Bardeo

[JennyUptown]

Bardeo in Cleveland Park is rapidly becoming one of my favorite hangouts. I enjoy the food, the atmosphere and the friendliness of what I find to a very well-educated staff.

Last night my friends and I sampled a variety of wines. The pinot noir presently offered by the glass ($8, I believe) is a real winner - fruity front end, lingering dark chocolate finish. I adore it. Apologies for not taking notes or remember names, but this was a social evening.

I wish their wine list was available online, but Bardeo's web site functions only to provide the most basic info (address, phone, hours) at the present time.

Food selections change here and there rather than seasonally. Over the last few months, I've eaten their merguez sausage with polenta and rapini quite a few times. The polenta is buttery and delicious; if they offered a vat of the stuff, I'd gladly dive in.

Presently two beef small plates are offered (both are, I believe, $12.95). I prefer the one served with a heavenly horseradish butter. The potato tartlet takes me back to church picnic potato pancakes - in only a good way.

A quibble: many of the dishes are served with mixed greens so you could end up with a ton of the stuff scattered on plates across your table especially if you are like me and aren't good about eating your vegetables.

I'm also a big fan of the various cheese offerings. Humbolt Fog goat? Pass the toast. Something called garrotxa (sp?) from Spain? Yum. I have lots to learn and plan to do so by eating my way through Bardeo's cheese selections.

For dessert, we had a chocolate ganache (details wiped out by wine consumption) cake that was tasty, but a bit dry. We ate it, but somehow the manager sensed that we might like something else better and sent over a complimentary plate of Bardeo's take on strawberry shortcake. There's a zing of ginger throughout and the dish is absolutely a better choice than the chocolate cake.

Atmosphere is important to me so I love the various settings that exist within a relatively small space. Sit at the bar for one experience, chatting with the bartender. Get cozy in one of the six or so leather booths to the side. Or sit up front as we did last night, enjoying the great weather through open windows.

I'll close by describing last night's celebrity sighting: shortly after we arrived, a certain beautiful NBC News report was seated and joined moments later by the very well-known head of a major film studio (who just happens to be the distributor of a controversial Michael Moore film that was premiering across the street at the Uptown). Turns out they were doing a pre-interview for some to-be-shot feature about said film.

The two, apparently very used to NYC's no smoking laws, happily puffed away. Pretty newscaster, it turns out, is a chain smoker. I have no idea how her skin stays as nice as it is...

[Tweaked]

Campbell Brown and Harvey Weinstein?

I really like Bardeo as well.

Edited June 24, 2004 by Tweaked (log)

[JennyUptown]

Ding-ding-ding!

We have a winner.

[sara]

That was in the Style section yesterday...think they got their info on Egullet??

[JennyUptown]

That would be interesting, but I doubt it. Bardeo is small enough that most people in attendance were buzzing about their presence. DC isn't NY or LA after all...

A link...

[dcfoodie]

Jenny, I just realized that your avatar is a picture of a Billy Joel record. I'm so slow.

Well, I don't have much to add because your original post pretty much sums it up. I'll just say that I agree with your praise of this place. It's a great wine bar and their tapas as as good if not better than just about any other place in the area. I think if Cafe Ole weren't right next store to me, I would be there a lot more often.

Edited June 28, 2004 by dcfoodie (log)

[sara]

How is Cafe Ole?? Never been.

[hillvalley]

Cheaper than Bardeo but still very good.

[dcfoodie]

How is Cafe Ole?? Never been.

I really like Cafe Ole a lot. One reason is because of how convenient it is for meto walk down the street and grab a glass of wine and tapas. Their tapas are pretty top rate and a little cheaper than most other tapas places in the area. The Lebanese Celabration is my favorite and I probably order it ever time I go there. I have also been getting the Mediteranian Lamb Salad a lot. Most tapas are in the range of $5-7. If it is nice out, they have a very large outdoor seating area. On Saturday nights they have a band come and play as well. It is usually Carribean or Spanish themed music. I usually can eat there for about $50 or less with wine which is why it is on the Washingtonian Cheap Eats pretty regularly.

The only problem I have had in the past with this place is the service. Sometimes it is a bit "rough". But recently, they have had some new staff come and it has really improved.

As far as comparing it with Bardeo, I'm not sure it really does because the atmosphere is completely different. Bardeo is really more of a swanky wine bar. You're not going to get the quality of wines at Cafe Ole that you can get at Bardeo. Also, You can go to Cafe Ole in your shorts if you want. It's really casual.

They also allow you to bring your pets if you sit outside and they will give them a dish of water and pet treats.

[Busboy]

I like Bardeo fine and drop in every now and again, but I've never found the food particularly memorable and, holy s*** can you run up a tab quick in that place. One Sunday my wife and I dropped in for a nutritios brunch of hamburgers and wine, while the kids stood in line across the street at the Uptown (this is one thing kids are very good for -- then they call you on the cell when the line starts moving). We ended up dropping something like $75 in about half an hour. I'm just not sure that the price/value equation is totally balanced at that place.

[JennyUptown]

I like Bardeo fine and drop in every now and again, but I've never found the food particularly memorable and, holy s*** can you run up a tab quick in that place. One Sunday my wife and I dropped in for a nutritios brunch of hamburgers and wine, while the kids stood in line across the street at the Uptown (this is one thing kids are very good for -- then they call you on the cell when the line starts moving). We ended up dropping something like $75 in about half an hour. I'm just not sure that the price/value equation is totally balanced at that place.

Was that at Bardeo or Ardeo?

[JPW]

How is Cafe Ole?? Never been.

make that a another thumbs up for Cafe Ole.

Especially if you can sit on the patio out back.

Not quite as inventive as Zatinya (no surprise there), but good dependable mezze.

I'd say that it is much better than any of the Lebanese Tavernas.

[dcfoodie]

I'd say that it is much better than any of the Lebanese Tavernas.

Couldn't say it any better.

[Busboy]

I like Bardeo fine and drop in every now and again, but I've never found the food particularly memorable and, holy s*** can you run up a tab quick in that place.  One Sunday my wife and I dropped in for a nutritios brunch of hamburgers and wine, while the kids stood in line across the street at the Uptown (this is one thing kids are very good for -- then they call you on the cell when the line starts moving).  We ended up dropping something like $75 in about half an hour.  I'm just not sure that the price/value equation is totally balanced at that place.

Was that at Bardeo or Ardeo?

Bardeo. At the bar.

[JennyUptown]

I like Bardeo fine and drop in every now and again, but I've never found the food particularly memorable and, holy s*** can you run up a tab quick in that place.  One Sunday my wife and I dropped in for a nutritios brunch of hamburgers and wine, while the kids stood in line across the street at the Uptown (this is one thing kids are very good for -- then they call you on the cell when the line starts moving).  We ended up dropping something like $75 in about half an hour.  I'm just not sure that the price/value equation is totally balanced at that place.

Was that at Bardeo or Ardeo?

Bardeo. At the bar.

OK. I asked because I've never seen a burger on Bardeo's menu (Ardeo has one).

Edited June 30, 2004 by JennyUptown (log)

[hillvalley]

I started a wonderful evening there last night (not much else to choose from, even Palena was closed ).

We had brilliant sausages over a creamy polenta and rapini and an delicious cheddar and tomato panini, although the tomatoes could have been better. This morning, 4 glasses of wine later, I wish I had some of the panini for breakfast.

[JennyUptown]

Went back to Bardeo last night. What a surprise - ha, ha!

I believe they might have hired a new pastry chef because the dessert list seems to be getting longer and more inspired. Not that I didn't enjoy their desserts before.

My present favorite is the apple/blackberry strudel (which looks, on the the outside, a lot like Firefly's spring rolls) served warm, a la mode. So good.

But last night we tried something even newer, a chocolate ganache tart with a red wine granite (I think that's how it was described). The tart, raved about by at least two staff members, was fine, but what really got us was the granite. OH. MY. So good, I could have eaten a bowl of it plain. I could have sworn that it was fresh raspberry sorbet, but they assured me it flavor was red wine. I'm craving it today.

[morela]

I'm gonna open a place nearby called Hardeo, where you go on Mondays when the bar at Palena is full of Egulleteers.

[hillvalley]

The need to do a spell & grammer check on their menus

[morela]

The need to do a spell & grammer check on their menus

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I like youse since of houmour!