Bistro Bis

Bistro Bis - 15 East Street, Northwest
Washington D.C., DC 20001

Chef: Jeffery Buben. Bistro Bis is an updated version of a French bistro serving several classic dishes such as Quail Périgourdine, Rabbit à la Chasseur, Sea Scallops au Potiron, Risotto Forestière, and Monkfish à la Soubise. The understated wine list, while brief in selections manages to include some extravagant wines that tempt the palette. The dining room, dominated by natural cherry wood that would otherwise allow for a warm and intimate feel, was unfortunately over lit and lacked charm even with accents of wine decanters and vintage bottles.

Upon entering, a brief glimpse of the more modern bar area and welcoming greeting did not quite transcend into the dining room.  An even briefer introduction from our server followed, who offered water and then shuffled off.  About ten minutes later, she returned to capture our order. We started with Quail Périgourdine, my guest ordered the Duck Confit Façon Tarbais, and I had the Steak Frites. We also had a bottle of 2004 Silver Oak Cabernet. Our appetizer arrived shortly after. I found it to be a little bland. The quail was cooked nicely and the foie gras was tasty, but both were trumped by the delicate bed of risotto that they rested on. The risotto was full of flavor and cooked just right providing tenderness, yet still firm enough to have a great texture. The entrees arrived shortly after we finished. The steak frites was served in a large, shallow bowl and accompanied by a small salad and a mound of French fries. Unfortunately the steak was overcooked and under seasoned. I had ordered medium rare and it came out a strong medium almost medium well. I felt the flavor was lacking and it was a little tough. The fries were luke warm and the salad was doused in salt. Needless to say I did not enjoy my meal. The Duck Confit Façon Tarbais on the other hand was simply amazing. The leg was rendered in garlic, thyme, and tomato, served with white beans. As tender as it was juicy, it fell apart as we savored each bite. The flavor was immense. The balance of garlic and thyme perfectly accented the white beans. For dessert I had Blood Orange Gateau which is, citrus genoise layered with white chocolate, blood orange gelée and earl grey coulis. The cake was tender, moist and delicate. The orange gelee was sweet and refreshing and gave the dessert a refreshing finish.

Overall I found the restaurant to be a little stuffy and boring. The décor did not excite me and quite frankly felt old. Our server was unprofessional and not helpful at all. We may have seen her for a total of five minutes throughout the night. The experience was far from seamless, as the ambiance, service and food in particular left me unfulfilled. I will probably not return.

Michel

Michel - at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, Virginia

Chef: Michel Richard. The modern French menu, executed by Chef Levi Mezick, includes: Steak Tartar, Smoked Salmon Terrine, Mustard Rabbit, Roulade of Foie Gras, and Duck L’orange. The mostly French wine list includes over 300 bottles ranging in price and complexity and offers surprisingly affordable selections. The intimate lighting, burgundy colored furniture and high ceilings set the mood allowing for a relaxed, yet sophisticated atmosphere treating guests to an unpretentious dining experience.

For our first course, my guest and I enjoyed the braised endive wrapped in ham, blanketed in a béchamel sauce and sprinkled with crunchy bread crumbs. The dish was pleasant with a great presentation. It had an immense flavor but maybe a little too bitter on the end. For my main course, I had the Rockfish with Potato Risotto and my guest had the Ribeye. The Rockfish may have been the best I’ve had in recent memory. The fish was tender and flaky with a flavorful crispy top accented finely by the potato risotto and its sweet taste that gave it a bit of a bite and melted in my mouth. The Ribeye was admirable. Drenched in a garlic parsley sauce and cooked to a perfect medium but simply overpowered by the garlic flavor. The tater tots were unmatched. Square in shape and served hot and crispy they were only made even more enjoyable by the dusting of salt and cheese they delicately received.  For dessert we had the Chocolate Bar and upon the recommendation of our Server, a dish called the Snowman. The chocolate Bar was plated with dollops of caramel that gave it an elegant presentation, released a favorable aroma and delivered smooth, velvety finish. The snowman was a whole different story. The presentation absolutely blew us away. The dessert came out shaped as an actual snowman. The outside was formed from a sugar crusted custard and filled with vanilla sorbet. The snowman sat on top of a bed of fresh whipped cream and chocolate , accented with bits of peanuts and chocolate driblets, finished off perfectly with a chocolate hat and scarf. All of the flavors came together brilliantly.

Overall I would say that my experience at Michel was top-notch. I loved the décor and the atmosphere.  Food and service was exceptional.

Intro

Over the past couple of years I have developed a passion for trying new restaurants and new food. I recently dined at Obelisk and when I went into work the next day I told a good friend about my experience. She told me,  “You go to so many restaurants you should start a blog.” I thought it was a great idea… so here I am. I plan on writing about my experiences at various restaurants, focusing mainly on the taste of the food, the service, and the decor. I don’t claim to be a food critic by any means, and while I do enjoy fine dining I can also appreciate the smaller hole in the wall restaurants. I’m always looking for the best burger! To give you an idea of the kind of food I like, I figured I would start by listing some of the restaurants I’ve been to: CityZen, Komi, Jackson 20, Citronelle, Blue Duck Tavern, Bourbon Steak, EvenTide, BLT Steak, Proof, Restaurant Eve, Bazin’s on Church, Ristorante Tosca, Zaytinya, Jelao, Good Stuff Eatery (Yum), and Volt. If you're interested in any of the restaurants I've listed and want more information, feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Obelisk –Chef: Peter Pastan. I recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to have a fine dining experience at a reasonable price. Obelisk's $75 prix-fixe menu includes five courses (antipasti, a pasta dish, an entree, cheese, and dessert) and is accompanied by an extremely knowledgeable and friendly wait staff. We started off with the antipasti, which included veal and lamb meatballs, fresh cow's milk cheese with salt and pepper, smoked swordfish belly, and risotto croquets filled with mazutaki mushrooms. We then moved on to the starters, where I had the ricotta gnocchi and my friend had the squash ravioli. For the main entrée I had a nice tilefish. The fourth course was a delicious assortment of three cheeses and we finished off the night with an apple tart and yogurt flan. Overall, I'd say the antipasti was the least desirable part of the meal. It was ok but not great. The gnocchi was awesome. Very tasty. The main entrees were great. The tile fish was cooked perfectly with a nice crispy top. I think the desserts really finished off the meal nicely. They were full of flavor and might be the best course of the night.