1. Pattypan Squash
2. Beets
3. Eel
4.Wahoo
5.Lychee
6.Quinoa
7. Raw Oyster
8. Octopus
9. Duck
10. Daikon
11. Authentic French Food
I was hoping to be writing to you about the wonderful taste sensation I discovered today in coq au vin. We made reservations for Bistro Bis looking at the lunch menu, only to get there and find out they were only serving brunch.
While I didn't technically try a new food, we had a unique dining experience that I figured it had to count for something. And while I've certainly had French food (I'm sure we all have whether we're aware of it or not) I've never actually eaten at a French restaurant.
This week was DC's Restaurant Week, which is basically a bunch of restaurants offering tasting menus at a lower price to get you to come in and try them. The object for the restaurant of course is to snag new customers. But the object of the diner is to try things you wouldn't normally get to try.
Such as, for us, a French restaurant with a dress code.
We realized we wanted to participate kind of late, so a lot of restaurants had filled up, but I was pretty happy that we wound up with Bistro Bis (unclear menu options aside).
If you're a frequent reader you may know that I love French onion soup, and blogged about my own attempts at mastering it. So cliche or not, I HAD to get the French onion soup for my first course at a French restaurant. Specifically, it was Onion Soup Les Halles, meaning from a certain area of France (couldn't find online whether all "French onion soup" is from Les Halles, but I'd welcome an education on that subject!).
Not surprisingly, it was delicious. Though I have to say my own came pretty close. This version was a bit sweeter, less beefy and more buttery. Apparently the French do not like to skimp on richness.
Ronnie had an endive salad which was also delicious. It had pear slices, blue cheese, and walnuts.
For my entree I had the Duck Hash Landaise. I tried duck for the first time this year and was underwhelmed. This time it was duck confit, which basically means duck cooked in its own fat. Incredibly savory and succulent. So yeah, this time I liked it.
It was mixed in with super-crispy potatoes, caramelized onions, a honey-thyme sauce, and topped with a lusciously poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. The duck was also crispy, almost like fat pieces of bacon. Only better. It was really sweet and savory and delicious and I nearly ate myself into a food coma.
Ronnie had trout with capers and haircot vert. He said he liked his better, but I liked mine. So it worked out.
It was a three-course tasting menu, so I somehow had to save some room for dessert. I had a cherry and apricot bread pudding with a spiced ice cream. It looked so good I forgot to take a picture before diving in.
Ronnie had a ginger creme brulee, which again he loved but I didn't really care for.
After brunch we decided to take a walk around the city, since we were so full and were close to the National Mall. We wound up at the National Gallery of Art which coincidentally had an exhibit of "Small French Paintings." Of course we had to go in and continue our French experience. It was there that we found this painting by Antoine Vollon that perfect expressed the way we were feeling after our decadent French meal:
It's called "Mound of Butter."
Luckily for our health it was a fairly long walk back to the Metro station.
10. Daikon
11. Authentic French Food
I was hoping to be writing to you about the wonderful taste sensation I discovered today in coq au vin. We made reservations for Bistro Bis looking at the lunch menu, only to get there and find out they were only serving brunch.
While I didn't technically try a new food, we had a unique dining experience that I figured it had to count for something. And while I've certainly had French food (I'm sure we all have whether we're aware of it or not) I've never actually eaten at a French restaurant.
This week was DC's Restaurant Week, which is basically a bunch of restaurants offering tasting menus at a lower price to get you to come in and try them. The object for the restaurant of course is to snag new customers. But the object of the diner is to try things you wouldn't normally get to try.
Such as, for us, a French restaurant with a dress code.
We realized we wanted to participate kind of late, so a lot of restaurants had filled up, but I was pretty happy that we wound up with Bistro Bis (unclear menu options aside).
If you're a frequent reader you may know that I love French onion soup, and blogged about my own attempts at mastering it. So cliche or not, I HAD to get the French onion soup for my first course at a French restaurant. Specifically, it was Onion Soup Les Halles, meaning from a certain area of France (couldn't find online whether all "French onion soup" is from Les Halles, but I'd welcome an education on that subject!).
Not surprisingly, it was delicious. Though I have to say my own came pretty close. This version was a bit sweeter, less beefy and more buttery. Apparently the French do not like to skimp on richness.
Ronnie had an endive salad which was also delicious. It had pear slices, blue cheese, and walnuts.
For my entree I had the Duck Hash Landaise. I tried duck for the first time this year and was underwhelmed. This time it was duck confit, which basically means duck cooked in its own fat. Incredibly savory and succulent. So yeah, this time I liked it.
It was mixed in with super-crispy potatoes, caramelized onions, a honey-thyme sauce, and topped with a lusciously poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. The duck was also crispy, almost like fat pieces of bacon. Only better. It was really sweet and savory and delicious and I nearly ate myself into a food coma.
Ronnie had trout with capers and haircot vert. He said he liked his better, but I liked mine. So it worked out.
It was a three-course tasting menu, so I somehow had to save some room for dessert. I had a cherry and apricot bread pudding with a spiced ice cream. It looked so good I forgot to take a picture before diving in.
Ronnie had a ginger creme brulee, which again he loved but I didn't really care for.
After brunch we decided to take a walk around the city, since we were so full and were close to the National Mall. We wound up at the National Gallery of Art which coincidentally had an exhibit of "Small French Paintings." Of course we had to go in and continue our French experience. It was there that we found this painting by Antoine Vollon that perfect expressed the way we were feeling after our decadent French meal:
It's called "Mound of Butter."
Luckily for our health it was a fairly long walk back to the Metro station.
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