So I haven't been going out a ton since I moved here (10/28/05). In New York that might mean that I'd eaten less than 6 dinners out in a week, and/or most of them had cost less than $35 each. But here, I mean it. M and I have been making homemade Trader Joe's (TJ's) almost every night, and breakfasts and lunches have been some combination of: eggs, cheese, rye bread, tortillas, salsa, hot dogs, TJ meat balls, sour cream, pasta and over-the-hill homemade(!) bolognese sauce. So taking a shower and putting on mascara and boots to go out to brunch was no small deal. And deciding on French food made it all the braver.
If I had to pick a favorite restaurant in NY, I would list about 10 restaurants, and then if pressed further to pick one, it would be Jules. Not only because it was two blocks from my house, but because the food was always good, the staff was warm and quirky and un-officious (and didn't turn over much), and the vibe was always lively without being too lively or too loud. I could go there many, many days in a row without complaining, and it was always good for friends or family, local or visiting, friend or date, casual or primped. So, that's Jules.
And loving Jules as much as I do, I was, embarrassingly enough, afraid to try a Bethesda bistro. I imagined returning home in tears and punishing M with exaggerated disappointment for weeks. But the craving had surfaced--for frisee and frites and French onion soup--so we bit the bullet. After researching Bethesda UP's six French restaurants, we decided on Mon Ami Gabi (the one in Bethesda, of course).
(It turns out Mon Ami Gabi is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant. They started in Chicago in 1971 and have apparently grown to have over 50 establishments in IL, AZ, MD, MN, NV and Japan. But they've done a great job with the ones I've been to, so while in theory I might prefer a charming little independently owned french restaurant, I'll take their bistro chain.)
The vibe was right, the staff was friendly enough and the food we had was good. The restaurant, while large, somehow retains the feel of a smaller room. We actually ate outside, which couldn't have been nicer.
A stolen 70-degree day in November is a treat in itself, let alone mixing it with two bellinis. We got baguette in a bag, with butter and jam, and all three of us (me, M and our friend B) got soup. Their French onion soup was gorgeous (see left), and I got potato leek, which they brought to the table in a little gravy boat thing and poured into my bowl over a big chunk of brie. B's macaroni and cheese was better on paper, and probably not a very satisfying meal, but certainly flavorful. I got an egg and chive crepe, which was also tasty, but also not a great choice. And M got one of those burger that only a lucky few can actually fit their mouths around. As for the frites, well, they're a kind of bizarre cut that seems intended to maximize the crunchy exterior at the expense of the meaty interior. So while I wasn't crazy about anything we actually ordered (aside from the soups), I'm entirely confident that there are some gems on the menu.
Overall the fries were well-done, the salad wasn't over-dressed, I got my second drink promptly, they let us move to a larger table when one opened up and the onion soup rocked. AND they half-price wine from 5:00 to 6:30, Monday thru Friday. They're no Jules, but they'll do.
Mon Ami Gabi,
Washingtonian on Mon Ami Gabi; washingtonpost.com on Mon Ami Gabi
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