Bistrot du Coin, Owner Michel Verdon's Giant French Bistro in North Dupont

[Waitman]

My last meal at BdC was rendered unnecesssarily unnerving by the addition of a huge poster at the far end of the room with what appeared to be a myopic transvestite chef staring down at as though big brother/sister/chefster/tranny were watching my every move. I can only hope that this is a piece of temporary performance art and not a permanent addition to the room.

[mdt]

My last meal at BdC was rendered unnecesssarily unnerving by the addition of a huge poster at the far end of the room with what appeared to be a myopic transvestite chef staring down at as though big brother/sister/chefster/tranny were watching my every move. I can only hope that this is a piece of temporary performance art and not a permanent addition to the room.

It is still there?!

[ghostrider]

My SO & I were in DC in October for an annual convention she attends. We dined at Bistro du Coin one night, as she'd been there previously & rather liked it. One of my guidebooks warned us that the service could be "chaotic." An apt term, but they got the job done. It seemed to take forever for someone to take our order, & then for the mineral water we ordered to show up, & then bang-bang-bang, salads & entrees showed up with perfect timing.

I'm still trying to figure out why they gave us some semi-stale brown bread when everyoen else in the joint was getting normal French bread. Finally, as we were having dessert, another table also got the brown bread. Do they save that for recognizeable out-of-towners?

We both had the blanquettes de veau, & it was quite good - a bit rich for my system, as it turned out, but certainly tasty.

Noisy, hot, hard to hear ourselves even though we were seated near the front windows, which were wide open on a warm fall evening.

I liked the place & was glad to have the experience. If I lived there, we'd probably hit it every once in a while. As it is, being occasional visitors, there are too many other places to try.

[RobRutII]

Noisy, hot, hard to hear ourselves even though we were seated near the front windows, which were wide open on a warm fall evening.

peaking of the Bistro, did anyone attend their annual Beaujolais Nouveau Party this year? Have you ever? I haven't, but given the usual atmosphere I can't imagine the chaos.

[Mark Slater]

Speaking of the Bistro, did anyone attend their annual Beaujolais Nouveau Party this year? Have you ever? I haven't, but given the usual atmosphere I can't imagine the chaos.

Chaos does not even begin to describe this party.

[plunk]

Haven't been to BdC in quite a while, but will be in the area this evening. What're my chances of snagging two bar stools at around 6:30? It was always packed when I used to go...

[Waitman]

Haven't been to BdC in quite a while, but will be in the area this evening. What're my chances of snagging two bar stools at around 6:30? It was always packed when I used to go...

6:30 is right on the cusp, but you should be OK.

[dcandohio]

Any news on the forecasted re-opening after this weekend's fire? We looked in Sunday night and the dining room seemed unscathed. Just curious

[Heather]

Very hit-or-miss dinner tonight - limp frites, oversalted steaks, gritty salad, chalky ice cream...they have been more off than on lately. BdC used to be a relative bargain compared to the new kid bistrots like Beck & Montsouris, but prices are creeping up and the food quality is not keeping pace. As a fairly regular customer, I'd like to see them pull it together.

[dcandohio]

Very hit-or-miss dinner tonight - limp frites, oversalted steaks, gritty salad, chalky ice cream...they have been more off than on lately. BdC used to be a relative bargain compared to the new kid bistrots like Beck & Montsouris, but prices are creeping up and the food quality is not keeping pace. As a fairly regular customer, I'd like to see them pull it together.

Oh Dear. I hope your experience was a fluke. Bistrot du Coin is also one of our "go to" places and while it never wows us, it always satisfies. At a place like that with so much volume there is no excuse for limp frites! Are the staff still surly, at least?

[Heather]

Are the staff still surly, at least?

Never to us. We're there regularly and almost always have the same server, Florence, who is just delightful to us and the kids. Service is good when I'm there late, too.

[chickenlover]

Oh Dear. I hope your experience was a fluke. Bistrot du Coin is also one of our "go to" places and while it never wows us, it always satisfies. At a place like that with so much volume there is no excuse for limp frites! Are the staff still surly, at least?

We stopped going to BdC a while back after 2 bad meals in the row. I really like the atmosphere and never found the service surly, but if the food is not good it's not worth it.

[Pool Boy]

We stopped going to BdC a while back after 2 bad meals in the row. I really like the atmosphere and never found the service surly, but if the food is not good it's not worth it.

Yeah but their cassoulet in the middle of winter is (or used to be, it's been a few years) quite satisfying...

[Heather]

BdC is almost always right on the money for a bowl of soup and a salad at lunchtime. Bibb lettuce salad, onion soup, glass of rose. Dinner is a whole 'nother story.

[AlexC]

Heather hit the nail on the head -- prices creeping up and quality sinking. Limp frites all around last night, though the mussels don't seem to have suffered.

Frankly, with the prices comparable to a Beck or a Central, I'll spend my dollar elsewhere -- and in the neighborhood, Marvin puts together a very nice $16 moules frites.

[Waitman]

Heather hit the nail on the head -- prices creeping up and quality sinking. Limp frites all around last night, though the mussels don't seem to have suffered.

Frankly, with the prices comparable to a Beck or a Central, I'll spend my dollar elsewhere -- and in the neighborhood, Marvin puts together a very nice $16 moules frites.

Dude: No way are prices comparable to to a Beck or a Central. Nor quality, admittedly. They're all very different creatures.

My experience over the years is thart BdC seems a little cyclical, for whatever reason. With mini-cycles within the cycles -- frites limp and lame one day and crisp and crunchy the next.

[Heather]

We had dinner there on Sunday and everything was spot on, including frites. YMMV.

[Anna Blume]

YMMV.

Your Moules, My Voles?

[Mark Slater]

BdC is almost always right on the money for a bowl of soup and a salad at lunchtime. Bibb lettuce salad, onion soup, glass of rose. Dinner is a whole 'nother story.

Ha ha, silly girl. The frisée LARDONS salad is the only salad! How can you argue with fried bacon and a little lettuce and poached egg? The new insanely tasty dish is the breaded, fried mussels. I think the 5 of us had 10 orders the other night.

[Heather]

Ha ha, silly girl. The frisée LARDONS salad is the only salad! How can you argue with fried bacon and a little lettuce and poached egg? The new insanely tasty dish is the breaded, fried mussels. I think the 5 of us had 10 orders the other night.

Scott always orders that, so I get some too.

I forgot to mention that there is a new menu, with some very interesting new things like fried mussels.

[Mark Slater]

Scott always orders that, so I get some too.

I forgot to mention that there is a new menu, with some very interesting new things like fried mussels.

I was there last Saturday with J. Rooks and Dreamy and each time one of us ate one those, we asked for another order. We ended up giving some away there were so many. See, another thing you didn't know about gin.

[Heather]

Stopped in for a post-market snack and tipple today and was delighted by my tartare and frites. For whatever reason the frites have been on the mark for the last 2-3 months. I'm lovin' it.

[Hobbes]

BdC is an old stand by for me.

Where in this town can you regularly get classic French fair like Blanquette De Veau or Cassoulet; this place keeps the old guard food going. And it's a bar, low key, a true bistrot and really is the closest I've ever seen state-side to real McCoy Bistrot Frech-side. Are there others? I have not yet found one in DC. I would love to know other good French bistrots that serve these classics. There is La Fourchette, and others, but these are more formal restaurants with proper table cloths and the like. BdC is more of a bar with great food, than a restaurant with great food. Au Pied De Cochon comes to mind but alas this has been gone for years. It's too bad to hear others having inconsistent food at BdC, shame that their frites are at peril.

I truly enjoy the Salade Niçoise and the Pâté de Campagne, delish. Simple food done simply well. Also BdC is open till 1 am (on weekends), or so, for us night owls.

.hobbes

[Mark Slater]

BdC is an old stand by for me.

Where in this town can you regularly get classic French fair like Blanquette De Veau or Cassoulet; this place keeps the old guard food going. And it's a bar, low key, a true bistrot and really is the closest I've ever seen state-side to real McCoy Bistrot Frech-side. Are there others? I have not yet found one in DC. I would love to know other good French bistrots that serve these classics. There is La Fourchette, and others, but these are more formal restaurants with proper table cloths and the like. BdC is more of a bar with great food, than a restaurant with great food. Au Pied De Cochon comes to mind but alas this has been gone for years. It's too bad to hear others having inconsistent food at BdC, shame that their frites are at peril.

I truly enjoy the Salade Niçoise and the Pâté de Campagne, delish. Simple food done simply well. Also BdC is open till 1 am (on weekends), or so, for us night owls.

.hobbes

Food till 1AM Thurs-Saturday. Try the greatly improved charcuterie plate. I love the simple tartine Parisienne and the moules poulette. I heard a rumor about a new menu coming soon, too.

[ghostrider]

Back in DC the first part of this week for the annual convention at the Reagan Hilton. Again a big thanks to your fair city for being so lovely, inviting & inspiring. I walked myself into near oblivion; with that weather & golden sunshine, how could anyone do otherwise? Didn't set foot in a museum, it was just too fine being out of doors.

Sunday night, another couple who are longtime friends of ours developed an obsession for trying Bistrot du Coin, so back we went. It was totally packed when we got there, somewhere around 8:00, but they said 5-minute wait at the door & they were spot on with that estimate, as they were with everything else all night. The place cleared out pretty well as we dined & we could pretty much speak at normal volumes by the end of the meal.

Service was terrific, food was wonderful. The simple mesclun salad was the best dressed I've had in months; the diced shallots were a nice touch. Roast chicken & frites couldn't have been better. The berry-&-ice-cream dessert was an ideal cap to the meal. From start to finish, it was just the sort of experience that you'd want from a reliable neighborhood bistro; it left all of us in a great mood.

Sadly, next year's convention has been scheduled for the Gaylord Center somewhere down river in MD. They run a shuttle bus to the local Metro stop; bus service ceases at 7:00 pm. I think that's going to suck big time. The Hilton clearly has its problems but you can't beat that location.

[DonRocks]

Last night around 8 PM, I ignored all the dire warnings of crowds and closures, and drove right into the heart of Washington, DC, zipped around Dupont Circle, found a parking space in sixty seconds, got out of my car, walked one block east, and opened the door to Bistrot du Coin. In front of me was a full restaurant, with the entrance lined with double-thick, wall-to-wall people waiting for a table. I squeezed through the crowd, then strolled right up to the center of the bar - completely packed except for my one empty seat - and then sat down for dinner.

This didn't happen because I'm DonRocks; it happened because I have brass balls the likes of which even The Good Doctor couldn't wrap his hands around.

It had been a long time since I've eaten here. The menu looks great and reads beautifully, and as I sat there sipping my little goblet of Gigondas ($9.50), the few plates of food that passed by looked surprisingly good; in particular, I noticed how finely the vegetables were diced in one of the salads.

Not wanting my dinner to be ruined a la minute by a slammed line cook, I ordered "safe" by getting the Navarin d'Agneau ($19.50), a long-cooked lamb stew in a tomato-garlic sauce with baby haricots verts, bulb onions, button mushrooms, and chopped carrots. Both the stew and the rice were served in hot, ceramic vessels, and retained their temperature throughout the meal. This was a large, hearty, satisfying bowl of stew, with four large cubes of lamb and plenty of vegetables, all sitting in a sauce that was rich and satisfying without quite reaching the threshold of being heavy. There are criticisms I can make about the rice, the mushrooms, etc., but when I had finished using my second piece of bread to swab up the remaining sauce, there wasn't a single morsel of food left in front of me.

My bartender was remarkably efficient and professional, and when I eavesdropped on her coordinating things with the waitstaff, they were being vigilant about making sure nobody was being served alcohol without proper identification. I wouldn't normally mention this, but everyone at Bistrot du Coin seemed to be exceptionally alert last night.

If this place isn't making money - a LOT of money - then my advice would be not to open a restaurant. Unlike other institutions, Bistrot du Coin is forever tethered to its space; it can never relocate without losing its personality entirely. It is for this reason that my evil fantasy is to be their landlord when the lease comes up for renewal.

"Monsieur Verdon, your new rent is now $125,000 a month."

"That's extortion!"

"Quite. Take it or leave it."

At that point, I suspect the easiest place to find Michel would be somewhere down in the Caribbean, lying on the beach in front of his private villa, wearing one of his hideously bright floral shirts, puffing on a cigar, and dipping his toes in the wet sand.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[turbogrrl]

I don't get it. I mean, I *get it*, but it's not for me. The Bistrot was jam-packed with the after-hours K-street crowd: loud, big earrings, bigger hair, and louder makeup. Plunging cleavage that even I didn't want to look down, and voices that could shatter glass. The reward for suffering through this was limp frites, a tired stew, and an even more exhausted waitress. I didn't hold it against her, though; by the end of the meal all I wanted was to go home and fall in bed.

Oh. The Gratinée des Halles was fantastic, though. So there's that.

[porcupine]

I don't get it. I mean, I *get it*, but it's not for me. The Bistrot was jam-packed with the after-hours K-street crowd: loud, big earrings, bigger hair, and louder makeup. Plunging cleavage that even I didn't want to look down, and voices that could shatter glass. The reward for suffering through this was limp frites, a tired stew, and an even more exhausted waitress. I didn't hold it against her, though; by the end of the meal all I wanted was to go home and fall in bed.

Oh. The Gratinée des Halles was fantastic, though. So there's that.

The later it is, the better it gets. More or less.

[DanCole42]

Does this place have any happy hour specials?

Would I be stupid to try and have happy hour here if it's going to be jam packed with the "after hours K street crowd"?

[goldenticket]

Does this place have any happy hour specials?

Would I be stupid to try and have happy hour here if it's going to be jam packed with the "after hours K street crowd"?

I don't know that they have happy hour specials (although I typically don't get in there until later in the evening when I go), but there is usually a list of additional wines by the glass on the mirror behind the bar. Are you talking about a big group, or a few people for happy hour? You just need to be prepared for a noisy, crowded bar (that spills into the dining area) - but I think it's a lot of fun - obviously YMMV . You can always get a table if the bar is too crazy.

[Heather]

Does this place have any happy hour specials?

Would I be stupid to try and have happy hour here if it's going to be jam packed with the "after hours K street crowd"?

No specials that I'm aware of. It's a small bar and gets pretty crowded. I would not characterize the crowd as "K Street" by any stretch of the imagination - at least I've never seen that crowd in there.

[DonRocks]

At the always packed Bistro du Coin this evening, a glass of 2001 Château Bel Air, an Haut-Médoc (from Bordeaux) was most likely a prime example of Michel Verdon buying wines on distributor closeout (click). A supple nine-year-old, this wine falls right into my palate's wheelhouse as a quaffable vin de table; unfortunately, it's $11.95 for a miserly (probably four-ounce) pour, served lukewarm and in cheap stemware. This is a wine that retailed on release for about $11 A BOTTLE. Wholesale? Less. If it was bought on closeout? Less still. The receipt was marked "Château Simard" which is a more expensive St. Émilion, but I suspect this was just a generic substitution. For this pour, it's a nice glass of wine at $6.00, but no more than that. Still, I appreciate being able to have an affordable aged Bordeaux in a restaurant, and Bistro du Coin pulls this off pretty well in the general case, especially by the bottle.

Cheers,

Rocks.

(As an aside, it was nice to see Jawad Laouaouda at Bistro du Coin this evening; he recently came over from Brabo.)

[Miami Danny]

At the always packed Bistro du Coin this evening, a glass of 2001 Château Bel Air, an Haut-Médoc (from Bordeaux) was most likely a prime example of Michel Verdon buying wines on distributor closeout (click). A supple nine-year-old, this wine falls right into my palate's wheelhouse as a quaffable vin de table; unfortunately, it's $11.95 for a miserly (probably four-ounce) pour, served lukewarm and in cheap stemware. This is a wine that retailed on release for about $11 A BOTTLE. Wholesale? Less. If it was bought on closeout? Less still. The receipt was marked "Château Simard" which is a more expensive St. Émilion, but I suspect this was just a generic substitution. For this pour, it's a nice glass of wine at $6.00, but no more than that. Still, I appreciate being able to have an affordable aged Bordeaux in a restaurant, and Bistro du Coin pulls this off pretty well in the general case, especially by the bottle.

Cheers,

Rocks.

(As an aside, it was nice to see Jawad Laouaouda at Bistro du Coin this evening; he recently came over from Brabo.)

Well without actual knowledge let's say that the bottle costs $15 retail and maybe $10+ wholesale. You mention 'cheap stemware' but would you rather pay another $5-6 for a Reidel glass? $12 would satisfy you at a six ounce pour? Or $8? Just curious-you say you suspect that the presented wine was a generic substitution. Is this merely a guess, or do you have any evidence? That's a serious charge, Don. Could you not see the bottle? Or are you suggesting something more nefarious?

[DonRocks]

Well without actual knowledge let's say that the bottle costs $15 retail and maybe $10+ wholesale. You mention 'cheap stemware' but would you rather pay another $5-6 for a Reidel glass? $12 would satisfy you at a six ounce pour? Or $8? Just curious-you say you suspect that the presented wine was a generic substitution. Is this merely a guess, or do you have any evidence? That's a serious charge, Don. Could you not see the bottle?

I have pretty good knowledge about wine, Danny. It's not a serious charge, for Pete's sake; Bistrot du Coin substitutes wines all the time - just as often on the upside (I've had instances where they were out of a particular wine, and I got a more expensive one in its stead). The bottle was right in front of me when I ordered it; I didn't realize it was $11.95 until the check arrived. Yes, it could have been a mistake, but this was the only Bordeaux I saw by the glass, so I don't think so. Regardless, this is a molehill, not a mountain.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Miami Danny]

I have pretty good knowledge about wine, Danny. It's not a serious charge, for Pete's sake; Bistrot du Coin substitutes wines all the time - just as often on the upside (I've had instances where they were out of a particular wine, and I got a more expensive one in its stead). The bottle was right in front of me when I ordered it; I didn't realize it was $11.95 until the check arrived. Yes, it could have been a mistake, but this was the only Bordeaux I saw by the glass, so I don't think so. Regardless, this is a molehill, not a mountain.

Cheers,

Rocks.

I'm not challenging your wine knowledge Don, I am merely guessing the prices as they actually might be-unless you are reading them off the invoice? I also think invoking 'cheap stemware' was part of my question. Are you ok in paying more for wine in more expensive glassware? Or is the 'cheap stemware' what helps to keep prices down....and I agree it is an anthill, just a discussion. But maybe for someone who doesn't have your personal knowledge, they maybe might see it another way.

[DonRocks]

I'm not challenging your wine knowledge Don, I am merely guessing the prices as they actually might be-unless you are reading them off the invoice? I also think invoking 'cheap stemware' was part of my question. Are you ok in paying more for wine in more expensive glassware? Or is the 'cheap stemware' what helps to keep prices down....and I agree it is an anthill, just a discussion. But maybe for someone who doesn't have your personal knowledge, they maybe might see it another way.

The 2001 Bel Air is not widely available at retail, and hasn't been for a long time. In 2005, Ed McCarthy reviewed the 2000 (a much better vintage) here, mentioning that it was $11 retail. A quick check on winesearcher.com reveals a retail source currently selling it at $14.75 a bottle with a 23% discount by the case (don't confuse the Haut-Médoc Château Bel Air with the St. Emilion Château Belair - they're different wines, the latter being much more expensive).

That said, it's a reasonable assumption that either this wine has been cellared downstairs at Bistrot du Coin for many years (in which case the wholesale price was way under $10), or it was purchased recently as part of a distributor closeout (in which case the wholesale price was way under $10). Do you have a plausible third option? I don't.

Whether I'm okay (or not) paying more for wine in expensive glassware is somewhat tangential - it's expensive to store (and pour) wine at the proper temperature, and it's expensive to store (and pour) a wine in crystal stemware, and both of those are justifiable factors in selling a glass of wine for a higher price.

Having sat at the bar at Bistrot du Coin probably 30 times in my life, my experience tells me this was just the Bordeaux du jour, and they have neither the time nor inclination to update the POS; next week, it could easily be a 1998 Pavilion Rouge du Château Margaux <<ou equivalent>>. I also want to emphasize that I didn't look at the menu; I merely saw the Bel Air from across the bar, and ordered a glass (not even knowing which vintage it was, but being pleasantly surprised when I found out it was the 2001).

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Miami Danny]

The 2001 Bel Air is not widely available at retail, and hasn't been for a long time. In 2005, Ed McCarthy reviewed the 2000 (a much better vintage) here, mentioning that it was $11 retail. A quick check on winesearcher.com reveals a retail source currently selling it at $14.75 a bottle with a 23% discount by the case (don't confuse the Haut-Médoc Château Bel Air with the St. Emilion Château Belair - they're different wines, the latter being much more expensive).

That said, it's a reasonable assumption that either this wine has been cellared downstairs at Bistrot du Coin for many years (in which case the wholesale price was way under $10), or it was purchased recently as part of a distributor closeout (in which case the wholesale price was way under $10). Do you have a plausible third option? I don't.

Whether I'm okay (or not) paying more for wine in expensive glassware is somewhat tangential - it's expensive to store (and pour) wine at the proper temperature, and it's expensive to store (and pour) a wine in crystal stemware, and both of those are justifiable factors in selling a glass of wine for a higher price.

Having sat at the bar at Bistrot du Coin probably 30 times in my life, my experience tells me this was just the Bordeaux du jour, and they have neither the time nor inclination to update the POS; next week, it could easily be a 1998 Pavilion Rouge du Château Margaux <<ou equivalent>>. I also want to emphasize that I didn't look at the menu; I merely saw the Bel Air from across the bar, and ordered a glass (not even knowing which vintage it was, but being pleasantly surprised when I found out it was the 2001).

Cheers,

Rocks.

Right here it's $20 retail. Looking a lot better, no?

[DonRocks]

Right here it's $20 retail. Looking a lot better, no?

Hell yeah! And those are half-bottles, too, which are seriously rare - and only $9.99 each. Thing is, there are only two in stock. PM me and we'll split them and try to flip them for a profit, k?

Cheers,

Rocks

[Miami Danny]

Hell yeah! And those are half-bottles, too, which are seriously rare - and only $9.99 each. Thing is, there are only two in stock. PM me and we'll split them and try to flip them for a profit, k?

Cheers,

Rocks

We can sell two-ounce pours in dixie cups from a cart across the street. Or is someone already doing that?

[sheldman]

Last night was my first trip to Bistro du Coin in a couple of years. Also been a long time since anybody was talking about it here.

Because the rain has finally stopped and my mood has improved, let me put it this way: Bistro du Coin makes me realize that I must be far out of the ordinary, in terms of what I look for in a restaurant.

The place was, and from what I hear always is, absolutely jam-packed with people paying quite a lot of money for food. (Specials were something like $26, a not-very-big pot of mussels was something like $18, etc.).

And it was not food that I enjoyed. A vegetable tartine was a soggy mess (maybe a tartine is supposed to be a soggy mess, I am not an expert by any means, but this was in fact a soggy mess). Mussels were small and overcooked, in a broth (labeled mariniere) that was not tasty to me, mostly giving off a vibe of age. The "Bretonne" gratin of buckwheat pasta with seafood was practically tasteless. Fries were soggy mess as well.

French cuisine is not at the top of my personal list. Maybe other people like the way this food at BdC tastes, or maybe I just happened to order all the wrong things.

Maybe, to many people, loud boisterous atmosphere with French posters on the wall is, in itself, a source of great pleasure and it doesn't matter as much what the food tastes like?

If anyone could figure out what makes this restaurant such a success, they could solve the economic crisis.

[weinoo]

French cuisine is not at the top of my personal list. Maybe other people like the way this food at BdC tastes, or maybe I just happened to order all the wrong things.

Maybe, to many people, loud boisterous atmosphere with French posters on the wall is, in itself, a source of great pleasure and it doesn't matter as much what the food tastes like?

If anyone could figure out what makes this restaurant such a success, they could solve the economic crisis.

Our last two meals at B d C were experiences similar to yours (and I love French food). It's also why we haven't been back in quite a while, but I think to enjoy this place, one needs to stick to things like salads, maybe the steak frites (and send back the fries when they suck), merguez, stuff like that. The pastas uniformly suck.

I like the atmosphere; I just wish the food was better.

[Dr. Delicious]

We hadn't been here in awhile, but ventured in as part of a birthday celebration for a friend. We had a perfectly good, if not great, meal. We started with a small order of mussels in a curry sauce. We had several empty shells, which is disappointing, and a few mussels tasted gritty, but the broth was excellent, and they were happy to refil the bread, so I was satisfied. I had the rabbit, which was good, if slightly under seasoned. A sprinkle of salt helped pull out the favors, and I was pleased that it didn't suffer from excessive mustard, which was my complaint last time (nearly a decade ago! ). My wife had the monk fish and risotto. Similarly, it too lacked seasoning and needed salt, but was a good dish if you like a heavy and rich cream sauce.

[Mark Slater]

I still have not found a true and proper European version here stateside. Give the benefit of the doubt to your probably reasonably adventurous and at least half intelligent diner and do not mix everything in to the tartare. Give them accoutrements. Given them a slab of butter. Buve them something texturaly different to mess with in between experimenting with mixing different combinations of accoutrements with the tartare.

Please.

Bistro Francais in Georgetown was my go-to tartare before they closed. Now, Bistrot du Coin is my favorite.

[meatwad]

Bistro Francais in Georgetown was my go-to tartare before they closed. Now, Bistrot du Coin is my favorite.

Tartare, frites and champagne at BDC is medicine.

[Pool Boy]

The more you know. Must.Address.Taratare.

 

[Dr. Delicious]

It’s been a few years since our last visit, and this place hasn’t changed a bit, which is good! We had the curry mussels, which were delicious, and ripe for dipping with the good crusty bread. Also started with a frisbee salad with ample bits of real thick bacon, a poached egg and other fine accoutrements. I had the rabbit stew, which at times in the past they’ve been a bit heavy handed with the mustard, but on this occasion it was done with the perfect balance. The wife and child both got the filet, and both were over cooked, which was unfortunate, but we’re still tasty, and the fries were excellent.