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Category: American (New) [Edit]
3311 Connecticut Ave NWCleveland Park (Red)
Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"Delicious. My boyfriend and I went on a Monday evening. The dining room was about 1/2 full when we arrived. We were seated promptly by the…" read more »
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This is still an excellent brunch spot in DC without the headache of a 2-week in advance reservation like Old Tabard Inn or a long line out the door like other notable places. The special remains the same: appetizer, entree, and unlimited champagne for $25.
I opted for the peekytoe crab salad and the florentine. The preparation of the two crabcakes was a little uneven as evidenced by the many varying hues of brown. The crab was still good though, and it was enhanced by a choice of avocado puree, ruby red grapefruit gelee, and a Dijon mustard based sauce. Each choice was effective as a complement. The dish was draped with mizuna constituting the salad, and I loved the deconstruction so that I could concentrate on the individual flavors.
The Florentine was a poached egg served atop fennel sausage, spinach, tomatoes, and an English muffin. It was dressed in a generous dollop of Hollandaise and served with a side of potatoes. This was well executed and made for an enjoyable dish. I particularly liked the spiciness of the fennel sausage.
There are a few downsides though. Service can be unusual. Our server was mentally absent and possibly still under the influence of something. The manager had to step in and assist at times. This was probably a pretty unusual occurrence, so I would not hold this against them. The only other drawback is that the brunch menu does have some less than stellar dishes, so you may need to choose wisely.
Still 4 stars.
We went here for Sunday brunch to meet up with some of the other Peace Corps volunteers now living… Read more »
I've been to Ardeo before Saturday's visit, twice in fact. Once for dinner and once for brunch. The brunch at ardeo is extremely mediocre. The previous dinner was quite good. I wont be reviewing those experiences, just Saturday's.
I had a $20 Open Table gift certificate, so that was part of the reason for stopping in after a movie at Uptown. My gf and I started with the gnocchi which was topped with whipped goat ricotta cheese. The gnocchi was fabulous. Fluffy, soft and delicious. The tomato-ricotta sauce was also a perfect compliment, not too heavy to take away from the gnocchi.
For my main course I ordered the Pork Chop which came with creamy polenta, corn, mushrooms and a nice reduction sauce. The chop was cooked just how I asked, medium rare and the polenta was perfect. While the dish was not 'bad,' it was really nothing special. The sauce was acceptable, but not mind blowing. My gf ordered the pasta with eggplant and peppers, yet they decided to serve it with spinach instead of peppers, not noted on the menu or by the waitress. She doesn't like cooked spinach, but the pasta was still quite good to continue without complaint. Overall, the pasta dish (aside from the pasta), was pretty weak sauce, figuratively and literally. The eggplant was crunchy and the sauce was too oily.
Overall, other than the gnocchi, the meal was average at best. I know that Ardeo/Bardeo can put out some great dishes, these clearly were not the ones to order. I'll still give them the benefit of the doubt and come back at some point. But this meal was mehtastic.
Wow. Ardeo is outstanding. The food, the service, the atmosphere, everything added up to a perfect dinner. This place came highly recommended to me, and now I know why, and I will HIGHLY recommend it to anyone else. It's definitely great for a date.
We started off with the peeky toe crab cakes and the salmon tartare. The crab cakes were probably my favorite dish of the entire night. The avocado cream sauce they're served with is a perfect compliment to the crab. The salmon tartare was melt-in-your mouth good!
Instead of getting entrees, we decided to split several of the medium plates, which I think was a good route to go, because so much of it looked so good, and it was plenty of food. We had the gnocchi, the poached trout, and the skirt steak, all of which were excellent. For dessert we had the banana bread pudding and the peach tarte tartin. My hands down favorite was the banana bread pudding...wow. Whole chunks of banana found their way into that dessert. The peach tarte tartin was new on the menu as of tonight, and did not disappoint.
The bottom line: Average food, fine service, dark and stylish atmosphere. 2.5 stars.
I've been to Ardeo twice now, only to be underwhelmed. The first time was a few years ago and once more recently (maybe 8-10 months ago). The second visit reminded me why I didn't rush back after the first vist.
I can't remember the service being bad (but I can't remember it being good either) and the atmosphere has a very pleasant and relaxed dark-sheik feel.
The menu is rather small and somewhat uninspired. That said the food was fine, verging on tasty, but for the price, I'd much rather venture elsewhere.
Sorry for the lack of food description but it was unmemorable enough for me to have forgotten what we ate.
Ardeo is one of those places that I've been to quite a few times but just never really have anything- positive or negative- to say about it.
The food is GOOD but never MIND BLOWING. In fact, when naming places to get really good food in this city, I don't think Ardeo would even cross my mind. Actually- even if I was just naming places in this city in general, I don't think Ardeo would cross my mind.
I feel like their dishes are all overpriced for what they are. Standard fare, presented nicely with consistent (decent) quality. But just because something is perfectly adequate doesn't make it the five-star restaurant that it seems to think it is.
Here is the grain of salt:
Ardeo's vegetarian options are limited. There is a very good chance that they suffer from that common brain-fart some chefs seem to get when pressed to think up a dish that doesn't contain animal parts. So MAYBE if you are eating the octopus or chicken or even the burger you'll find that Ardeo lives up to the hype. However, in my book it's still pretty forgettable.
Wow! What an amazing place. The two times I have been here, every person in the party has thoroughly enjoyed every part of their meal. The service is wonderful, the setting is comfortable and elegant. This is a wonderful restaurant. I love ARDEO!
This is another restaurant that was around when I lived in DC a few years ago and was very happy to see it was still around and still good.
Positves:
The food is fresh (always important to me). The octopus small dish is delish!
Wine selection is very good and you can buy half bottles.
Waitstaff is great.
Perfect place to go for a bite with your parent, for a special occasion (I've had a few people there for a friend's bday)
Good for the dieter and the non-dieter
Cons
Dont really have any. If you live in the U street/Dupont area you might feel like this place is too far out and not trendy enough, but that's your loss and my gain, because the food is consistently wonderful.
Thanks for being here Ardeo.
Ardeo was a study in contrasts for me. (Except with the desserts. There was uniform expressions of joy at the three we had, with no complaints as a counterbalance. Two of us had the chocolate soufflé and barely spoke from the first bite until the last. But I digress...) I thought they did an excellent job with the flavor combinations of both the appetizers and the entrees - and had a very creative menu, full of intriguing things - but this was to the detriment of the flavors of individual components. When you had a forkful of everything at once the flavor blend was outstanding; try one component alone though, and flavor was lacking, or there was far too much of one thing or another (salt, citrus, spice, etc.). This just means you have to measure your forkfuls carefully . . . which probably isn't bad, but I'm evidently too lazy.
The service also falls in my contrast description. The staff was friendly and attentive, without being overly so in either case; however, despite the appearance of confidence and knowledge, most of the meal and wine suggestions and descriptions we received from our waiter were so far off as to be laughable. Everyone has a different flavor palette and the waitstaff can only do their best based on personal preference, but . . . for multiple people with different tastes to feel that the waiter is failing in _every_ description is unique to me.
So what does all this mean? I'm glad I tried Ardeo once, but I will not be back. (Well, _maybe_ for dessert...)
The service was really good. The food was alright. Not the greatest, but not the worst.
We ordered:
Pasta dish - don't remember exactly which one my friend ordered
Alaskan Halibut - my friend particularly enjoyed the celery root puree
Herb Crusted Loin of Lamb - I enjoyed the lamb (perfectly cooked to medium and very tender), but did not like the cannellini beans that were underneath it. I actually requested that the beans be replaced by mashed potatoes but ended up just ordering them as a side. My friend who does like beans tried some of mine and said they were a bit undercooked.
Dessert:
Chocolate Pistachio Torte = YUM. The highlight of our meals, I would say.
Not sure I would return to Ardeo for dinner...I'd sooner go to Bardeo for wine and dessert.
TIP: Ardeo takes reservations whereas Bardeo does not.
The charred octopus "medium plate" gets 5 stars all on its own. Just perfect. It comes served in a pretty white bowl designed to show-off its contents. Upon seeing the dish you might think the portion is a little skimpy, but soon you'll realize that it's a deep bowl (thank goodness!). The sea creature is served with baby fingerling potatoes and a sauce that is a bit spicy and tangy in part b/c of the green olives. I also had an appetizer of bitter greens, which was actually a decent size salad-seasonal greens with garlic, lemon and pecorino. Great especially on a hot day, a little zingy. My friend had the roasted trout medium plate and the baby spinach salad which she loved. Her salad was smaller than mine so she had room for dessert (I think it was the house made mango sorbet). No leftovers on our table, Ardeo is wonderful for fresh, seasonal ingredients done deliciously, good wines by the glass, and impeccable service. It is expensive, so I'll save it for special occasions.
Ardeo's current menu offers plates in 3 sizes-appetizers run $7-$15, medium plates run $9-$14, and entrees run $12 (for a fancy burger)-$25. In my opinion this allows for a meal of greater options at a better price.
I feel like I'm being generous giving 3 stars. I'm disappointed b/c I was waiting to come here for a while after seeing all the positive reviews. Maybe it was an off night for them. My mom and I showed up around 8 on a Thursday night. Although the restaurant had plenty of seating, they put us at the worst possible table for two towards the back right at the bottom of the stairs. When our waiter finally arrived to take our order it had already been over 10 minutes. Another minute and I would've been at Vace getting a slice. Anyway, we both ordered one appetizer and one medium plate. My mom got the crab appetizer, which was basically fancy crab salad. She wasn't that impressed. I had the octopus. Unlike everyone else's, mine was horrible! It was kind of mushy (tasted like it was in the freezer longer than it was alive) and served with a bizarre-tasting "salad". For our medium plate, she got the gnocchi and I got the risotto-style pasta with mushrooms. It was super salty, but other than that it was ok. My mom liked her gnocchi, but wasn't falling off her chair over it. I didn't get any wine, but her glass of white was only about 1/4 full (can't remember what she got b/c it was the server's suggestion). When she finished it, she wanted more, but the server was no where to be found. When he finally came back, she was done eating and he asked if she wanted another glass. Um, too late.
We passed on dessert. My mom couldn't wait to get out of there.
Came back at the beginning of DC restaurant week ($30.09 / 3 courses) and everyone had fish which was just outstanding. I told the server I was undecided between the striped bass and the duck 2 ways, and he said definitely get the fish. I think the chef must be a fish guy / gal.
What really sets Ardeo apart is the service. It was totally spot on and the manager came around to every table to ask if everything was ok. Yes, thanks. Great. Seriously. If you want to impress, this is the place.
We went for the end of restaurant week, but they have the $35.08 special on Sun and Mon throughout… Read more »
Restaurant Week. Not impressed. Let's just go through what we had:
Bread basket: A good start to an "eh" meal. 3 types of bread (including corn bread) served with butter and hummus. We filled up.
Appetizers:
1) I had the asparagus and goat cheese. The whole dish suffered from there being too much on the plate. There was asparagus and goat cheese wrapped and fried, which was good because, well, it was fried goat cheese. Then there was a little salad. Then there were some roasted endives. And there were two sauces on the plate. Everything was pretty good, but there was too much. It's just an appetizer.
2) The boy had the curried crab salad, which was actually pretty good. Tender, nicely spiced, simple.
Entrees:
1) I had the duck, which I didn't like at all. I know I'm not explaining it properly, but it was too chewy, kind of bland, and the sauce didn't add much flavor. It was supposed to come with cous cous, and what I got was a little patty-like thing of overcooked cous cous with pine nuts in it that was too sour to bother with. And then two medallions of sweet potato. Again, too much going on, but this time none of it was good.
2) The boy got the halibut, which was good. Subtle smoky flavor, nothing too overwhelming. Nicely done.
Dessert:
1) Pear upside down cake, pretty delish. Candied walnuts on the top, a layer of fruit, then some soft and yummy cake. The maple walnut ice cream on the side was nice, too.
2) He had the chocolate pistachio torte, which was YUM. Eaten together with the whipped cream and raspberry sorbet that came on the side, it was really good. But then, of course it was good, it's chocolate cake with raspberry and whipped cream. I don't know where the pistachios were, though.
My boyfriend left much happier than I did, and I don't blame him. His meal was pretty much uniformly better than mine, which leaves me with the impression that Ardeo is just a very uneven or inconsistent restaurant. We both agreed, though, that the only reason we'd go back is if someone else insisted on it. You can easily eat a better meal for the same price in DC.
Also, someone needs to tell their hostess not to wear flip flops with hot pink toenails to work.
I came here for my birthday dinner over Memorial Day weekend and loved every minute of it. We ended up having 4 courses and every one was absolutely delicious. I even tried their charred octopus and loved it! Not only was the food good, but the service was amazing. They made fantastic recommendations and the sommelier was spot on with the wine. Would go here again in a heartbeat!
What happens when I'm given the task of finding "somewhere new and different" to take my committee chairman and vice chairman when they were in town recently? Since they're staying nearby at the Marriott, I decide to head away from downtown and up to Ardeo. I had never been, but always heard good things.
Folks, this was an excellent choice to wine and dine my members. Everyone in attendance raved about their meal choices and the ambiance and decor was perfect for our needs.
I must share with you all what I had for dinner because it was so gosh darn good (and rather unusual for me to choose). I had the special of the night - diver scallops on a bed of peas and mushrooms in a white wine reduction. Now, I don't like peas, especially cooked and mooshed, but the mushrooms, wine and oh yeah, the SCALLOPS sold me. It was one of the most wonderful tastes I've had in a long time. I ate every last morsel. The scallops were perfectly cooked and buttery, the peas were wonderfully sweet and mingled beautifully with the mushrooms and wine. Oh I just adored this meal. So much that I forgot what I had for dessert. Seriously, at this moment, I can't remember my dessert (that's saying something right there). I remember that it was good...but I digress.
My dining companions had the duck, the pork, the linguine with shrimp, and the chilean seabass. Oh and we had starters that ranged from asparagus with goat cheese, to the peekytoe crabmeat (that was mine and it was yummy), to the special oyster stew. Everything was wonderful except for the stew from what I heard.
Wine list was extensive and had some lovely choices.
On the down side, the service was rather odd. Our server really knew his stuff and was more than happy to provide info when asked. But that's the key..."When asked." He kind of went and hid the rest of the time. And he wasn't overly friendly. The other noticably off thing was the oyster stew. Two folks in my party had it, but couldn't find any oysters in the stew, nor any flavor of oysters. They felt as if they received corn chowder. If you're paying for oysters, I think you should want to get oysters.
Overall, a solid experience. Great food, lovely ambiance, and very accommodating to a larger party. I would plan to return if I'm up that way again. Anyone that can get me to eat my peas gets a nod in my book.
Sunday Brunch on a Sunny summer day so it was most definitely a Champagne brunch kinda day. We ended up in Cleveland Park and stumbled upon this place. They escorted us through the restaurant and upstairs to the patio... A nice outdoor patio awaited us complete with an umbrella for shade and a view of Connecticut Ave.
we ate drank and were very merry in the process. Then we ordered our brunch. I had the Pumpkin Challah French toast. that was perfectly grilled and stuffed with bananas. The lady had the Eggs Benedict with crabmeat which was awesome. the severice was weird because at times since it was only 2 tables seated, it felt like we were left to our own devices to get help. but they did keep the champagne flowing!
overall i'd give brunch here 2 thumbs up. it's reasonable (most items under 16 bucks) and they were filling. the semi-upscale arrangement was nice, and for all of you that wanna try the dinner menu, Sunday & Monday they have a Neighborhood Dining Menu. Every Sunday and Monday evening, Ardeo features a 3 course menu for $30.08 per person from our dinner menu. Choose an appetizer, entree and dessert.
This place is refined: the menu, the drinks, the wine list, and the staff were all on their game when we slid in one night late without reservations. We had appetizers, wine, and dessert and everything we had was excellent. Our waiter was attentive, but serious, yet knew the wines and the offerings.
Like some others, we felt a little rushed--initially we assumed it was because they let us in later in the evening without reservations, but other reviews here have stated the same thing.
We'll definitely return as this place seems like a great place to take friends, family, or a date to impress.
The whole "...and will that be tap or bottled?" isn't my scene, but this place was classy, not stuffy, and THAT I definitely love. But aside from what works and doesn't work for me....
They put wonderful little corn muffins and scone/cookies on the table. Tip: definitely dip the scones in your coffee.
Had the orange infused marshmallows and beets and pistachios for the app. Excellent mix of flavors and you keep making wonderful little discoveries- pistachios here, goat cheese moose there.... I would never think to put pistachios with marshmallows and I love combos like this that inspire you to start experimenting (...and fail miserably).
I chose the spicy sausage fritatta with broccoli rabe and a side of potatoes with onions and peppers. It definitely needed salt. A lot of it. I always give the chef the chance of trying his/her food without salt first of course, but this was a salt-needy dish. The frittatta was souffle-like: bursting with steam, fluffy, light, delicate yet very satisfying and I was stuffed by the end of the meal. Potatoes were perfect, too.
I'm a liiittle confused about the decor- red seat covers, chestnut wood, blue/gray/green everywhere else. It's the red seat covers that throw me off and it's almost like they HAD to accept them at the last minute because the restaurant furniture supply store screwed up or something. It's discordant. They need like a cream/beige color to complement the rest of the palette.
PS I'm SO there for the $25 Sunday brunch- two plates (about $12 a piece anyways) and champagne.
PPS They print your full credit card on their receipt copy. This aggravates the HELL out of me. Lavandou and Jandar do that, too. (Please see my reviews.) I'm not having it and ask to speak to the owner every time this happens. What impressed me in this particular situation is that the owner actually knew the law that I cite every time this issue comes up. About a year ago, DC passed a law that made it illegal for restaurants to print your full 16-digit credit card number on their receipt copy. The owner explained that, "that law only applies to the customer's receipt and we keep it in case there is something wrong with the batch number." I liked that he was informed and through no fault of his own this is the STUPIDEST $@$@#%#^ LAW EVER!!! How does this protect the CONSUMER?? I mean hello???!!! Isn't credit processing immediately accepted or declined? Why does my card number need to linger in the back room to be thrown out later with the trash and discovered by some identity thief? Don't worry, though, MY copy doesn't have any such dangerous information......
Wake up DC councilmen. DC Statehood? Yes, please!
I recently enjoyed Sunday Brunch here with my girlfriends on the cold rainy morning following The Gold Cup. I had the pleasure of drinking 8,567 mimosas between the hours of 12 and 5 the day before, and promptly passed out at 6pm for the remainder of the night - missing out on the fun of Saturday night, yet thankfully missing out on a wicked hangover the next morning. Waking up refreshed at the glorious hour of 7 AM, I had nothing to do but dream about food, which resulted in planning the perfect brunch for my friends and I. Nosed around online, and sought out a spot that served what else but ... bottomless mimosas!?
Two of the four of us were deathly hung over, the third had just purchased a new Macbook and wanted nothing more then to go home and play with it. I forced everyone into the car anyway, and off we went. Colby promptly barfed in the alley upon arrival, and hung back just in case - we trekked on. Strolled in and were promptly seated at a lovely window seat despite being 1 more than our reservation and 30 minutes late. The space is very modern and swanky, but not over the top. Just enough to give you a speck of sophistication where you're say, throwing up in an alley minutes before and not looking/ feeling your best. Speaking of, Colby popped in a few minutes later looking revived, and smiling. A waiter immediately surfaced with water and a lovely basket of breakfast breads to cure our woes; we dove in. I went with the $25 unlimited mimosas (!!!) with choice of an Appetizer and Entree from an ample list of options. I went for my usual combination - Mussels and Eggs Benedict. The mussels were plump and succulent - the biggest I have ever been served in this area. No bread for dipping though - whats the deal? Is it the damn carb scare? They are a necessary combination - its just the rules. I barely remember ordering the benedict, but I am fairly sure thats because I was on my 5th or 6th mimosa (they are not stingy with the refills) at that point and already full of mussels - but I dutifully finished every last bit of food ... and drink. My roommate ordered her usual combination of sides (bacon, fruit, home fries - all on one plate), Colby forced down a few bites of a burger despite still feeling rotten, and our fourth bruncher got the eggs benny and loved them.
Not the most optimal conditions, but we powered through and had a successful brunch nonetheless.
Went in on Friday with a group of 4 and we were all very impressed. Though not by design, we all had seafood of some kind- I had the salmon, 2 others the Tuna steak, and one other diner the Rockfish. All were excellent! The Salmon is prepared mildly, letting the fresh fish speak for itself. It was accompanied by a tasty pureed chick pea, and some kind of honey glaze. It was extremely fresh and one of the best pieces of fish I have had in recent memory. Both in our party liked the Tuna, though one of them thought it was too rare (note, I finished it and enjoyed it). Deserts were excellent, though not large enough to share. I recommend the blueberry financier which is a polite way of saying a mini blueberry muffin with lemon sorbet.
Also an excellent wine list- we had a $36 Malbec which was an excellent value.
Highly recommend!
Three of us stopped in on a Friday night and I have to say it was spectacular. The service was very friendly and suggestive. We started with the mussels in tomato broth with chorizo sausage. The mussels were perfectly cooked and very fresh. Like little soft tasty pillows. Other appetizers were the grilled squid and the Carrot, Apple Ginger soup with Sambucca cream. Yummo!
For entrees, I had the rockfish with sauteed fennel and shiitake mushrooms. It was a generous portion of rockfish. Again, perfectly cooked, soft and meaty with a well seasoned crust. My companions had the Linguini with Basil Cream, shrimp and artichokes and the Diver Scallops with Cauliflower and hazelnuts. Both were exemplary, but I have to say, my Rockfish took the prize.
Desserts were out of this world. We shared the Pear Upside down cake and the Chocolate Hazelnut Caramel bar with chocolate milkshake, then we also split a cheese plate. Really fantastic! We will definitely go back.
http://www.hardypartyr...
Our friends took us here for a great meal. The food was very good, but the service was a little lacking - our server was a bit on the green side (but very nice). Would definitely return if I lived in the area...
Today was the third time I've had brunch here. Elegant atmosphere. My friend, a regular, has even spotted celebs here, including Jim Lehrer and Gloria Steinem.
One of their sides is made of delicious little fried potatoes with peppers. But when it comes to entrees, the portions are a little small for the price. Also, if you're a vegetarian in the mood for something savory/salty, you might be out of luck. There's french toast and waffles, but most of the other entrees have meat. (Upon request the chef will make the entree minus meat, but then you can tell something's missing, and it just isn't the same as having the vegetarian choice to begin with).
Genuinely friendly service elevates Ardeo above your average neighborhood restaurant.
Remarkable dishes include:
Tasting of Panna Cotta
Asparagus and goat cheese in brick paper
Pear Upside-down Cake with Carmel Sauce and house made Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Ardeo is a great place to meet friends for wine and appetizers, although their entire menu is impressive right down to dessert. Cleveland Park has a solid block or two of great places to eat, and I think Ardeo/Bardeo is one of the best places in the 'hood.
The owners have spruced up the inside a bit recently, and they have a rooftop bar that's open during the warmer nights -- always a plus. The menu includes fancier items like mahi-mahi, but you can still find a cheeseburger, although it probably won't be the best one you've ever had.
They have valet parking here, which is a plus because this neighborhood can be a nightmare to park on the weekends.
Ardeo is one of my favorite restaurants in this city. I've been there at least a dozen times and every time the service is wonderful, the food is inventive and delicious, and the atmosphere is upscale without being pretentious.
Dessert is not to be missed, just ask which one is the best.
They always have a great selection of fish dishes. And I almost never order fish out until I started going here. They combine it with rarely seen vegetables that you wont normally use at home and make it more interesting than the steak. How they make parsnips and brussel sprout leaves delicious, I have no idea, but I applaud the chef for making the least liked veggies in this country a must have!
Portion sizes are perfect, normally a bite or two more than enough (and those usually go to your dining partner anyway!).
Brunch in the warm weather on the balcony is a wonderful treat and is quite affordable (under $15/person).
Ardeo is always my first choice for my birthday dinner with my parents or friends.
Based on my brunch with my parents today, I will definitely give 5 stars. The soup of the day (sunchoke) was delicious, my appetizer of goat cheese, asparagus and grilled endive was awesome. The burger was one of the best burgers I have ever had.
I cant wait to come back.
Update: 2/16/08
I came back for dinner. It was even better than I expected. The mussels and the short rib app were delicious. The Sea Bass was perfectly prepared. My pork tenderloin was awesome.
I really hope that this was not a random good meal. I will definitely return soon.
Just got back from dinner here for restaurant week. Ardeo was absolutely packed so the host sat us in a booth in Bardeo with an option to move when something in Ardeo was available, although we just decided to stay in Bardeo because it was much more relaxingly subdued and lowkey. For an appetizer I had the heart of romaine caesar salad, which was tasty, if not somewhat sparse and I had the hamburger for the main course. The hamburger was succulent and flavorful, and the bun was toasted, although in my jaded hamburger aficionado opinion, it's never good when you run out of hamburger before you run out of bun. It's a thing. I'm always happy to order hamburgers in fancypants restaurants because it's nice to be able to order ground beef medium rare and not be playing e coli roulette. Hopefully.
For dessert I had a chocolate souffle with vanilla ice cream on the side and it was not bad, although the souffle had already mysteriously broken open and leaked its chocolately goodness onto the plate.
Inexplicably, they had citron and mandarin hangar one vodka, but not the straight vodka.
I love Ardeo for brunch, and have been once for dinner. The food at dinner was really good, but it was a little too pricey. The brunch, however, is extremely reasonably priced.
For brunch, I almost always get the Eggs Benedict, with crab meat. The serrano ham and crab go really well together, making the dish perfectly salted against the creaminess of the hollandaise. Serrano ham just might be my favorite meat in the whole world. The Lobster Bisque soup is really good as well. A few times I have gone, there has been a Basil Bloody Mary on the menu, and it is great. I am not particularly a fan of Bloody Marys, but the Basil one always had me excited for Brunch.
Normally, the restaurant is not crowded, but there are definitely always people there. It wouldn't hurt to make a Brunch reservation, but I don't think it is strictly necessary. The one time I went for dinner it was pretty crowded, but it was also 8 o clock on a Saturday night.
Went here for my going away dinner during restaurant week.
It was fabulous. The service was wonderful for a FRIDAY night and a group of TEN. The waiter was friendly about our one late arrival. And the food was fabulous. Unfortuantely they only had 1 vegetarian option for the entree - but my 3 veggie friends were happy. The Chocolate peanut butter bomb was a HUGE hit. I didn't have it but it looked great.
In brief - I couldn't think of a better send off from DC than to have a delish, elegant, but low key meal with friends.
Ardeo has taken advantage of the new pricing for Summer Restaurant Week 2008 and upped their Sunday and Monday 3-course special to $35.08. The food's still good though.
I'd rate them up there with the best. Their Kurobuta pork loin dish is borderline genius! The… Read more »
Ardeo could learn a lot from it's little sister (or brother?) next door, Bardeo. Why doesn't Ardeo have the same wonderful list of wines by the glass? Or the same interesting appetizers? Hmm...
But the entrees are definitely a cut above, and the prices are reasonable for the DC area. Nothing spectacular, but some interesting combinations that show culinary thought- not too many things on the menu that you're likely to spend the time making at home.
3 stars because there are still other restaurants I'd recommend to friends first, and I thought the dishes were a little salt heavy. But if you're in the area before a movie at the Uptown, this is a great bet.
I love this place! It's a low key place that has a great food at a very reasonable price. It has lots of varieties in the menu. If you're into wines, it also has a nice wine bar.
I always enjoy my meals at this sophisticated Cleveland Park restaurant. The service is friendly and the food inventive, which a rotating seasonal menu. I've only been for dinner, but the 4-5 times I've eaten there have been excellent. I've heard great things about their brunch and have grand plans to give it a try. This is a place you can go for a cozy dinner for 2 or w/ a large group of friends. Just make sure you make a reservation as it is often busy on the weekends.
Great location with a relaxed, yet upscale atmosphere. We got to sit right in front of the open windows that open up to Conn Ave which got the night off to a great start. The food was excellent and the service was attentive right from the beginning. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone.
Ardeo/Bardeo is a nice restaurant/bar combo.
Ardeo = restaurant
Bardeo = wine bar (clever huh)
As everyone else says the service has always been top notch for me.
I've whined about Cleveland Park parking enough...
Food-wise Ardeo will not disappoint.
I'm more of a steak and potatoes type of guy, but oddly enough what stands out most in my memory was the Pear Upside-down cake that my girlfriend ordered.
Unfortunately, she loved it, so I only got a bite or 2.
Great date/double date spot.
The food is good. The staff is fantastic. And Bardeo is even better.
Oh God. Yum. I had a fantastic special here. Short ribs and potatoes and other stuff that was of the green vegetable variety. Good service. Delicious desserts. Yay.
Restaurant 3 of 3 for restaurant week and it was the most disappointing of all. I think I just really enjoyed my other two dinners this week (@ Komi, Butterfield 9) that I had high expectations for Ardeo. I started with a goat cheese salad which was the best of the three courses. The monkfish with cranberry beans wasn't anything special. And the chocolate peanut butter bombe, as decadent as that sounds, wasn't anything special. I did however enjoy the wine flights, which is why I'm giving this place 3 stars.
Ardeo keeps its menu hip and interesting. I went there for a birthday dinner. We started out in Bardeo where I had a lovely glass of sparkling rose. We then proceeded to a long indulgent meal at Ardeo. I really thoroughly enjoyed the duck with caraway spaetzle I had. It left me convinced that everyone should eat more spaetzle. Some of the other items tried didn't knock it out of the park quite as much but were delish anyhow. Everything on the dessert menu sounded amazing, but I ended up just having a couple bites of someone else's chocolate bomb- I think that's what they call it! It was pretty much as good, and deadly, as it sounds...
Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Adams Morgan
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Cleveland Park
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle
Category: American (New)
Washington, DC
Category: American (Traditional)
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