Last night we took Samuel to LE CHAT NOIR just above Tenleytown on
Wisconsin Ave, NW (www.lechatnoirrestaurant.com) and while it was
(believe it or not, MY first time there) I was completely amazed by
the overall excellent quality of the price, not to mention the deals.
Check out the website for specials (Monday has a 3-course prix fixe,
Tuesday has some 1/2 price wines, etc...)
There is a true bistro feel with tin ceiling, indoor and outdoor
seating and nice linens with very nice quality quilted paper
coverings, as opposed to those awful brown paper ones seen so often.
There are standards on the menu from the bistro cuisine and Will
started with the ESCARGOTS which he said were okay. So perhaps, you
need to step beyond the basic bistro cuisine and try the QUENELLES de
POISSION-gorgeous light mousse-like dumplings of mahi-mahi and halibut
with shallots in a seafood Nantua sauce that is light, not too creamy
and tinted just reddish. We had a simple Chateau LAMARGUE 2007
Costieres de Nimes Rousanne/White Grenache blend that worked well with
everything as we used the warm crunchy bread to mop up our sauces.
Even Sam was enthralled with Will's garlic butter, though not the
escargots themselves!
Samuel had a huge plate of three pieces (breast/thigh & leg) of POULET
aux OLIVES VERTES (there is no children's menu) with Lemon Confit,
Onions, Rice Pilaf and a Chablis Lemon Sauce that he swooned over.
We moved on to a mediocre at best COTES de NUITS VILLAGES Domaine
GACHOT MONOT 2007 Pinot Noir from Burgundy that was just over $50 and
not too fruit forward or tasty really. It was fine with our main
courses, but hardly worth it. Perhaps you have to venture into the
60-80$ zone for a good Pinot here.
Both our veal dishes were huge and amazing. Will has the Escalopes de
VEAU a la NORMANDE with a Calvados sauce and Cocottes Potatoes. Mine
was a monstrous VEAU a la SAVOYARDE with a gratin of Mozzarella &
Reblochon, Green beans and a monstrous mound of superb soft polenta
all in a divine Wild Mushroom Sauce.
Samuel and I ended up taking home larges parts of our huge potions.
Since dessert was included we indulged and Samuel was happy with his
PASSION FRUIT SORBET while will went for the CREPES CHAMPETRE with a
rhubarb-blueberry compote filling, which he declared not too sweet (as
rhubarb is so often OVER-sugared!), vanilla ice cream (we both skipped
the chantilly cream) and I went for the CREPES PECHE MIGNON with
slices of tasty poached pears on top, vanilla ice cream and a
Raspberry Sauce. Both were true French treats.
The menu is huge and you can eat all kinds of crepes, as well as
heavier dishes and lighter ones....We know that we will want to go
back and try more of them at LE CHAT NOIR soon!
