Marcel's

Address: 2401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20037

Phone: 202-296-1166

Neighborhood: Foggy Bottom/West End, Downtown

Cuisines: French, Belgian

Opening Hours: Open Monday through Thursday 5:30 to 10, Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 11, Sunday 5:30 to 9:30.

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Nearby Metro Stops: Farragut West, Foggy Bottom-GWU

Price Range: Very expensive

Noise Level: Intimate

Reservations: Recommended

Website: Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes Alaskan crab legs with crab salad; filet of turbotin; medallions of lamb wrapped in phyllo with spinach and duxelles; boudin blanc; venison with a reduction of Carmenère wine; grape clafoutis; soufflé specials; cheese plate with honeycomb and raisins on t

Special Features:
Wheelchair Accessible, Valet Parking Available

Robert Wiedmaier’s dark-lit Foggy Bottom restaurant—the fanciest in his collection of Belgian-inspired eateries—is notorious for above-and-beyond service (there’s a complimentary car service to and from the Kennedy Center), but throwback formalities are a sideshow that shouldn’t distract from the main event: the creations that emerge from the semi-open kitchen. From deeply layered vegetable soups such as asparagus or wild mushroom to an alluring gâteau of chocolate and passionfruit, the well-paced dishes are exquisitely delicious—so much so that while they can all be ordered à la carte, we encourage you to go all out on a tasting menu of four to seven courses.

The helpful staffers are refreshingly frank—ask them to point you to the night’s best (and worst) dishes. Don’t miss: Pan-seared diver scallops with butternut-squash hash and crispy shiitakes; prosciutto-wrapped monkfish stuffed with truffles, white-bean purée, and chive beurre blanc; chestnut-and-duck-confit tortellini with English peas and tarragon jus; bison strip loin with roasted Brussels sprouts, cauliflower purée, and Cabernet/foie-gras sauce; chocolate-coconut crumble; coconut-rum anglaise.

Open: Daily for dinner. Very expensive.