Cuisine: A steakhouse in name, a French restaurant in sensibility—with Gruyère popovers, a satiny chicken-liver pâté, and a gorgeous souffléed crepe stealing the show from the big cuts of beef at this suave New York import.
Mood: Law- and real-estate-firm partners, ladies with expensive highlights, and other polished patrons hold court at this expense-account den while bright young things crowd the marble bar. But the place never feels stiff, thanks in part to the loud strains of Johnny Cash and the Clash.
Best for: Impressing a client or giving yourself over to a night of indulgences.
Best dishes: Roasted beets with country bread and boucheron, an aged goat cheese; grilled bacon swabbed in vinegar; hanger steak with chimichurri or béarnaise sauce; the BLT cut, a bone-in sirloin; Dover sole with lemony brown butter; scallops with blood oranges and hazelnut cream; hash browns; onion rings; crepe soufflé with passion-fruit purée; lemon meringue pie layered with cassis.
Insider tips: The Kobe steak is the real deal from Japan—$130 for five ounces—and it goes down like silk. The bargain on the menu? The terrific $24 hanger steak. And although the raw bar looks stunning, lately its offerings have been disappointing—flavorless Jonah crab and jumbo shrimp, poorly shucked oysters and littlenecks.
Service:
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
