Le Diplomate, French Brasserie on 14th and Q Street in 14UP - Chef Michael Abt Replaces Adam Schop

[anhdeluxe]

Holiday weekend miracle: walked up with two other people and got seated right away outside at a four top 7:15 pm on a Saturday night! The good fortune never ran out - we had to have the foie gras parfait and the duck breast again because they were so good the last time but also got to try the warm shrimp salad (6 huge fully peeled prawns (no annoying tail!) a pretty avocado fan and salad mix dressed with a lemon beurre blanc. Lemon could have been more assertive but it was a perfect dish for a really warm night. My friend got the norwegian salmon- a very impressive brick of medium-rare fish teetering on top of a tomato salad. Good if you love tomatoes, and when they're in season like this, why not? This place continues to impress. It should be extra fun around Bastille Day!

[melanie1]

My first post on this site, but wanted to chime in on Le Diplomate. I was expecting to be disappointed, but my friend made the reservations and I didn't want to let her down. I was not disappointed. There were six in our party and we ordered three courses..a lot to try. I had the branzino which was fantastic. The others raved, too. Lamb shanks, boudin blanc, bouillabaisse, roast chicken. Only the steak au poivre was poorly received. Way too much pepper. The raw bar platter was beautiful to see and eat. Desserts were good, but kind of obscenely huge with no warning from the waiter. Service was good. Really, no complaints. Unusual for me as I don't usually choose huge, scenes to dine in.

[schulju]

My first post on this site

Welcome melanie1!

[lotus125]

We'd been a bit skeptical of Le Diplomate. Bistro food seems to have a known ceiling. (Think Balthazar, Pastis, Artisanal, or Bouchon). And the waits have been out of control. But tonight we happened to see an opentable reservation at just the right time, so we gave it a try.

The room is gorgeous. They've done a fantastic job giving a rustic feel to a new space -- even down to the scuffed looking mirrors and slightly-grey ceilings (which I assume comes from years of cigarette smoke in a real bistro?).

The bread basket, although not as transcendent as some have suggested, was quite nice. We started with a Tuna Carpaccio with leek vinaigrette that was excellent. Also to start, we had the radishes with butter. The plate was lovely but unfortunately covered in black pepper. I like pepper fine, but not with radishes and butter. It was hard to get salt without pepper, and I thought the pepper competed with the radish for bite. We also had a mushroom tart. The top -- mushrooms, pecorino, and truffle flavor -- was great. But the pastry itself was notably bad. It was dry and flavorless and caused me to abandon the dish. My dining companion commented that frozen puff pastry tastes better. In the end we scraped some of the mushroom topping off of it, but the tart was a failure.

For entrees we had trout amandine and scallops with peas, orzo, and carrot. The trout was nice -- properly cooked, a good brown butter, good haricot verts. I might have used a bit more lemon or salt, but that was just my preference; the dish was as advertised and well executed. On the scallops, the sauce and the orzo were both terrific. I think there may have been a bit of curry powder, but used subtlety. There were also sliced bits of pea pod. These were notably good. The scallops themselves were unfortunately a bit chewy; I'm not sure if they'd been slightly overcooked or if the restaurant just hadn't gotten dry scallops. Given how good the orzo and sauce were, it did not detract too much. But I would have enjoyed the dish as much (or more) with a different protein.

For dessert we split the grapefruit sorbet with financiers and cinnamon cream. It was all very tasty, but we were surprised that it was layered in a glass, like a parfait, rather than plated. We did not love digging through the slightly over-proportioned whipped cream to enjoy the lovely, light sorbet.

My one other nit is service. Our waiter was nice and knowledgeable, but inattentive at times. There was a long wait before we received appetizers, and even after we finished our drinks no one came by to see if we wanted another round or assure us that the appetizers were coming. Likewise, it took a long time to flag someone down to take the check.

My impression is that this is an enjoyable restaurant but not worth an insane wait. I hope that after the hype and crowds die down, it will be easier to get into. (It would also be a fantastic place for late-night food and drinking. They currently close at 12; I wonder if zoning prohibits later hours). The atmosphere is gorgeous and the food strong enough that it's a welcomed addition to DC.

[schulju]

Second visit to LD this weekend, again for brunch.  Lovely morning with a dear friend was almost overshadowed by the inability to find legal parking within a six-block radius of the restaurant.  Why doesn't someone put a parking garage up on 14th Street??

This time I ordered the quiche Lorraine that I had admired on a prior visit.  This is a huge serving of the most ethereal, cheesy, custard filled goodness I have ever had!   The very generous slice came with a small salad on the side and I ordered a side of potatoes (which wasn't at all necessary).  At $12, this really is a steal.  We did have to request a bread basket, but were awarded with a mix of baguette, sour dough and their cranberry walnut (my favorite).  Service was not as attentive this time, but probably only seemed lacking given the excellent service I enjoyed on my last visit.  Also, we were seated outside this time, so maybe that's part of the reason for less attention.

I will continue to keep brunch here in my regular rotation.  Not sure I will venture here for any other meal, since I don't think it will live up to the great experiences I've had at brunch.

[LauraB]

Count me as another who has fallen under the spell of Le Diplomate.  Believe me, this was totally unexpected.  Three of us had an early reservation for dinner this past Friday evening and I went fully expecting to be disappointed, given the hype and, as porcupine described in another thread, 'the theme park' aspects of the restaurant.  I emerged completely won-over, as were my companions.  So much so, that it makes me curious to try some of the Starr properties on an upcoming trip to Philly.

We were very impressed with the service.  Our server, Tiggy, could not have been more pleasant or more competent.  Her recommendation in answer to our request for a light-bodied red wine was perfect.  Perhaps because we were there early in the evening, the noise level did not bother us, although the restaurant was just about full when we arrived.  I was surprised, as we are normally annoyed by loud noise in restaurants.  We were seated on a banquette near the back and not at a table in the center of the restaurant, so perhaps that helped.

All of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals.  As starters: foie gras for my husband, gazpacho for my daughter, and the tuna carpaccio with leek vinaigrette for me.  Husband swooned over his foie gras -- he loves foie gras and is highly critical of it, so it had to be fantastic; my tuna carpaccio was ethereal and perfect for a summer meal -- it was served in a low soup bowl-type plate and at first it looked almost liquid -- it shimmered.  The tuna was very thinly sliced and the combination with the vinaigrette rendered this dish one of the best things I've eaten all summer.  The gazpacho was perfectly fine, if nothing extraordinary.  For main courses: the beef bourguignon for him, the steak frites for daughter, the grilled loup de mer with gigante beans for me.  My companions both loved their entrees.  I tasted the beef bourguignon and it was delicious, but I would wait for colder weather to order it myself; I sampled a few of the frites from daughter's plate and I thought they were fine, not soggy or nubby, as described by several above; my loup de mer was cooked well but not very interesting; it could have benefited from some lemon juice; the star of the plate was the gigante beans and the sharp vinaigrette with which they were dressed.  We did not order dessert.  All of us left the restaurant feeling that we'd had a lovely meal and a lovely time.  My husband and I have both spent a good deal of time living and working in France and this was about as close as we've come to reliving the experience in the U.S.

Yesterday morning we were walking back from the Dupont Farmers Market and it was such a beautiful morning that I said, "I'd really love to have a meal outdoors somewhere today."  We were discussing possibilities when we found ourselves across the street from Le Diplomate and noticed that there were some empty tables outside.  We looked at each other and nodded and scurried right over.  We were seated at a 2-top on the 14th St side.  Normally, I would feel a bit awkward dining that close to passersby on the street, but it turned out to be great fun -- so many people passing by with their dogs and babies, everyone in a great mood.  It was lively and vibrant -- just like dining at an outdoor café in Paris.  I was very pleased to see that the restaurant allows diners to have their dog with them at the table -- at least on the 14th St. side.  There was a couple with a large dog and the wait staff brought a treat to their dog.  Nice!  Once again, we had a wonderful dining experience.  Our server, Tyrone, was excellent and very personable.  We felt very well-attended to.  My Salade Nicoise was every bit as good as any I've had in France.  Husband's French Toast was complete with berries and a light syrup.  He devoured every bite and declared it 'magnifique.'  The Bloody Mary I ordered was one of the best I've had recently -- perfect amount of spice and not too watery or too thick.  After our meal we walked the 3 blocks home, feeling pretty fortunate to live so close to not only Le Diplomate, but also one of the most vibrant dining corridors in DC.

[porcupine]

 I went fully expecting to be disappointed, given the hype and, as porcupine described in another thread, 'the theme park' aspects of the restaurant

I have to admit, the steak tartare was excellent, as was Mr P's mushroom tart.  I wouldn't know a genuine Parisian experience if it sauntered up to me and blew cigarette smoke in my face, but we did enjoy brunch at LD.

[schulju]

So much so, that it makes me curious to try some of the Starr properties on an upcoming trip to Philly.

Laura, while Buddakan is probably the most well known, my favorite is Continental Mid-town.  I wouldn't suggest Parc, as it's the template for LD so you've pretty much already been there.  Menus for all STARR restaurants are online at http://www.starr-restaurant.com/

Much like LD here, unless you're planning to visit at an off time, you will definitely need reservations whichever restaurant you choose.

[Rieux]

Went to Le Dip on Saturday for my birthday dinner with my husband.  It was really great (our second time there), but I'm also a sucker for French brasseries.  We started with oysters and radishes to share, as we both were getting heavy mains.  He had the steak frites, I had the entrecote (which is the Saturday special, and, at something like $45, a treat.  The apps were great, 3 types of nice oysters (although I liked the Wellfleets the best, even though I eat those all the time in Wellfleet).  Radishes were nice, light, and showed what a simple combination of butter, radish, and salt can be.

My entrecote was AMAZING.  Perfectly cooked, just the right amount of fat/lean, and with a great char.  The shallot sauce with it was also nice.  It came with a good small salad and a mediocre Gruyere gougere which was  cold and which I only ate a few bites of.

For dessert I had the creme brulee, which was one of the best I have had.  All of this went down with a lovely Sant Emillon whose name I cannot remember, but which seemed like a decent deal at around $52.

We left very happy, full, but not overly so, and eager to go back.  I'd even say that the entrecote may be my new splurge for when I really want a nice steak.

[Tujague]

A pleasing but not outstanding brunch at Le Diplomate today. We were seated in the atrium area today, which is very pleasant but no less cacophonous than the main room when it's full. Our waiter was a bit slow to show up, but very attentive after. My Pimm's Cup was a good, less sweet rendition of the classic drink--the bitter edges came out, but it was also less refreshing than some versions. We shared the mushroom tart as a starter, and it was probably the best of our choices. Bob opted for the Eggs Boudin Noir, a modestly sized dish featuring two eggs cooked en cocotte and garnished with asparagus and fluffy pieces of boudin--nice, but a bit pricey at $15. Based on other's recommendations, I tried the Quiche Lorraine--as noted, it's a large, fluffy wedge with a dense pastry crust. To be honest, I prefer the weekend version at Montmartre, which is a large slab served out of a sheet plan, nearly as fluffy but a much lighter crust. So, a good meal, but not at the top of my list for brunch.

[hapatite]

I also was expecting to be underwhelmed by Le Diplomate. I've gone here twice (once for dinner and once for brunch).

The service is always attentive, informative, and friendly. Both times I have sat in the garden room so it has been quieter with a much nicer atmosphere than the inside of the restaurant.

I agree with some other comments here. There are a lot of things about this restaurant that are good, but there aren't many things that are "great" that would make me say "When are we coming here next?". The dinner portions are large and the drinks are strong and well crafted. Half way through my veal I did notice a dark, curly hair and notified management, but I still enjoyed dinner. I went here for brunch the past weekend and the the bread basket was good. Some items in it were great and some were meh. We had the mushroom tart (which is now on puff pastry, not shortbread), and it was my favorite of the whole day. I liked the funkiness and the slight char of the crust. We also had the macaroni gratin which was too oily and greasy for us. The service was a bit forceful at times, but well-intentioned.

I would go back here with a friend from out of town, especially for breakfast or drinks, but there are far too many other places on 14th street I want to try before I visit here again.

[DonRocks]

Is this really the only thread we have for Le Diplomate? (Well, it's still relevant - they are trying to hire (get this) a total of FORTY servers.)

As I approached Le Diplomate from the south, two things struck me: 1) It is much more casual and unassuming from the outside than I expected from a Starr restaurant, and 2) Once you're inside, you realize that it's much larger than you thought it was going to be. The corner space is extremely deceiving, and there is outdoor seating both on 14th and Q Streets. Another first impression I got when I walked in is, "My goodness, there are a lot of people working in here."

Do not let the aura of energy emitted by the staff fool you: they are exhausted from this opening, and if you go there, you'll see why - despite its size, the place gets packed. For example, they just started weekend brunch last weekend, and it's already fully booked. That is amazing, and speaks volumes for this community. Plans are in the works for an all-day brasserie which even includes breakfast - a neighborhood place where you can stop in anytime, open a book (when it's not full!), and hang out. Other than Cork, this is the first restaurant to make me wish I lived in 14UP (well, okay, maybe ChurchKey too).

After taking a lap, I almost literally bumped into Celia Laurent-Ziebold, former GM of Sou'Wester, and one of the opening managers at Le Diplomate. Celia is one of my best friends, and she advised me to take a seat quickly because it was going to get full. I pulled up a stool at the communal partition in the bar area, and started to peruse the menus, and the French comic book she brought me to keep me entertained.

Almost $7 million went into designing this restaurant, and it shows - I read an article today that said the wooden floors were made to creak on purpose. That may sound pretentious, but pretense will be the furthest thing from your mind when you come here - Le Diplomate is as comfortable as a silk robe in springtime. They really knocked the design out of the park, especially in making the corner space work so well to everyone's advantage.

While I browsed the menus, I enjoyed a large pour of NV Marquis de la Tour "Vin Mousseux" Brut ($9) from the Loire Valley. No, it's not champagne, but unlike a lot of sparkling whites, this had character of its own that made it worth drinking, then ordering a second, and then a third, glass. This can't retail for much more than $15 a bottle, and I'm going to go on a hunt for it, and use it as a house sparkler for awhile.

Celia recommended several small plates, one of which was the Steak Tartare de Parc ($15.50), a hand-chopped cylinder of filet, served with capers, a quail egg, small side salad, and crunchy slices of baguette. This was a fine steak tartare, and I didn't realize that the slight zing I was tasting was due to bit a red chili sauce (tabasco-like) that I noticed had left a reddish complexion on the white plate. For me, there was no need to even touch the crispy bread (which I tend not to love in general) because Le Diplomate has its own bakery, and offers a wonderful bread basket with three types of bread, including the best baguette you'll find on 14th Street.

I shunned Celia's recommendation of the pommes-frites, and went instead with the Radish Crudité ($6.50) which lent the crunch needed to accompany the mushy texture of the tartare. I adore sliced radishes with sea-salt and butter, and that's all this was, and all that I needed it to be.

For my final course, I stayed with another small plate, and ordered the Mushroom Tart ($11.50), a quartered circle of pioppini mushrooms and truffled pecorino. As beautiful as this looked, there was a heaviness to it that I didn't care for. In particular, the crust had a shortbread-like aspect that (literally) weighed the dish down, and detracted from the toppings - you'd think that pioppini mushrooms and truffled pecorino could stand up to a heavier crust, but I think it will need to either lighten up, or become thinner, for this dish to survive the summer. I had met three charming gentlemen as I was dining, and shared this tart with them - one of them described the crust as being "pot-pie like," and that's exactly the texture it had (the difference being that a chicken pot pie soaks and moistens the crust; here, it remained dry and crumbly). I liked this dish well enough, but there's way, way too much else on this menu to try for me to order it again anytime soon.

Thank you to the magnanimous GM Patrick Desotelle, who came and introduced himself, and also to Steve Uhr, who was previously at Bandolero. I suspect that over the course of the next few years, I will see many, many people here that I recognize from other restaurants. Le Diplomate is a goldmine, both for the owners, and also for the residents of 14UP.

Initialized in Italic in the Dining Guide.

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I had a less than stellar dinner at Le Diplomate last week. 

 

Three of us stopped in for drinks and dinner (I wonder how often that happens, see later in this post for why I ask), sitting at the bar and ordering cocktails and "snacks" (ha ha). One friend ordered a couple bottles of Kronenbourg; the other, a Negroni ($10), making a prune face upon first sip (yet, she ordered two more); I started my post-traumatic parking recovery with a glass of 2012 L'Estadon Côes de Provence Rosé ($10).

 

I was super content to nosh on Le Diplomate's world-beating bread-and-butter, with a basket of crusty sourdough white, sourdough wheat, and cranberry-nut bread to go along with their ramekin of incredible salty-creamy butter. I've always said that a great tomato salad, picked at the height of tomato season, and simply sliced, dressed with sea salt and olive oil, is one of the greatest individual food items in the world; and so it is with great bread and butter. There are better bread baskets in this town, but not many, and the ones that are, tend to be more elaborate, sometimes charging for them, at least for the second basket; not here. I'm sure they get annoyed when people stuff themselves silly on their wonderful bread, but it's hard not to do. This is wonderful bread and butter.

 

My friends were in a free-wheeling mood, and wanted some shellfish. A Dozen Oysters ($34/dozen: 6 large Atlantics; 6 deep Pacifics), and a Half-Dozen Littleneck Clams ($10) - they went to town, while I took one clam, one oyster, sipped my wine, ate my bread, and was happy as a, well, clam.

 

When we ordered dinner, I strongly advised my friends to put the brakes on the individual drinks, and go with a bottle of wine. A 2011 Laurent Martray Brouilly "Cuvée Vielles Vignes" ($35), a cru Beaujolais, had none of the green stalkiness certain bottlings of 2011 Beaujolais are showing right now (see my donrockwell.com post under Béarnaise for details), but came across as somewhat chaptalized and acidified. Pleasant enough, and the price was fine - it got us through the rest of the meal, which was comprised of small plates - but there is much better Beaujolais to be had than this.

 

My prune-faced friend, upon the first bite of the Gazpacho ($9) with tomato, cucumbers, and croutons, said, "This tastes homemade."

 

"Great!" I replied.

 

"No," she added. "Like you made it at home. And threw some vegetables in a food processor." And she was right - it was chunky, granular, and bland.

 

Escargots ($14) was right at the price where you weren't sure if they were frozen or not. Although these were served in shells - a beautiful, dramatic presentation - unfortunately, they weren't the shells in which the snails were born; they were just empty shells, purchased separately, and used as a serving vessel. The snails were inserted along with parsley and butter, and honestly, I couldn't tell if they were frozen or not (frozen is not necessarily bad, and you can still have frozen, but wild-caught, escargots). Something tells me these weren't crawling around in the flower boxes earlier in the day (*).

 

Like last time, the Radish Crudité ($6.50) with sea salt and butter was a table favorite for its simplicity. The radishes weren't quite as good this time - they tended to "bend" more than "snap" - but it's very hard not to like this dish, especially as a palate cleanser.

 

Country Duck Terrine ($13) was the dish of the night, and made us realize that, other than the escargots, this was the only animal protein we had in the main courses. We ordered several dishes, but kept things toward the healthy, vegetable-skewed side (he says, after downing about four pieces of bread and butter). Although this is pricey at $13, we all felt it was money well-spent.

 

Pommes Frites ($8), okay, not healthy, but vegetable-skewed, came in a paper cone, and had been salted to death. And I mean these were the saltiest pommes frites I can ever remember having. In all seriousness, we used them to salt the duck terrine which was slightly under-salted, so the two together in the same bite were just about right in terms of salinity (that's one of those words that make you sound like an intelligent critic).

 

My "home made gazpacho" friend picked up the tab, and let out a shriek when the check arrived. With all of our nibbling and sipping, the total, with tax and tip, came out to about $250. This is very easy to do here if you come for happy hour and end up eating and drinking a bit more than you had planned. This time around, I was somewhat disappointed in Le Diplomate - while it remains strongly in Italic in the Dining Guide, I can no longer keep it at the top of the heap in 14UP - there's just too much competition. The problem? Now, I'm not quite sure what is. How can you say Cork is better than Etto is better than Doi Moi is better than Kapnos is better than Estadio, unless you've been to each ten times? The simple, and inconvenient, truth, is that you can't - there could be any of seven restaurants on a given day that might be "the best" - but that's not going to stop me from trying.

 

I suspect Le Diplomate - now that it's gotten past review season - is settling into being a good, reliable, but unspectacular, all-day, multi-purpose brasserie. There's nothing wrong with this at all, and as long as the bread is this good (and believe me, it is quite good), and I can get a decent bottle of wine in the $30s? They have a friend in me.

 

(*) Poivrot Farci's fascinating addendum about snails and other gastropods here (well worth reading).

[Waitman]

- they went to town, while I took one clam, one oyster, sipped my wine, ate my bread, and was happy as a, well, clam

"The clam, esteemed by gourmets highly,

Is said to live the life of Riley;

When you are lolling on a piazza

It's what you are as happy as a."

--Ogden Nash (who else?)

[Waitman]

I was randomly driving by Le Diplomate last night when it hit me that I hadn't eaten a decent meal all day and that there was a parking space directly in front.

I figured out why the "oos" and "ahhs" regarding the interior seem so off key to me.  You can't really argue with a tile floor and a good zinc bar, but that pre-fab looking (vinyl?) ceiling with the fake nicotine patina  airbrushed onto it is like topping a couture gown with a faux-Gucci polyester wrap -- it's pretty much intolerable and I'm not sure how  Tom Sietsema, who seems more interested in interior design than food these days, and whose work suffers for it -- lets it slide.

Also bordeline intolerable: the frites, which were limp and gray.  Can we agree that the one thing a bistro has to get right is the frites?

Onion soup was actually pretty decent, the salad competent (it was a salad, competent is plenty), and the steak tartar pretty good, though I'm not sure that the spice adds anything.

Service was again very good.

So, I enjoyed my meal, but remain mystified that anyone would stand in line for it.

[mr food]

pretty much in agreement with Waitman after last night's dinner. Food was good especially the veal with fresh chaterelles, mushroom tart,  and the desserts. Otherwise ok but nothing great. Service was some of the best I've had in this town. Paul the new sommelier who has arrived from Rasika decanted my 2000 Meyney and provided some good advice on choosing our white-a 2012 Sancerre. He said he's working to upgrade the list and update the vintages. However the $300 check with a 20% tip seemed excessive for 3 people-two of whom ate appetizers. The $6 bottles of water didn't thrill me either.

[DonRocks]

Congratulations to Celia Laurent-Ziebold, who began (pro-forma) maternity leave after service this evening.

[KeithA]

Went last Saturday night for first time and had some good food and good/bad service issues. Upon checking in for our reservation we were told they were running 15 minutes behind and so after waiting at the bar for about 15-20 minutes, we finally were seated at one of the several tables that had been sitting empty for about 15 minutes.  This was the hint, later confirmed, that they have service issues to work out.  For such a big busy place, you would figure they would be rushing to turn tables and seat people waiting, but rather we saw this rather long delay between quick cleaning of tables and finally seating waiting partners at the idle tables. Service issues continued after we were sitted and then simply ignored for 10 minutes (no water, no menus, nothing). Finally, the sommelier spotted us and asked us if we'd like some water and poured. Again, odd service as we were in the middle of the dinning room with waiters, busboys, runners, etc whizzing around us constantly.  After the sommelier also had someone bring us menus, then we were able to quickly get his helpful advice a bottle of wine. Then, after we've never seen a waiter and waiting now about 20 minutes since being sitted - I flagged down a waiter and nicely but insisted that he send our waiter over.

Luckily that was the end of the service issues - the waiter apologized and comped us the excellent mushroom tart (really a mini mushroom pizza like thing on puff pastry). The bread basket that people have raved about was good in that it had a decent variety of well made bread (but none were so great that I would ask for seconds).  I enjoyed the duck breast entree which was a large portion and definitely on the sweeter side in terms of sauce and the accompanying figs but balanced with a nice peppery crust.  My wife had the steak frite which came with a huge mess of thin, crispy salty good fries (enough fries really for our whole table of 3).  I tasted the hangar steak and it was well cooked and tasty if a bit bland (maybe it would have benefited from the matre' butter she left off).  Our friend really enjoyed the large onion soup but she felt the ravioli appetizer was nothing special. The chocolate napoleon dessert was very good - nice layering of different chocolate flavors and textures (thin chocolate wafers, different mousses, and a chocolate chip cookie/cake like base and a scoop of ice cream) - definitely a delight for the chocoholic in me.  My wife loved the profiteroles and I thought they were ok. My issue with both desserts was the ice creams which seemed less creamy and more watery.

Overall, we had a good time which would have been better without the early evening service issues - but the staff's finally stepping up helped to correct any ill feeling.

[The Hersch]

First time at Le Diplomate this evening. We had a reservation for three people, and two of us arrived on time. After a couple of minutes, we decided to try to claim our table. We told the people at the host stand that we were still expecting a third person, and they suggested we have a drink at the bar until our party was complete. Fair enough, and I had a perfectly nice Kir royale, which at $11 was about what I would have expected. We finally got in touch with our missing friend and learned that he couldn't join us, so we went back to the host stand, now about 20 minutes after our reservation time, and told them that, and asked them if they could give us a table for two. Considering how slammed they were, I frankly wouldn't have been all that surprised if they'd blown us off, but they were very gracious and accommodating, and we had to wait only three or four minutes for a table for two.

The service from the hosts, the bartender, and our waiter were all excellent. Even though this restaurant is very new, very huge, and very busy, they really seem to know what they're doing when it comes to service. I wish the food were as good. The bread and butter, as Rocks mentions above, are really superb. I had a half-dozen oysters, which were very good indeed, as well they should be at $17. My friend had the macaroni au gratin, which I would not have ordered and which I tried to suggest to him wasn't a very good choice of a first course. I tasted it, and it was perfectly nice, but a huge and heavy dish quite unsuited to serve as a first course. After he had eaten a third or so of it, I advised him to take the rest home and have it for lunch tomorrow with a green salad, and he took my advice. For our main courses, my friend had the skate, which I didn't try. He liked it well enough. I had the boeuf bourguignon, which was fairly tasty, but both the beef and the lardons in it were leathery and dry, and it was really a rather dismal dish which I would give about a 1.5 on a scale of 1 to 5. It came with a potato puree which was watery and tasteless. We also had side orders of sauteed spinach and pommes frites. The spinach appeared to have been frozen at some time in its unhappy life, and the frites were not awful, but that's about the best that could be said for them. McDonald's fries, if right out of the fryer, are better. I totally agree that if a bistro must get one thing right it's the fries. They came with a little cup of mayonnaise, about which my one comment is Hellmann's.

Le Diplomate certainly knows how to create buzz and vibe, and if you're in the right sort of mood I expect you'd be very happy to be there, and will be well looked-after by the very smooth and professional staff, which is saying a lot these days. But when I compare my meal this evening with any meal I've ever had in any sort of equivalent bistro/brasserie in Paris, I'd say I need to get back to Paris, and for what we paid here this evening, which was admittedly not all that much, we could have eaten much better in Washington as well.

[darkstar965]

Le Diplomate is exactly the kind of spot I usually defer visiting.  Lots of hype and social media buzz. Uber-expensive buildout (around $7 million I think).  More than 300 reviews on that 'other' review site as all the yelpers compete to sing the same banal praise.  The thirtieth restaurant in a now-four-state empire. And, added to all that, the decidedly mixed reviews here on dr.com about the overall food-for-the-money equation with the kind of substantive support (plateaux de fruits de mer, anyone?) that makes dr.com the great resource that it is.

In a case like this, I usually won't only defer the visit (can't bring myself to wait in any line or book weeks in advance) but will also put a first toe in the water with a lunch or brunch to mitigate any feelings of foolishness brought on by a colossal dinner bill that didn't come close to being worth it.

Went for brunch last weekend and, briefly stated, we'll be heading back for a dinner.

Important disclosure: We kept things very simple so much was not assessed.  My +1 just ordered a couple of eggs with bacon.  I ordered the french onion soup and a nicoise salad. Somewhat shocking to me, the value was good.  $12 for the eggs and bacon with potatoes.  Can't recall the pricing on the other items but it was all very fair.  They promote their eggs as from a local farm and, being pretty focused on that when restaurants do it, these were in fact high-quality farm eggs with large orange yolks. Likewise the potatoes and bacon, while simple to execute were both made with excellent raw material and were executed perfectly.  Agree with Waitman on the onion soup, indeed it is "pretty decent," a few galaxies better than one I was served just this past week at a full-bore, faux french chateaux allegedly in "North Atlanta" but actually a good 20 miles or so north of that. The nicoise salad bordered on impressive for its sheer size and quality of ingredients along with excellent execution.  Two kinds of fresh green beans; one haricot vert and fresh, crispy summer pod peas.  Plenty of large chunks of nice-quality tuna, the farm eggs, cooked hard but not overly so as is usually the case...and so on.  Very filling and very tasty salad fit for a meal.

Beyond the limited food we ordered, the one pricier item was the fresh-squeezed OJ but no problem with that as they really do squeeze to order.  And, unlike some other fine restaurants in our area, the delicious bread here doesn't carry a surcharge. Finally, as most upthread agree, excellent service.  We didn't have a booking so they put us outside but it was a beautiful day and they've invested at least 10 or 20K of that 7 million in serious heat lamps to make the outdoor very comfortable. I do really admire the service here as it extends from the bussers to management and whomever handles their marketing*

While no guarantees I won't feel a little fleeced after a dinner outing here, I feel such a visit is fully earned at least by own wacky scorecard.  At minimum, Le Diplomate is and should be real competition for other weekend brunch spots on 14th and in the surrounding area.

*  Any issues with noise at LD?  They posted this on another review site to which I won't link.

Announcement

You couldn't hear, but we heard you. Soundproofing is complete at Le Diplomate.

Now you can enjoy some good conversation with your baguette

[turbogrrl]

Last night was the first time I'd made it out to LD. I don't really like crowds, I'm rarely in the mood for heavy proteins, and loud places bug me. But the inlaws made the reservation, and off we went. (Full disclosure, I had a migraine last night. But I suspect I probably would have ended up with one regardless.)

We showed up a few minutes early for our reservation, and were directed to the bar despite a few empty tables around. Having no interest in the bar, we stood in the vestibule for about 10 minutes, until someone led us to an area in the back where there were several more empty tables. We had to stand around a bit more, as another party had apparently decided to relocate themselves on their own to our designated table, and discussions were had with the hostess.

Apparently the decor works for many; I watched one couple exclaim over a strategically-placed, silvery radiator. "This building must be very old!"

The bread basket was fantastic, though we didn't ask for a second. The cocktails were fine but unremarkable; they contained alcohol in appropriate proportions. The onion soup was decent, but I couldn't finish it. There was a miscommunication with the kitchen; half of the entrees were mis-prepared, so came ~10 minutes after the first half. I'd nearly finished my duck confit by the time Nick's steak frites arrived. The steak came truly rare (yay), and the frites were generally crispy, although the later frites were much better than the ones that arrived first; clearly the frites cannot handle much delay in serving. Since I had finished my duck, I helpfully ate half of nick's frites. The side of green beans we got were slightly soggy.

A manager come over and apologized for the kitchen mix-up, and asked if he could get us anything. Two of us ordered another round of drinks; I didn't see the detailed bill so I have no idea what, if anything, was comped.

Dessert was the profiteroles and the dark chocolate napoleon. The profiteroles were tasty, but not up to the MIL's standards. I have no idea what was going on with the dark chocolate napoleon, but it did nothing for me.  We didn't finish it.

Our server was attentive, but strangely intense. I might have said he was flirting with me, but I'm pretty certain he was young enough to be my child. Maybe he was trying to telepathically convey that there was a VIP in the restaurant, and I just missed the message. (see: migraine.) Or maybe it was that the people around us were pretty uniformly awful, and we were the only table that was easy-going? I don't know. I do know that the restaurant was pretty unbearably loud (as in, everyone was shouting to be heard, such that I could hear the conversations at other tables better than our own, since we were not shouting), and the conversations were not worth overhearing.

By the time we were done, I just wanted out of there. On the way to the door, I accidentally made eye contact with a young man in a nondescript suit, and thought "hrmm, he looks like secret service." Sure enough, the street outside was blocked off, and a limo and a couple of black SUVs were idling.

Hopefully Biden had a better dinner than we did. Not that our dinner was bad; it was perfectly fine. It just really didn't do anything for me, nor did it  justify the $80-something per person we spent. I suspect, like Vegas, I just don't have the requisite suspension of disbelief to immerse myself, and so I just find it too overdone and expensive and flat, rather than an "experience."

[mtureck]

 (Full disclosure, I had a migraine last night. )

Honestly, do you really think that anything that comes after this statement can possibly be fair to the restaurant?

[turbogrrl]

Honestly, do you really think that anything that comes after this statement can possibly be fair to the restaurant?

I have been amazed and delighted by restaurants while having a migraine, even loud and bustling ones. (see: Rose's Luxury, on multiple occasions). So, given that there is about 50% odds of me having a migraine while dining out, I judge it slightly material (which is why I mentioned it) but not hugely so. It's also possible much of the kitchen/service weirdness was due to Biden showing up (also why I mentioned it), but at $80+ per person, there are much better dinners to be had. Or even, french bistros with actual french people, if that's your thing.

But I do give them props for understanding that rare means rare, and delivering perfectly rare steak frites.

[Josh]

Apparently the decor works for many; I watched one couple exclaim over a strategically-placed, silvery radiator. "This building must be very old!"

That's unfortunate.

[lekkerwijn]

This past weekend we conducted a fun albeit unintentional and expensive experiment. We were in Manhattan on Friday night and had dinner at Betony.  For our main courses we ordered the skate and the short ribs. The skate at Betony came in a double thick portion with a layer of herbs and olives in the middle and served with various preparations of cauliflower. It was pretty damn delicious. The short ribs were cooked sous vide, served medium rare and had a texture akin to that of a filet. Also pretty damn delicious.

Then on Saturday night we went to Le Diplomate. Skate and short rib are on the menu there as well- for the same nearly if not the same price as at Betony. This gave us pause if only because Betony is the project a bunch of Eleven Madison Park alums and recently received 3 stars from the New York Times. Also, we had no challenge getting a 9 pm same day reservation at Betony that was pleasantly buzzing when we arrived and had to book Le Diplomate 6 weeks in advance for a 9:15 and arrived to an insane crazy scene. Says a lot about DC....

We decide to order the same proteins again for a direct comparison.  Our conclusion: the skate entrees were of comparable quality. Preparation techniques were similar- both pan fried and both pretty perfectly cooked. Betony's accompaniments got the edge since they were more interesting than the pile of mixed greens with the skate at Le Diplomate. The short rib at Le Diplomate has a cool presentation with the big rib bone, but we can make a pretty insane braised short rib at home. Betony's version took the win by a landslide.

Before I get yelled at, I know they aren't direct competitors and aren't trying to be. I don't want this to sound like our dinner at Le Diplomate wasn't enjoyable. It was. But our experience at Betony the night before put a unique spin on the experience.

[ad.mich]

Le Dip was packed tonight on a random Wednesday. Steak tartare was regrettable - heavy hand on the chile sauce and mustard. Not cool and you could not get any meat flavor at all.  The mustard vinaigrette on the salad just served to double down on the nostril clearing. Evening special of cassoulet was very good though (I think damn near every other table had an order).

Had to ask for a bread basket but it arrived promptly.  Service remains a major plus here.  Food is good but not great.  Bread remains the best part.  Actually asked and you cannot purchase bread to go.  That kills any desire to order takeout from Le Dip in the near future.

[DonRocks]

Le Dip was packed tonight on a random Wednesday. Steak tartare was regrettable - heavy hand on the chile sauce and mustard. Not cool and you could not get any meat flavor at all.  The mustard vinaigrette on the salad just served to double down on the nostril clearing. Evening special of cassoulet was very good though (I think damn near every other table had an order).

Had to ask for a bread basket but it arrived promptly.  Service remains a major plus here.  Food is good but not great.  Bread remains the best part.  Actually asked and you cannot purchase bread to go.  That kills any desire to order takeout from Le Dip in the near future.

How many people here want to love Le Diplomate, and just can't bring themselves to do it?

[schulju]

I stand by Le Diplomate as a solid brunch option along the ever growing 14th Street food crawl.  I've been enough times with enough people to have pretty much made it through the entire menu at this point.  Everything is at least good if not great (and that quiche is GREAT).  

[JPW]

How many people here want to love Le Diplomate, and just can't bring themselves to do it?

Me.

[sklarithy]

Looks like Adam Schop moved back to NYC. He's taking over the kitchen at Miss Lily's and their new East Village offshoot:

[RWBooneJr]

How many people here want to love Le Diplomate, and just can't bring themselves to do it?

You know what's just as expensive as Le Diplomate and often not as good? Every single brasserie in Paris.

Le Diplomate, and Parc in Philly from which it was cloned, absolutely nail this genre.

[DonRocks]

Looks like Adam Schop moved back to NYC. He's taking over the kitchen at Miss Lily's and their new East Village offshoot:

Does anyone know who the new Chef de Cuisine at Le Diplomate is?

Not that it really matters, as cookbook restaurants merit cookbook chefs - refer to Central - and at the end of the day, they're just filler for the owners to make money with.

(You know what a huge advantage of having a catastrophic injury is? You no longer give a flying fuck what people think about you, much less greedy owners who are in this game only to make as much money as possible.)

Maybe one day, diners will realize that I've been in this from the very start for *their* benefit. But you know what? I doubt it because they believe only what they're told to believe.

[Tujague]

I've not been overly enamored with the brunches I've had at Le Diplomate but we still gave it another shot on Memorial Day. On my last visit I had the Croque Monsieur, which was fine, but not better than others I've had around town. This time, I decided to aim at other parts of the menu, and had the Burger Américain, the recipe for which was recently featured at the Washingtonian, and is definitely an upscale take on a Big Mac. It's actually a decent option, different from the thick burgers that are the current trend around town. Here, the two thinnish patties retain a lot of juice (they're cooked to medium to slightly more well done, which works fine on this sandwich) and have the requisite "special sauce," pickles, red onion, etc., on a brioche bun. This is a reminder that the basic idea behind the Big Mac is actually really good, and can be rendered well with some care; I'm surprised it hasn't gotten much attention here. As Rocks mentioned above, the fries are over-salted though not inedibly so (no worse than the fries at Bearnaise). Bob had the Eggs Basquaise for a second time, two poached eggs on a nice polenta and a tomato/prosciutto sauce. At $15 apiece, I felt I got the better deal. Service was okay--as on other visits, a bit slow to start, and the server forgot to bring us our drinks until we were half-done with our meals (I do like the Atlas Brewery Rye Ale they have on tap), but in the end he basically acquitted himself. By 1:30, there were quite a few tables available throughout the restaurant; holidays are a good time to try brunch here. In the future, I suspect I'll stick more with the more lunch-like items rather than the breakfast/brunch dishes--they're more substantial, and I think the better offerings. (Unlike some others, I'm not a fan of that thick-crusted quiche.)

[MTPeter]

A word of caution regarding the croque madame, which at Le Diplomate is served open faced (no top bread - egg directly on ham). That lack of top bread made for a very unenjoyable sandwich, as did the ham which was tired and tough.

A small lamentation, a gnat in a world full of larger disappointments, but if you like a good croque, don't bother with this one. Ending with positivity:  The fries were good and so were the drinks and I appreciated the manager who gave us free coffee and pastries after the busser dropped dishes down my back.

[sandynva]

i had a good first visit to le diplomate saturday, and am eager to go back. arrived a bit after 6 and immediately recieved seating in the enclosure area. I thought the bread and butter were good, but not amazing (unlike, say, volt's cheddar biscuits) but happily finished it anyway.

perhaps because i'd eaten so much bread we ordered lightly--split a side of potatoes gratin to start with, i had the mushroom tart and my companion had the scallops. he said the scallops were good, but not amazing, and he'd have prefered them to be cooked a touch more. on the other hand we both loooved the potato gratin. so simple--good cheese, potatoes, garlic and a ton of butter and cream, but so good. the filling of the mushroom tart was excellent, cheesy and with deep mushroom flavor, but as others have noted the puff pastry crust is only ok. the gratin was rich enough that after eating only half of it, i couldn't eat more than half the tart. it reheated excellently.

for dessert we split the pot de creme which, like the potato gratin, was simple, so rich, and so delicious. service was somewhat abrupt but reasonably attentive.

i think having a side of potato gratin followed by a pot de creme would be an amazingly decadent and reasonably priced meal, and more than enough food for me at least.

[DonRocks]

This may be the first time I've ever seen a Philadelphia publication write about a New York publication writing about a Washington, DC restaurant.

"Starr's Le Diplomate In The New York Times" by Jason Sheehan on phillymag.com

[Waitman]

This may be the first time I've ever seen a Philadelphia publication write about a New York publication writing about a Washington, DC restaurant.

"Starr's Le Diplomate In The New York Times" by Jason Sheehan on phillymag.com

A product of Philly's deserved insecurity.

[rorkin]

Easy to get in if you want to at early weekdays. At least it was for us. Will probably seat you in heated outside area. Food was good but nothing was wow. Guess the hot ticket is the Weekend brunch.

[Tujague]

Three small, but distinctive pleasures of Le Diplomate:

1. The lighting. While the overall design of the place has been the most remarked-upon quality of the interior, I think that it's really the lighting that is the miracle here: amazing evenness, no apparent glare or hot spots, warm and soft but still bright enough to make the menus readable. Plus, I think it helps to reduce the sense of din or crowdedness. You get the feeling that whoever planned the lighting here sat in every last seat and made it just right. If only more restaurateurs would pay attention to that sort of detail, and not either leave diners eating in the dark or shading their eyes from ill-placed spotlights.

2. The radish crudités. So simple, so delicious. For $7.50, a rustic-but-luxurious-feeling bargain.

3. The lemony mayonnaise (or is an aioli?) that comes with the frites. How rare it is to get this just-right sort of tang to it!

The food, noise, and atmosphere here will surely continue to polarize diners. But it's still an amazingly consistent place that has not lost a drop of its celebratory ambience. I don't think the food is as good as Central was at its peak (another place whose success is in part due to its joie de vivre)--as someone notes above, the gruyere gougeres (an anniversary gratis) are cold and not nearly as good as Michel Richard's--but it really does do a lot of things well, and often exemplarily.

[eyedubya]

I am SO glad that I finally made it to Le Diplomate last night.  So GLAD because now I every time I see it hyped in Washingtonian/whatever, I can relax and realize that I'm not missing anything.  Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly adequate(ish) but in no way spectacular.

• Service - solid, if not robotic.  
• Food - meh. As another poster said, not really any better than Mon Ami Gabi.  Like that other corporate entity, Le Diplomate tends to 'Muricanize some of its more promising offerings (the aforementioned heavy mushroom tart, bland escargot with unnecessary puff pastries on top).   
• Decor - yeah yeah, they spent $7 Million on it.  Feels like Disney.  
• Wine list - the only highlight in the sense that I was able to spot a few gems value-wise

Just take this place for what it is - a corporate food factory (dropped into a neighborhood) printing money to pay off its build-out cost.  Bland food that can be overlooked because there is so much else to look at.  Not quite Cheesecake Factory, but same premise.  And it's probably not going away any time soon.

If you want authentic bistro food done adequately, without the crowds, why not just go to Bistro Francais?  If you want a hot spot with a crowd, and more imaginative food, revert back to Central.

[DonRocks]

I am SO glad that I finally made it to Le Diplomate last night.  So GLAD because now I every time I see it hyped in Washingtonian/whatever, I can relax and realize that I'm not missing anything.  Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly adequate(ish) but in no way spectacular.

• Service - solid, if not robotic.  
• Food - meh. As another poster said, not really any better than Mon Ami Gabi.  Like that other corporate entity, Le Diplomate tends to 'Muricanize some of its more promising offerings (the aforementioned heavy mushroom tart, bland escargot with unnecessary puff pastries on top).   
• Decor - yeah yeah, they spent $7 Million on it.  Feels like Disney.  
• Wine list - the only highlight in the sense that I was able to spot a few gems value-wise

Just take this place for what it is - a corporate food factory (dropped into a neighborhood) printing money to pay off its build-out cost.  Bland food that can be overlooked because there is so much else to look at.  Not quite Cheesecake Factory, but same premise.  And it's probably not going away any time soon.

If you want authentic bistro food done adequately, without the crowds, why not just go to Bistro Francais?  If you want a hot spot with a crowd, and more imaginative food, revert back to Central.

Well, this was a gutsy post.

Here was another (believe me, it took some serious rognons blancs to click that "Post" button, knowing that I wasn't going to be making any friends).

[eyedubya]

Well, this was a gutsy post.

Here was another (believe me, it took some serious rognons blancs to click that "Post" button, knowing that I wasn't going to be making any friends).

Thanks, but I'm not attached to the industry at all, so I don't have to worry about making friends.  And since Starr is just a corporation, I don't feel bad piling on.  As critical as your post may be, you're (mostly) criticizing companies, not the little guys trying to make a living.

It will be interesting to watch 14UP in the coming years to see if it gets Clarendon'd (sure it's verb).

[Mark Slater]

Thanks, but I'm not attached to the industry at all, so I don't have to worry about making friends.  And since Starr is just a corporation, I don't feel bad piling on.  As critical as your post may be, you're (mostly) criticizing companies, not the little guys trying to make a living.

It will be interesting to watch 14UP in the coming years to see if it gets Clarendon'd (sure it's verb).

Having lived in Washington for 35 years, I still remember when 14th Street was bombed out, boarded up and void of any businesses. The DC government was homesteading houses there for $1 with a promise to improve and live there for 2 years. I am certain that 14th Street will suffer what Georgetown and now Clarendon have gone through in the near future. The glut of restaurants has already sparked a building boom for luxury apartments. The commercial rent hikes won't be far behind, I'm almost certain.

[Marty L.]

That's ok; even if places such as Bar Pilar, Ghibellina and Etto are priced out soon (which would be a shame), everyone can and should turn their attention a mile or two northward, to Mi Cuba Cafe, Thip Khao (opened yesterday) and Taqueria Habanero.  Gentrification should take at least a few years to destroy that more northern stretch of 14th.

Having lived in Washington for 35 years, I still remember when 14th Street was bombed out, boarded up and void of any businesses. The DC government was homesteading houses there for $1 with a promise to improve and live there for 2 years. I am certain that 14th Street will suffer what Georgetown and now Clarendon have gone through in the near future. The glut of restaurants has already sparked a building boom for luxury apartments. The commercial rent hikes won't be far behind, I'm almost certain.

[Jonathan]

Had a very nice first experience at Le Diplomate last night. My SO and I were searching for a place to grab a bite around 10pm (why is that so darn difficult in this town?) after working the Turn Up the Heat event benefitting Ovarian Cancer Research.

We settled in on Le Dip and sat at the lovely round booths in the front that reminded me of those booths in the old Palena. We shared a Salade Lyonnaise, which they graciously split and gave us each a poached egg, a burger and a roast chicken. All well done. The crowds were not overwhelming, and the restaurant was quite charming from our vantage point. Service was professional and friendly, the food well executed and comforting on a cold night.

I will certainly be back, and most likely during their down times, as it is much, much better than Bisto du Coin or Lepic in my opinion.

[darkstar965]

Had a very nice first experience at Le Diplomate last night. My SO and I were searching for a place to grab a bite around 10pm (why is that so darn difficult in this town?) after working the Turn Up the Heat event benefitting Ovarian Cancer Research.

We settled in on Le Dip and sat at the lovely round booths in the front that reminded me of those booths in the old Palena. We shared a Salade Lyonnaise, which they graciously split and gave us each a poached egg, a burger and a roast chicken. All well done. The crowds were not overwhelming, and the restaurant was quite charming from our vantage point. Service was professional and friendly, the food well executed and comforting on a cold night.

I will certainly be back, and most likely during their down times, as it is much, much better than Bisto du Coin or Lepic in my opinion.

I have to agree with all of this knowing that this place draws a pretty wide range of opinion here. Le Dip isn't the best restaurant in town and probably won't be winning too many awards for innovation or exceptionalism but, distilling it all into four words elusive for many others:

They consistently execute well.

I admire the business. And almost always enjoy the food, service and experience.

[jandres374]

Have plans to go here Sunday night for a birthday celebration - finally using a gift card given to us over a year ago.

Any recommendations on a good value bottle of red that I can order for us.

[DonRocks]

Have plans to go here Sunday night for a birthday celebration - finally using a gift card given to us over a year ago.

Any recommendations on a good value bottle of red that I can order for us.

I tried to help, but couldn't see the wine list on their website. Not knowing anything, I'd say to get a Beaujolais or a Cote du Rhone in the $40s if you can, the older the better (these wines are built to improve after several years of aging, and you'll be fortunate to find one as old as 2010, for example).

[JPW]

I tried to help, but couldn't see the wine list on their website. Not knowing anything, I'd say to get a Beaujolais or a Cote du Rhone in the $40s if you can, the older the better (these wines are built to improve after several years of aging, and you'll be fortunate to find one as old as 2010, for example).

Yea, it took me a couple of minutes to find it (click "menus", then at the very bottom of the page it has links to wine and dessert menus).

A quick glance has me saying "What Don said".

There are a couple of decent Crozes Hermitage that are not priced too badly that will be somewhat flexible to pair with.

[DonRocks]

Yea, it took me a couple of minutes to find it (click "menus", then at the very bottom of the page it has links to wine and dessert menus).

A quick glance has me saying "What Don said".

There are a couple of decent Crozes Hermitage that are not priced too badly that will be somewhat flexible to pair with.

It's interesting that both of us had some trouble finding it.

Okay, often, the cheapest wines are poor, but here, they aren't:

744 Cairanne La Goeuil for $38

757 Minervois Coupe Roses for $42

B59 Saint-Cosme for $43

I'd go with (and have gone with) the Coupe Roses.

The price of French Rosés has risen - it used to be they were *the* cheapest world-class wines on menus; now, they're in the $40s and sometimes in the $50s. Ouch! These leave the Chateaux for about $10-15 a bottle, and since the Euro is so weak, that means someone in the supply chain is making some serious coin. You can walk into supermarkets in France and find entire walls of them, walking out with perfectly good bottles for under $10.

[Waitman]

I tried to help, but couldn't see the wine list on their website. Not knowing anything, I'd say to get a Beaujolais or a Cote du Rhone in the $40s if you can, the older the better (these wines are built to improve after several years of aging, and you'll be fortunate to find one as old as 2010, for example).

Normally I would defer to your vastly greater wisdom on this subject, but a 5-year-old Beaujolais?  Sounds flat and musty to me.  And I'm speaking from experience (Schneider's -- I'll never forget!).