Art - An Anniversary Meal

As a wedding gift, a former co-worker gave us a gift certificate for dinner to celebrate our 1-year anniversary at Le Paradou. The restaurant aptly describes itself as an “adventure in intense flavors,” as well as "DC's finest contemporary French restaurant," and it does not lie on either score. We made reservations several weeks in advance (August 12 was a Saturday) and prepared ourselves for an exotic culinary exploration. Besides its unobtrusive exterior (on the ground floor of an office building a few blocks from Capitol Hill), the elegant and contemporary interior design was warm and inviting. Reviewing the menu of options is always a challenge -- despite our growing familiary frequenting similar restaurants in DC with diplomats and lobbyists over the years -- as the menu descriptions are rife with advanced food preparation terms without any deciphering for the culinary layman (more on this later). With a robust gift certificate in hand, we chose the four course option -- start with a salad, share an appetizer, select an entree, and then have dessert accompanied by tea. Coupled with the intense flavor of each dish (we kept grappling for the right words -- regularly using terms such as rich, explosive, coordinated, and balanced) was the presentation. Each plate and/or bowl seemed designed for the dish, and each dish was worthy of hanging on the wall next to any art deco masterpiece (like tourists, we photographed each course before devouring it). On the suggestion of our waiter (who, seemingly as a natural part of the motif, spoke only French to his fellow wait staff) we selected the duck foie gras as or appetizer. While we had both heard of foie gras, ignorance is bliss, and in this case -- that's true. We probably would have been more reluctant to eat it if we had googled it before ordering it (do this at your own peril). Overall, the experience was delightful and one worth repeating -- but not too often. A great way to celebrate year one.