with a taste of the grapefruit sorbet and a nice light creme brulee.

We also had a nice chat with Rissa about plans for the picnic - thanks to her and to dirtymartini for a lovely evening.

[gks_eats_dc]

A Saturday night meal at Corduroy rose to new levels. Lentil soup, foie gras, lobster salad, halibut, scallops, creme brulee...Lengthy posting on the DCFR blog for those who would like details (http://dcfoodreview.blogspot.com/)

I can't wait to see the kinds of seasonal ingredients the summer will bring to that menu.

[Chris W]

So interesting story of how I ended up at Corduroy last night. It wasn't intentional but now I really wish stuff like this happens more often because it was really fun.

The girlfriend and I go to see the Cherry Blossoms one last time and take a seat with our backs facing the impending Malestrom down on the tidal basin.

My brother and his girlfriend were going to meet us down there so they were walking at the storm when they decided it wasn't the smartest idea to be where they were. I get a phone call from my bro telling me to get the hell out of there just as I turn around to see a massive bolt of lightning streak across the sky. I just look at the girl and say "feel like going for a run?" We get on the other side of the bridge on independence when all hell broke loose. A cherry tree next to me litterly exploded with blossoms when it was hit with what must of been a 30 MPH gust. We were covered!

So I'm darting into traffic trying to catch a cab while my brother who was at the corner of 15th and Independence was trying to lead me there like he was trying to lead me out of a war zone. I kept getting

"is the Monument on your left or right?"

"IT'S ON MY LEFT!"

"Is it in front of you or behind you"

"IN FRONT!"

"Just keep running, we're up on your left."

It was NUTS! So we all decide to go to Old Ebbit but the closest parking lot we could find was at the Willard so instead of walking outside in the torent we tucked into the bar at the Willard and started in on some Manhattans which helped lower the adrenaline. It was at this point that my bro realized his bedroom windows were open in VA and freaked out about the Bose surround system etc that was in front of said window. Net Net he took off. So my girlfriend and I are sitting at the Willard now starving and Corduroy comes to mind. Honestly nothing tastes better than aged burgundy, lobster salad, and porkbelly after an experiance like that. The porkbelly was better than I remembered it. The girl had the Lamb which was also off the charts good. Service again impecable, just a stellar way to end a crazy afternoon/evening. Thanks!

[cucas87]

I too had a wonderful dinner at Corduroy last night, celebrating a friend's new job. We shared the carrot, goat cheese and beet salad and the foie gras torchon to start. Phenomenal. I think we snagged the last order of the foie gras last night, but if it's available when you go, listen to all of the raves here and order some. We shared the sea bass and lamb for mains and then had the pistachio bread pudding and dark chocolate tart for dessert. Everything was excellent. Along the way, I had a glass of wine and then some of the best and hottest coffee ever and a lovely plate of candied lemon peels and Ferhat's famous cookies. Service was excellent (thank you, Kat!) and on top of everything else, we managed to avoid the worst of the storm.

[V.H.]

My cherry blossom/Corduroy experience was not anywhere near as exciting as Chris W's. I headed downtown with the 2.5 year old and my mother-in-law last Friday morning to see the blossoms. We had absolutely beautiful weather and were there early enough that the crowds weren't too bad yet. After a leisurely 3 hour stroll around the mall to check out the monuments, we headed over to Corduroy for a light lunch. Kat brought out a couple of the spring rolls for us to enjoy while we waited for our entrees. My mother-in-law had the halibut and I had the lamb. My mother-in-law was floored by the quality of the food and thought it was a perfect ending to our outing.

[DonRocks]

[You know, today I was reading these postings about Corduroy, and then I thought of Palena, and Restaurant Eve, and Ray's The Steaks, and then I thought about other postings that complain about the 'same old places' getting discussed here.

And yes, these complaints have a point - it does get a bit old, seeing the same restaurants being talked about. But people here are spending their hard-earned money, and there's a very good reason why these places get discussed over-and-over: they're the best places in town to go when you want a great meal without breaking the bank. Who can blame the occasional diner for frequenting them?

So here's a thought: instead of posting a general rave about these restaurants (we already know how terrific these four places are), how about highlighting one menu item, or a particularly wonderful moment in the service, or a glass of wine, and exploding into a poem about it? An appetizer, or a dessert, even a smile from your server, something small that you can pounce on and capture, a small photograph for future diners to savor.

But above all, continue to post on your dining experiences, at Corduroy, or at the hole-in-the-wall in Manassas.

Cheers,

Rocks.]

[Barbara]

Deleted. See next review (Rocks, delete this please.)

[Barbara]

After drinking a couple of beers with JPW at the bar, we decided to stay and order some food. (JPW wanted to head elsewhere: see his review of CityZen). So, feeling a little bit obligated to try the Torchon of Foie Gras appetizer after Rocks' description, we ordered that and a Caesar Salad to share. The staff obligingly brought us out couple of plates and I proceeded to divide it all up. That Foie Gras rang some bells in my head, eventhough I had not eaten it enough it before to make any judgements. Just then, Rissa came by for a chat and it suddenly dawned on me that the texture/mouthfeel, not to mention the taste, was extremely reminiscent of the Duck Rilletes I have had there at a couple of special dinners. She laughed and told me that foie gras is in those, too. No wonder I wanted to eat a whole bowl of it. Tom Power also puts in the sauce for the Ballotine of Chicken. I have come to believe that the people who want to ban foie gras need to be slapped, hard. I'll bet he could put it in a sorbet and make it taste good, too.

Yes, there are anchovies in the Caesar Salad, but not whole ones. That's OK by me--I like anchovies in a Caesar Salad, the debate about their "authenticity" notwithstanding.

For mains, I had the halibut with the Meyer lemon sauce and warm potato and leek salad. Those of you expecting something similar to a German potato salad should know that this is not it. It's just different from that and pure genius, IMHO. This is all comfort food which is too good to be called that. The perfection of the fish has been described before on this thread.

Craig had the real bargain in this town, the Flat Iron Steak with Bistro potatoes. For $18 (this is on the Bar menu and isn't served in the Dining Room itself). Perfectly cooked and sauced (with one of those elusive, but very delicious Power sauces) and fried potatoes that are as good as can be found anywhere.

YOU WANT TO GO WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME: And here's why: I ordered a glass of bubbly to eat with the appetizers and Ferhat showed up and suggested something else. I'm not sure he would have done that with a stranger; however, I knew enough to bow to his better judgement and HE WAS RIGHT. We both ate things we had never eaten before at Corduroy and were in no way disappointed. The bill at the end wasn't as hurtful on the wallet as it could have been in many other places.

If there was a disappointment to the evening it was the weather. We both decided to try to walk home from there. It was POURING when we stepped out, however. A cab pulled up and we got in. So much for walking off that meal. We will have other opportunities.

[New Foodie]

As I stated on the Old Ebbitt thread, after being too stuffed after dinner at OE, we walked around a bit and then somehow, as if magnetically drawn, we ended up at Corduroy for dessert. All I have to say is that the chocolate sabayon is heavenly and more than worth the "15 minute wait." May I ask how it is made/what is in it? Ferhat? Rissa? It just melts in your mouth.

My mom enjoyed her chocolate ice cream and my dad loved the chocolate tart with carmelized banana. My brother, the lone wolf, decided to forgo the chocolate that we all had by getting the mixed berries. Of course he was happy with his choice as well.

Great end to a great night of eating. I couldn't feel more welcome at Corduroy and I can't wait til I get a chance to go back.

[mdt]

As I stated on the Old Ebbitt thread, after being too stuffed after dinner at OE, we walked around a bit and then somehow, as if magnetically drawn, we ended up at Corduroy for dessert.  All I have to say is that the chocolate sabayon is heavenly and more than worth the "15 minute wait."  May I ask how it is made/what is in it?  Ferhat?  Rissa?  It just melts in your mouth.

My mom enjoyed her chocolate ice cream and my dad loved the chocolate tart with carmelized banana.  My brother, the lone wolf, decided to forgo the chocolate that we all had by getting the mixed berries.  Of course he was happy with his choice as well.

Great end to a great night of eating.  I couldn't feel more welcome at Corduroy and I can't wait til I get a chance to go back.

Oops...

[Ferhat Yalcin]

I believe it is chocolate,cream and egg yolk

[New Foodie]

I believe it is chocolate,cream and egg yolk

Great healthy end to my day of eating

[RissaP]

I believe it is chocolate,cream and egg yolk

It is made like a souffle. But the secret is using high-quality, good tasting bitter sweet chocolate.

[cjsadler]

It is made like a souffle.  But the secret is using high-quality, good tasting bitter sweet chocolate.

I stumbled on the published recipe before (haven't tried it yet, though). Google 'Chef's Column Tom Power' and then just click the "Cached" version (I can't provide a direct link that will work here). The Chocolate Tart recipe is there too.

[mdt]

I stumbled on the published recipe before (haven't tried it yet, though).  Google 'Chef's Column Tom Power' and then just click the "Cached" version (I can't provide a direct link that will work here).  The Chocolate Tart recipe is there too.

click

[Biscuit Girl]

I stumbled on the published recipe before (haven't tried it yet, though).  Google 'Chef's Column Tom Power' and then just click the "Cached" version (I can't provide a direct link that will work here).  The Chocolate Tart recipe is there too.

Oh my, I just read the recipe and I swear I heard my arteries scream for help. No wonder it's so yummy..chocolate, cream and egg yolks.

[giant shrimp]

i don't put a great deal of stock in the washingtonian's napkin folding test as a reliable measure of restaurant service, and we never leave the table when a meal is in progress, but our son cannot sit still and so we were able to see how long it took for his napkin to be put back in place after he stepped away during a recent meal at corduroy. without the benefit of a stopwatch, i would say they set a record. it took them virtually no time, it was like the next step in a dance. so, at least here, i would concede that the napkin test is a good indicator of the level of service you can expect.

[cathmc]

After hearing all the praises of Corduroy, I couldn't wait to try it myself. It's out of the way location made it all the more difficult to recruit some fellow diners, but I finally managed to do so. From start to finish the night was a treat. As many other people have mentioned, the service at Corduroy is outstanding. From the moment you enter the restaurant, you are taken care of by the far more than competant staff.

The food was cooked to perfection and represented a perfect marriage of flavors and textures. The sauces add to the flavors without overpowering the dishes. The meats were tender and bursting with flavor.

If there is one problem with Corduroy, it has to be it's location -- hidden on the second floor of the Four Points Sheraton. This is a restaurant that could just as easily fit in at the Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton. The food and service is far better than one would normally expect to see at the Sheraton. People who dismiss Corduroy for this reason are really missing out on a gem. I will definitely recommend it to friends and family.

[mktye]

So here's a thought:  instead of posting a general rave about these restaurants (we already know how terrific these four places are), how about highlighting one menu item, or a particularly wonderful moment in the service, or a glass of wine, and exploding into a poem about it?

We tried for Ray's the Steaks
But had arrived there much too late -
We could not sit until after nine and rwtye would not wait.

But have no fear
Rissa is such a dear
Could a table at Corduroy perhaps be clear?

Although the sign read "Garage is full"
We used JG's tactic and ignored that rule
And valet parked our large, unwieldy car. How cool.

I led the way up the stairs
And spied our table waiting there
Just the solution we were seeking to our dining prayers.

Soups, salad, and porcupines
Lamb, tuna and scallops, so fine
Pear sorbet and gifts of ice cream, cookies, all divine.

The food and service did impress
The perfect spot to take our guests
Corduroy is one of our favorite places, I simply must confess.

[Barbara]

MKTYE: YOU GO, GIRL!!!!

Here's a potential dilemma: If Corduroy moves to a more "approachable" location, will getting a table at the last minute become a thing of the past?

[porcupine]

Soups, salad, and porcupines

<ulp> ...porcupines?!

[just joking, I know what you're refering to]

[JPW]

New things worth checking out --

asparagus salad -- slightly crunchy peeled asparagus with frisee and a wonderful goat cheese (?) dressing. A very nice way to start a summer dinner.

What I've renamed the strawberry three-ways dessert -- strawberry tart with strawberry sorbet and candied strawberries. According to Tom, the first of the local strawberries are coming in. This blissful dessert should get even better as we get deeper into strawberry season.

[DanielK]

...and the soft-shelled crab. mmmmmmmmmmmm..............

[Jacques Gastreaux]

peeled asparagus

Ah ha!

[lackadaisi]

New things worth checking out --

asparagus salad -- slightly crunchy peeled asparagus with frisee and a wonderful goat cheese (?) dressing. A very nice way to start a summer dinner.

What I've renamed the strawberry three-ways dessert -- strawberry tart with strawberry sorbet and candied strawberries. According to Tom, the first of the local strawberries are coming in. This blissful dessert should get even better as we get deeper into strawberry season.

We had the asparagus the other day. Now I want to try the dessert, but alas, I must wait. I am taking a couple weeks off of dining out for a crash pre-beach trip diet, and it is making me miss Corduroy greatly! At least there will be something to look forward to at the end of my vacation.

[hillvalley]

New things worth checking out --

What I've renamed the strawberry three-ways dessert -- strawberry tart with strawberry sorbet and candied strawberries. According to Tom, the first of the local strawberries are coming in. This blissful dessert should get even better as we get deeper into strawberry season.

Oh

my

lord

this is good

(she posts as she shoves the last bite into her mouth literally)

[laniloa]

...and the soft-shelled crab. mmmmmmmmmmmm..............

What he said.

I wonder if Tom has considered a new location further south. Much further south.

[mdt]

Strawberries three ways.

No chocolate anywhere.

My new favorite.

[Tweaked]

There is an oasis of calm during this week's DR.com pissing matches, Chef Power's 5 course tasting menu...put it down as one of DC's bargains at $55.

Amuse

we started with a duo of soups in little espresso cups. Brother had the red snapper bisque, I had the parsnip soup...I think everyone on this board knows Chef's soups kick butt.

First Course

Soft shell crabs porcupine style, nestled in potato puree, mine with the verjus, brother's with sesame vinaigrette. I love me some soft shells!

Second Course

Torchon of Foie Gras with Figs and Sorrel...the foie is just rich rich rich and the fig jam on the side is delightful.

Third Course

Pacific Halibut with Warm Potato-Leek Salad, Meyer Lemon Sauce

this rated as my favorite dish, the halibut was perfectly cooked, seared golden on the outside, the center flake was almost translucent and had the texture of butter. The potato leek salad was awesome and the lemon sauce plate licking good.

Fourth Course

Roast Lamb Sirloin with Mini Goat Cheese Ravioli

ok this rated as my favorite dish! Seriously it was a toss up between the lamb and the halibut...everything we love about this dish, perfectly rare lamb, awesome ravioli, and yep another plate licking clean wine sauce.

Fifth Course

3 cheeses, can't remember their names, all delicious...one was described as Chef's favorite, another was wrapped in a leaf, the other was just damn good.

The chef then sent desserts compliments of the house, the new strawberry 3 ways and my favorite the chocolate tart with caramelized bananas.

Two things I love about Chef Power's cooking: 1) the focus of his cooking, each dish is comprised of only a few elements but so much flavor and 2) his sauce work, outrageously good. My one suggestion is that instead of having a bread basket at the beginning of the meal, each dish should come with a side plate with a slice of bread slathered in butter for mopping up the sauce!

Thanks to chef, Rissa, Ferhat, and our server Cat for a wonderful evening...my brother was suitably impressed.

[amyblues]

There is an oasis of calm during this week's DR.com pissing matches, Chef Power's 5 course tasting menu...put it down as one of DC's bargains at $55.

First Course

Soft shell crabs porcupine style, nestled in potato puree, mine with the verjus, brother's with sesame vinaigrette.  I love me some soft shells!

Thanks for the heads-up on this! I'm taking my parents to Corduroy tomorrow night for their birthdays and they love soft shells.

[pidgey]

I hate to do this....

On a whim, my husband and I decided to dine at Corduroy this evening, without a reservation. We decided to eat in the lounge rather than wait an hour for a table in the dining room.

We chose a table, and the waitress promptly handed us 2 menus--the bar menu and the regular menu. We glanced at the menus and noticed that there were some price discrepancies on the different menus, only about a dollar or so per item. No problem. We ended up ordering off the regular menu. I chose the spring roll appetizer, and the soft shell crab, and my husband got a salad and the halibut. The soft-shell was listed at $15 and the halibut at $15.

The food was delicious. The extra-long spring rolls were perfectly fried. But then we had to wait for a while for our entree. Finally, our entree came out, and I was surprised to see 2 soft-shelled crabs on my plate. "That's a great deal for 2 crabs," I told my husband, and he agreed.

Forgoing dessert, we got the check, and my husband placed his card in the bill-holder. The waitress took the card, but I noticed my husband frowning. How did we spend $100? When the waitress returned with the slip for us to sign, we asked to see the menu again. On the bill, we were charged $30 for the soft-shell and $24 for the halibut. The menu that the waitress had given us (and she later verified) clearly stated that the crab and the halibut were $15 each. She took our bill away and spoke with the bar manager(?). After several minutes, he came over to speak with us, and told us that we had been given lunch menus and the prices were different for dinner portions. And then he waited for us to respond. "Well, that's not the price that we had on the menus that we were given," we said. He walked away, and came back several minutes later. "Well, I took it off your bill," he said. "I had to pay for the difference. We want to you to be happy. Return customers." This was delivered very unenthusiastically. You could almost hear him saying "blah blah blah" as he delivered that little speech. We thanked him, signed the bill and walked off.

What put us off the most was that never once did we hear him apologize for what was very much their mistake. In fact, he almost seemed to be accusing us for not getting the right menus, and clearly was not happy about having to comp us the difference. Plus, the first time he came over, it almost felt like he was trying to intimidate us into paying the higher price.

Menus are like contracts. The price that listed is the price you pay.

Sorry about the long post. I've never had anything but an exemplary experience at Corduroy, but this experience kind of put a bad taste in my mouth.

[jrichstar]

You imply at the end that you have eaten at Corduroy before. If you had, you would have known that the prices assumed for dinner were unbelievably low.

Also, a contract is two-way, not one-way. This means that the diner has responsibility for noting a lunch vs. a dinner menu.

[crackers]

This was an honest mistake on the restaurant's side and an honest oversight on the customer's side. To rectify their end of things, the bar manager paid the customer a personal visit, admitted there had been a mix-up in the menu, adjusted the bill to reflect the lower price on the lunch menu, and told the customer that the restaurant wanted them to be happy and to return. Customer received a delicious meal at a bargain price, thanked the bar manager, but would have understandably preferred to have received a contrite (verbal) apology for the mix-up, which they felt had marred their overall experience.

What put us off the most was that never once did we hear him apologize for what was very much their mistake.

I'm sure the restaurant will get the message. Let's move on.

[JLK]

I also dined at Corduroy last night. The food and wine (as well as the company of my three friends) were all delightful. The service, with the very notable exception of Ferhat and Rissa, was not so delightful. It was a great meal and we were having a casual get together, but the experience was marred by spacy and forgetful service, just not what I would expect from Corduroy.

Our first hint of that was when I sat at the bar and asked for either a suggestion or a menu of white wines by the glass. I couldn't tell if he was being funny when his first suggestion was white zinfandel. He went on to botch the names of a few other wines and I stopped him when he got to a wine sounding close to Sauvignon Blanc. Hmm...this as definitely not the caliber of service I had experienced in my three or so previous experience.

But like I said, the food was excellent. My first friend and I shared the always tasty spring rolls and potato crusted goat cheese. IMO, the goat cheese could have used a dash of salt, but companion was just fine with it as is.

For entrees, friend had the scallops which he proclaimed the best he ever ate, and I had the lamb with goat cheese ravioli. Truly fantastic. Lamb cooked to a perfect medium rare and rich pasta, both with excellent saucing.

By this point, our other friends had joined us at a table in the lounge (we moved there from the bar after asking if that was possible; they said no problem and we continued to be tended to by the bartender with help from a server). They ordered a beet salad and an appetizer portion of the scallops (plus wine). For dessert, we shared a chocolate tart (delicious, but a bit too rich for me with the accompanying chocolate ice cream. Loved the caramelized bananas!) and baked chocolate sabayon.

The bill was $200 including tax but not tip. We did, in fact, tip 20% althought it pained me a little to do so. Service issues included attempts to remove wine glasses not yet empty, removing wine glasses without asking if another glass was desired, water glasses unfilled or simply taken away when empty and, my pet peeve, when food arrives, having a server call out "the scallops?"

Ah well...can't win 'em all. The food really was worth it.

[pidgey]

You imply at the end that you have eaten at Corduroy before. If you had, you would have known that the prices assumed for dinner were unbelievably low.

You're right, the prices were unbelievably low. I was incredibly surprised to see 2 crabs on my plate, when the menus we had implied "crab" in the singular.

Also, a contract is two-way, not one-way. This means that the diner has responsibility for noting a lunch vs. a dinner menu.

Yes, but don't you think its odd that neither myself, my husband, nor the server noticed that it was the lunch menu (and the server did look at our menu several times while we were ordering)? I'm wondering if it was clearly labeled as such.

[pidgey]

Customer received a delicious meal at a bargain price but would have preferred to have received a contrite (verbal) apology for the mix-up, which they felt had marred their overall experience.

As I'm sure Michael Landrum can tell you, niceness goes a long way.

And its certainly a 2 way street.

Edited to correct my bad grammar!

[youngfood]

We too dined at Corduroy last night. It did seem like something was a little off in the dining room, but our food experience was probably the best we've had there.

If you haven't had your first soft shells of the season, get over to Corduroy ASAP. We got the soft shells entree and it came with two of the biggest, meatiest, juciest soft shells. Mmm, it was really the perfect soft shell dish. Others have touched on how Chef Powers seems to somehow bring out the underlying flavors in his ingredients in an unadorned fashion to reveal their essence in a more intense way. That was absolutely the with our soft shells last night. They had porcupine ala buffalo mozzarela appetizer and were plated on a nice bed of greens. The sauce was tasty, but that was all background to the pure, meaty soft shells. I don't know how you guys did it, but they were awesome. I love soft shells and I don't have a hard time saying these were my favorite.

We also had the scallops, a similarly lovely dish. 4 large, firm, perfected seared to a nice brown crisp on the outside without being the slightest bit overdone on teh inside. Again, simply prepared plated atop little ponds of garlic mashed with a Chardonay sauce and some tasty (grilled portabello?) mushrooms. Again, this entree was quintessentially Corduroy - relatively simple preparation, but perfect execution.

The strawberry tart was our only real disappointment. The tart itself and its crust were both really bland. That being said, the accompanying candied stawberries and strawberry sorbet were intensely delicious.

I'm sorry others had mixed experiences last night. One of my favorite things about Corduroy is how pleasantly relaxing I find it for a high-end restaurant. It sounds like one server made an honest mistake, the diners made an honest, if not entirely well-thought out mistake, and the restaurant eventually went above and beyond to fix the problem. That being said, I don't think there's anything wrong with hoping for a little more graciousness in interaction, though surely even the best managers will have trying nights where they aren't at their best at every moment.

[Barbara]

I know that they have lost some staff and are in the process of finding and training new people. The Very Dreamy Tom Brown is/has left to join his brother, Dreamy Derek, at the new restaurant, Agraria. Those are some big shoes to fill at Corduroy.

[amyblues]

I took my parents to Corduroy on Saturday evening to celebrate their birthdays/Mother's Day. Everything was wonderful, but the true standouts were the scallops and the strawberry tart. I feel that so many restaurants I've been to don't let the flavor of the main ingredient shine through. The scallops at Corduroy were so sweet and buttery, with just enough firmness in the texture. If they were salted, I could barely taste it and that was a good thing.

Oh, the strawberry tart, with bruleed strawberry slices and sorbet on the side...I'm a sucker for a chocolate dessert, and the tart with caramelized bananas was calling my name, but I read about the strawberry tart here and thought I'd buck tradition. Pure bursts of summer goodness, with the true flavor of the strawberry coming through. Seeing the melted sorbet made me wish it wouldn't be improper to lick the plate. Alas, decorum came through in the end.

My parents went on and on about how lovely the dinner was, from the service to the seemingly simple preparation of the food to the wine. When they returned home last night, I received a phone call again praising the restaurant. Many thanks to Corduroy for helping me celebrate with my parents.

[Pete]

I love this place.

My wife and I took our mothers to Corduroy on Saturday night for an early Mother's Day celebration. Rissa was nice enough to have menus printed up for us without prices so that the moms would not order based on price alone. Although Ferhat had the night off, we had fantastic service from Pamela (?), who recommended a fantastic Pinot Noir (Morey Saint Denis, Domaine Lignier Michelot, Aux Charmes, 1er Cru, 2000). While three of us ordered dessert, my mother was too full. However, Rissa brought her some sorbet so that she "wouldn't feel left out".

Oh yeah, the food was great. All of the dishes that we ordered have been praised here before; however, I wanted to echo the praise of others for the Peppered Rare Tuna with Sushi Rice which was fantastic.

We left full, happy, and, as usual, wanting to come back soon.

[amyblues]

I love this place.

My wife and I took our mothers to Corduroy on Saturday night for an early Mother's Day celebration. Rissa was nice enough to have menus printed up for us without prices so that the moms would not order based on price alone. (Snip)

I, too, had the menus without pricing, which was a wonderful touch. I had called the day before to say that I was hosting this dinner, and wanted to receive the bill. I didn't expect the menus with no prices, but it was appreciated.

[bnacpa]

I finally made a reservation for next Saturday evening and requested the tasting menu. I have read numerous reviews suggesting different dishes. I have a few questions for the masses here ...

Is it recommended to go with the wine pairings or order one of their excellently priced wines that would cost almost double at other places?

Pardon my ignorance on this, but what is the normal practice for wine pairings ... do they open up really great stuff that works wonders with the food, or do they serve what they normally sell by the glass that works wonders with the food?

Also, are there any appetizers that are so out of this world insane that one must order it because it is not part of the tasting menu?

I had a tasting at Roy's in Hawaii and the waiter recommeded one of the best appetizers I have ever had which wasn't part of it ... I could have had it as my last meal it was so good.

Thanks for the feedback!

[mdt]

I finally made a reservation for next Saturday evening and requested the tasting menu. I have read numerous reviews suggesting different dishes. I have a few questions for the masses here ...

Is it recommended to go with the wine pairings or order one of their excellently priced wines that would cost almost double at other places?

Pardon my ignorance on this, but what is the normal practice for wine pairings ... do they open up really great stuff that works wonders with the food, or do they serve what they normally sell by the glass that works wonders with the food?

Also, are there any appetizers that are so out of this world insane that one must order it because it is not part of the tasting menu?

I had a tasting at Roy's in Hawaii and the waiter recommeded one of the best appetizers I have ever had which wasn't part of it ... I could have had it as my last meal it was so good.

Thanks for the feedback!

You would have to ask them about the wine pairings, but the tasting menu should provide a 'best of' Corduroy dishes so sit back, relax, and enjoy the meail. You are local right? If so, then you have plenty of time to return and try things that you missed. Gotta leave something for the second date, right?

[dirtymartini]

One of the great things about the wine list here is that there are some really good half bottles available. So, you can pair by the glass per course or, go with half bottles( 1/2 bottle= 2-3 glasses of wine) that go well with a couple courses. Since Tom Power selects each wine on the list personally I'm sure you will recieve great recomendations whether you opt for by the glass, bottle, or half.

[Biscuit Girl]

Anytime we've been to Corduroy, the servers have been great at helping us pick a wine when we can't decide for ourselves. On our last visit, the server went to check with Tom Power to be sure what she recommended was right. And it was. It matched well with hubby's fish and my softshell crabs (mmmm, softshells.......mmmmm)

[Skysplitter]

Last night I dined at Corduroy with my sister as a sort of last hurrah of DC dining before I move to Maine (for just the summer). I daresay I've never seen Corduroy this busy except during Restaurant Week, but the service was it's usual outstanding self, despite several large parties at the time.

Since I'd read that Tom Brown had left for Agraria (who's somehow always been my waiter, and will be missed!) I requested to be seated in dear Ferhat's section. I can only echo the board sentiments and say that Ferhat is the man .

I'll comment on what I haven't seen commentary on yet recently, and that's namably on the beet salad and the halibut. The beet salad comes with goat cheese, which I didn't see at first but then realized it was on the bottom of the plate as if heated, then formed into a circle. The beets were sweet so with the combo of the cheese and onions, um, yeah. If you like beets, I'm not sure how you can pass this up. The same with the halibut. Ferhat steered me in this direction (rather than the lamb) and it was every bit as good as I was hoping. The halibut is served with some sort of meyer lemon/butter/creamy sauce that was out of this world. The potato/leek salad served with it also goes pretty well with the sauce

We unexpectedly received chocolate ice cream (well, my sister can't eat ice cream, so it was swapped out for strawberry sobet which packed a huge strawberry punch). Now, despite the fact that we were both stuffed, I made it clear dessert was not to be missed at Corduroy. Ergo, you all must go get the strawberry tart. I got the chocolate sabayon and wished I had gotten the tart. The strawberries had a really bright flavor and there was just something indescribably about the combo of the tart with the berries. I'd be tempted to go back to Corduroy this week just to get the tart, heh.

Anyway, thanks to the powers that be Corduroy for yet another outstanding meal

[JLK]

Service at Corduroy is definitely back on track (or perhaps it was never off-track and my previous visit was an abberation). Last night, two of us had a delightful meal in Corduroy's dining room.

Not much to add - just more kudos to Chef Power and staff for a really delicious meal. I started with a lentil egg drop soup (which subbed for the red snapper bisque) which was enjoyable, albeit salty (from bacon maybe?) toward the end. I believe it was a quail egg and it added not just flavor, but a great textural element to the soup. Date started with half a dozen Sunset Beach oysters which he clearly savored. Our mains were the lamb (mine) and the tuna (his; he had his heart broken upon learning that the scallops were not available). No room for dessert, which at Corduroy, is tragic.

[bnacpa]

Saturday night my wife and I dined at Corduroy for the first time. The free valet service definitely makes it convenient for a DC restaurant. The atmosphere is exactly how most on this thread have described ... very quiet.

Thank you to Rissa and Ferhat for taking such good care of us!

Rissa met us at the entrance and was very delightful. She came by several times to our table and was extremely friendly. Ferhat was our server and did a wonderful job explaining all the dishes and the ingredients behind them. We had the 6 course tasting menu.

When we sat down there was sparkling white wine wating for us as a starter. A very nice touch. With our amuse and 1st 2 courses we had a half bottle of Sancerre, Bernard Reverdy 04 which paired up quite nicely.

First we had an amuse of parsnip soup w/ tarrogon cream. This soup was amazing. I can't put my finger on the different flavors but the soup was delicious. Against better grace I found myself removing the doughy center of the bread to sop up the remainder in the cup. It was the only thing holding me back from licking it clean. My poor wife, she can't take me out anywhere!

The first official course was the seared scallop over garlic mashed potato and chardonnay sauce. This was really wonderful. The scallop had no sand or grit in it. My wife can't stand scallops and she was raving about this dish.

The second course was the crispy soft shell crabs with wilted greens and verjus. This was also very delicious. Unfortunately, I had just been to Komi on Friday night and I favor their presentation of the crab a little better ... the shell seemed softer and the crab more flavorful. With that said, the greens complimented the crab without taking away from the flavor and it was a delicious course.

The next course was the peppered rare Ahi tuna with sushi rice and hijiki. This was great. The Ahi was just as fresh as the Ahi we had in Hawaii. The sushi rice and hijiki complimented the tuna perfectly. Very flavorful and just enough sear to add flavor to each bite but not take away from the wonderful taste of the fish in its most basic form.

Next, we had the Ballotine of Free-Range Chicken with Foie Gras Sauce. This was truly interesting. This dish was really delicious and we could appreciate all the different flavors and the immense softness of the chicken .... fork melted right through it. I am not the biggest fan of chicken compared with other meats unless you are deep frying ... so I was not as impressed with this compared with the tuna or the scallops. And as good as this was, especially with the foie gras sauce, the last main course was my favorite ... the lamb with goat cheese ravioli.

The lamb was perfectly cooked and not gamey at all. It was warm red verging on pink around the edges and plenty of juice, but no blood. I have to thank heavens whenever someone serves us lamb because I love lamb (my favorite red meat) while my wife is not a huge fan. She has ordered it when highly suggested by wait staff at certain restaurants, but I think she had a bad experience years ago and hasn't quite gotten over it yet. The good news ... more for me! The goat cheese ravioli was good but seemed out of place with this wonderful lamb. My wife disagrees as the ravioli was the highlight for her.

Our 6th course was the desert ... chocolate souffle with chocolate ice cream on top (Baked Chocolate Sabayon) for me and a strawberry tart for my wife. We had desert wine with each.

Ferhat did a great deal of shaving the table clean from all my bread crumbs several times and re-folding my wife's napkin as she excused herself from the table. He was very knowledgeable about the food. The only knock I would give is that there seemed to be a long pregnant pause between courses that seemed to linger a little longer than we would have expected. This may be due to the food being cooked to order and freshly prepared, but we had to wonder if it was more due to the fact that the tasting menu is a requested item, not something normally adverstised and as a result the rhythm may just be a little off since it is not the norm. We didn't care for the red that was suggested for our meal, the Chambolle-Musigny, Domaine Magnien Michel, Les Fremieres. This was a bit too young for our tastes and although it seemed to become a little more drinkable as it breathed, we felt that a white for the last 3 primary courses before desert would have been better. The red worked more for the lamb, but not nearly as well for the tuna, chicken, and the residual crab flavor in our mouths when first introduced. Despite the red wine, the other wines were well suited to our tastes and the food was wonderful. This is a wonderful place for a quiet intimate dinner with wonderful food. It is sad that on a Saturday night the restaurant was not 100% packed with food and wine so good... but it is also great to know that you can get a great meal on a Saturday night with no wait unlike all the chains that are engulfing suburbia.