Tasting Journal

My Birthday Dinner... Ardeo Restaurant and Bardeo Wine Bar

I used to work for Ashok Bajaj when I was 20-years-old. I was a server and bartender at one of his restaurants called The Oval Room, in Lafayette Square, near the White House.

Even before working for Bajaj, I was already familiar with his restaurants and the type of service and quality of food that he extended to his guests. I was in fine dining territory working for him. I had to learn the “proper” way to serve, the correct way to clear plates, how to gracefully open a wine bottle, how to make fancy cocktails, how to pronounce all the sophisticated names of all the dishes I was serving, and how to not look like a 20-year-old doing it all. I was definitely a clumsy one. I looked and felt awkward working there. Not surprisingly, the General Manger came to me before a shift one morning and told me that he didn’t think things were working out (with me). He said that I was too young and inexperienced, and that maybe I should try Ruby Tuesdays down the street! And with that, I turned in my apron, and said farewell to fine dining… at least for the moment.

I decided against Ruby Tuesdays, and instead worked my way around a variety of other restaurants in the Maryland and DC areas. Although I never cared to go back to the Oval Room, I did have a desire to try a few of Bajaj’s other dining establishments around town. A couple of which included Ardeo Restaurant and Bardeo Wine Bar, both located side by side in Northwest DC.

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For my birthday last week, the girls surprised me with dinner reservations at Ardeo Restaurant. We arrived an hour early so we could check out the scene next door at Bardeo Wine Bar, and sample some of their wine.

All dolled up, the four of us stepped into Bardeo’s small dining room and headed straight for the crowded bar. Although we had dinner reservations next door, I took a quick scan at their menu anyway. Bardeo offers about a dozen small plates, some of which include: a crispy goat cheese salad, served with marinated beets, baby frisee and walnuts; a platter of charcuterie and antipasta; and a petite filet of Wagyu beef served with creamed spinach, fingerling potatoes, and crisp shallots.

The wine menu offers selections by the glass and half bottle. If you really want to sample wine however, the best option is to order the wine flight, which is a tasting of 3 ounces of four different wines served next to each other. The girls and I ordered the wine flight along with some cheese samples. Really, what could be better than wine and cheese? Oh, I know! Complimentary shooters! In honor of my birthday, the bartender threw in a round of B52 shots!

Soon after the last of the wine had been drunk, and the remaining morsels of cheese had been swallowed, the four of us walked through a door connecting us to Ardeo’s dining room for our dinner reservations.

Ardeo’s menu is a list of trendy modern American dishes that tend to arrive to the table in style. For example, the jumbo lump crab salad appetizer is served on top of Bloody Mary granite, garnished with micro celery, and presented in an attractively chilled caviar glass. The executive chef, Christopher Bradley, seems to not only value the importance of food presentation, but lucky for us, aims for delicious taste as well.

After I finally stopped gushing over the aesthetically pleasing jumbo lump crab salad, my delight transferred over to the seared Ahi tuna, served on top of micro greens, and garnished with cherry tomatoes, haricot verts, and quartered pieces of boiled egg. This appetizer was very good! I should have ordered the entrée version of it. The calamari was also tasty; it came out lightly battered and fried, and was served with a side of spicy harissa aioli.

For our main courses, the girls and I ordered a variety of dishes and shared them all with each other. The entrées that we selected included the grilled sirloin presented in a spinach foie gras emulsion, served with baby carrots and a Yukon gold puree, in a red wine reduction; the seared duck breasts, served on top of noodles, in a sesame-star anise jus; the grilled Mahi Mahi, presented on a plate with a side of micro greens and slivered almonds; the pan roasted salmon, served with sautéed mustard greens and smoked bacon, in an apple rosemary coulis; and the green asparagus risotto with wild mushroom ragout. My favorites were the grilled sirloin, and green asparagus risotto. I practically licked remnants out of the risotto bowl! The salmon was the least popular among our table. It was a bit dry, and flavors just weren’t as prominent as the other dishes.

We decided on two desserts from the menu. The first was the espresso SemiFreddo, served with mocha praline and mocha caramel sauce. The second was the chocolate peanut butter bombe, presented with chocolate sauce and peanut bark. Both were beautifully displayed and tasted excellent!

By the end of the dinner, we were all thoroughly stuffed. I had a wonderful evening, and a great gastronomic experience! Thanks so much girls, for the delicious birthday!!

For more information on hours, directions, etc., see their website here...

food, restaurants, Washington, DC, wine bars, American cuisine, Tasting Journal