Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Washington

Solid 4.5 My mother and I visited this restaurant for lunch on the day after Christmas 2024, around 12:30 PM. There was a bit of confusion initially about which door to use, but a helpful sign directed us to the correct entrance (the blue door). Upon entering, we immediately noticed a staircase leading up to what appears to be a wine bar that occasionally hosts jazz music. To the left, there’s another door leading to the main dining room.

Note: The bathrooms are upstairs, which could pose a challenge for individuals with mobility issues. There are quite a few stairs, and the narrow doors make wheelchair access nearly impossible. It seems they have the capability to set up outdoor seating, though none was available during our visit.

We were promptly greeted in the dining area and shown to a table. The hostess kindly asked if we were comfortable with the table’s location, which we appreciated. Later, we noticed a group of three who were offered the same choice and opted for a different spot. Two of the women in that group, wearing fur coats, seemed slightly perturbed by the lack of a designated place to hang their coats. Our coats, however, draped over our chairs without issue.

We both ordered the "Médaillons de boeuf poêlés." When my mother inquired about the pronunciation of "poêlés," our waiter, who had a thick Spanish accent, admitted he wasn’t sure. His accent posed a slight challenge while explaining the specials, and despite our efforts to clarify one item, he didn’t seem to understand our request for repetition. Ultimately, we moved on to the menu. We were given two options: a lunch Prix Fixe menu and the main menu.

The beef medallions (on the main menu) were cooked perfectly—mine medium and my mother’s medium-rare. The garlic polenta was flavorful and delicious, but the vegetables felt more like a garnish than a true side dish. I would have appreciated a larger portion.

At the end of the meal, it took a while to catch the waiter’s attention to request the bill. To his credit, we had only eaten one beef medallion each and likely appeared as though we weren’t finished. We placed our flatware face-down on the plates and eventually set our napkins on the table as a signal, but I finally had to raise my hand to flag him down, something I do not like to do as it feels rude.

When we requested carry-out boxes, we were pleasantly surprised that the staff took our plates to the kitchen to box up the food for us. This thoughtful touch spared us the task of scraping leftovers into the containers ourselves and risking spills...

WINE BY THE GLASS Bordeaux - $15 - really tangy and full-bodied Chinon - $12 - dry and medium-bodied Malbec - $12 - this was my favorite it was well rounded *found the wines by the glass list pretty basic

MOUSSE DE FOIE GRAS - $14 Chicken and foie gras mousse terrine, apple compote *really enjoyed the terrine, was pleasantly surprised the apple compote complemented the richness perfectly, it would have been nice if there was a fresh element like mixed greens

JOUES DE VEAU BRAISEES - $32 Braised veal cheeks (osso-bucco style), served with fresh pasta and basil *veal cheeks were nice and tender, pasta was thick and held the sauce well. The orecchiette tasted like box pasta (?) and not home made so when I see "fresh pasta" on the menu I'm expecting irregularly shaped ear pasta.

TARTE CHAUDE AU CHOCOLAT - $10 *definitely would not recommend this chocolate tarte, it was stale tasting and the chocolate was very dry *I ended up taking it home because I didn't want to waste $10 but I probably won't eat it ha *This should not have been served and removed from my check

SERVICE: -Minimal considering it was 5:30 pm when they opened and only 3 tables total when dining there for less than an hour. -Also I was irritated that specials were offered to the other 2 tables but not mine. I heard Gazpacho soup, duck confit and another dish...after I ordered both my appetizer and entree. Two...

We were with friends in Bistro Lepic on Saturday January 24, 2015 and the food and wine were excellent. However: It was Restaurant Week in DC: the Bistro was packed and the three courses of the menu were served with a speed that would make any fast food chain proud. Once you had finished your course, two seconds later your plate was removed even if others at the table were still eating. And a couple of minutes after all of us had finished, the next course would be served. The whole dinner for the party of four lasted slightly more than an hour and we felt rushed through our wine and the whole menu so that the table could be used again. On a cold and busy winter day - like the day we went - you are exposed to a lot of cold air when you sit next to the door which is very displeasing. Next time we know in advance and order another table.

Yes, we will go there again and give it another try as the food was excellent. We hope that this speed-feeding-attitude was really caused by the extraordinary conditions of...