Lavandou Restaurant

[ledervin]

I really enjoy this provincial style restaurant with a heart of the old style and eyes for the modern? curious to see what the critical egullet scene has to say about it.

[DonRocks]

Sort of like Makoto, anyone who doesn't like Le Lavandou is looking at life too critically, or expecting something that should not have expectations raised so highly.

It's good. I've been there three times, and have enjoyed it. It won't bring you to climax, but how many places will?

[Alex]

I really really like Lavandou. I live in Michigan but visit my cousins in DC at least once a year. Lavandou is their favorite neighborhood restaurant, and would be mine too if I lived there. The food is reliably good, the prices are reasonable, and the specials are, well, special (e.g., no corkage fee on Mondays, $25 table d'hote on Tuesdays). Check out the Thanksgiving menu.

[ledervin]

Anyone tasted the sweetbreads? I love em there...had a similair dish at Vidalia which gets all the hype, and I was pretty disappointed. Also, recently Lavandou had veal cheeks on the menu in a port wine sauce....now that's a dish!

[pastramionrye]

i enjoy going to lavandou...it is what it is a very nice neighborhood restaurant.

[tjaehnigen]

Free corkage fee Mondays makes it a place to go on my list. The local wine-o Crü that I hang out with went there last month and it was pretty good. But man, they need to hire a few more waiters. I know it was a Monday and all, but two waiters to wait on all tables was a little thin if you ask me.

[Mark Sommelier]

Free corkage fee Mondays makes it a place to go on my list. The local wine-o Crü that I hang out with went there last month and it was pretty good. But man, they need to hire a few more waiters. I know it was a Monday and all, but two waiters to wait on all tables was a little thin if you ask me.

tj,

Ever been a waiter? How many bottles did you and the Crüe bring? Did anyone bring a tire bouchon? Did you ask for fresh glasses for each bottle? Just curious.

[jparrott]

The "wine-o Cru" that I usually hang out with at Lavandou (tj and I have missed paths a few times over on the eBob board, I think) brings our own corkscrews, glasses, and decanters...when you have 21 bottles for eight people, like one of our tastings there, we don't want/need the waiters helping out, and we certainly don't want to take up every glass in creation. Each of us usually brings 3 or 4 glasses, so they can save something to let it air, or taste something alongside something else from a later flight, or whatever.

[Malawry]

I just had lunch there because Tom Sietsema told me to in today's Live Online chat. (Between this guy and Dave the Cook I've got my dining out and home cookery covered. ) I enjoyed a pissaladiere classique and the duck confit composed salad. The pissaladiere is a small round of fresh dough topped with sweet caramelized onions, some slightly overdried but still delicious anchovies, and pitted nicoise olives. It came with a small, unseasoned salad of frisee and walnuts which I had to salt at the table. It occurred to me that it might have been deliberately undersalted because the olives and anchovies are very salty.

The duck confit composed salad is a crisp, hot, perfect leg of duck confit with a large pile of mache salad topped with small coins of duck proscuitto. Some sliced, gently cooked apples fanned out complete the plate. I practically gnawed on the duck leg bones...there's nothing unusual about this confit, but it's plain good eating especially on a rainy day like today. The mache salad had a lightly creamy dressing and was, again, unseasoned, but the duck proscuitto was terrific and a great foil to the other flavors on the plate. I didn't like how the apples had their skin on them, they were a little dry around the edges, and they were served warm but not hot...I only ate a few of them. Disappointing, they could have been a welcome foil to the rich/salty/fresh flavors on the plate.

Total tab $23. Nice lunch. Slow service, they were about 80% capacity but only had two servers which is unfortunate. They have a "rapid lunch" deal every day, salad, an entree, and I think coffee or tea for $15...today's was calves liver with a raisin sauce. If I happen to be in the area for lunch again I might order this, it seems like a good deal.

The dining room was filled with ladies who lunch and what looked like a few office grunts who made the schlep. There was a group of eight women celebrating a birthday together, so between them and the nice gas logs in the center of the dining room it felt very cozy and welcoming.

[tjaehnigen]

Free corkage fee Mondays makes it a place to go on my list. The local wine-o Crü that I hang out with went there last month and it was pretty good. But man, they need to hire a few more waiters. I know it was a Monday and all, but two waiters to wait on all tables was a little thin if you ask me.

tj,

Ever been a waiter? How many bottles did you and the Crüe bring? Did anyone bring a tire bouchon? Did you ask for fresh glasses for each bottle? Just curious.

Never been a waiter.

I think the 6 of us polished off about 10 bottles? I can't remember exactly.

We asked for and were given I think 3 stems per person. We attempted to offer tastes to any of the staff that was there when we could, but they were just very short-staffed in general that evening. We planned on leaving a great tip, and we did, despite the less than stellar service. I didn't mind toooo much about the service since we were doing the BYOW thing and we were having a good time so the time did fly by.

Honestly, if a place makes it known that Mondays are free corkage BYOW nights, they need to expect folks to take advantage of it like we did. I fel a little weird bringing my own stems or decanters to a restaurant, but if I ever do it, I'd feel most ok if I did so with my DC Crü pals.

All in all a decent experience and the food was good, the wine was excellent and the company of the DC Crü was superb.

[hillvalley]

Here is Tom's review

Lavandou

[maureen]

Lavandou is, in my opinion, one of the great dining deals in DC. The food is excellent, the choices many, and the place is very welcoming. In his review, Tom failed to mention the well-chosen and fairly priced wine list, the best country-style pate and french fries in town, the amazing warm roasted red peppers stuffed with goat cheese and topped with an anchovy dressing, and the beautiful salads. The duck confit is terrific there and even if it's not on the dinner menu, it's always available. Yes, it's true that sometimes the waiters are overworked - but I never get the impression that anyone is slacking off and frankly if understaffing the room a bit is what allows the owner to offer such great food at such fair prices, I'm all for it.

[Mark Sommelier]

Lavandou is, in my opinion, one of the great dining deals in DC. The food is excellent, the choices many, and the place is very welcoming. In his review, Tom failed to mention the well-chosen and fairly priced wine list, the best country-style pate and french fries in town, the amazing warm roasted red peppers stuffed with goat cheese and topped with an anchovy dressing, and the beautiful salads. The duck confit is terrific there and even if it's not on the dinner menu, it's always available. Yes, it's true that sometimes the waiters are overworked - but I never get the impression that anyone is slacking off and frankly if understaffing the room a bit is what allows the owner to offer such great food at such fair prices, I'm all for it.

Just FYI, waiters are paid $3.25 an hour. They are the least expensive employees in a restaurant.

[Joe H]

When I worked as a waiter for Hot Shoppes #10 at Wisconsin and Van Ness in 1962 we were paid forty six cents an hour. Plus meals. Safeway, a second part time job that I had, paid $2.12 an hour. Still, Hot Shoppes was better since the tips on Saturday were about $15 and Sunday sometimes were as high as $20.

That was a lot of money for someone in 10th grade in 1962.

[Mark Sommelier]

When I worked as a waiter for Hot Shoppes #10 at Wisconsin and Van Ness in 1962 we were paid forty six cents an hour. Plus meals. Safeway, a second part time job that I had, paid $2.12 an hour. Still, Hot Shoppes was better since the tips on Saturday were about $15 and Sunday sometimes were as high as $20.

That was a lot of money for someone in 10th grade in 1962.

When I was in college in the early 70's, I worked as a waiter in a family place in Brockport, New York. Every Friday was fish fry day. Every Friday, the same four old ladies with hats came for the fish fry. Each one of them neatly tucked a quarter under the plate when they were finished. In retrospect, it was cute.

[tjaehnigen]

Lavandou is, in my opinion, one of the great dining deals in DC. The food is excellent, the choices many, and the place is very welcoming. In his review, Tom failed to mention the well-chosen and fairly priced wine list, the best country-style pate and french fries in town, the amazing warm roasted red peppers stuffed with goat cheese and topped with an anchovy dressing, and the beautiful salads. The duck confit is terrific there and even if it's not on the dinner menu, it's always available. Yes, it's true that sometimes the waiters are overworked - but I never get the impression that anyone is slacking off and frankly if understaffing the room a bit is what allows the owner to offer such great food at such fair prices, I'm all for it.

I think I'd go again on BYOW Mondays as the food was quite good, and a great QPR considering the price. I think it's a great neighborhood joint.

[ledervin]

I went there again two nights ago and the same sampler that Tom Sietsema spoke about was available. He says "and a crackery pane of Parmesan cheese speckled with black sesame seeds. " I believe he didn't have his bifocals on because they were cleary poppy seeds...had no flavor or shape similair to sesame seeds. Of course unless they change that daily, but I asked the waiter and he said no.

I agree with Maureen...the homemade Pate is awesome, the assiette de Charcuterie I could eat as a dinner in itself, and I usually order one as an appetizer to share with whoever I am going with.

Where else in town is there a French restaurant with an affordable menu that serves food as good? Let's here some suggestions.

[Busboy]

I'm a little pissed off about Tom running that review. Lavandou was something of a hidden jewel, with the trendier places on that strip getting all the attention and suburbanites. Now, it will be even more of a pain to get a table there during prime dining hours.

For what it's worth one of the reasons I liked it was because they had a pretty laid back attitude, given the quality of the food. One Staurday afternoon, after a few drinks at Nannie's, we sent one of the party down to see if they'd let a crew in jeans and flannel into their dining room. They did so, with no hint of condescention. And they've always been happy to serve my kids -- and thus became my daughter's choice for dinner after her First Communion.

I expect that the reason the waiters appear a little overworked is that, with only one real seating on a weeknight, the place wouldn't generate enough tips to keep competent waiters around very long if they put more staff on the floor. If you can avoid the 7:30-8:30 rush, the staffing is usually more than adequate.

[hillvalley]

It is going to be impossible to go for a while

[mr food]

I've been to a couple of wino dinners there and my family had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner after the Cathedral service. We brought in two bottles of wine and were charged a reasonable $15 corkage per bottle . For those on the idine club it participates Sunday-Thursday at 20% off the total check

[maureen]

"It is going to be impossible to go for a while"

Actually, it's not - winter is still keeping out the big crowds (despite the gas log fireplace in the middle of the room).

[liamdc]

Mazman and I ate at Lavandou last evening, taking advantage of its "no corkage fee" Monday. There were tables available when we sat down at 6:30 pm, and when we left close to 8 pm. So, at least, on Mondays the Post review doesn't appear to have flooded the place.

We both had the mesclun salad (with banyuls vinegar, herbs, olive oil) to start. Now this is a big salad! Lots of leafy greens, lightly dressed, and delicious. I had the beef stew off the regular menu (marinated beef stew in red wine, bacon, orange, walnut & au gratin pasta). The beef was incredibly tender, the sauce was rich with a tinge of sweetness. The pasta on top was a bit crusty, possibly slightly overdone. But the stew was a great stick-to-your-bones dish that is wonderful this time of year; very filling. Mazman had the Australian beef tenderloin special. I'll let him describe it for himself. Overall, the service was prompt and attentive.

Schneider's on Capitol Hill is having a sale on Clarendon Hills grenache this week. So we got a bottle of the 2001 Blewitt Springs vintage ('95' WA, '93' WS). It was a rich, meaty Australian grenache with a notable strawberry palatte. Went splendidly with the stew.

Lavandou is a very good neighborhood restaurant. Ledervin, who described its "provinicial style," was right on target. If you're around Cleveland Park, it's certainly worth a try.

[cjsadler]

Ate here last night for the first time along with plenty of other skinflints taking advantage of the 'no corkage' night. Had some very satisfying pate and then scallops. The scallops were served on a leek mousse, which really wasn't a mousse, but rather leeks pureed with butter. Odd presentation, with the scallops gathered inside the bottom of a potato cone (sorta like a big potato chip in the shape of a gramophone/protective dog collar) dotted with red wine reduction. Also sampled some bites of escargot, which were nice in a pesto with eggplant, and beef tenderloin in a pepper sauce. Everyone's dish was served with a side of pureed carrots, whose flavor was overwhelmed by the amount of butter in them (we had to ask if it really was carrots). We washed everything down with a couple of bottles I just brought back from Napa.

I don't know if I was too excited by anything (well, maybe the pate), but it's a nice neighborhood spot. I'll probably head back when it's a bit colder, as alot of the dishes that remain on the menu (beef stew, lamb stew, etc) aren't very appealing to me in hot weather.