Watching the events of the inauguration, I couldn’t help but remember our last visit to DC, March 2008, for my wife’s birthday.
One of our favorite spots in the Georgetown area was Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar, 1736 Wisconsin Avenue NW, which chef/proprietor Bruno Fortin opened in 1995. The cozy 50-seat restaurant is named after a street in Paris where Mr. Fortin formerly resided and is undoubtedly as close as you can get to casual dining in the French capital without actually hopping on a jet.
The fare is pure bistro with a number of regional and contemporary touches. Starters, for example, are rife with time-honored French classics: bacon-onion tart sided by green salad; homemade country pâté with prunes and Armagnac; organic Burgundy snails baked in garlic butter; and boneless pig’s feet with onion sauce.
Soup and salad are also represented. A special salad of arugula and mixed lettuces was topped with a luscious and colorful assortment of roasted peppers, olives, and morsels of creamy goat cheese. I also very much enjoyed the Provençale vegetable soup with cannellini beans and pesto.
When it comes to main courses, the cassoulet is benchmark and the calf’s liver is another traditional house favorite. The flesh is done to a right-on-the-money medium rare, precisely as requested, and exhibits a positively silky texture. Capers, black olives, and roasted grape tomato halves added immeasurably to the mix, but it was the splash of Jerez vinegar that provided just the proper punch.
Tuesday is an especially good night to stop by, as there is a complimentary wine tasting from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the cozy upstairs wine bar. In addition, there is also 20% off the entire wine list. This coming Tuesday, January 27th, for example, Laboure Roi Maximum 2005 Chardonnay and 2006 Pinot Noir will be available for complimentary tasting.
Bon Appétit!
TAD
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