Dauphine’s — Restaurant in Washington

Absolutely fantastic spot for a fun spin on New Orleans classics conveniently located in downtown DC and just a few minutes away from the metro. I came here for dinner on a Monday evening, and we were seated in a lovely outdoor area inside of the shopping center's awning -- we enjoyed the perks of sitting outdoors (enjoying the light breeze and wonderful weather, appreciating the energy of the city, etc.) without the downsides (sounds of traffic, millions of pedestrians milling around, etc) in what was truly the best of both worlds. Although we didn't sit inside, I did briefly walk through the restaurant on my way to our table, and the decor was gorgeous, so I certainly wouldn't mind coming back in the winter or just generally enjoying a dinner inside.

The food itself was delightful. For appetizers, we tried the scallop crudo, oysters dauphine, shrimp remoulade, bread board, and raw oysters. The scallop crudo was light and refreshing, and I appreciated the small touch they had of pouring the celery juice in tableside. The shrimp remoulade was equally delicious and light, and while satisfying my initial hunger, definitely didn't make me too full to enjoy the upcoming entree. The raw oysters were fresh and fantastic, and the bread basket was phenomenal -- definitely not one to be slept on at all, especially the sweet potato brioche. The oysters dauphine were also quite tasty and definitely worthy of carrying the restaurant's name.

For entrees, a few folks tried the dirty rice and duck-stuffed quail and said that it was absolutely incredible, although the ratio of rice to poultry meat was a bit off. Another member of our party was a Dauphine's regular, so she ordered her favorite -- their chicken bonne femme -- which she said was just as lovely as always. One other was so impressed by the quality of the raw oysters and oysters dauphine we had for our appetizer that she decided to continue the trend and tried out their oyster spaghetti, and she absolutely was not disappointed. The remaining four of us, including myself, settled on their grilled sea scallop amandine and...wow...I was absolutely blown away. The scallops were wonderfully flaky and tender, and the light scallops, celery, and green beans paired perfectly with the heavier sauce and fried almonds.

We finished the meal with a few orders of beignets -- which were perfectly pillowy and delicious -- and their banana foster cake. The cake was truly one of the best desserts I had ever experienced, so I cannot recommend it enough -- the bruleed bananas were wonderfully caramelized and the cake delightfully moist. Everything paired perfectly with the coconut sorbet and each bite felt like a harmony to my taste buds.

The service was delightful and efficient; our server was incredibly attentive and responsive to our needs, despite how busy the restaurant was that Monday (we didn't realize that we made a booking for the first day of restaurant week!). Our water glasses were rarely full, and they did an amazing job of clearing our plates and cutlery between each course. One potential flag for folks with severe allergies and strict dietary restrictions is that they weren't particularly conscious of the restrictions we mentioned to the server at the beginning of the meal. Two members of our party were allergic to tree nuts (one with a deadly allergy and one with a very mild one), and the server didn't flag that two of the dishes we had ordered -- the scallops amandine and banana foster cake -- included nuts, even though at least one of those dishes (the cake) was to be shared across the entire table. Of course, we were able to see the nuts for ourselves (both on the dish and on the menu) and avoid those dishes, but I would've appreciated a warning or reminder when we ordered them, considering that we had flagged those concerns prior to putting in our orders, just out of an abundance of caution.

All in all, though, Dauphine's was absolutely incredible restaurant with delightful food and service, and I can't wait to...

Restaurant Review: Dauphine’s, DC – Restaurant Week Experience

I had high hopes for Dauphine’s, expecting bold, flavorful dishes inspired by New Orleans cuisine. Unfortunately, the food was overwhelmingly bland, lacking seasoning and depth.

Appetizers:

Crab Hush Puppies – Decent, but they needed more seasoning and salt to enhance the flavor.

Cold Mussels – Surprisingly enjoyable and unique; I hadn’t had cold mussels before, but they weren’t bad.

Entrées:

Catfish and Grits – The catfish had no seasoning at all—it just tasted like fresh fish. The grits had a nice cheese flavor, but they seemed to be made with water instead of milk, making them less creamy. The sauce lacked depth, and since the fish was unseasoned, it would’ve been better to drench it in sauce for some extra flavor.

Chicken and Waffles – The peppers and sauce were good, and I should have asked for extra sauce over the chicken. The waffles were enjoyable, but the chicken itself was bland and uninspiring.

Shrimp and Gumbo – Again, no seasoning, no salt—just a very flat dish overall.

Desserts:

Beignets – Disappointing and boring. Not sweet enough and lacking the light, airy texture I was expecting. PJ’s Coffee actually has better beignets.

Caramel Bread Pudding – The best dish of the night. It had good flavor and was enjoyable.

Service & Ambiance: The service was attentive and friendly, but one issue stood out—the server offered us the bread sampler in a way that made it seem complimentary. We later realized we were charged for it, which was frustrating. The bread itself was just okay.

The ambiance, however, was top-notch. The restaurant has a beautiful atmosphere, making it a great place to dine if you're looking for a nice setting.

Ratings:

Food: ⭐⭐⭐ (5.8/10) – Lacked seasoning, underwhelming flavors.

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (8.7/10) – Attentive and friendly but lacked clarity on charges.

Ambiance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (10/10) – Elegant and well-designed.

Final Thoughts: Dauphine’s excels in ambiance and service, but the food fell flat, especially considering its New Orleans inspiration. If they focused on seasoning and bolder flavors, it could be a much better dining experience. Would I return? Probably not, at least not for the food. Bib Gourmand Recognition – Surprising Choice

Dauphine’s is on the Bib Gourmand list, which was surprising to us. The recognition must be for the ambiance, because it certainly isn’t for the food. While the atmosphere was beautiful and inviting, the lack of seasoning and depth in the dishes made us question how it made the list.

My husband and I are currently going through the Michelin and Bib Gourmand restaurants in DC, rating them based on our experience. Unfortunately, Dauphine’s didn’t live up to expectations when it...

Lovely NOLA-inspired restaurant with small room for improvement. Sunday brunch is accompanied by a live jazz trio, so highly recommend dining during this time. My partner and I visited for Restaurant Week in summer 2022, for the $25 brunch option; we wanted to try Dauphine's before deciding to splurge and return with the in-laws. Almost everything we had was delicious, sans the banana yogurt starter (#1), and aspects of our mains (#2,3) . We also felt service could've been more organized, as it seemed there was plenty of staff (#4). 1) The banana yogurt starter with granola was disappointing. It seemed like a few banana slices were tossed in thick, bland cream, topped with unnoticeable bits of granola. 2) My partner had the Fish and Grits, which he said was well-balanced but the seasoning could've been more aggressive in the creole sauce. He said the fish was fantastic, and the star of the dish. 3) I had the Eggs Benedict which hit the spot, but the mixed greens side was ginormous and lacked dressing. I really liked the mustard grounds spread on the muffin underneath the ham, but I wished there was more spice or peppers on the dish. 4) Although there were multiple staff involved in our service, and all were friendly and helpful, a few things missed the mark. We ordered a small plate off the regular brunch menu that never came, which our server recognized at the end of the meal. Our server seemed very busy, however there were several other staff exchanging our dishes, filling our water, etc, so it was a surprise our other dish wasn't delivered and that the service was hectic from a staff perspective. The server offered for us to have dessert on the house, but as they knew, we had just eaten dessert already as part of restaurant week. It would've been nice to have the small plate delivered, but otherwise it would've been appreciated to have something else offered as complementary (like a cocktail or discount) given the restaurant week brunch menu is mostly sweets already. There was also quite a wait to get our check, and once we paid, our server hastily said goodbye. It seems like with all the staff on hand, there could be better organization to make this a personable experience. The ambience is amazing here otherwise, and with all the details put into Dauphine's space, it seems like ownership is determined to stay. Hoping to return to improved dishes...