Gerard Pangaud Bistro, web site, 915 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-737-4445 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | Menuism | Don Rockwell | Yelp]
A resurrection of the old Gerard’s restaurant in the form of a Bistro. But it’s hardly any different. The old Gerard’s was great when it was “on” (only sometimes), after one visit it is hard for me to see the Bistro version as much of an improvement. It’s not.
La Rue 123, web site (music), 4023 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA, 703-691-2266 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo]
Near Le Tire Bouchon and in the old Bailiwick Inn.
Classic French, they go out of their way to be boring but the quality is high. I tried the beef tenderloin, the shrimp, and the sea bass. All were excellent, I liked the sea bass best. A good place to take clients or job market candidates, especially if others are paying. Not my kind of thing, but some people will love this place.
Montsouris, 2002 P Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-833-4180, closed Sundays and between lunch and dinner time. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | MenuPages | Don Rockwell | WETA | Yelp]
CLOSED
I am skeptical about the idea of a French bistro in the United States, for obvious reasons. But in its first year this place really hit the mark. Now it is only "good." It is mostly northern French food, including steak tartare, sausage, lentils, and salads. Good fries. The waiters we had were actually French.
French – see also Fine Dining.
La Colline, 400 N. Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-737-0400 [Washingtonian | Don Rockwell | openlist | Gayot]
Closed
A classic stand-by.
Petits Plats, web site, 2653 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-518-0018 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Recommended by a credible-sounding reader.
Le Tire Bouchon, web site, 4009 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA, at Main Street, 703-691-4747 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist]
Update October 2007: CLOSED
Good French food, now the best place in Fairfax city. Cozy and comfortable atmosphere, not especially original but likely to prove a winner with most audiences. The lamb is my favorite here, plus get the apple tart and ice cream dessert.
La Chaumiere, web site, 2813 M Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-338-1784 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Barkley Rosser loves this place. He recommends it as a “solid, mid-price restaurant that specializes in Lyonnaise cuisine, and is favored by the older Georgetown crowd…”
Les Halles, web page, 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-347-6848, open 11:30 to midnight, every day. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
A good French steakhouse, with the onglet as the entree of pride. Not cheap, but a real treat. Also get the mashed potatoes with gravy, as well as the Creme Brulee for desert. The best French Fries in town as well. Consistent.
Le Gaulois, 1106 King Street, Alexandria, VA, 703-739-9494 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | CuisineNet | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Good classic French food, at reasonable, if not cheap, prices. I always expect this place to be declining, but it never is. Many will find this very satisfying.
La Provence, 144 West Maple Avenue, Vienna, VA, 703-242-3777 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | Falls Church News-Press | WaPo (Eve Zibart) | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Update May 2007: This place is closed - Born Restaurant is now there.
The outside looks ghastly, but the food is of surprisingly high quality. The sort of French restaurant that uses a lot of thyme. Not cheap, but it delivers consistently. Some of the fish portions are too small, but it's hard to go wrong here. Better than La Cote d'Or, which has fallen to pieces (now larger and moved around the corner), although perhaps you should try Bistro des Celestins, their new accompanying comfort food bistro.
Bistro d’Oc, web site, 518 10th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-393-5444, across from Ford’s Theatre (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist]
Recommended by a credible-sounding reader.
Bistro Francais, web site (scroll down), 3128 M Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-338-3830, open quite late: Fri-Sat 11 am-4 am, Sun-Thu 11 am-3 am (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Surprisingly good French bistro food, and at reasonable prices. Recommended, satisfies a real craving. This place has kept high standards for many years.
Bistro des Celestins, web site, 6876 Lee Hwy, Arlington, VA, 703-534-8059 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist]
La Cote d'Or, which has fallen to pieces (now larger and moved around the corner), although perhaps you should try Bistro des Celestins, their new accompanying comfort food bistro.