Yahoo! - washingtonian

Very Best Restaurants: Les Halles

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

Les Halles **
Washington, $$

With its pressed-tin ceiling, mismatched lighting fixtures, and three-tiered dining room, Les Halles evokes a Paris brasserie, somehow transported piecemeal to Pennsylvania Avenue. It is a refreshingly unstuffy place that not only caters to appetites of all sizes but makes you feel as welcome for a post-theater supper of baby chicory salad with squares of bacon and Roquefort-spread croutons, a bowl of the best onion soup outside of Paris, and a glass or two of wine as you are for a three-course meal with one of the few expensive bottles on its fairly priced wine list.

Les Halles's plates of beeffrom the best-selling, thin slice of rump traditional to thrifty Paris cafes to the gargantuan rib of grilled beef that is the centerpiece of a celebratory meal for twoall come accompanied by a handful of mixed baby lettuces and a mound of the best French fries in the city. If you want something other than glasses of house wine, Les Halles offers a carefully selected variety of the lesser known country wines of France in the very affordable $18 to $26 price range.

Though the house specialty is French cuts of Aberdeen Angus beef, the kitchen also turns out a reliable daily seafood special, a fine cassoulet, blood sausages with mashed potatoes and caramelized apples, and a wonderfully crisp-skinned confit of duck served with a salad of baby chicory.

Les Halles has earned a reputation as a gathering place for cigar aficionados, both male and female. If you find yourself out of smokes here, you'll be pleasantly surprised that the cigar list's markup for such premium brands as Paul Garmirian, Davidoff, and Fonseca is only a couple of dollars above retail. However, if you object to the aroma of cigar smoke, take comfort in knowing that the powerful ventilation in the smoking area is so efficient that diners at tables on the lower level next to it have yet to register a complaint.

Les Halles , 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington; 202-347-6848. Open daily for lunch and dinner. MapIt!

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

Return to Restaurant & Entertaining Directory