Oval Room, Near The Ellipse <--- :-) - Chef John Melfi and GM Muhammad Nadeem

[hmmboy]

What a yummy evening! The flavorful strip steak - cooked and seasoned to perfection - not as easy as it sounds. Quite sure I could have eaten everyone's portion of the lobster w/cherries and still wanted more. But the real show stopper for me was the pastrami cured kanpachi with mustard, tomato jam and caraway. So creative and so freakin' delicious - I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted another one on rye to go!

Kudos to Chef Conte and the entire staff at the Oval Room for a great meal.

[jigones]

What a yummy evening! The flavorful strip steak - cooked and seasoned to perfection - not as easy as it sounds. Quite sure I could have eaten everyone's portion of the lobster w/cherries and still wanted more. But the real show stopper for me was the pastrami cured kanpachi with mustard, tomato jam and caraway. So creative and so freakin' delicious - I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted another one on rye to go!

Kudos to Chef Conte and the entire staff at the Oval Room for a great meal.

Since we were going to be out of town the night of the DR event, we went the night before. As always, the Oval Room never ceases to amaze me. Anyone who has not been, is doing themselves a disservice. To the meal. I had the caramelized beef strip steak, which was delicious and the carrots with tarragon sauce were so good that I would have paid just to eat them. The pastrami cured kanpachi is definitely worth many visits. Also tried the chilled cucumber soup, which was great. Though its not for individuals who can not do spicy foods. As everyone should know, the deserts are a must, because frankly, its tough to find much better in DC. Anyways, I had the blueberry tart pie for desert with some coffee and I have to say, it was the best blueberry tart pie I have ever had. Overall, the meals is was as close to orgasmic as it gets. Keep up the good work and we will see you Monday!

[Sthitch]

Based on the menu description I would have thought that the Pastrami Cured Kanpachi would not have worked, I feared that the spicing and the hot mustard would completely dominate the fish. I am just thankful that this was part of the tasting menu. This was a staggeringly good dish, all of the components worked together to enhance, not overwhelm, the delicate fish flavor. I particularly enjoyed the hot mustard ice cream.

On tasting menu Friday night were mostly hits, but there were two distinctive misses. The first was the confit of squash, this would have been enjoyable if it had been cooked just a little longer, but I have a feeling the element that I liked the least, the texture, was what the chef was trying to showoff. The other miss was the pasta dish. The flavors that shrouded the hand cut pappardelle were intoxicating, from the porcinis to the smoke, but this dish suffered because of the pasta, which was both tough and gluey at the same time.

I hope that the Oval Room makes most of its money at lunch, because at it’s busiest on Friday night there were only about 6 tables filled. This really is a restaurant that deserves more praise and business.

[DanielK]

Based on the menu description I would have thought that the Pastrami Cured Kanpachi would not have worked, I feared that the spicing and the hot mustard would completely dominate the fish. I am just thankful that this was part of the tasting menu. This was a staggeringly good dish, all of the components worked together to enhance, not overwhelm, the delicate fish flavor. I particularly enjoyed the hot mustard ice cream.

On tasting menu Friday night were mostly hits, but there were two distinctive misses. The first was the confit of squash, this would have been enjoyable if it had been cooked just a little longer, but I have a feeling the element that I liked the least, the texture, was what the chef was trying to showoff. The other miss was the pasta dish. The flavors that shrouded the hand cut pappardelle were intoxicating, from the porcinis to the smoke, but this dish suffered because of the pasta, which was both tough and gluey at the same time.

I hope that the Oval Room makes most of its money at lunch, because at it’s busiest on Friday night there were only about 6 tables filled. This really is a restaurant that deserves more praise and business.

Since you seem to have had a pretty great meal, but only told us about 1 hit (and 2 misses), how about listing some of the other courses from the tasting menu?

[youngfood]

Based on the menu description I would have thought that the Pastrami Cured Kanpachi would not have worked, I feared that the spicing and the hot mustard would completely dominate the fish. I am just thankful that this was part of the tasting menu. ...

I hope that the Oval Room makes most of its money at lunch, because at it’s busiest on Friday night there were only about 6 tables filled. This really is a restaurant that deserves more praise and business.

That dish was a huge hit at the DR.com dinner here several months ago. Does anyone know the details on the week night bar menu and the no corkage? Is it $35 for three courses anytime weeknights at the bar? And is it no corkage either weekend night?

[Sthitch]

Since you seem to have had a pretty great meal, but only told us about 1 hit (and 2 misses), how about listing some of the other courses from the tasting menu?

Many of the details were lost to way too much after dinner imbibing and not taking notes (which I never do anyway).

After the Kanpachi they served three types of roasted beets with a blue cheese sauce sparingly drizzled on it. I wish the beets had been cooked just a little longer, but I am sure that more people like them a little firmer than I do, so it is not a real complaint. The beets were delicious, and the cheese sauce was a nice way to cut through the sweetness.

After the disappointing squash came a seared striped bass. This was served with slices of show peas on top with a delicious licorice and almond dressing. The fish was cooked perfectly, and the addition of licorice really made this a unique dish.

The main meat course was prime beef that had been cooked to rare via sous vide, and then given a quite sear. This was served with stewed carrots that my dining companion thought were delicious (I don’t care much for carrots – so his opinion counts more than mine).

The dessert was the Vacherin, a tube filled with granny smith sorbet topped with a soft meringue that if memory serves – and after all the wine we drank my memory may not be serving me well – the cassia ice cream was on the bottom.

So in a nutshell, that is what we had.

[lackadaisi]

So in a nutshell, that is what we had.

We had the same meal this weekend, and it sounds like we had a very similar impression of it.

Some of it was brilliant. I loved the Kanpachi, and I believe that I noted at the time that the beet dish - which I thought was cooked perfectly - was the most rustically refined thing I had ever eaten. The bass was really wonderful. I am not a licorice or a snow pea fan in general, so at first I did not think I liked it, but the more I ate, the more I appreciated the balance. The Vacherin was also lovely; again the flavor combinations were perfect.

The beef was extremely good; perfectly cooked and went wonderfully with the carrots and the mixed grains with which it was served. On the other hand, I thought that the carrot puree under the grains was unnecessary, and the dipping sauce (don't recall what it was) just didn't work with it.

My feelings on the pasta dish are very mixed. On one hand, I really loved the combination of the smokiness and the grapefruit accents. On the other hand, this dish was hard to eat and downright unappetizing looking. Large and floppy, the pasta was just not pleasant to eat. Put this same dish on a linquine and add just a touch of color, and I would love it.

The squash was pointless and undercooked. I did not understand it at all, and I love squash. It added nothing to the meal and made me think much more poorly of the whole meal until I really took a minute to think about each course. I only ate a couple bites.

We did the wine pairings as well, and they were absolutely perfect! The wines themselves were quite pedestrian, but each one was paired perfectly, really bringing out new - and wonderful - elements of both the food and the wine. The servings were more than ample (I apologize to those who may have seen me after the meal, and I did not even come close to finishing even a single one of the glasses served to me).

Overall, I was floored by the creativity, but left with the feeling that some of the dishes needed a bit more tinkering. I don't know if it was the meal itself or the place that I am in my life right now, but more than any other meal that I have ever had did I come away with new combinations of flavors that I would like to incorporate into my own cooking.

[Sthitch]

I believe that I noted at the time that the beet dish - which I thought was cooked perfectly - was the most rustically refined thing I had ever eaten.

I was a bit leary of the off dry wine with the beets, when I first took a sip of it I thought "there is no way that this going to match with the sweetness of the beets." But damned if it did, and matched really well.

The squash dish did have a visual appeal, but that was about it.

[DCcook]

I went in about 2 weeks ago for an exceptional meal. Myself and a friend went for the tasting menu, and while everything we had was good, two exceptional aspects of the meal were the tuna tartare with chipotle gelee, and for a guy who's had waaaaay too many tuna tartare's, It was finally a refreshing preparation. One cool aspect is that it's not necessarily a tartare in the traditional sense (not a bunch of meat scooped off the bones, but rather the flesh is rolled then sliced, making for an artful, cleaner presentation), it maintains an very nice balance of clean flavors. The other great dish was a striped bass I'm a big fan of. The licorice vinaigrette and sweet peas make for an extremely fresh dish, and everything just jumps out on the palate. Everything else was good, a respectable butternut squash risotto with balsamic and spiced "condiment" (though I wonder how necessary the condiment was) an earthy, sweet beet salad with a marvelous blue cheese (I think it was fourme d'ambert, but don't quote me on that), and a few other dishes that got lost in my rather high blood alcohol content. Kudos chef, I can't wait to go back!

[Scott Johnston]

The Oval Room really does RW right! There is a special menu with 4 apps, 4 mains and 4 desserts. The cauliflower soup and beet salads were superb. I had the crispy bass and had tastes of the flat iron steak, salmon, and chicken. This is a great restaurant that is under the wire for many diners.

[genericeric]

The Oval Room really does RW right! There is a special menu with 4 apps, 4 mains and 4 desserts. The cauliflower soup and beet salads were superb. I had the crispy bass and had tastes of the flat iron steak, salmon, and chicken. This is a great restaurant that is under the wire for many diners.

I was here for RW on Tuesday night - I second the excellent beet salad (served with a blue cheese cream, pistachios, walnut dressing), I especially thought the exotic fruit compote that came with it. I did, however, find the steak a bit too salty - however the portion (Especially considering restaurant week) was extremely generous. I'd also stick with the dark chocolate brownie over the passion fruit tart in the future.

[Walrus]

My cousin took her mom here for RW and reported having an excellent time. Apparently, the cocktails were a big hit with my picky aunt.

[giant shrimp]

I did, however, find the steak a bit too salty - however the portion (Especially considering restaurant week) was extremely generous.

what's up with the salty steak? by the end of the week it was still salty, only saltier. i only tasted enough of the soy and caramel sauce to know it was cloying and excessively salty, and a couple bites of the two generous, perfectly cooked pieces of meat revealed that they were heavily salted as well -- which was really too bad because they looked beautiful. maybe the sauce recipe is a high-wire act, taking salty soy and salty salt to places it has never gone before, but prone to disaster with less than 100 percent agility. i don't know, but the poached salmon that replaced this dish was swimming in the same direction atop black beans, avocado and sake dressing salted just up to a tolerable level. surprisingly, the salt wasn't that detrimental, rounded out by the sake, i suppose, kicking up some delicious flavoring where the two ingredients met. the salmon itself was in the pink, tender, uncommonly good. shrimp chorizo was a star on the restaurant week menu, served with persimmon, a modern smear of avocado on white porcelain and an intriguing black olive crumble that provided a strong wow factor. a small rectangular plank of warm rum-braised pineapple showed off just how good the desserts are here. it was sprinkled with sexy sugar, and i should have asked what makes sugar sexy because now i am wondering, although i do know that it added some mite-sized red sparkle. a mojito sorbet was too sweet, but too small to matter much and with a sprig of cilantro i was able to turn it into a plaything. aside from the obvious -- a somewhat scaled-down menu, no amuse-bouches and about a 25 percent to 30 percent lower check -- the restaurant week meal here was fairly close to what you would experience any other week of the year. the cooking played it a little safer, there wasn't nearly as much fusion with fish sauce and fun with foam that i remember from a previous dinner, not as many test tube ideas. the service here is smooth and got us through an unexpected rough patch in the cooking without a hitch. all in all, of the three places we visited over the weekend for the restaurant week promotion, this was the best -- with vidalia running close behind and an accommodating teatro goldoni dishing out good and sometimes complex food but hamstrung by a tightly limited menu and the reminder that during restaurant week you usually wind up getting what you paid for.

[JHG]

Had a very pleasant RW experience here last night:

Roasted beets were pleasingly firm and acidic, balanced perfectly by a sweet walnut dressing and finely chopped pistachios. A memorable dish. Attempting to reconcile "crispy" and "skinned" as the dual modifiers used to describe the bass menu item provided a brainteaser for me until the waiter revealed that the "crispy" described only the one side of skin left on the fish. The dish itself was generously portioned, but basic. The "skinned portions" were rich, but the dish seemed to rely more on the contrast of textures than intricacy of flavor. The accompanying braised carrots were a welcome note, but the cous cous added little. Any shortcomings were forgiven upon the first bite of the dessert parfait. Layering a very light cheesecake with crunchy peanut butter and bright grape and huckleberry jam, the finish was simoultaneously accessible and refined. It left me enlivened rather than weighed down, as so often happens by bite 3 of a more traditional cheesecake.

The most charitable description of the Oval Room's cocktail list would be "carefully-edited." The pomegranate champagne cocktail dissappointed, as the pomegranate liquer lacked any of its namesake's bite, resulting in a cloying drink that suffered by comparison to the Gibson's perfectly balanced exemplar of the classic concoction (still lingering in my mind from two nights before). However, our waiter did recommend a suitable by-the-glass sauvignon blanc to accompany the bass.

Service exploded out of the gate and then limped to the finish. We were greeted and seated with warmth and grace despite some obvious signs that we were RW-only patrons -- our young age and an unfortunately casual wardrobe choice by one of my friends. Service in the early courses was unobtrusive but always available. I still don't know how a server slipped my first drink onto the table without my even noticing. However, pacing slowed dramatically after the second course, and lengthy gaps preceded dessert and the retrieval of our check -- all the more mysterious since the dining room's percentage of empty tables had nearly doubled from around 40% at meal's start. However, overall, service far exceeded any reasonable RW experiences. Indeed, Oval Room made a great impression on my party, as it truly seemed to embrace the best of RW with enthusiasm and aplomb.

[goodeats]

Having been hit with a bit of Friday the 13th and checking in here as part of my Taste of the Nation duties, I decided to channel a bit of Don and unwind and dine at the bar. The crew here is always professional and welcoming and tonight was no less than warm smiles. Allen is great at remembering faces and Ethan, ever so charming. Dustin was a very nice conversationalist behind the bar, and my wine and appetizers were just right and appealing and well, appetizing.

I was surprised by the amuse bouche given -- a duel/duo amuse of Tuna tartare with chili oil and avocado smear + cilantro on one side with a Goat cheese custard and diced Golden Beets on the other side. The plate was bright with colors on a dreary day like this, with the goat cheese custard a buttery yellow. Surprised because of the rich pairing the light didn't overwhelm each other.

The Roasted Beet Salad with three types of beets (Golden, Candied and Red), topped with shaved horseradish, passionfruit gelee, and icewine dressing really hit the spot, as for some reason, I was craving beets. The horseradish, freshly shaved, made it feel like I was having vegetable sashimi, giving the beets a good kick and elevation in flavor. On the opposite spectrum was the gelee, as passionfruit is very tart, creating this sinus-opening, taste bud shocking burst of punch that melted in your mouth, somehow.

Chef was gracious to send out the ever-famous and still enjoyed Pastrami Kampachi. I can eat a good dish of the hot mustard ice cream, I think.

I know this is just adding to a list of compliments and probably no more descriptive than others' experiences, but this is one of the places that is just a little piece of home to send you to.

[evilkim]

My boyfriend and I went to the oval room last weekend and had a great meal. I started out with the Cauliflower soup with aged cheddar, dried apricots and cumin. It was a very good, rich but not heavy. My boyfriend had the shrimp chorizo that he loved and found very unexpected, something I found in my starter as well. For my main meal I had spring pea risotto with fresh morels which was not only delicious but was my first taste of spring! I enjoyed both my dishes, may not have both in that order next time, would likely try the beet salad which I have heard great things about but would absolutely go back for the risotto again. For dessert we had the Hazelnut Decquoise that both my boyfriend and I agreed was like a fabulous snickers bar which is a VERY good thing. Get all the components together and its fabulous. The service was great and the space, which is smaller than I expected, is very nice. We will definitely go back, great experience and very good food.

[synaesthesia]

The Oval Room seems to be the office's new favorite go-to fancier place. I really enjoyed the baked salmon with baby boy choy, eggplant with a soy and kaffir lime sauce.

The Caesar salad my colleagues both got was a bit funny though. (Though I think wasted a nice company-paid lunch on salads, and it's their own fault!) It was served similar to the hunk o' icebergs that are usually at steakhouses. A romaine was quartered and they each received two quarters with the sliced meat of their choice placed alongside it. It just made it seem like a lot of work to eat. This plating seems to make more sense with iceberg because they tend to be a little bit more piecey, but this seemed kinda weird. It didn't make it bad. It looked nice, but it just didn't make sense. Tableside lettuce cutting?

[DonRocks]

It is said that you can judge the greatest geniuses by the magnitude of their failures (*). Listening to the third movement of Glenn Gould's 1968 recording of the Schumann Piano Quartet (Opus 47, recorded with Juilliard String Quartet), you're left wondering how something so lyrical and beautiful can be made so moribund, assuming you're still awake when the movement ends. It was solely Gould's decision to play it at such a dying tempo, and he reportedly quarreled furiously with his fellow musicians during the recording session. It was a disaster.

And yet there's this.

In his collection of short stories entitled "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men," David Foster Wallace wrote a little 10-15 page story entitled, "Church Made Not With Hands," an innocent-looking piece which you can spend hours trying to decipher, reading it backwards (as I did), analyzing, re-analyzing, desperately trying to keep track of the symbols and cross-references, thinking you're on to something, before finally throwing up your hands in exasperation and proclaiming it needlessly cryptic, and ultimately unreadable.

But nobody could fail that spectacularly unless they were a genius to begin with - and Wallace - make no mistake about it - was a genius.

Which brings me to Tony Conte's Crudo of Maine Diver Scallops, served with citrus emulsion and Sicilian olive oil. Perfect scallops, lovingly sliced and presented, and utterly, completely, and totally ruined by a impossible crescent of ice cream made with UNI AND WHITE CHOCOLATE.

I want to know what the difference is between that, and this.

This was not your ordinary failure; this was a nose-first plane crash, a pancake-diving, belly-flopping catastrophe, the likes of which could be only be consummated by someone with Conte's genius - and Conte - make no mistake about it - is a genius.

It's only May, but a contender for my "Best Dish of 2009" so far might be Conte's I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E Braised Wagyu Short Ribs ($34), with Sweet & Sour Vegetable Vinaigrette & Dill. Though Tony said otherwise, this is a dish that seems very strongly based on a traditional Pot au Feu, and is as simple as can be, or so it seems ...

Here is the list of ingredients that goes into that simple Sweet & Sour Vinaigrette: Muscat wine, White Port, Champagne vinegar, elderflower syrup, dill, thyme, rosemary, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and Thai chili.

I could go on-and-on about this great dish, with it's bulby vegetables and incredibly satisfying, perfectly cooked short ribs, but just go go go go and get this. You'll rave about it too, I promise!

(*) That isn't true; I just made this line up.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Pork Belly]

Ended up at oval Room last night after failing to get a last-minute reservation at hotter tables (e.g., Proof, Komi, Palena). Turned out to be a stroke of luck. The 8-course tasting menu was terrific - all completely distinct and delicious (ok, maybe the goat cheese custard wasn't great, but the pastrami kampachi, fois gras, asparagus soup, short ribs, and frozen yogurt with berries more than made up for it). And because the chef relies on infused oils and gels rather than cream and butter, everyone left feeling sated but not stuffed. All in all, a terrific evening. This place deserves more attention than it gets.

[lmnop]

Ended up at oval Room last night after failing to get a last-minute reservation at hotter tables (e.g., Proof, Komi, Palena). Turned out to be a stroke of luck. The 8-course tasting menu was terrific - all completely distinct and delicious (ok, maybe the goat cheese custard wasn't great, but the pastrami kampachi, fois gras, asparagus soup, short ribs, and frozen yogurt with berries more than made up for it). And because the chef relies on infused oils and gels rather than cream and butter, everyone left feeling sated but not stuffed. All in all, a terrific evening. This place deserves more attention than it gets.

That's great to hear because that's where my husband and I will be celebrating our anniversary in a few weeks. We're not doing the tasting menu, but I hope the a la carte options are delicious too.

[Ericandblueboy]

The 8-course tasting menu was terrific - all completely distinct and delicious (ok, maybe the goat cheese custard wasn't great, but the pastrami kampachi, fois gras, asparagus soup, short ribs, and frozen yogurt with berries more than made up for it). And because the chef relies on infused oils and gels rather than cream and butter, everyone left feeling sated but not stuffed. All in all, a terrific evening. This place deserves more attention than it gets.

The pastrami kampachi served with dijon ice cream was terrific, an interesting version of sashimi. The braised wagyu short ribs and foie gras terrine were good. The heirloom tomatos salad was really a course on a tasting menu? The frozen yogurt had no flavor. The worst dish was the poached lobster, which we substituted for halibut for a $6 upcharge. While the lobster claw was perfectly cooked, the lobster tail was really under cooked and had a tough/chewy/gristly consistency - all three of us (me, wife, MIL) had the same experience.

[dcandohio]

Six of us enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal at Oval Room. We had to find a place that would please a pair of timid midwestern palates (MIL is particularly adverse to anything even remotely challenging) and a pair of wine snobs. To my enormous relief, Oval Room delivered for everyone. Picky MIL was able to order a salad and turkey plus trimmings. Wine snob #1 pronounced the suggested wine pairings "excellent" so we all decided to get the pairings. The room was quiet enough for civilized conversation. The service was warm without being too friendly or cloying. I don't know how many times they expected to turn the tables, but we never felt rushed. I don't usually have very high expectations for these special occasion, fixed price meals, but this experience at Oval Room made me eager to return for a taste of the "regular" menu. Very well done, and SO and I received heaps of praise for selecting a place that everyone enjoyed so much.

[ScotteeM]

As part of our week of dining out while we’re off from work at the end of the year, we chose dinner at The Oval Room last night. At 6:00 we were the only diners in the restaurant, but by the time we left at 9:00 the place was about half full. From our table at the back of the room, we commanded a view of the whole room, which is a beautiful, softly lit and intimate space. Our server, Ed, took great care of us and looked out for the potential pitfalls on the menu for my gluten sensitivity. He explained every dish in detail (important to me with dietary restrictions) and carefully told us what wine we were drinking with each course. The service, overall, was extremely attentive, almost to the point of intrusive, but I found it very reassuring. We decided to enjoy the tasting menu, after Ed got assurance from the chef that minor to moderate alterations to accommodate my wheat gluten sensitivity would be possible.

The amuse, a slice of pristine Hamachi topped with EVOO and cilantro micro-greens was accompanied by an herb-infused chicken broth that complimented the fish and was extremely complex and flavorful on its own. It was everything an amuse should be: light, balanced, flavorful, a suggestion of the courses ahead, and stimulating to the appetite.

The first course was a play on pastrami on rye, featuring thinly sliced Kampachi that was seasoned with a pastrami-like “cure”. Resting on the beautiful slices were Romaine micro-greens and Japanese mustard ice cream. Dots of tomato jam lay alongside the slices, and the dish was dusted with powdered caraway. The regular version also featured tiny croutons of rye bread. Loading a bit of Kampachi, some greens, a drop of tomato jam and a smidge of the ice cream on the fork indeed did evoke a pastrami sandwich. Delicious, well-balanced, and fun! The wine paired with the dish was a Valkenburg Gewurtztraminer, adding a restrained flavor of spicy sweetness that emphasized the flavors on the plate.

Second course was “sausage and egg.” A 45-minute (sous vide) egg was sprinkled with fine crumbles of chorizo sausage and black olive (and bread crumbs for the “normal” version), and was napped at table with “liquid Cheddar cheese.” The perfectly cooked egg yielded liquid gold yolk that mixed well with all the components. Fresh farm eggs are one of my favorite foods, and this one did not disappoint. A Zonin Prosecco added a freshness and lightness to the intense concentration of flavors in the bowl.

A perfect disk of Artisanal Cut Hudson Valley foie gras terrine provided the centerpiece of the third course, resting on a toast round (no toast for gluten-free me), the top caramelized like a creme brulee. It was dusted with spiced cookie crumbs (not on mine) and a pool of cranberry gelee and smoked balsamic vinegar for sweet and acid components. I had packed just the right rice-flour crackers in my purse that simulated the texture of the toast for me. The classic pairing of Ch. d’Arche Sauternes was a great counterbalance to the buttery richness of the foie and the acid of the cranberry and vinegar sauce.

The menu diverged completely for the two of us on the fourth course. My husband enjoyed the potato gnocchi topped with shaved black truffle, grated parmesan cheese, and parmesan broth, paired with a glass of Trefethen Chardonnay. My fourth course was their popular beet salad: red, gold, and peppermint-striped beets under grated fresh horseradish, arugula micro-greens, and an ice-wine vinaigrette, surrounded by passionfruit sorbet. Taken as a whole, the horseradish provided a kick that elevated the other components to new heights. The Sauvignon Blanc (the name of which I cannot confirm but wrote down as “long board”) provided a perfect foil for the sweet-hot and earthy beet salad. Although I was jealous of my husband’s gnocchi and truffles, my salad was a treat and a revelation.

Our paths converged on the fish course: Crispy-skin striped bass over smoky stewed peppers and a basil-infused reduction of the stewing liquid. The bass was perfectly cooked, the skin crispy and flavorful and the meat moist and creamy. Stewed with a bit of bacon to provide the smokiness, the peppers balanced the fish. So often the flavor of bacon overpowers everything else on a plate. (For example, my long-standing rule at Kinkeads is never order any dish that includes applewood smoked bacon, because I can’t taste anything else.} Glasses of Babcock Pinot Noir provided an earthiness that complimented the dish.

Next was roasted veal chop, sliced and set atop coconut jasmine rice and steamed baby bok choi, dressed at table with a sweet green curry and coconut sauce. This was a lovely dish, the veal was moist and tender, and still slightly pink inside. The rice and curry elevated the veal’s delicate flavor, rather than burying it under a heavy sauce. Domaine Garand Cabernet Franc balanced the acid of the dish and provided a compatible background element.

We parted ways again at dessert. Bill had the cinnamon donuts with cafe au lait creme, paired with Madeira. He had reservations about the dish before he tasted it, but once started he couldn’t seem to get enough of it. My bowl of pomegranate sorbet with fresh macerated strawberries and blueberries was refreshing and satisfying. The Jorge Ordonez Moscatel worked with the fruit flavors, without overpowering or competing with them.

We both concluded that this was the best meal we've eaten this year so far (we have a few more destinations on our reservations list this week), and one of the single best in memory. There was not a single mis-step, no over-salted or under-seasoned dish, no over- or under-cooked elements, among the ten dishes we had between us. In fact, there were many revelations, many moments of joy, many fun surprises in this dinner. We're already looking forward to our next visit. Chef Conte is certainly an asset to the local dining scene, and his food is very much worth a special trip.

[seanvtaylor]

We both concluded that this was the best meal we've eaten this year so far (we have a few more destinations on our reservations list this week), and one of the single best in memory. There was not a single mis-step, no over-salted or under-seasoned dish, no over- or under-cooked elements, among the ten dishes we had between us. In fact, there were many revelations, many moments of joy, many fun surprises in this dinner. We're already looking forward to our next visit. Chef Conte is certainly an asset to the local dining scene, and his food is very much worth a special trip.

Thanks for the nicely written recap--we have reservations coming up at The Oval Room, and are really looking forward to it (especially after your great descriptions).

[paula]

Anyone been more recently? I'm thinking about the Oval Room for my b-day dinner in June. Sounds like it's still top notch but I just wanted to check.

[DonRocks]

Anyone been more recently? I'm thinking about the Oval Room for my b-day dinner in June. Sounds like it's still top notch but I just wanted to check.

I was there the weekend of March 13th. - it's still top notch (call to make sure Tony is working).

[eatdrinkmore]

I second Don's note above. I recently organized a work dinner at Oval Room. It was a fantastic choice for a large event. We had about 50 people and the food was awesome. The steak was perfectly cooked, which is not easy when you are serving that many people at once. I think the restaurant is pretty reasonable for how high quality the food is there. Our budget was $100 a person w/ food,tax,drink,tips and we were able to stay on budget (maybe a bit more, we were all a bit 'hazy' at the end of the night).

I can't wait to go back and try their regular menu.

[Flavortown]

Why is this thread only 2 pages long? The Oval Room is in the same price range as numerous restaurants that receive tons of dr.com attention, and yet it gets so rarely mentioned here. Perhaps it is this lack buzz that made me wait so long to drop by and give Chef Conte’s cooking a try, but after the dinner I had tonight, I wish I’d done it sooner.

One of the 7 courses on the tasting menu was an gnocchi with (for me) an irresistible flavor combination: mushrooms, pancetta, and ramps. I asked if an appetizer portion could be ordered a la carte, and that wasn’t a problem. The Potato Gnocchi honshimeji mushrooms, ramps, pancetta ($11) was good, but not revelatory. A generous amount of parmigiano over top brought some salt/bite to the earthy mix of mushrooms and smoked pancetta. Unique was the dish's lack of butter/creaminess; instead, the saucing was olive oil based, and a shallow pool of said oil (which begged for good bread to sop it up) was at the bottom of the bowl. This made for an overall lighter dish than I had expected, but no less satisfying.

The Crispy Rockfish Peekytoe Crab Chowder, Pancetta, Licorice, & Parsley ($25), however, blew my mind. I ordered it with a great deal of skepticism, fearful that the licorice would be assert itself over the other components, but this is hands down the best fish dish I’ve eaten in at least 6 months. A large filet of rockfish, with perfectly crisped skin, seasoned exactly right (just the right amount of salt to satisfy the demand that arises from frying) poised over a chowder of crab, carrots, and potatoes. In his recent review, Tom Sietsema mentions a similar dish, and states that the chowder was creamless – if that’s the case in this preparation as well, I’m even more impressed; its creaminess provided an ideal foil to the crispy-skinned rockfish, while also bringing plenty of flavor and substance to the overall dish thanks to the carefully cut and cooked vegetables, as well as the sweet crab meat. The licorice, which I had so feared, played nicely with all the other components, rounding out the dish and interacting particularly well with the rockfish’s crisp, well salted exterior.

I closed out my meal with a dessert just added to their menu: Cornflake Custard strawberry yogurt ice cream, marinated local strawberries ($9). The custard, which the bartender explained was made primarily from true Kellogg’s cornflakes and milk, somehow managed to be creamy while at the same time reminiscent of the texture of cornflakes. It was baffling to essentially not have to chew, yet to recognize the taste (and to some extent the mouth-feel) of cornflakes. The ice cream was also exemplary, capturing the tanginess of yogurt and the sweetness of strawberries. Unlisted ingredients included dried strawberries, a smart counterpoint to their marinated brethren, and crispy clusters of what I can only assume were toasted cornflakes. Just one miss: a flavorless sheet of strawberry gelee that brought nothing to an otherwise stellar dish.

Both in terms of flavor and presentation, the food being put out by chef Conte’s kitchen is exceptional. The attention to detail on both these fronts begs one more question: why is the bread service so abysmal? Generic, baguette-like bread, fresh, yet not even warmed, along with bland (but at least softened) butter is not a just introduction to the intricacy of both the savory and sweet creations that follow. But besides this weakpoint, I’m amazed by what the Oval Room offers, and even more so by the lack of people taking the opportunity (or at least choosing to write about their visits) to enjoy what seems to be some of the best food in the city.

[Saycheese]

I agree with the last most recent post from May -- this restaurant deserves more attention. I enjoyed a dinner with Mr. Saycheese last night at the bar, where we tried four of the appetizers -- peeky toe crab salad, jerk marinated foie gras, roasted baby beets and madai with aged soy sauce. Everything was beautifully presented, prepared spectacularly well, and delicious, with very complex and creative mixtures of flavors, and amazingly sophisticated sauces. For dessert, we had a deconstructed blueberry pie, with blueberry gelee and sour cream ice cream. I can't wait to return.

[marketfan]

I recommend it to people all the time but they hardly ever go. Is it the location, the name.? People always tell me that they think it will be stodgy food, but it is quite the opposite. Tony Conte is very inventive.

[fuzzy510]

I recommend it to people all the time but they hardly ever go. Is it the location, the name.? People always tell me that they think it will be stodgy food, but it is quite the opposite. Tony Conte is very inventive.

Actually, now that you mention it, I DO have to keep reminding myself that the place isn't stuck in dark ages based on the name alone. It sounds like the name of a place where all the politicians hung out 50 years ago.

[Tweaked]

Overall a good RW lunch experience at The Oval Room today. They seemed to be slightly overbooked at 12:30pm, so after waiting 10 minutes at the bar we opted to take a table outside, which ended up being perfect. Warm with a slight breeze and plenty of umbrellas and greenery to keep the sun off.

Each course featured 4 options, we went with:

Apps

Cucumber soup, with lime/jalapeno foam...very light and refreshing, once blended the soup and foam played off each other nicely, bright cucumber flavor, tart lime, a slight bite from the jalapeno.

White corn angolotti with black truffle butter...6 small angolotti, nice sweetness from the corn, richness from the truffle butter...very good.

Mains

salmon with black pepper condiment, crushed potatoes, and ribbons of zucchini(?) - perfectly cooked salmon, the black pepper condiment was like a black pepper chutney, potatoes and zucchini were fine (salmon was excellent!)

garganelli pasta, field tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, basil - This was the least successful dish, just nothing really stood out, a little boring.

Dessert

Goat cheese sorbet, berries, cumin short bread - This was a great summer dessert, light, refreshing, tang from the goat cheese, sweet berries, cumin spike in the short bread kept it interesting.

Date chocolate cake, toffee glaze, chocolate ice cream - Decent/good, less dense then it appeared, cake very moist, very nice ice cream. The gf really enjoyed it, I thought it was solid.

Considering the regular lunch menu prices out at: Apps: $8-$12; Main: $16-$22; Dessert: $9...$20.10 for RW was money well spent.

[LauraB]

We have a dinner reservation at The Oval Room next month to celebrate a special occasion. This will be our first visit. Wondering what the dress code there is for a weekend evening. Thanks for any guidance.

[DonRocks]

We have a dinner reservation at The Oval Room next month to celebrate a special occasion. This will be our first visit. Wondering what the dress code there is for a weekend evening. Thanks for any guidance.

It's business casual at the minimum, and you wouldn't feel out of place if you got dressed up a bit. I've slummed it at the bar in jeans before (big surprise), and felt very underdressed.

[LauraB]

It's business casual at the minimum, and you wouldn't feel out of place if you got dressed up a bit. I've slummed it at the bar in jeans before (big surprise), and felt very underdressed.

Thanks, Don! Good to know we can dress up and not feel overdressed.

[Tujague]

A nice RW meal last night; the first time I've been back here in about six years. The SO and I agreed on what would be our first and second choices for each course; I think that he got the better selections overall, based on my tastings (cucumber soup, scallops, goat cheese sorbet). Each gave a good idea of the chef's skill and imagination. My selections--agnolotti, pork loin, almond cake--were a bit more sedate, but good (well, I found the almond cake a bit dry). Specialty cocktails--Cable Car, Moscow Mule--were just okay; these don't seem to be the bar's strength. The service was efficient, if a bit perfunctory and sometimes inelegant--one server nudged me several times, seemingly needlessly. I need to get back here for a meal from the regular menu; as good as this was, I suspect that RW is not the ideal time to taste the chef's talents.

[LauraB]

We had a really lovely dinner experience at The Oval Room this evening. The four of us chose not to do the Tasting Menu and instead ordered 3 courses each from the regular menu. I won’t detail the dishes each of us ordered, many of them have been reviewed above. I will just say that we were all very pleased with everything we were served. The cooking here meets a very high standard. And so does the wait service – our server was very good – never missing in action or hovering. The highlight of the meal for me, was the wine service. The Sommelier, Brent Kroll, was just great. (He is also the Asst. GM). We presented him with a challenging situation: we needed a wine that would go well with pork loin, beef striploin and scallops. He suggested a California Pinot Noir (his last bottle of this wine) and it turned out to be spectacular (for only $50). We wanted to order a second bottle of wine, knowing that the first was no longer available. We asked Brent if he could provide a wine that was similar to the first. He did. The second bottle was also a Pinot Noir from California and it was just as good as the first. I’m sorry that I can’t provide details about the wines – this was a special celebration event (a birthday, a graduation and an anniversary) and I just wanted to enjoy the experience and not be a food reporter with my notepad and camera at hand. This is just a way to say that if you turn yourselves over to Brent, you'll be in very good hands. Finally, we were especially delighted at the overall price of the meal –the tab, before tax and tip was $333 for the four of us. This included 1 cocktail, 1 glass of wine, and 1 beer, plus 3 courses for each of the 4 of us, and 2 bottles of wine (which totaled $102 alone). We thought this meal was quite a value. And, an added bonus, while the restaurant was reasonably full while we were there, the noise level was very moderate. No need to shout at your companions or to lean halfway across the table to try to hear what they're saying. This was our first visit to the Oval Room, but we plan to return frequently -- this is a gem of a restaurant.

[cucas87]

Last night was our first return trip to The Oval Room in a year. We ordered the tasting menu. We did not opt for the wine pairings, mainly because Scott's brother had surprised us with a bottle of champagne (Louis Sostene) to enjoy with dinner. In addition to the tasting menu, we shared an appetizer of foie gras, listed on the menu as "Aero fois gras, fig jam, oatmeal & tarragon." I had not had this kind of foie gras preparation before, where the foie gras is cold and whipped. The dish is served with fig jam and oatmeal "crackers". It was a great study in contrasts, smooth, cold, crispy, savory and sweet. Please sir, I'd like some more. The tasting menu included an amuse of parsnip soup and a taste of tuna tartar, the soup creamy and the tartar a nice bit of spice; followed by the pastrami-cured kampachi with hot mustard ice cream (a dish that enhances my love of ice cream and mustard); roasted baby beets with passion fruit, horseradish and icewine dressing; heirloom tomatoes with halumi, basil oil and black pepper oil; sea scallops that were on a delicious and gingery stew; prime beef striploin with tamarind, stewed carrots and red wine; and ricotta cheesecake with black licorice sable and white coffee ice cream. With dessert, the restaurant gave us each a glass of the 1982 Toro Albala, "Don PX," which was smooth and rich and tasted like caramel, plums and coffee. A delicious match with the dessert and something I'll order again. The meal was delicious and well paced and while I certainly ate a lot of food, I did not feel overly stuffed at the end of the night. Each dish was distinctive and added to the entire experience. The service was terrific. For me, the sea scallops and kampachi were my favorites of the night. The prime beef striploin was expertly prepared; but to my tastes, not as inventive as some of the other dishes. I love The Oval Room and cannot wait to return. Special thanks to Chef Conte, who made the night extra special by coming to talk with us, and to Brent, Adnan and the rest of the staff, who made us feel so welcome. I very much look forward to returning. I noticed on the menu that they offer a pre-theater menu from 5:30 to 6:30, offering 3 courses for $35. I had not noticed that before and will definitely find some sort of "theater" that will allow me to take advantage of this opportunity.

[ol_ironstomach]

I've never spent much time near Farragut Square before this fall, so it's taken me this long to finally visit the Oval Room despite the lavish praise heaped upon it during Tony Conte's tenure. Memory is too fleeting for me to recount all of the details of the $35 3-course pre-theater prix fixe I had last week, but I did want to say some things about my meal. The dishes are basically the same as on the a la carte menu on the next page, although fitting them into the prix fixe layout sometimes means leaving out part of the description.

As tempting as the soup sounded, I went with the scallop crudo, a precious little thing - barely three bites - but an intriguing play on textures and temperatures as its base is a slice of near-frozen avocado. It might have been too risky; I like attention to textures and the occasional crunch of frost was good, but sometimes the coldness was just a smidge much. But he's on to something here beyond using avocado just for its richness. The kitchen is also not afraid of using a good dose of salt to season their pasta, and the black pepper fettuccine, although simple-appearing, packed a lot of unctuousness into each bite. Even though I'd been a little worried about portion size after the first course, the pasta more than satisfied without necessitating a Flintstonian portion.

I absolutely loved dessert, which I would describe as a sort of deconstructed banana cream pie, with dabs of banana custard and ice cream and other things carefully composed on a plate. I'm told they've changed pastry chefs in recent months, and the dessert list has gotten a bit of a revamp as a result.

There's no question that I'll be back...I want to try the full-on tasting menu next time.

[dcandohio]

Continuing my celebration of end of hiatus from DC by eating out as much as possible. Early dinner at Oval Room Saturday was very nice. It's very quiet there early, for anyone seeking a saner dining experience. Pre-theater deal is quite good if you like the subset of the menu chosen for the special. Special shout-out to Brent Kroll, the sweet young sommelier who spent a lot of time helping us choose a wine, and steered us to one of the more reasonably priced options in our choice set, assuring us that it was a great match for our meal. He then checked in to make sure we were happy with our choice. He's delightful.

[MMM]

A superb experience at The Oval Room tonight. There was no feeling of "Restaurant Week-itis." The space is so calm and gorgeous; the service was unhurried, friendly and professional. Everything we ate was outstanding. You can see the "Restaurant Week" menu on their web site. There were four of us and we sampled a lot of what was offered and loved it all. Each dish had a creative twist (or two) that really enhanced it. Go, if you can.

[B.A.R.]

The Oval Room has crept its way into my personal top 5 culinary destinations in the area. The few meals I have had there in the last year have been superb, and everyone I have sent there has come back just gobsmacked.

So when I got a suprise visit from my mother to babysit for our anniversary, we knew exactly where we wanted to go. So we immediately booked a table for two this Saturday at Oval Room.

It is way too easy to get a table at this extraordinary restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night. Most restaurants of Oval Rooms caliber would require weeks worth of planning for a prime weekend reservation. I am sure their Mon-Thurs crowd is similar to everyone elses Thurs-Sat, crowd. So if you're ever looking for a spur-of-the-moment weekend dinner guarenteed to be awesome, call the Oval Room. I did, and can't wait.

[Go for Gin]

I had a great meal at the Oval Room the Friday before Valentine’s Day. Everything I ordered was a winner. The sauteed sweetbreads were the best I’ve had in a long time, sort of crunchy on the outside and very tender on the inside. The Grouper was also perfect and had lots of flavor. For dessert I had the chocolate peanut cake with Concord grape sorbet which was recommended by D.R. in the Express paper recently. It was a really good combination of flavors. This restaurant has also become a favorite of mine. The prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the food.

[B.A.R.]

Simply outstanding. Not a miss in any of the courses. Highlights were the Beet agnolotti, sunchoke soup, sweetbreads (oh that ginger sauce!), and the short ribs. The short ribs were the best I have ever had, wonderfully seasoned, perfectly cooked, with a touch of slivered jalepenos and tarragon that took this dish to 11. Who knew?

Only gripe was that the banquette is a bit squishy, so I felt like I was sitting in a hole. I was looking up at my wife the whole dinner, and she's 5'4".

[Pat]

I’ve been wanting to get the pastrami cured kanpachi again for going on three years now and finally got it last night. It was just as good as I recall, down to the mustard ice cream. As I ate the tiny little croutons, I marveled once again at the precision and attention to detail that makes this dish extraordinary. My memory told me that there would be more of each component than there was, but my memory would probably tell me that regardless of how much appeared on the plate .

I’m pretty sure what I had for a main course was called “Lacquered short ribs,” but I have no notes, and the online menu is out-of-date. I liked the beef itself and its texture but found it too aggressively seasoned with what seemed to be Chinese five spice. The spice created a distinctive layer of flavor that distracted from my enjoyment of the beef. Absent notes, that’s all I recall about the course. I’m not sure if it’s the same dish as I see referred to above.

My husband had no complaints whatsoever about his duck, which he said was perfectly prepared. He loved every bite except the one I got. He is not a fan of tater tots, though, even ones made with duck confit, so I got those. They were my favorite part of the entire meal. I would order the duck just to get the tots. He also declared the potato gnocchi he had as an appetizer to be “very good.”

While I rarely order dessert, I was intrigued by the Grand Marnier ice cream that accompanies the Brioche “French Toast” Souffle. (For someone who is not all that fond of oranges or orange juice, I have an inexplicable affinity for pretty much any orange-flavored frozen confection.) I really didn’t want the souffle, though, and my husband wasn’t interested in dessert. I asked our server, who was helpful and friendly throughout the meal, if it would be possible to get only the ice cream without throwing off the the supplies of dessert components in the kitchen. She checked and I was able to get a couple of small scoops of the ice cream. They were very accommodating.

I liked the flavor of the ice cream, which was just right amount of orangey and not too sweet, but there was something unexpected about the texture, as though it had almond meal or crystallized sugar as a component. It wasn’t grainy as though it were poorly made; it seemed to be by design. I concluded that the ice cream really is constructed to be eaten along with the souffle and that the texture seemed off since I was consuming only half of the production. That was my mistake, like trying to buy only half a painting . I’m now curious as to how the two pieces fit together and will have to go back and eat the dessert as it was intended. I hope it’s not another couple of years before I get around to it.

[sphere777]

As Restaurant Week came closer, I had to narrow my choices from three to one. The Oval Room was the only restaurant left standing so I dropped by at 5:30 pm this afternoon and got ready to try a pretty snazzy menu. With the help of the server, I settled on the crudo of tuna, avocado, pineapple, and dragon sauce as the appetizer. I wanted the braised pork cheeks with cherry mustard, charred leeks and warm potato salad (as seen on the website) but unfortunately the pork dish had morphed into braised shoulder with cornbread gnocci (?) so I picked the charred jalapeno chitarra pasta, stewed tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, and pesto.

Both the appetizer and the main course were fabulous successes though the flavors were very hard to dissect. I just really really enjoyed them. They were complex and rich and wonderful. The triple chocolate brownie torte with vanilla ice cream was not on the website menu but was quite delicious nonetheless. Overall, it was probably the best and most interesting RW meal I have had yet. Kudos to them.

Rob

[synaesthesia]

Really sad that my RW experience this time around pales in comparison to my previous ones. It's not that it was bad, but it wasn't as spot on as it usually is.

Duck confit tater tots seem like a good way to stretch out the meat with potatoes. But the flavor of potato dominated the duck too much, and when I think of duck confit I think of crisp bits of skin to accompany it. The tamarind dipping sauce was really good, and would be good with plain tater tots.

The pork shoulder with cornmeal gnocchi and kimchee was just okay. While the shoulder was tender and moist, and the gnocchi were great, it was missing something. In a season abundant with produce, it was surprising that the only vegetable element were bits of scallion. The kimchee was primarily a blotch of sauce in one place that was hard to spot in the midst of the brown sauce on the plate, and I did not get to it until my last bites. It should have been more evenly distributed on the plate due to the challenge of spotting it.

I did love the key lime slice that I had, but I was surprised that my dessert was my favorite part of the meal when I typically am crazy about the savory items.

[MC Horoscope]

If anybody in the area does sweetbreads better than this place, I would like to know. Never had them so tender and flavorful! Their fois gras is also great, though I passed it up this time.

Appetizer Saturday was Hawaiian sweet shrimp with garlic butter and some sort of whipped pistachio base and piatcohio oil. Sweetest shrimp I have had in a while.

Braised spare ribs, oh my!

One of us had wine, the other didn't, but our server had no air of condescension whatsoever. In fact, he gave us tips on how to cook sweetbreads at home.

This is one of the best values for a high end restaurant in the city that we have encountered. When you pay an arm and a leg at other well known restaurants for bland food, then you remember the complex flavors at this restaurant, it's just surprising how this place is under the radar for so many people. Stodgy is definitely the wrong word for this cuisine.

[kirite]

My wife and I had an excellent Thanksgiving dinner at The Oval Room. It has a three course menu with starter, main, and dessert. Our server happened to overhear me tell my wife that inasmuch as I hate sweets, it would be great if I could have two starters and a main. She told us that although she couldn't promise anything, she would talk to the chef. A few minutes later she assured me that I could substitute an appetizer for dessert. We really appreciated the kitchen's flexibility.

[DonRocks]

March 24th. is Sous Chef Tamesha Warren's last day at The Oval Room.