Jordan Wright
April 2010
When I heard they had revamped The Jockey Club, Washington’s bastion of the Old Guard and sanctuary for the well-heeled, my heart sank. The power dining spot in its heyday, it was a place where gentlemen’s chauffeurs awaited; purposeful young men, hoping to impress, brought their dates; and fashionable ladies lunched in suits and jewels. It stood alone in cataloguing the to-ings and fro-ings of elite Washington society. And though the menu rarely changed, there was comfort in the veal paillard avec foie gras and the delicate Dover sole meuniere. No culinary acrobatics here.

Jockey Club Executive Chef Levi Mezick - photo by Jordan Wright
But the food, my dears, after all, that is why I have come.
Levi Mezick is a young chef whose Modern French cuisine has thrown down the gauntlet to every French chef in this city as he

Snapper Carpaccio at The Jockey Club - photo by Jordan Wright
We started with a simple butternut squash soup with cinnamon croutons and cranberry coulis, nicely executed though a bit behind the season. But it was the next dish, a snapper carpaccio, exquisitely articulated and looking for all the world like the circles of Fibanacci with rings of blood orange segments and red radishes swirling around the thinly-sliced raw fish, that foretold the glories that lay ahead.

Maryland Crab Salad with green apple gelee on sunflower china - photo by Jordan Wright

Duo of beef with Bordelaise sauce - photo by Jordan Wright
Sadly, desserts don’t measure up to Meznick’s triumphs. Pastry Chef, Lisa Hood, who was at the Inn at Little Washington and Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert will hopefully have more to offer on my next visit. For the present, a serviceable but plebian chocolate-crusted Key lime cheesecake with raspberry coulis, and a Valrhona chocolate crème brulee with fresh berries will have to suffice.
It was too early in the day to tipple, but rest assured the wine list is breathtaking. Cellaring over 450 labels and vintages, it is certainly one to explore over many occasions. Mostly weighted on the French side it ranges from Nuits-St. Georges, Pommards and Chambertins to Meursaults and Puligny-Montrachets. Yet there are also stunning Brunellos and Barolos and nine Chateaux d’Yquem to quibble over.
This “new” Jockey Club is as alluring as a first kiss. Just as impressive as ever, it has returned with a fresh cachet, a winning new chef and a dining room to match the restrained elegance of its cuisine.
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