Montmartre: DC’s answer to the Left Bank in Paris

Eric and Neil talk about France all the time.  When they told me about their brunch at Montmartre, everything was "oui, oui" (I've been practicing my French).

Outdoor Seating at
Montmartre on Capitol Hill

      We’d made some plans for Sunday Brunch in DC, but the restaurant was farther than we liked from the Capitol and the Smithsonian.  Neil looked up the top restaurants in DC and chose Montmartre, which is French and located southeast of the Capitol.  This is a diverse, gentrifying neighborhood that displays a vitality synonymous with the Left Bank.  It was packed, though the hostess moved quickly through the list (what was supposed to be 30 minutes was actually 15) and the service was friendly and brisk without ever making diners feel rushed, which is a feat in itself. 

The Bustling Interior of Montmartre

      Dale ordered the Quiche Lorraine, prepared traditionally with bacon and Swiss cheese.  It really seemed French because it was made with a thick, but flaky, crust and the egg custard tasted as if we were in Paris.  This was also the case for Neil’s Eggs Benedict with spinach, Hollandaise sauce, and pancetta.  It was the sauce that tasted authentic and I’m guessing it’s because they use French butter. 
I ordered the Mussels Marinieres (garlic and parsley in a white wine broth) and it was excellent.  The white wine was a slightly sweeter one, which complemented the salty broth really well.  All our portions were generous.  Though the selection of dessert tarts was beautiful and probably tasted great, we decided against ordering any (that’s one of my few regrets about our DC visit).

Quiche Lorraine and Salad

Eggs Benedict with Pancetta

Mussels Marinieres

The Tart Tray

      As I said before, service was excellent.  Our waitress covered a large area and kept everything moving with the busmen.  She graciously introduced us to Christoph, one of the co-owners, who was expediting orders.  One special note:  the servers presented all the dishes for the table simultaneously and, this is the point of service that is missed all the time now, cleared all the dishes simultaneously.  Montmartre is definitely worth checking out.

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http://www.montmartredc.com