back in DC, there's also a brilliant French bistro, BASTILLE in Alexandria(2-24-19)

We have not been to Bastille in  Alexandria since they moved locations, but the new location, while closer to King & Duke Streets, is easily accessible and offers tons of street parking.

On arrival, we perused th menu choices of $39 or $49 for 3 or 4 courses respectively which is a steal to start and then checked out the wine specials. A Ballade Mas de Lavail, Cotes Catalan 2015 Rousillon(100% Carignan Blanc) Veilles Vignes is an unreal bargain at $29 and offers up a nice white with lots of exciting mineral notes and paired wonderfully with our starters:

Escargots will always be a winner, and the special of Yellowfin Tuna Tartare was nice, but had more beets than tuna. Beignets aux Crevettes(are a nice light start with puffy shrimp beignets).

The salads here are very nice and offer a large variety from Cauliflower with Barley, Apple, Frisee, Toasted Walnuts and Mustard to a Beet with Orange, Arugula, Pickled Shallots, Goat Cheese & Sherry Vinaigrette, but if you get the Tuna starter special, these two would make an overabundance of beets!

Our red wine was a Clos de Morres "Pompette" from Vaucluse 2016 which is a Rhone blend of Tempranillo(I found this grape odd to find in the Rhone!), Aubun & Counoise, a lighter red, but very nice nonetheless.

All the mains were quite nice, although some seemed to be heavy on the salt. The Seared Sea Scallops have a Forest Mushroom Risotto and White Truffle Sauce, so the dish has a heft while the Moullard Duck Breast "Marocain" has a nice spice rub with Spiced Vegetable Tagine, Quinoa, Almonds, Coriander, Parsley & Date Compote. I adored the Cassoulet au Confit de Canard which had perfectly cooked white beans and was loaded with meat from the crispy duck leg confit to the lamb shoulder and duck sausage!

Desserts were nice as well with White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Blood Orange being a lighter choice and the Coulant de Chocolate with Passionfruit  and Chocolate Mousse Cake Special both being ideal for chocoholics.

Photos are on FB and the service from Jacob was friendly and helpful throughout, although, I did have to refill my own wine glass(nice crystal) from time to time. It was odd that all the lights in the rear room were turned off(it was a quiet night) making it hard to find the bathroom in the dark!

It's a quaint bargain of a bistro that is a great neighborhood spot in Alexandria!

Pick PRUNE in NYC for brilliant bistro food(2-23-19)

Last month I finished reading Gabrielle Hamilton's autobiography entitled Blood, Bones and Butter which won a James Beard Award for Literature in 2012 and got me very excited about her cooking and life. In 2011 Chef Gabi also won the James Beard Award for Best Chef and her tiny restaurant Prune in the East Village has been jammed since then. I arrived on a most chilly night and was greeted warmly in the small space which had about 12 or 13 tables for two, so maximum would be under 25 or so people. The tables are traditional heavy marble bistro tables and the wooden chairs are none too comfortable; I am sure to insure people don't linger. There is a small bar to the right with maybe six chairs which was also full of diners. I was seated at the table against the front window right next to the door and worried about the draft, but the door was not opened that many times and then there was a very strong radiator right behind my back...thank goodness. We could all see into the teeny kitchen through an open window at the rear.Two ceiling fans circled slowly over the white and black tile floor, that looked quite worn as did the hanging globe lights and worn mirrors on the wall. There was an old world charm, but definitely well worn feeling.

The menu was not very long, but it was exciting and quite varied, so I asked my hunky server Ryan to help me choose as I enjoyed a drink called El Diablo made from tequila, lime, Cointreau and yellow Chartreuse. It was refreshing and smooth and I asked one of the servers why it was called El Diablo, as it did not seem menacing or spicy or anything that would earn the moniker of "the devil;" she had no clue!

Pappadam came to the table and I gobbled it all up as it was so well spiced and tasty and then a small cup of Parmesan Broth arrived to warm me up; it was a nice touch, but I would have loved perhaps another amuse that showed more invention. My first course was Deviled Rabbit Kidneys which was a truly brilliant creation with the tiny kidneys in a rich brown, cognac and mustard sauce and served with two large pieces of grilled bread glazed with red currant marmelade. The combination was amazing and, while I have previously loved veal, lamb and beef kidneys, these tiny treats were a dream come true. (FB photos on my page). A glass of Francois Confuron-Gindre 2016 Pinot Noir from Burgundy was a nice pairing, but the second wine Ryan recommended was so much better, a Domaine Philippe Alliet 2017 Cabernet Franc from Chinon(Loire). This paired deliciously with my Roasted Duck Breast cooked to perfection with a crispy skin seasoned ideally and cooked just past rare. This was served in a Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette which was really a broth with Cranberry Beans and was the ideal cold night meal to warm me up and also fill me to just past sated. 

I managed to sit for a while finishing my wine before ordering dessert and was glad I did so as Ryan recommended the Lemon Semifreddo served with a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkled with crunchy Maldon Sea Salt. The manager recommended a Amarino Nonno to pair with it and I think I have fallen in love with a new dessert wine that I have overlooked for years. Despite the name it is not bitter, but warm and sweet and slightly spicy which worked so well with the tart lemon.

Before I left for midtown hotel I was offered two chunks of delicious dark chocolate to finish off my Amarino with and then enjoyed another glass of the nectar back at the hotel bar!

Prune is a perfect place if you want a meal that is not for lingering, and might be better when it's not really really cold outside, although the food will surely warm you up.I was told my table was booked for 8pm(I arrived just after 630pm about 6 minutes late), but nobody rushed me out until after 830! A really wonderful meal that brought me back to the perfect Paris bistro.

San Juan's L'OLIVO starts off celebrating and moves on to mediocre and impressive(2-15-19)

We were in San Juan, Puerto Rico over the weekend and a huge group of us headed to L'OLIVO and the evening started off superbly with great wines:

Loimer Gruner Veltliner 2016 from Austria and Godeval Godello 2017 from Valdeorras in Spain loaded with citrus.

We ordered a ton of delicious starters to share of which the Lobster Salas with Tostones was the least exciting (and should have given me warning to the lobster main course!), and the Goat Cheese Gratin with Neopolitain Sauce seemed like a bit of goat cheese cooked in tomato sauce, although the crispy grilled bread was yummy.

The hits however were the Lamb Arancini with Cilantro Aioli, the Fish Croquettes(an interesting and novel combination of cod & tuna) with Lemon Aioli. The Sauteed Eggplant with Calamata Tapenade, Feta, Tomato and Olive Oil was a huge hit but the big winner was the simple Salmon Carpaccio with Parmesan & Truffle Oil.

Our server Nina was most helpful and when I saw the huge Caribbean Lobster grilled at the next table, she said it was one of the top dishes. Alas it was huge, but the meat was a bit chewy and only saved by the Garlic butter. A mixed mash of tarot, sweet potato and plantain with rosemary was a superb side coming with every dish, reminiscent of mofongo for sure. Fricasee de Cordero was a huge hit with tender lamb like a stew marinated in lemon and red wine as was the Asado de Short Rib with caramelized onions, red wine and balsamic. The Duck Breast also went over quite well cooked Sous Vide and marinated in spices with garlic, thyme, anis and dried fruit.

Our red wines were spectacular with a Chilean from Multi called Best Vintage which was a blend of 5 different grapes from 4 different vintages: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon from 2015, 10% Malbec from 2014, and 5% each of Syrah 2013 and Carmenere 2012, a novel approach that resulted in a fully satisfying wine. OGGA 2011 Reserva Tempranillo from Rioja in Spain was a huge wine that needed decanting and sat for ab out 30 minutes until it opened up beautifully, if a bit earthy!

Dessert never happened as this was when Sam started to feel feverish and we needed to get him back to the house and into bed....alas the food was pretty good, save for the lobster, and alas the weekend went downhill from there as Sam got sicker and then was joined by Will with viral infections!

DC's RIS always rises and even moreso with terrific tastings (2-3-19)

We returned to one of our favorite DC chef's home yesterday and RIS is as good as it ever was. It was Super Bowl Sunday and while the game was on with no sound at the bar, the place was quiet and even once 1/2 full with diners still maintained and elegant and quiet feel rare to DC dining these days. Even the diners were nicely dressed in suits, ties, jackets and dresses and it felt like we all wanted to just get away from everything that is sucky in DC AND WE DID!

We started with a Cowhorn Viognier Blend "Spiral 36" 2016 from Oregon's Applegate Valley which was creamy with legs and oh so perfect with our first courses. A yummy amuse of Potato-Leek Soup with fried leeks and chives on top started us off and the always delicious Scallop Margarita followed with granita of tequila and lime. the scallops marinated into gorgeous creaminess in the marinade pairing amazingly well with the wine. 

The Portuguese Seafood Stew was magnificent and included a small piece of fish, mussels, clams, scallop, shrimp and chorizo in a romesco base which was just slightly spicy enough.

Our charming server Florence (from Montpellier) told us what was coming as we had a surprise tasting and we decided to move to a heavier red. Shaun, the manager, suggested a yummy Grenache Blend Alvaro Palacios "Camins del Priorat" 2017 from that wonderful region in Spain. I was worried it would be too young, but it was just right with the next course of Curried Cauliflower, Pomegranate Seeds, Greek Yogurt, lentils, Spaghetti Squash and a hint of citrus. The dish was rich and a bit heavy, but the weather had not totally warmed up yet and it was the beginning of February, so a perfectly logical choice and great for vegetarians. 

A palate cleanser of PassionFruit Sorbet came and we began to wonder what had happened to the old style of class dining where a meal would not pass without a palate cleanser?? I miss the old days. The main course was a magnificently cooked Beef Tenderloin with a tangy bacon vinaigrette, pickled red onion butter(OMG) and Potato Raclette with red wine sauce. This is the ideal dish for any steak & potato person!!  

Dessert was a platter on mini-desserts of which the Butterscotch Pudding with Cocoa Nibs was slightly grainy and our least favorite. The Berry and Pistachio Gratin with Vanilla Ice Cream was excellent and had just the right crunch on top while the Choux were pastry puffs cooked just right and not at all soggy filled with Hazelnut & Nougatine with a spun sugar tuile.

As if this was not enough, we got little goodie bags to take away, maybe I will get to see what was in it tonight!

It's is so hard to find fine dining, a quiet and homey space, and great food with great service all in one spot these days, but RIS sure rings it all up and Chef Ris Lacoste has been doing it so well here for a deservedly long time!