La Bise

This is our favorite restaurant. We have been here atleast 3 times before in the past 5 years. The food, the service, the ambiance has been consustently stellar over all these years. Last night we had the same waitress we had a year ago. She is great! The menu had a distinct citrus note with many dishes having yuzu flavors. It worked very well. I had chilled english pea soup with citrus glazed tofu. I am not a vegetarian but this soup was the best soup I ever had of any kind. My husband had a stew dish of veal and sweet breads. It was divine. The chicken liver pate' filled goujers were absolutely delicious. They pampered us with extra chocolate mousse dessert to celebrate our recent wedding. The cocktails were made to perfection and the service was super as it should be for a Michelin grade restaurant. All in all a very satifying and decadent experience. We really wish in these difficult times for hospitality industry in DC they continue to thrive. We will be back for sure.

This place was amazing! The decor was modern chic, everyone was attentive to our needs without hovering. The food was as delicious as it was beautiful! The salad was perfectly crisp and fresh with Gorgonzola and plum and a light but flavorful dressing. We shared one and were so pleasantly surprised that they split it for us. It was of perfect size. I highly recommend the black cod. It was buttery with a thin and crispy, well seasoned skin. The sauce surrounding it was so velvety with just the right amount of richness and texture from the roe. My daughter had the duck, which was cooked perfectly with lots of surrounding flavors. She only wished there were a bit more duck on her plate. The desert was a piece of art with a honeycomb lace topping, crisp meringue, and a burst of fruit flavor with every bite. We dined at another local restaurant the next night with a Michelin star and I must say I was disappointed to say the least. I totally expect La Bise to become Michelin star soon. It was by far the best restaurant I’ve dined in both creativity, beauty, and flavor, and at such a fair price.

La Bise is in the same space as the Oval Room, another French restaurant. My dining companion said she read that the two restaurants are or were affiliated. We visited because my dining companion said she had wanted to try La Bise for some time, and it was near her office. The restaurant is nicely decorated. We started with Gougeres, puff pastry filled with cheese. Delicious. I could have made a meal out of the appetizer (if there were more of them per serving.). For a main course, we ordered the Alaska Black Cod and Grilled Snapper. The snapper came with a coconut-lobster bisque. Highly recommend the bisque. The snapper was a little fishy but the Cod was exquisite and fresh. Our server was a delight. We did not order dessert but she brought us bite-sized cookies; peanut butter fudge, snickerdoodles, and a strawberry something. She said that if we ate all three at the same time, it would taste like the best PB&J ever. The restaurant charges a 20 percent gratuity, like a number of D.C. restaurants.