ARDEO

Cleveland Park's ARDEO has recently been named a BEST NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT in Washington DC. It's a comfortable and warm space, in spite of the mirrors and backlit colorfield art pieces. Susannah met me in Washington for the night, and we had a nice walk in the unseasonably warm October night from Woodley Park. The crowd definitely had a neighborhood feel and a warm buzz permeated the space. The menu was interesting, and I had a hard time choosing a starter and entree so I opted for three appetizers served in successive courses.

I started with a Peeky-Toe Crab dish, served with crisp green apples, citrus gelee and a sweet soy reduction. As my next choice I had a Foie Gras Torchon with rillette ( a fancy version of BBQ), Riesling apricots, and chipotle syrup. Both were fantastic. I finished with an order of Steamed Nova Scotia mussels, served with grilled chorizo, scallions and a smoked paprika tomato broth.

Susannah had a great starter of asparagus and goat cheese in brick paper, grilled endive, pistachio, and a honey garlic balsamic dressing. Pan fried gnocchi were served with haricot vert, red peppers, shallots and sorrel. She fnished her evening with a chocolate sampler including biscotti, fudge, white chocolate truffles, and a molten cake.