100 Best Restaurants 2009: La Chaumière

Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli , Rina Rapuano , Eve Zibart

No. 82: La Chaumière

La Chaumiere

2813 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Phone: 202.338.1784

Cuisines:
French

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
Foggy Bottom-GWU

Price Range:
Moderate

Dress:
Informal

Noise Level:
Intimate

Reservations:
Recommended

Special Features:
Party Space

Website:
Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes
Appetizer or entrée of pillowy pike quenelles in a rich lobster sauce; boudin blanc with sautéed apples; onion soup; wedgelike salad with Roquefort; Grand Marnier soufflé with crème anglaise; apple tart on puff pastry; classic profiteroles stuffed with vanilla ice cream.

Price Details:
Lunch appetizers, $4.50 to $7.50; entrees, $12.95 to $19.95.
Dinner appetizers, $6 to $9.75; entrees, $15.75 to $27.25.

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Reader's Rating:
No Reader Reviews

Cuisine: Julia Child–era French classics—quenelles in lobster sauce, salmon in puff pastry—get their due, as do fanciful desserts such as profiteroles and soufflés.

Mood: A beamed, farm-inspired room complete with a stone hearth and walls tacked with copper pans and horseshoes. Tables are squeezed close together, the better to listen in on the denizens of Georgetown.

Best for: Dinner with parents; a celebratory meal where you can laugh as loud as you want and not have your voice rise above the din; big appetites—portions are hefty.

Best dishes: Appetizer or entrée of pillowy pike quenelles in a rich lobster sauce; boudin blanc with sautéed apples; onion soup; wedgelike salad with Roquefort; Grand Marnier soufflé with crème anglaise; apple tart on puff pastry; classic profiteroles stuffed with vanilla ice cream.

Insider tips: There are standout specials throughout the week. Diners come on Wednesdays for couscous strewn with lamb, chicken, and beef, on Thursdays for cassoulet loaded with sausage and duck confit.

Service: ••

Open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday for dinner. Expensive.

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