Monday, May 17, 2004
Power Lunch Monday: Le Paradou
The Elephant's first guest feature and hopefully a Monday tradition. The Donkey provides insights into DC power lunch hotspots. The premier review is below, enjoy.
The Donkey Brays:
DC Dining
Washington’s restaurant scene is truly one of the best in the country. In the DC dining experience, anything is possible. And there are so many opportunities for good meals, great meals, and even extraordinary dining experiences. A new restaurant in DC, Le Paradou, is great with hints of extraordinary.
Le Paradou occupies a cursed space that has seen Bice, Villa Franco and Maloney & Porcelli open and close within a scant few years. It could be that they all used a Pennsylvania Avenue address when the space is actually on Indiana Avenue. Or it could be that (since Bice closed) the concepts for the restaurants just weren’t that exciting.
Le Paradou just might break the curse. The look of the restaurant is elegantly simple. On a recent visit, huge vases of enormous branches full of cherry blossoms filled the center of the space that was otherwise dominated by clean lines and sleek tables and chairs.
Service is something Le Paradou has perfected. It’s fun at lunch to be greeted by a tuxedoed server who asks, “Would you care for a cocktail before lunch? Not, of course, with the intention of inebriation, but simply to celebrate your day?� Something civilized about that. And the gracious attentiveness never ebbed. Even better, it never lurched over the edge to being too much.
All that said, the food is what gets Le Paradou knocking on the doors of extraordinary. Among the appetizers is a wonderful morel mushroom soup in which float delicately seared scallops. Or a gazpacho that features a lobster claw on a bed of avocado in a zesty tomatoey base.
Entrees are elegantly plated and live up to the fantasy. In describing the seafood selections, the server told us when the fish was caught! Wild salmon, never farm-raised. A delightful sea bass, simply grilled. Everything delicious. My favorite was a duck breast, cooked perfectly and served with a boudin blanc that made me glad I studied French.
Desserts were a little heavy on the chocolate side (not my favorite). However, the apricot baba was an experience I look forward to repeating. I truly hope the curse of the space is broken and we’ll be given the time to savor this latest incarnation.
You can find Le Paradou at www.leparadou.net
The Donkey Brays:
DC Dining
Washington’s restaurant scene is truly one of the best in the country. In the DC dining experience, anything is possible. And there are so many opportunities for good meals, great meals, and even extraordinary dining experiences. A new restaurant in DC, Le Paradou, is great with hints of extraordinary.
Le Paradou occupies a cursed space that has seen Bice, Villa Franco and Maloney & Porcelli open and close within a scant few years. It could be that they all used a Pennsylvania Avenue address when the space is actually on Indiana Avenue. Or it could be that (since Bice closed) the concepts for the restaurants just weren’t that exciting.
Le Paradou just might break the curse. The look of the restaurant is elegantly simple. On a recent visit, huge vases of enormous branches full of cherry blossoms filled the center of the space that was otherwise dominated by clean lines and sleek tables and chairs.
Service is something Le Paradou has perfected. It’s fun at lunch to be greeted by a tuxedoed server who asks, “Would you care for a cocktail before lunch? Not, of course, with the intention of inebriation, but simply to celebrate your day?� Something civilized about that. And the gracious attentiveness never ebbed. Even better, it never lurched over the edge to being too much.
All that said, the food is what gets Le Paradou knocking on the doors of extraordinary. Among the appetizers is a wonderful morel mushroom soup in which float delicately seared scallops. Or a gazpacho that features a lobster claw on a bed of avocado in a zesty tomatoey base.
Entrees are elegantly plated and live up to the fantasy. In describing the seafood selections, the server told us when the fish was caught! Wild salmon, never farm-raised. A delightful sea bass, simply grilled. Everything delicious. My favorite was a duck breast, cooked perfectly and served with a boudin blanc that made me glad I studied French.
Desserts were a little heavy on the chocolate side (not my favorite). However, the apricot baba was an experience I look forward to repeating. I truly hope the curse of the space is broken and we’ll be given the time to savor this latest incarnation.
You can find Le Paradou at www.leparadou.net
