100 Very Best Restaurants: #23 – Le Diplomate
Duck confit with roasted potatoes and a perfect sunny side up egg–otherwise known as the duck sarladaise, a brunch staple at Le Diplomate. Photo courtesy of Le Diplomate.
Brunch with kids, a celebratory dinner, a late-night double cheeseburger, day-drinking rosé on the patio—Le Dip is the rare restaurant that’s suited to nearly any occasion. The menu doesn’t deviate much from French bistro standards, but the kitchen has mastered most of them with consistency and precision. Seafood towers are generous and lovely. The oversize quenelle of foie gras parfait is airy and rich at the same time. Even the radishes with butter are a thing of beauty. From bread to cocktails to Fabrice Bendano’s textbook Gallic desserts, it’s easy to see why the six-year-old place remains packed, even in a restaurant landscape more crowded than ever. Expensive.
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Executive Food Editor/Critic
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.
Food Editor
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Food Editor
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.