Circle Bistro, One Washington Circle Hotel

[sara]

Hey

I thought I read somewhere recently about a place called the Circle Bar somewhere near Foggy Bottom or Dupont which has a great happy hour. Anyone know the place? Where is it? A google search proved fruitless. I think it may be a hotel bar...

thanks!

[morela]

Circle Bistro?

[sara]

Ah, muchas gracias!! I was getting confused with Circle Bar in New Orleans! Ok, I'm going to go check this place out soon, hopefully Friday, and report back. Has anyone else been already?

[DonRocks]

You may be thinking of Circle Bistro, right on the northern tip of Washington Circle. The last time I went there for happy hour, they had dollar orders of fritto misto!

It's a nice space, and the chef (George Vetsch) can cook and is a very nice guy based on the one time I met him.

[morela]

mmmm

Caipirinha Sunrise - Cachaza, crushed limes, orange juice, grenadine - 7.00

CB is conveniently located between Firefly and Nectar...

Edited May 19, 2004 by morela (log)

[sara]

Seriously, why bothering googling anything food-related anymore? Asking you guys is SO MUCH faster!!

I think LiamDC and I are going with a group there on Friday (hopefully)--if anyone else would like to show up, we'd love to meet ya.

[sara]

Went to happy hour at Circle Bistro last night. $5 mixed drinks-- I had the sweet orange martini, which was basically a screwdriver in a martini glass, but packed a nice punch. Liam tried the melon margarita, which was too much like a midori sour for our taste. Had some bar snacks ($1 each)--frito misto (wayy overdone), peppers with cheese and ham, proscuit w/ cantalope and goat cheese (this was nice). Atmosphere was kinda odd--as Liam pointed out, the decor was sorta retro 80s, the crowd was pretty nondescript, the service was alternately highly attentive and then highly nonavailable...I doubt we'll go back unless it's for a pre-Nectar drink.

[JennyUptown]

Chef change

[DonRocks]

Chef change

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Brendan Cox, sous chef under Todd Gray at Equinox, has become Executive Chef at Circle Bistro. An affordable introduction to Brendan's work can be found weekdays from 5-7 PM at happy hour, where beer, glasses-of-wine and martinis are half-price, and both the bar and dining-room menus are available. Introduce yourself to Jane, the perky-and-petite short-haired Brit babe, who has tended bar here for eighteen years, and who blew me away by remembering me from this past summer when I sat out on the deck and enjoyed a bottle of Champagne and a cone of popcorn for dinner (hey, you have to cut corners somewhere).

Cheers,

Rocks.

P.S. Apparently George Vetsch is alive and well and working in some Italian restaurant off of Dupont Circle - does anyone know where?

[morela]

Here

And apparently Barry Kaslow who also worked at Equinox and more recently Citronelle is there too...

Edited November 3, 2004 by morela (log)

[littlechinagirl]

No way...

I knew this guy (Brendan Cox) in college. And I think he and Dinerboy played rugby together there, and worked at the same restaurant. I've been hearing he's in the DC restaurant scene, but didn't know he'd established a name for himself. Way to go Brendan!

Eh, he might not even remember me....

Edited November 3, 2004 by littlechinagirl (log)

[iamthestretch]

Here

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Not a bad write-up, though I don't know about the bit about talking his way into Roberto Donna's back door.

[chefbrendis]

Here

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Not a bad write-up, though I don't know about the bit about talking his way into Roberto Donna's back door.

←

Hey I was there it happened....

[DonRocks]

Here

←

Not a bad write-up, though I don't know about the bit about talking his way into Roberto Donna's back door.

←

Hey I was there it happened....

←

By the way, Brendan, welcome to eGullet - it's nice to have you here.

And just in case Brendan is too modest to post his bio: voila, here it is.

[MMerrill]

Has anyone eaten here recently? We're looking for someplace to eat a light dinner pre-Kennedy Center performance and this might be the current best bet.

[Mark Sommelier]

Went tonight. Sat at the bar. Excellent food all around. Steak Tartare. Goujonettes. Chips. Charcuterie. Quail. Top notch. Even the olives and nuts were great. Give it a try.

[iamthestretch]

Plus, their bar opens at 10 a.m. I'm just saying.

[MMerrill]

Plus, their bar opens at 10 a.m. I'm just saying

Good to know - but this is not a matinee we're going to!

[MMerrill]

Had a very nice pre-Kennedy Center meal at Circle Bistro last night. We sat in the bar which is an attractive space, if somewhat smoky. We were there during happy hour so beer and some wine by the glass were half price, a nice bonus. The food offered on the bar menu was appealing so that's what we ordered - good hamburgers with fries for the guys, pieces of deep-fried fish with 3 dipping sauces, a 6-sample cheese plate, and a special of scallops in a tempura batter with an Asian sauce. Everything was good and the service was quick and attentive. It worked perfectly for what we wanted!

[Busboy]

We were trying to call the Circle Bistro to see if they were still serving at 10:30 Friday night and the front desk of the hotel in which CB lives couldn't seem to put me through to anything other than a pre-recorded reservation line. Eventually, they got tired of me calliong back and just told the place was closed, but by then we had already completed the drive from the Kennedy Center to Washington Circle and we decided to check ourselves. I had a vague memory of running into Chef Cox at The Office one Saturday night and -- while I often forget important things while drinking, like where my wife is, why it was important to order so much white Burgundy, or that I have to get up at 6AM the next day to drive a child to camp -- I generally remember more important information, like Brendan saying he served until 11PM.

Good thing we checked, or we sould have missed a great treat.

Someone told Brendan that we were there and, though we had never actually spent a nickel in his place until that night, he amused us with some ameuses, including a tasty moresel of home-made pate, a demi-tass of onion soup in which rested a crouton spread with duck liver - I may never go back to Gruyere -- and pommes dauphine, mashed potatoes which had been piped out and deep- fried, so that the outside has a crunch and the inside is creamy and light. It was quite good.

The first course contained the dish of the night, a simple salad of frisee, bacon -- and a bacon fat dressing (!) -- with a poached egg on top and sauteed royal trumpet mushrooms (which I had never heard of before but will not rest until I have again) below. One of those peasant things that makes you pray that your next life will be lived as a peasant. It's only on the menu for a limitied time; get some before it goes away.

A round of steak tartare was excellent, and a duck breast served with baby turnips and celeriac puree seemed like a perfect way to usher in the autumn dining season -- rich, warming and perfectly cooked.

We were pretending to ourselves that we were on a budget, so it was pleasing to see a lot of reasonably-priced wines on the list, including the serviceable Sancerre we quaffed up until the duck arrived (and I got a glass of Zin).

We passed on the dessert (that budget thing again) but did get a few chips of ten-year-old Gouda, along with some Livarot and an Italian whose name escapes me, which is so rich and concentrated that the taste sort of stays in your mouth the whole ride home.

Brendan dropped by to say "howdy" and talk about mushrooms (trumpeting). Not surprisingly, being named in the Post's annual Dining Guide has been bringing people in, putting Putting Brendan and the rest of the team in a good mood.

It was a fine dinner and -- not that I don't love my Steak-Frites -- it is great to find and alternative to BdC and Bistro Francais for after-Symphony dining.

[Pontormo]

The first course contained the dish of the night, a simple salad of frisee, bacon -- and a bacon fat dressing (!) -- with a poached egg on top and sauteed royal trumpet mushrooms (which I had never heard of before but will not rest until I have again) below. 

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FYI: Minus the mushrooms--which sound like an inspired addition--this sounds a lot like a dish that is sometimes called Pontormo's salad, although the menu usually says "salade de Pontormo" or "insalata di Pontormo".

Patricia Wells always seems to order a very similar salad in her culinary guide to Paris.

[Crabby]

The first course contained the dish of the night, a simple salad of frisee, bacon -- and a bacon fat dressing (!) -- with a poached egg on top and sauteed royal trumpet mushrooms (which I had never heard of before but will not rest until I have again)

I'm ashamed to say, as an avowed 'shroom lover, that I also had not heard of these before. But there they were in the produce section of the Silver Spring Whole Paycheck this past weekend.

[dinwiddie]

Our local group of wine nuts (the DC Crü) had dinner at the Circle Bistro Friday night. An absolutely fantastic meal and wines to match. Chef Cox prepared a great meal that perfectly matched with a lineup of California Pinot Noir bling.

The menu and accompanying wines:

Amuse or Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Poached Gulf Shrimp. Served in a tall shooter glass it was refreshing and full of fresh tomato and herb flavors.

1988 Salon - Slightly yeasty nose with almost still, very faint, very tiny bubbles. Absolutely delish. Oh how wonderfully an aged Champagne begins a meal.

I. Pan Roasted Piopinno Mushromms, Fresh Corn Polenta, Mushroom Jus

This course was heavenly. The creamy corn polenta sweet from the corn milk was the perfect foil for the perfectly roasted mushrooms. Everyone had to sit back between every bite to savor it. I only regret they took away my plate before I could wipe up every drop of the sauce with the wonderful, crusty bread.

2000 Martinelli Herford Corner PN - starting to muddy in color, it was a little citric/acidic on the back of the throat but still lots of fruit.

2000 Tandum Pisoni - Big wine, huge floral nose. Lots of fruit, very smooth and a long finish. Tied for my WOTN, if only by a nose.

2003 Patz and Hall Pisoni - Chewy, not as as big as the Tandum bu a very nice nose, and lots of fruit.

II. Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Fuji Apples, Frisse, Aged Balsamico

Oh boy I do love Foie Gras. Creamy and perfectly seared, it melted in your mouth. The balsamico and apples offering a wonderful sweet/sour counterpoint.

1997 Chateau de Malle Sauterne - Apples and honey with touches of vanilla. Nice acidity that kept it from being too sweet. Yum.

2004 Henry of Pelham Riesling Special Select Late Harvest - Very sweet, especially compared to the de Malle. Went well with the foie gras.

III. Wild Alaskan Halibut, Raviloi Vitello, Wilted Spinich, Pinot Noir Reduction

The veal raviloi with the halibut was an interesting pairing that worked very well. Each component of the dish was great, but it really shined when you tasted all of the things together.

2003 Alcina Sangiacomo Pinot Noir - A nose of beef and little barnyard. Nice fruit, cherry and blackberry, toasty oak, spices. Lots of alcohol in this one at 14.3%

2004 Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir - Elegant, medium bodied, nose of cranberrys and rasberrys. Lots of fruit and very smooth. Gave the Tandum a run for WOTN.

IV. Breast Of Muscovy Duck, Glazed Turnips, Poached Local Peaches, Duck Jus

Boy-oh-Boy. This was so good. Perfectly cooked, the peaches and turnips giving it an interesting mosaic of textures and flavors. Some thought the combination was confusing, liking the peaches and duck or turnips and duck, but not all three. I, however, enjoyed it a lot.

2003 Siduri Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard - More extracted that the wines so far, cherrys and plums with a little loam and vanilla. then touches of cola. Went very well with the duck, definitely a great food wine.

2004 Sea Smoke Ten - little acidic, way too young to open, this needs to spend at least 2 more years in the cellar and probably 5. Blueberrys and cherry, complex but just not showing well yet. I would hope that this would show better in a couple of years.

2004 Kosta-Browne RRV - The other WOTN. Blackberrys, cherrys, and raspberrys with a wonderful earthy loam. Smooth and ripe, firm tannins, what a great wine.

V. 3 Year Gouda, Mustard Vinaigrette, Crispy Shallots - All of it worked well together and separately. Excellent counterpoint to the big wines that were served with it.

2003 Kosta Browne Santa Lucia Pinot Noir - Lots and lots of fruit, spices, and just the right touch of oak. Very smooth.

2003 Peay Pinot Noir Sonoma - Concentrated black cherrys and berrys, a touch of minerals, and a long, long finish.

VI. Mascarpone Cheese Cake, Bruleed Black Mission Figs - creamy and just the perfect end to a fantastic meal. Some thought that the two worked better apart, but how can you go wrong with cheese cake or figs?

Service was great and they did a good job trying to keep up with the flurry of glasses needed to serve the wines. We closed the place and everyone had a great time.