Le Gaulois and French food in DC

[chengb02]

I'm a lurker on the DC board, my girlfriend goes to school in DC and I get out there a few times every other month or so. On my last trip, she dragged me to Old Town/King St in Alexandria and we were both very hungry and not able to find anything, so we settled on Le Gaulois where we had a pretty good meal (with not so good service). I am planning on being in town again soon and looking for a good French restaurant with relatively reasonable prices (entrees in the $20-$25 range). Further, I'm wondering if anyone else has been to Le Gaulois and how they feel it compares to some of the other area restaurants. Thanks!

[Mark Sommelier]

Go to Bistrot du Coin on Connecticut Avenue at S St. Convivial atmosphere, straightforward service, tasty food. Mussels are a specialty.

[DonRocks]

le gaulois compares with la colline, bistro du coin, les halles and bistro francais. a step behind bistrot lepic.

[JPW]

I have a good friend who is one of the "doyennes" of Old Town.

It is rather amusing to hear about the continual sniping/cat fighting between the owners and clientele of Le Gaulois and Bistro Lafayette in Old Town. I've been to both a few times and would offer the following points in comparison -

1) The cuisine at Le Gaulois is a little more high-end than that at Bistro Lafayette.

2) However, the cooking is better at Bistro Lafayette (as is the service)

3) I find the interior of Bistro Lafayette to be nicer than that of le Gaulois, but Le Gaulois has that really nice patio for when the weather is nice.

If you're looking for non-French options in your price range, go straight to Firefly (just South of Dupont Circle), do not pass go, do not collect $200 (just make sure you have your credit card on you so you can pay your bill). You can search the other threads around here for tons of other options.

Just my 2 cents.

[bilrus]

I have a confession to make. I have never been to any of the many area restaurants with "Bistro" in the name.

If I was looking to break this cycle with one with a combination of good food and good atmosphere, which would people recommend?

I'm not looking for upscale French food, I'm looking for the typical "bistro' experience with better than typical food.

Edited April 15, 2004 by bilrus (log)

[Al_Dente]

I have a confession to make. I have never been to any of the many area restaurants with "Bistro" in the name.

If I was looking to break this cycle with one with a combination of good food and good atmosphere, which would people recommend?

I'm not looking for upscale French food, I'm looking for the typical "bistro' experience with better than typical food.

BdC-- in fact, I think I'll go there tonight!

[Busboy]

I have a confession to make.  I have never been to any of the many area restaurants with "Bistro" in the name. 

If I was looking to break this cycle with one with a combination of good food and good atmosphere, which would people recommend?

I'm not looking for upscale French food, I'm looking for the typical "bistro' experience with better than typical food.

BdC-- in fact, I think I'll go there tonight!

I think BdC benefits heavily from its atmosphere. There's no question that it's tremendous fun, a great place to hang out, laugh, drink and get a decent meal. I go there a lot.

But the food can be uneven...limp fries, tasteless steak (get the onglet, not the steak frites), dry chicken. On the other hand, the mussles are consistently good and I like their cassoulet, and their charcuterie quite a bit. As for the service, you have to go with the flow. Control freaks will likely have a very bad time. I'd go there with a gang of friends.

For a little more money, I think Bistro Francais in Georgetown delivers generally better food, a greater variety, and a little more elegance -- if that's what you're in the mood for. I'd go there on a date.

No one mentioned Montmartre on the Hill. Bright, airy, family run it (like the other two) is also distinctly French not only in food but in feel, but in a more modern way. They serve bistro fair, but they also have more contemporary French food, stuff that feels French but hasn't become a household name, as, see confit de canard has. I'd go there with a business associate I liked.

I went to LePic once, and thought is was overpriced for what it delivered, but yield others with more experience. Perhaps they went downhill when the two guys who opened Montmartre left the staff.

Finally, can anyone comment on Bistro d'Oc?

PS: Actually, I'd go to any of those places with anyone (except I don't think dad could handles the service at DdC) They're all great in their own way.

[John W.]

Went to bistro D'Oc once; Was pretty good. Had brains with lemon and capers and then Wagyu onglet with frites. All high quality, good value. The thing is, I might get infected with VIPclubitis, so I rarely go to that corner of the city.

Bistro Francais is exactly as Babka described. It is a little too "fancy" for me for what I look for in a bistro. The food is very good, prices are fair, there are some good picks on the wine list (but make sure you finish your bottle before last call, or they will very unceremoniously relieve you of it). But it's too much like a restaurant for me, if that makes any sense. That's the last thing I want after spending the last 12-14 hours in one.

It's no secret that I am a member of the BdC club. Yes the food can be uneven, but I've been there enough to know what to order, Michel is more than gracious to me (it's understood not everyone shares that view). Perhaps if I lived in Georgetown things would be different, but it's the bistrot in my neighborhood, so I frequent it. As an added bonus, what's not to love about accordians and Swiss people on microphones at 2 AM?

[Busboy]

In addition late night music, it should be noted that, after years of trying to get a bite after the symphony lets out, I've discovered that very few DC restaurants welcome diners after 10:30, even on a Friday. BdC does, until at least midnight and BF does until until 4 AM or something (at which point you'll finally be able to find parking in Georgetown).

I think there may be another place in the Dupont Circle area that does so, too, but I can't recall its name...Had some good oysters with a spicy tartar sauce there, once.

[Mark Sommelier]

In addition late night music, it should be noted that, after years of trying to get a bite after the symphony lets out, I've discovered that very few DC restaurants welcome diners after 10:30, even on a Friday. BdC does, until at least midnight and BF does until until 4 AM or something (at which point you'll finally be able to find parking in Georgetown).

I think there may be another place in the Dupont Circle area that does so, too, but I can't recall its name...Had some good oysters with a spicy tartar sauce there, once.

The Childe Harold on 20th near Q serves late: 1 during the week and 2 on Friday and Saturday. I have fun when I go there, but its not for everyone. It was once best described by a friend as "Darwin's Waiting Room".

[DonRocks]

Finally, can anyone comment on Bistro d'Oc?

Certainly.

This evening I walked past Hard Rock Café, and there were four tour buses outside, and a line stretching out the door and down the block. A half-block north was Bistro d’Oc, smack dab in the intersection of 10th and Construction, and there were two people in the restaurant when I walked in.

The owner/chef of Bistro d’Oc founded La Miche in Bethesda thirty-five years ago, and to prove it, he has this rocket-ship of a wine sitting on the bar that was presented to him as a gift when he opened La Miche: a 1982 Tayac (Cotes de Bourg) in what surely must be a Nebuchadnezzar (a 20-bottle bottle), or whatever the largest format is for a bottle of Bordeaux. This thing dwarfs the double-magnum sitting next to it, and must weigh at least 75 pounds.

Wines are skewed to the ordinary, with a predominance of selections from the Languedoc-Rousillon region of France which produces over a billion bottles of wine annually (for real!). Some of these wines might seem fairly priced in the mid-$30s, but they’re actually rather expensive for the quality unless you have the knowledge to navigate through the minefield of relatively obscure producers.

The bread is freshly baked, but industrial to the point of pain (pain industriel). Vegetable soup is honest and bland, celery-based, served in a tureen with a minimum of fanfare and seasoning. Bavette of Kobe beef with blue-cheese sauce and frites was ordered medium-rare, and was perfectly cooked, even though it was probably a 9th-generation grandfather thrice-removed that was from Kobe, Japan. The blue cheese sauce was simple, with La Fourme d’Ambert (a nice surprise) as the base, made with cream and shallots. The frites were so-so, not great, not bad, crispy and correct, but lacked any sort of wow coefficient.

The owner/chef’s wife is Thai, and – ha! – betcha didn’t know that Bistro d’Oc is a little-known source for interesting Thai dishes within the Penn Quarter area. A crabmeat-stuffed “cigar” is basically a spring roll, the size of a gargantuan phallus, and served with seaweed and a sweet vinaigrette dipping sauce.

Dessert was a peach clafoutis with custard, and distressingly served a la mode. A freshly made dessert, but ponderous and not a real clafoutis. It was bogged down by its own custard and the giant scoop of bad ice cream on top which intercepted any serious attempt to enjoy it. A pity, because the innards weren't all that bad.

So, Bistro d’Oc is a legitimate, fairly priced Gaulois-like selection in a soon-to-be-crowded area. May as well go sooner rather than later, because once construction is complete, the place will be more crowded. Given that there were less than a dozen customers in there this evening, while Hard Rock Café had several hundred, it deserves to be mobbed, and I hope it is.

A worthwhile, well-priced restaurant, a real attempt at cuisine and even fine dining, and I’d happily return.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Mark Sommelier]

Finally, can anyone comment on Bistro d'Oc?

Certainly.

This evening I walked past Hard Rock Café, and there were four tour buses outside, and a line stretching out the door and down the block. A half-block north was Bistro d’Oc, smack dab in the intersection of 10th and Construction, and there were two people in the restaurant when I walked in.

The owner/chef of Bistro d’Oc founded La Miche in Bethesda thirty-five years ago, and to prove it, he has this rocket-ship of a wine sitting on the bar that was presented to him as a gift when he opened La Miche: a 1982 Tayac (Cotes de Bourg) in what surely must be a Nebuchadnezzar (a 20-bottle bottle), or whatever the largest format is for a bottle of Bordeaux. This thing dwarfs the double-magnum sitting next to it, and must weigh at least 75 pounds.

Wines are skewed to the ordinary, with a predominance of selections from the Languedoc-Rousillon region of France which produces over a billion bottles of wine annually (for real!). Some of these wines might seem fairly priced in the mid-$30s, but they’re actually rather expensive for the quality unless you have the knowledge to navigate through the minefield of relatively obscure producers.

The bread is freshly baked, but industrial to the point of pain (pain industriel). Vegetable soup is honest and bland, celery-based, served in a tureen with a minimum of fanfare and seasoning. Bavette of Kobe beef with blue-cheese sauce and frites was ordered medium-rare, and was perfectly cooked, even though it was probably a 9th-generation grandfather thrice-removed that was from Kobe, Japan. The blue cheese sauce was simple, with La Fourme d’Ambert (a nice surprise) as the base, made with cream and shallots. The frites were so-so, not great, not bad, crispy and correct, but lacked any sort of wow coefficient.

The owner/chef’s wife is Thai, and – ha! – betcha didn’t know that Bistro d’Oc is a little-known source for interesting Thai dishes within the Penn Quarter area. A crabmeat-stuffed “cigar” is basically a spring roll, the size of a gargantuan phallus, and served with seaweed and a sweet vinaigrette dipping sauce.

Dessert was a peach clafoutis with custard, and distressingly served a la mode. A freshly made dessert, but ponderous and not a real clafoutis. It was bogged down by its own custard and the giant scoop of bad ice cream on top which intercepted any serious attempt to enjoy it. A pity, because the innards weren't all that bad.

So, Bistro d’Oc is a legitimate, fairly priced Gaulois-like selection in a soon-to-be-crowded area. May as well go sooner rather than later, because once construction is complete, the place will be more crowded. Given that there were less than a dozen customers in there this evening, while Hard Rock Café had several hundred, it deserves to be mobbed, and I hope it is.

A worthwhile, well-priced restaurant, a real attempt at cuisine and even fine dining, and I’d happily return.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Rocks,

To put things in perspective for the crowd, let me point out that the Gallo winery also produces in excess of a billion bottles of wine a year. Domestically speaking, "Kobe Beef" is available from Sunnyside Farms in Washington, Va. Also, congratulations for coming out as Mr. Rockwell.

[Busboy]

In addition late night music, it should be noted that, after years of trying to get a bite after the symphony lets out, I've discovered that very few DC restaurants welcome diners after 10:30, even on a Friday.  BdC does, until at least midnight and BF does until until 4 AM or something (at which point you'll finally be able to find parking in Georgetown). 

I think there may be another place in the Dupont Circle area that does so, too, but I can't recall its name...Had some good oysters with a spicy tartar sauce there, once.

The Childe Harold on 20th near Q serves late: 1 during the week and 2 on Friday and Saturday. I have fun when I go there, but its not for everyone. It was once best described by a friend as "Darwin's Waiting Room".

True, both on the late service and the intriguing quality of the clientel, I believe.

I was thinking more of restaurants than bars with food, though, and actually working in a little plug for Firefly, which where I ate the oysters.

[otello]

Timely article and worth a look.

Saveur

2218 Wisconsin Ave.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2004Apr15.html

In the interest of full disclosure, I am good friends with Gene Sohn and Ed Jacobson, the owners.

[DCMark]

I litterally just got back from France. Full report with pics to follow.

No one has mentioned Les Halles which I think is the best of the Bistros. Like all the others it suffers from sometimes inconsistent service. However, the food there is again top notch. Besides normal bistro/steak fare Les Halles often has some hard to find and innovative special menus. I am talking things like raviol, a good cassoulet, rabbit, tounge....great stuff like that. The desserts at Les Halles are fabulous with their new pastry chef. I am a sucker for a grand manier souffle so maybe thats it. Open late too, parhaps not until 2AM but you will be cheerfully served up till midnight.

Downsides are the occasional touristas and politico types. Also the management but which Bistro has good management?

[JennyUptown]

I litterally just got back from France. Full report with pics to follow.

No one has mentioned Les Halles which I think is the best of the Bistros. Like all the others it suffers from sometimes inconsistent service. However, the food there is again top notch. Besides normal bistro/steak fare Les Halles often has some hard to find and innovative special menus. I am talking things like raviol, a good cassoulet, rabbit, tounge....great stuff like that. The desserts at Les Halles are fabulous with their new pastry chef. I am a sucker for a grand manier souffle so maybe thats it. Open late too, parhaps not until 2AM but you will be cheerfully served up till midnight.

Downsides are the occasional touristas and politico types. Also the management but which Bistro has good management?

I liked Les Halles in NYC when I lived there a few years back, but I found the DC outpost unimpressive top to bottom.