Paradou (le)

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

One of the top 5 for me!: I went last night. I was simply blown away at the variety, innovation, and taste combinations! Simply wonderful! You won't go wrong with Mr. Cam's wonderful dishes. And the somalier was terrific! As was the head waiter! He was a treat! Trust me....just go!!

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Paradou is Paradise: For my wife's thirtieth birthday, I took her and two friends, Tim and Yung-Mei, to Le Paradou on 678 Indiana Avenue (between 7th and 6th Sts., N.W.) in Washington, D.C. My boss told me that she always wanted to try it and suggested it would be a great, but pricey dinner. She mentioned that Le Paradou was operated by Yannick Cam, a DC-area chef of some renown who is probably best known for his tenure at Le Pavilion in the 1980's

When you walk into Le Paradou you enter a very chic lounge/bar area. At first glance it looked like an upscale hair salon. There are lots of mirrors and the bar seats are very plush stools with padded backs. The color scheme is orange-yellowish with dark brown trim.

We were greeted immediately and lead to our reserved four top. There are not that many tables in the main dining area and, while they offer private rooms, the restaurant seemed small and cozy in a very professional sort of way. The setting is very comfortable, but it is not as romantic as one would imagine for a French restaurant.

The service was world class. As soon as we were seated, we were offered a chilled avocado soup with crème fraiche and presented with their amazing wine list (http://leparadou.net/wine_list.pdf). In fact, the list is so large you feel as if somebody plopped the telephone directory for Washington, D.C., in your lap. Every time some one left the table, the waiter would refold their napkin and pull their chair out for them upon their return. The wait staff's routine was seamless.

While I can only comment on what I personally ordered, I can say that nobody left even a speck of parsley on a single dish and everybody in our party was surprised and satisfied with the taste and artistry of their selections.

I started off with the creamy soup of morel with sea scallops and Parma ham. This soup was very rich and had smoothest texture. The scallops were done perfectly and complemented the morel flavor. I didn't really notice the Parma ham in the dish but I am sure it was there. Parma ham, by the way, comes from Northern Italy and is made from pigs fed a special diet of chestnuts and whey. It's the Kobe beef of prosciutto.

Next up was the boudin blanc or "white pudding" in French. Boudin Blanc is a delicate sausage traditionally made from pork, chicken, fat, eggs, cream, bread crumbs and select seasonings. However, our server informed us that the version we were served was made with foie gras and white truffles. These little white sausages were amazing and they paired quite well with the caramelized apples. This was a real Fall treat.

For my main course I went with the veal chop. This was a large cut of meat that was tender and delicious, surrounded by girolles, a tasty wild mushroom, baby turnips and potatoes. I have never seen a veal chop this large and as a result I was the only one to leave a speck of food on their plate.I suppose I could have picked up the bone with my hands and gnawed the remaining flesh off of the bone, but we were in a fine restaurant and I didn't want to embarrass my wife on her birthday.

I closed my meal with the Berries Vacherin. Vacherin is a dessert consisting of several crisp meringue rings stacked on top of each other. In this case the meringue was stacked upon strawberry sorbet with flecks of licorice. Assorted berries from raspberries, blueberries and strawberries toped the dish. This went nicely with my coffee and it was a very light ending to a heavy meal.

As we waited for the check I ordered a raspberry Eaux de Vie, which is homemade brandy liquor that is very crisp and fragrant with the smell of the fruit.

I strongly recommend Le Paradou for special occasions or food snobs like me looking for the ultimate in food and service. For a table of four with wine expect to spend over $600. I assure you it will be money well spent as this pricey dinner is worth every penny.

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User Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Favorite French Restaurant: This is my favorite place to eat French Cuisine in the district...great food and great atmosphere. Kudos!!!

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