I must be in a Paris state of mind. I was in DC in early May and went to another French restaurant. Add that to Meritage in St. Paul in March and again in April for lunch and Montmartre on my most recent trip to DC.
The restaurant I went to in early May was Café du Parc. It’s located immediately adjacent to the Willard Hotel. The friend I met recently retired from lobbying. The term ‘lobbying’ was invented, according to at least one story, to describe the influence peddlers who hung out in the lobby of the Willard to meet government officials. So it was an appropriate place for us to dine.
We had a great time talking and a fantastic meal.
The Café offers a three-course ‘prix fixe’ dinner. You select a salad/starter, entrée with side dish, and a dessert for $37.95. (Not all of the items on the menu are available with the prix fixe offer.)
I started with the ‘Salade du Parc.’ It was sort of like a Cobb salad, with lettuce, cheese, hard-cooked eggs, avocado, onions and bacon. It was very good, but I think my friend’s tomato/mozzarella salad was better. It had beautiful sliced tomatoes, creamy fresh mozzarella, pine nuts, pesto, and basil.
For my entrée, I had monkfish. It was served in a bowl with a creamy sauce swimming with mussels, shrimp, and mushrooms. I think the fish was poached. It was moist and tender. For my side dish, I had buttered tagliatelli which I added to the bowl with the broth. It was fantastic. My friend’s entrée also looked good, but I think I liked mine better. He also had fish – rockfish coated with a tapenade with tomatoes and capers. For his side dish, he had sautéed spinach.
He had ice cream for dessert. I had a strawberry tart with pistachio ice cream. It was delicious.
I loved the restaurant and look forward to a return trip soon. The wonderful French restaurants I’ve eaten at over the last several weeks will have to tide me over until we can take a trip to Paris.
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