Chez Andrée
Chez Andrée has been offering country French cuisine in Alexandria's Potomac Yards area since 1964. The restaurant has a warm, cheerful ambience, with exposed brick walls and large, Toulouse-Lautrec-inspired mural opposite the bar.
Menu favorites include the signature tournedos Henri IV (broiled bacon-wrapped filet mignon topped with an artichoke bottom and dressed with béarnaise sauce) and the steak au poivre (New York strip sautéed with shallots and crushed peppercorns). Fresh seafood items vary with the day's catch but may include coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops baked with white wine, mushrooms and cream) and cuisses de grenouille (frog legs in garlic butter). For dessert you may enjoy a fruit tart, chocolate mousse or crème caramel, and the wine cellar is extensive.
If you're on a budget but you'd like to experience some of the area's finest French cooking, consider visiting on a Monday or Tuesday between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., when you may select two entrees served with French bread, vegetables and a bottle of wine for $29.95 (as of November 2009), one of the D.C. area's tastiest, if little-known, dining bargains.
10 E. Glebe Road
Alexandria, VA 22305
(703) 836-1404
http://www.chezandree.com
Le Refuge
Le Refuge, opened in 1983 by Jean and Francoise Francois of Beaugency, France, is the oldest French restaurant in Old Town still operated by its original owners. It offers a country French menu in a bistro setting, and chef Jean Claude Lelan of la Rochelle, France, prides himself on using only the freshest produce. Chef-recommended specialties include Dover sole, frog legs, soft shell crab in season, usually May through September, beef Wellington, bouillabaisse and rack of lamb. For dessert, try the crème brulee profiterolles.
Le Refuge offers a lunch menu and a prix-fixe lunch menu with soup or salad, entree and dessert (crème caramel or chocolate mousse cake) for $18.95, as of November 2009. A pre- or post-theater prix-fixe dinner menu is also available, with soup or salad, a choice of entree and dessert (peach melba in addition to the aforementioned choices) for $27.95.
127 N. Washington St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 548-4661
http://lerefugealexandria.com
La Bergerie
Opened in 1974, La Bergerie in Old Town is a distinctly elegant, upscale restaurant with banquet rooms and catering facilities in addition to its restaurant service.
One very special dish is the guinea hen prepared two ways: a leg stuffed with foie gras and a breast roasted with artichokes and oyster plant. The buffalo strip steak with bourguignon ravioli and veal tenderloin/sweet bread skewer with licorice sauce are also unique, and dessert choices include a chocolate and rosemary molten cake and caramelized pineapple served with white chocolate ice cream.
La Bergerie offers a $60 four-course tasting menu, a Sunday through Thursday 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. three-course prix-fixe menu for $38 (prices good as of November 2009) and special lunch and dinner banquet menus for parties of eight or more.
218 N. Lee St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 683-1007
http://labergerie.com
Article Written By Maria Scinto
Maria Scinto has been writing professionally for six years, and contributed articles on sports, nutrition, health, parenting, real estate, education and other topics to publications including "Northern Virginia Magazine," "Montgomery Gazette" and "Fairfax Times." She has co-authored two books, "The Takeout Cookbook" and "Savvy Convert's Guide to Choosing a Religion." She has a master's in library and information science from the University of Denver.
