Le Diplomate

Lately we've done a good job of visiting new restaurants and crossing them off our ever growing list of places to try.  Le Diplomate was one of those places, and it certainly lived up to all the hype!

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Walking into the restaurant, you're transported to a Parisian bistro, filled with globe lights, a checkered tile floor, and the aroma of freshly baked breads.  They also have several tables outside for you to enjoy some al fresco dining.

Once seated, we began to peruse the menu, filled with traditional French bistro fare.  We were presented with a bread basket, filled with an assortment of breads, to whet our appetites.  We decided to start the meal with their selection of 7 cheeses that included a goat cheese, 2 varieties of brie, a bleu cheese, and a couple semi-hard cheeses.  Overall, they were quite tasty, and a perfect way to kick off the meal.  Like any French restaurant worth its sel, La Diplomate has a wine list that doesn't disappoint.  There is a wide selection of French bottles, and there are some exquisite choices by the glass as well.  Our server was helpful in recommending both a red and a white to pair with our meal.  Being this was French cuisine we went with French wines.

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For our entrees, I chose the moules frites, prepared in the mariniere style.  It is a traditional white wine sauce, that had great added flavor from fresh thyme and bay leaves, as well as some butter to round out the broth. My only complaint is that they left the sprigs of thyme and the bay leaves in the broth.  The frites were perfectly crisp on the outside, and fluffy on the inside, just the way fries should be.

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Justin went with the Monday night special, veal sweetbreads, as his entree.  They were served on a bed of greens.  They were really flavorful, but he enjoyed the ones at the Red Hen more.  Our dining companions enjoyed the steak frites and the beef bourguignon, commenting that they were both delicious dishes as well.

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Dinner was rounded out by a couple of desserts.  We couldn't visit a French restaurant without trying their creme brulee, and it didn't disappoint.  The portion was pretty large, and easy to share amongst several people.  The top was a perfect golden brown, while the inside was extremely light and creamy.  We also shared the apple tarte tatin.  The apples were nice and carmalized, yet still had some bite to them, while the pastry of the tarte was very light and flaky.

Overall, it was a delicious meal, though the service was a bit slow.  They definitely weren't trying to rush us through our meal, which I liked, but it could've been paced a tad bit faster.  The food itself lived up to all the rave reviews the restaurant had received upon opening, though the atmosphere really stole the show.  You truly feel like you're on some cafe set from a French film.  Even for a Monday night it was very lively.  This isn't a romantic spot per se, but a great place to enjoy some authentic French food with some friends over a bottle of wine or two.  We will definitely be back to check out brunch or some of the other nightly specials.

I Pity the Moule[s]

Now that you're pumped up and ready to go, let's talk about the other kind of mussels, or moules, as they are called in French and Belgian cuisine.  Tonight's meal was inspired by my co-worker who made mussels the other night.  They looked so good, that we had to make a pot of our own.  The nice thing it, it's a simple, one-pot meal that you can make any night of the week.

Start by cleaning and scrubbing your mussels.  You want to make sure you get all the grit and sand off the shells.  Otherwise, it'll end up in your broth.  Then we sliced up some bacon and crisped it up in the pot that we made our broth in.  Once the fat rendered out, and the bacon was crispy, we removed the bacon from the pot and kept it to the side for later.  Now, our bacon was pretty salty, so as we built our broth, we really didn't have to add any additional salt, but just taste as you go, and season accordingly.

Our bacon was also pretty lean, so we added a bit of grapeseed oil to the pot of bacon fat.  Once it was up to temp, we tossed in our minced garlic and shallot.  Once they softened, we added in some sauvignon blanc to deglaze the pot.  Make sure you scrape up all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan when you add the wine.

Then just let it simmer and reduce down.  We added some freshly cracked pepper, and a bit of water because it was tasting a bit salty.  Just before you add your mussels, toss in your tomatoes.  You want them to cook down a little, but not completely.  

Toss in your mussels, place a lid on the pot and let them steam for about 3 minutes.  Give the pot an occasional shake so all the mussels can be coated in your broth.  And voila!

It couldn't be any simpler.  Spoon your mussels and broth into a bowl, and garnish with some chopped parsley.  In true Belgian fashion, the meal wouldn't be complete without beer and frites.  We went with some sweet potato fries with a homemade roasted garlic mayo, and some Biere du Boucanier, a Belgian ale.

Restaurant Week Rundown

And another Restaurant Week has come to an end.  Twice a year, restaurants offer price-fixed lunches and dinners, and if you do a little research, you can find some awesome deals.

Step 1: Seek out the list of participating restaurants
Step 2: Check out their normal menu.  This year, dinner costs you $35.13 for 3 courses.  If you would normally pay this amount, or less, at a given restaurant, don't bother going for restaurant week.  Look for restaurants whose entrees are normally $25-$30+ to ensure you're getting a good deal.
Step 3: Check out their restaurant week menu.  Most of the time, restaurants will pare down their menu for restaurant week, giving you a handful of choices for each course.  Sometimes they only offer their less pricey options, so it not longer becomes a good deal.  A select few will offer their entire menu.  These are your best options.  But in the end, make sure their restuarant week menu has items that you're actually interested in eating.
Step 4: Make a reservation.  They fill up fast, so it's best to have a few choices.  And if you can't get in for dinner, you can always try lunch.
Step 5: Enjoy your meal! Be sure to tip really, really well, you are basically getting a free appetizer and dessert...your server has to come to your table a lot and restaurant week is really busy, so take care of your servers :)

Now, here's where/what we chose to eat...

Our first stop was Bibiana.  Friends had said good things about it, and initially, they were offering their entire menu.  Upon arrival, we were handed a pared down menu, but there were still great options to choose from.  We started with a couple cocktails while we perused the menu.  We ordered up a Speciale (ginger infused vodka, grapefruit, rosemary, and cherry bitters), and an Aged Negroni (gin, vermouth, and barrel-aged Campari).  Justin commented that his Negroni was one of the better ones he's ever had because of the balance between the sweetness and bitterness.  My Speciale had a nice spiciness from the ginger, while the grapefruit gave it a nice citrusy finish.  For our first courses, I went with the arancini, which were stuffed with mushrooms.  They were perfectly crispy on the outside, and nice and gooey on the inside.  Justin chose the squid, stuffed with white beans and soppresatta.  It was cooked to perfection.  For entrees, I went with the grilled cod, and Justin opted for the black truffle risotto.  He has a weakness for truffles, so this was a no-brainer.  The risotto was so creamy, buttery and not overly truffle-y, while the rice was cooked to a perfect al dente.  My cod had a nice smokiness that permeated into the olive oil mashed potatoes.  The tomatoes, olives, and capers that adorned the plate added a nice saltiness to the dish too.  And to round out the meal, I chose a coconut panna cotta with roasted pineapple, and Justin chose the torta, an almond pastry topped with strawberry jam, toasted almonds, and cream.  Both desserts had the perfect amount of sweetness, and were a perfect way to round out the meal.

Part 2 of restaurant week took us to Mintwood Place.  It's a very quaint and rustic spot in Adams Morgan.  But don't worry...it's removed from the craziness of the bars on 18th St.  While we perused the menu, we had to start with the maple pork cracklin's.  These were an additional item, but we couldn't resist.  They were perfectly crisp and airy, and served with a dipping sauce that complemented them perfectly.  As for drinks, I chose the Woodrow Wilson (gin, hum liquor, elderflower, and cava), which had the perfect amount of sweetness and some bubbles.  Justin opted for the Farewell to the 20s (rum, aperol, lime, spice bitters and orange syrup).  He's a sucker for anything with aperol, and the rum was a nice compliment.  For our first courses, I went with the smoked potato, sunchoke and mussel chowder.  The presentation was superb...the potatoes, sunchokes and mussels were mounded in the center of the bowl, and the rich broth was poured around it, tableside.  The broth was exactly what you'd want in a chowder; thick and creamy, but with some sweetness from the mussels.  Justin went with the wood-grilled confit beef heart.  The beef heart was cooked perfectly, and was atop a bed of greens and a poached egg.  For our main dishes, I chose the dorade, which was grilled and served with fennel, olives and onions.  Justin went with the grilled Amish chicken, served with wax and green beans.  The skin on the chicken was perfectly crispy, while the meat was still moist and juicy.  And for dessert, I opted for the baked Alaska, while Justin chose the pecan pie with a creme fraiche drizzle.  The baked Alaska came with a bit of a show.  Some alcohol was set ablaze, tableside, and poured over the dessert.  Rather than the outside being covered in merengue, it was engulfed in marshmallow, and within the white cake was some strawberry sorbet.  It was refreshing, and a great way to end the meal.  Justin's pecan pie was equally delicious, and the creme fraiche was a nice, fresh component to the dish that cut the cloying sweetness of that ooey gooey delicious pie filling.  The crust was nice and brown and buttery and flaky and um...crusty!?!?!

Overall, both restaurants proved to be great choices, and places we'll likely return to in the future.  Now we have about 6 months until we have to decide where to go for summer restaurant week.