| Address | 3321 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
|---|---|
| Hours | 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon-Thu; 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sat; 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Sun |
| Phone | (202) 966-3002 |
| Fax | (202) 966-0982 |
| Website | lavandoudc.com/ |
We have been going to Lavandou since we've moved from Mulhouse(France) to Cleveland Park in 2005. We love the ambiance that reminds us a place we used to go back home. A lot of French people eat there, the food is excellent. A few items on the fall menu are outstanding. I love the filet mignon and rack of lamb! Great dessert selection, warm and attentive service.
I made reservations for my birthday w/ the owner, for 15 ppl last weekend. She agreed to waive the cake fee if we ordered appetizers. Our party size grew a few hours prior, which was no problem. Shortly after placing our orders, a manager, Phillipe, took me aside to inform me a $50 cake fee would still be imposed b/c not enough appetizers were ordered. I pointed out all the extra entrees/drinks ordered (costing much more than a few extra $9 appetizers), but he refused to allow any singing/cake w/o charging. Everyone was appalled & the b-day dinner was ruined. Anyone seeking business in today's economy should know upsetting 18 ppl (and everyone they know) isn't worth the hundreds in lost revenue over a birthday cake. Good riddance Lavandou!
We did the 5-6:30 early special ($16 gets you a soup or salad and an entree). the drinks pushed the price up though.
The pork tenderloin was good, but really small for the price (2 - 3/4" slices) and the sides weren't substantial enough to make up for it (and I don't eat much). The beef stew was good and of a better portion size as was the trout salad.
All in all, I probably won't head back though. Too little food for the price.
Very good cuisine, although the service sometimes is lacking when it is especially busy. Overall, a nice dining experience, and even better at non-peak hours.
Cozy country French decor and nice options such as Champagne by the glass and an extensive list of reasonably priced French wines. But the house salad was oddly disappointing.
The Monday evening special in which Lavandou waives the corkage fee is a terrific deal. We brought a very nice bottle of Australian grenache that we were able to enjoy with some hearty French country fare--the beef tenderloin special (that evening) and the beef stew (on the regular menu). Lavandou is a very cozy neighborhood restaurant that uses very high-quality ingredients. The provincial style of cooking strikes me as going better this time of year than during the hotter weather however.
We arrived at 10pm and were greeted at once, very friedly, sat us by the romantic fireplace, service was wonderful.
We were the last two people in the place, and there was no rush at all to get us out so they can close, actually they insisted we have coffee and dessert.
Everything was so perfect that we ended up leaving a 30% tip. I can't wait to go back!
