@la_belle_farm duck, figs, foie gras, sauce bigarade 🦆
Bet on the duck here 🤤😋
~
New and returning guests should plan ahead if they want to eat @lutecedc now. This Georgetown neo-bistrot, a local gem for the last two years, is suddenly red-hot commodity. After landing on the New York Times’ “America’s Best Restaurants” earlier this month, reservations were snatched up quickly. But the unsurprising revelation is Lutèce, headed by Chef Matt Conroy, has put out quality, memorable food since the summer of 2020 🙏
I still remember a roast chicken served early in the pandemic that could favorably compare with the one at the famous Zuni Café in San Francisco. A crudo of hiramasa bathed in a tomatillo aguachile was so refreshing and stunningly delicious, I slurped every last drop of the tangy broth straight from the bowl. Beets and carrots get plated at their seasonal peak, bursting with color and natural sweetness. Paired with labneh and often accompanied by crumbles of salty blue cheese or chopped walnuts, you won’t find better root vegetables within walking distance of the neighborhood’s cobbled streets. The fucklicious duck constantly makes me sing the praises of purveyor La Belle Farm for their consistent quality. Lutèce smartly keeps the preparation uncomplicated, deferring to a complementary fruit and a classic sauce to transform a familiar fowl into a beguiling dish 👏
Fullness is no excuse to skip desserts here. They equally satisfy without making you sleepy or leaving you bloated, with sufficient sweetness more often derived from fruit as a component than the overuse of sugar. I have a tendency to eat them all before leaving 😁
On my previous visit, I stopped by the kitchen to congratulate them on the NYT article ✍️
“Can. You. Believe. It?!” pastry chef Isabel Coss intoned with a huge smile that curved upward, seemingly past her temples, as though it was reaching for the sky. (She has the kind of rare smile that envelops her whole face.) I could feel the joy radiating from her which made the moment that much sweeter
“Absolutely. I’ve believed it from the beginning.”
When you eat here, I’m betting you will as well 😃
