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Very Best Restaurants: La Miche

Very Best Listing | Very Best by Cuisine | Very Best by Location

La Miche **
Bethesda , $$

Now nearly 20 years old, this French restaurant continues at the same location, with the same team running the kitchen and dining room and the same reassuring decor of lace curtains, woven reed baskets hanging from ceiling beams, and fresh flowers on each table. Only the menu seems to have driftedfrom provincial French toward Americanbut whatever the cuisine, reservations on weekends are still a must.

Start with grilled portobello mushrooms, including their sauteed, thinly sliced stems; a tossed salad of greens with apples, walnuts, and bleu cheese; or a terrine of sweetbreads in puff pastry, served with frisee, mache, and a simple asparagus vinaigrette.

Several of the main courses have been exceptional, including the crisp confit of duck, the tournedos of beef with a sprinkling of crushed black peppers and a cognac-cream sauce, and the rack of New Zealand lamb with a crust of garlic and mustard. Grilled marinated salmon and a baked trout stuffed with crabmeat, fine in all other regards, were marred by a strong tomato sauce, but it was sensibly served on the side. Save room for the house-made desserts.

La Miche , 7905 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda ; 301-986-0707. Open Tuesday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for dinner. MapIt!

QUALITY: ****Excellent; *** Superior; **Very Good; * Good
PRICE RANGE: $$$= Very Expensive; $$ Expensive; $=Moderate; ¢=Inexpensive

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