For our first real spring FDP outing, we decided on French cuisine. Oui? It seems like a no brainer, with all the food/wine experience shared between us, but we 4 piggies have never ventured into French food for an FDP dinner. Non? Tres Bizarre!!
For our foray into French fare, we opted for Bistro Lepic in upper Georgetown/Glover Park. This little gem of a restaurant is small, quaint and very sweet. The bar is upstairs and serves a nice happy hour with half price glasses of wine and interesting crostini appetizers. The bar area is decorated with wall murals depicting whimsical and happy pigs (how very apropos). The main dining room, downstairs, is very cozy with a friendly wait staff. We were seated at a table for 4 right at the front window so we could watch people on the sidewalk outside. We had all perused the dinner menu on line earlier in the week, and had a pretty good idea of what we were going to order. Amanda ordered us a bottle of La Bastide Cotes du Rhone Blanc, and we settled into our usual menu choosing: 4 appetizers and 4 entrees to share. The warm, fresh baguette with butter arrived and we made our selections:
For our appetizers, we ordered: Risotto aux crevettes parfumé au citron / Lemon lime risotto with shrimp, which was a creamy slightly citrusy risotto with a lovely butterflied and grilled shrimp on top. Second, escargots des bois de Bourgogne au beurre d’ail / Organic Burgundy snails baked in garlic butter, which I was reluctant to try, but admittedly were delicious. They were soft, succulent and had a lovely pesto-like sauce on top which was perfect for dipping the baguette. For our third, we chose Le pâté de campagne aux pruneaux et Armagnac / Homemade country pâté with prunes and Armagnac, which was rich and elegant and came with little buttered toast points to spread the pâté. Our last appetizer choice was La tarte à l'oignon et sa petite salade / Onion tart with bacon and baby green salad, which had a thick, yet flaky crust and was presented in 4 slices like a quiche. The tart was simple, with a lovely caramelized onion flavor and creamy custard filling. Four lovely appetizers to begin our spring meal.
For our main courses, we chose 2 seafood entrees and 2 meat entrees, and a bottle of Vincent Saumur-Champigy: For the entrees, there was a Truite grillée, julienne de pois gourmand, huile au basilic/ Grilled rainbow trout with snow peas and seasonal vegetables and extra virgin oil perfumed with basil, which was a light and perfectly fried piece of trout with julienned spring vegetables and a delicate, but springy-green sauce. The second entrée was Thon grillé, socca Nicoise, huile de citron / Grilled tuna cooked rare with chick peas crêpe, lemon capers tomato confit and lemon mosto oil; perfectly seared tuna resting on a thin chickpea crepe and topped with a Mediterranean mixture of olives, tomatoes, and fresh herbs that provided a deliciously acidic contrast to the rich fish. Our third entrée choice was Médaillons de boeuf, polenta et jus aux shitaki / Beef medallions with polenta and shiitake mushroom sauce; lovely pieces of juicy, medium-rare beef with a rich demi-glace. The mushrooms added a depth a flavor and texture, and the polenta provided a creamy bed of softness. Our last but certainly not least entrée was Poulet fermier organique aux deux vinaigres / Free range organic chicken braised with white and red wine vinegar, tomato light cream sauces and rice pilaf; a nicely oven roasted chicken with in a tangy, creamy sauce and simple pilaf.
Though we were sated, we couldn’t resist dessert. We had a scrumptious, moist chocolate cake with a crème en glaze and topped with confectioner’s sugar. It came out smartly cut into four pieces just the right size to complete the meal.
Our rating of Bistro Lepic?? C'est Magnifique!! Good wines, a good representation of classic French cuisine and an attentive wait staff earns this small jewel a rating of 3.25 oinks!!
Stayed tuned for our May adventure………
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