Christophe Poteaux, Chef/Owner, Bastille, demonstrates Poulet Basquaise (braised chicken, Basque style)
By Jordan Wright
Question: Who cares more than your mother about what you eat?
A. A restaurant chef/owner
B. Two restaurant chef/owners
C. Two French restaurant chef/owners who hands-on work their magic daily in their own treasure of a restaurant.
If you guessed C, then you should be dining at Bastille, a charming Old Town restaurant that feels, as soon as you cross the threshold, as if you have discovered the little French restaurant you have been dreaming of all your life.
The instantly intimate Bastille has it all.
Here you’ll find French classic dishes with a regional interpretation in a farmhouse-style atmosphere of such cachet you feel as though you have driven miles out into the French countryside; traditional dishes that miss only the pastis to start your meal and servers so knowledgeable about the cuisine you might think they had prepared the food themselves, if you didn’t see for yourself the Chefs Madame and Monsieur Poteaux behind the raised counter that separates you from satisfying your discerning palate.
I returned from a splendid celebratory New Year’s Eve supper with dear friends earlier this month to experience Bastille’s charms once more. That they had pulled off such a divine dinner on what can be and often is the worst night of the year to test a restaurant’s abilities, was the surprise.
To see if that was standard operating procedure was the challenge. Were such dishes as a stellar Moullard Duck Breast with a five-spice orange gastric sauce and a standout Pistachio Butter Cake with Valrhona Chocolate Mousse and Port-soaked Pear just a fluke? All would soon be revealed.
A duo of Foie Gras on buttery Brioche Toasts accompanied by an oven-dried Tomato Chutney proved an auspicious beginning. Crispy Calamari and Shrimp Beignets with a Sheep’s Milk and a Moroccan-style Harissa dip were spicy and cool all at once. Salads were numerous and I was heartened to see throughout the meal that vegetables were treated with a true chef’s respect for the season with all manner of winter squash, herbs and cold-weather greens held in high regard.
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On this frigid and blustery evening I was thankful to experience a truly great dish. A simply grilled Branzino Filet served with a Balsamic-tomato-caper vinaigrette and rendered with perfection. This preparation proved the presence of experienced and confident culinary hands whose measured restraint resided in the kitchen. A perfect fish prepared in a simple manner to enhance, not bury its flawless flavor…a wonderful achievement in this era of ingredient trickery and tomfoolery.
With everything I sampled it became clear that it was not serendipity that drove this kitchen’s successes, but a well-defined philosophy of food and ingredients well-selected, that achieve a cuisine that manages to be both heart-warming and refined.
If you go, and I recommend you do, expect exceptional service and a well-chosen wine list that has such delights as a Late Harvest Zinfandel to pair with your Cherry and Almond Chocolate Fondant with Amaretto Sabayon or a Madeira, Port or late Harvest Riesling to mull over your thoughtfully selected platter of three, five or seven choices of artisanal cheese.
If You’re Going…
Bastille
1201 North Royal Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
For reservations and information call 703-519-3776.
Open for lunch from 11:30AM to 2:00PM Tuesday through Friday and 12 Noon to 2:30PM on Saturday
Dinner is from 6:30PM to 9:30PM Tuesday to Thursday and 6:00PM to 10:00PM Friday and Saturday. Sunday Brunch from 11:30AM to 2:30PM and Sunday dinner from 5:00PM to 8:00PM
www.bastillerestaurant.com
The instantly intimate Bastille has it all.
Here you’ll find French classic dishes with a regional interpretation in a farmhouse-style atmosphere of such cachet you feel as though you have driven miles out into the French countryside; traditional dishes that miss only the pastis to start your meal and servers so knowledgeable about the cuisine you might think they had prepared the food themselves, if you didn’t see for yourself the Chefs Madame and Monsieur Poteaux behind the raised counter that separates you from satisfying your discerning palate.
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