French bistro-ing it at Bearnaise

I love all things French. I have such a magical time whenever I’m in Paris and I hope to make many more memories by journeying to other parts of France in the future. For now, I will frequent my neighborhood bistro, Bearnaise.

Chef Spike Mendelsohn opened this bistro with his sister, Micheline. This establishment now joins his other restaurants, Good Stuff and We, the Pizza all on the same block.

I’ve been for dinner as well as for lunch and I’ll continue to visit as it satiates my every now and again craving for a decent steak. It’s also in walking distance so I can burn calories getting there and coming back!

For dinner, Bearnaise does a prix fixe menu so you get a choice of salad/soup of the day/onion soup then your choice of steak and dessert. The other diners next to us seemed to enjoy the onion soup but the Mister got the salad. I decided for forgo the prix fixe and be a rebel. I chose one of the specials (steak tartare) as well as a side dish. The Mister wanted to add on the foie gras special as an appetizer.

 Foie Gras appetizer – the Mister enjoyed foie gras so much when we were in Paris that I think he had it everyday when we were there and one of his favorite food memories was eating it on New Year’s Eve!
 My side dish of tartiflette – a mixture of potatoes, bacon (!!), and Reblochon cheese. Very hearty and it would be even better eaten on a cold day.
 My steak tartare was full of texture. I enjoyed it because the meat was not finely minced so it was chunky.
 The Mister’s steak maison with frites. Did I mention that it’s all you can eat frites? When you finish that portion, you can request more!
The chocolate mousse was fully consumed and I don’t normally like chocolate. It was so light!
I came back a few days later to have lunch at the bar. Luke was the bartender and took care of my order. Steak salad cooked medium rare and the salad was lightly dressed. Fantastic!

Cheers!

MXM

Bearnaise
315 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
Washington. DC 20003
(202) 450-4800

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