Bistro D'oc
(between N E St & N F St)
Washington, DC 20004 (202) 393-5444
- Nearest Transit:
Metro Center (Red, Blue, Orange)
Gallery Pl-Chinatown (Red, Green, Yellow)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
15 Reviews for Bistro D'oc
I went to Bistro D'Oc with a coworker for lunch. We shared snails for appetizer--those were pretty good. Selected the roasted chicken for lunch. It was mediocre, at best.
The waitstaff were pretty helpful and service was solid. The decor was cute, as well. The walls are painted deep red and adorned with photos of France.
Overall, however, I'm not sure I'll be scrambling to return. It didn't really "wow" me.
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I really wanted to like this place. My friend and I were trying to find a suitable place for our buddy's birthday. It's super hard to find a reasonably-priced place that will accomodate 18 people with just one week's notice - so we thought we'd hit the jackpot with this place. "18 people? For 7:30pm? No problem!" the friendly hostess was only too happy to take our reservation (and keep changing it - what can I say, our friends are flakes who don't RSVP until the last minute!).
Fast-forward to the day of the dinner... 3 hours before dinner, I'm happy procrastinating away at work when I get a call. "Oops, so you actually have to go through our event coordinator for parties over 8. We can put you at two tables - one for 8, one for 4... oh yeah, and it has to be at 7pm." WHAT??? Cue Hulking out. So now, 3 hours before the dinner is scheduled, we find out we have to disinvite 6 people and move the whole thing up half an hour? Screw that. We quickly canceled our reservation and moved to the party to La Tasca in Chinatown after some frantic calling around and text-messaging.
The capper? During our lovely dinner at La Tasca (who were extremely accomodating on such short notice and didn't screw anything up), my friend gets another call from Bistro d'Oc. "Where are you? Did you forget about your reservation for 18?" Either they were just trying to mess with our minds at this point, or there's some serious lack of communication at this place. Needless to say, we won't be giving this place another shot.
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My girlfriend and I stopped in here for a quick cooling off before catching a flick over at E St Cinema. We were quite disappointed to be served an utterly flat vodka tonic. I'll explain why below, but the problems that caused this and the issues that followed speak of a poorly designed, ill-staffed, and mismanaged bar. I can only hope that the series of issues with the bar don't carry on to the food and wine. This place looks real nice inside and I'd hate for it to be all decor and no substance.
Okay. So we order two drinks, real simple: Vodka tonic, gin & tonic. I like Tanquerey. The bartender didn't bother asking what I wanted. Since the bistro looked quite nice, I assumed perhaps it was the sort of place that doesn't waste time with well alcohol. I was wrong...
1st problem:
missed up-sale.
As the bartender prepared our drinks, we chuckled at the fact that she pulled out a little stubby glass bottle of tonic to use as mixer. It's a bar, why wouldn't they have tonic in the soda gun? We then saw that all sodas were served to customers directly in those (stupid) little glass bottles. We cringed a bit as we realized the tonic wasn't refrigerated and was 1/2 used used up... we were getting old, flat tonic.
Second Problem:
The tonic is old and flat and warm, and the bartender doesn't seem to notice or care. This is actually a couple of problems.
2a:
The bartender shouldn't be serving it, that's just basic quality control. It should be refrigerated and that's probably just a lazy bartender not bothering to put it away.
2b:
If there's any left in the bottle after pouring a drink, it shouldn't be saved. I imagine that's probably stingy management that doesn't mind serving crappy product to save a few pennies on a high profit item.
Third Problem: Stubby glass bottles
They aren't classy. All they say is "these things are a huge waste of packaging and shipping. We don't give a damn about the environment. Excessive packaging is cool. They cost a fortune, and we pass that expense directly on to you." There's no good reason to serve sodas from these at a restaurant or bar. Soda guns give great control over temperature and fizziness, are very cost efficient, and dramatically cut down on waste. More to suggest poor management.
After we got our drinks, the bartender darted off to do sidework. She didn't check back. Eventually a guy came by to clean the bar. We asked him for a replacement.
Fourth Problem: The bartender just plain sucks. She's not paying attention to seemingly anything around her.
The guy helping us looked around for tonic, saw the 1/2 empty bottle on the counter used for the not-flat drink and looked quizzically at it, then asked what I got in a suspicious manner. I politely (though now annoyed) explained that the two drinks came from separate bottles, and the one he was holding would be fine. He then topped off the flat drink with a splash of tonic, with maybe 1/4-1/2 oz of tonic, tops.
5th Problem:
Don't question the customer over something as trivial as flat soda.
6th Problem:
WHY THE F@(% WOULD ANYONE THINK ADDING A DROP OF SODA COULD FIX A FLAT DRINK?!
In a slightly less polite tone, I told him that topping off the drink wouldn't help and that I'd like a fresh drink made without flat tonic. The guy grabbed the vodka, realized that it was Stoli's, which apparently wasn't well quality. He then scolded the bartender for using stoli's for well, and went off to get some even cheaper stuff. He eventually came back to make our drink with the now downgraded vodka.
7th Problem:
Don't make a replacement drink with inferior product, even if the 1st drink was a mistake.
Of course my brief stay ended with a check that took way too long to be taken care of. The bar was dead. There was simply no good reason for the slow service.
This place obviously has a staff problem. Beyond that, I really wonder if the problem doesn't stem from higher up. The way the guy scolded the bartender implied he was in charge on some level. If he's in charge and topping off flat drinks like he did, then it's no surprise the service is so bad. I was going to give this place two or three stars because it's really nice inside, but now that I think about just how bad the service was, I just can't do that. It'd be one thing to get bad service at a dive or club, but this place is trying to be classy and upscale. As such, they're held at a higher level. If they can't pour a basic drink right or properly fix a very simple problem with agreeable customers, why should I expect them to be able to serve a quality meal with any skill?
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I come annually to the Grand Hyatt for business. For the past two years, the restaurant at the Hyatt has been closed and/or undergoing renovations, sending me out of the hotel for dinner. Read about one of my adventures (with kids) here: http://fleagirlsfleas....
I digress. The area around the Grand Hyatt is strife with bad restaurants. The concierge is very good at recommending breweries and sports bars. I'm a single diner, and a woman, and I want someplace where I'm not going to have to eat at a bar being jostled by noisy, drunken worker-bees (Matchbox), or compete with a loud tv just to think (Capital City Brewery).
I read reviews on Yelp for Bistro D'oc and passed by it the other night, thinking I'd return. I'm glad I did. Just three blocks from the hotel, and at 8pm on a Thursday it was winding down. I had the onion soup (always on the lunch menu, but a special on the dinner menu unless they run out at lunch); a lovely lamb tenderloin with creamy flageolets; and a macaroon. I tried a Red Chateau d'Orbe at $8.50 (the California Cab Sauv was $12--no way was I paying that for a middling wine from my back yard). It was okay, but nothing exciting. I asked about the house red and was told there was a merlot and a syrrah--I asked what the syrrah was and the sweet, earnest waiter had to run to the bar and bring me the bottle. It's only one of the three reds offered by the glass on the menu, sweetie...learn all you need to know about it!
The onion soup was standard fare. I forgot I always burn my tongue on it and have problems with the cheese. I felt very self-conscious with it as I was sitting next to the wait-station and staff kept rushing past me.
The bread was perfect--crunchy, pliant, tasty, everything french bread should be. I would have been happy with the bread and nothing else.
The entree was perfectly cooked to rare. It was a lovely, lovely piece of meat. Seared to a deep, carmelized brown on the outside, deliciously tender and rare inside. The flageolets were creamy and warm...though slightly over salted. A roma tomato was quartered and broiled or baked--and had next to no taste. Paired with the salty beans, and it was perfect.
I ordered a macaroon for $1.95 to have with my check. The cookie was pinkish orange and very odd. I believe there was some sort of berry cream cheese spread in the center. It was a tiny, cute, little puck of a thing. But I couldn't help thinking that for $1.95, it should have been delicious, and not wierd.
Tip to wait staff: when a customer drinks all their water, offer them more. Maybe they'll drink more wine and order more. Or eat more food. Or tip better. Oh, and when they order one macaroon and are by themselves, and put their credit card on the table after waiting for the check for 10 minutes, don't continue to stand three feet from them at the bar, gossiping with the other wait staff. I mean, if I couldn't see you, it wouldn't be a big deal. But guys, you were right in front of me.
All in all--a great option to the dreadful places around the hotel (do NOT go to the Hard Rock!!!). And how often can you say you ate across the street from where Lincoln was shot?
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Meh... I went here one night with a group of French people looking for authentic food. They really liked it (4/5), but I found it mediocre. The food might be a 3, but the prices push this bad boy down to a 2. Decent wine selection and pretty authentic food. Would make for a decent date place or if you are just looking for something different to do. Oh, it's DC so parking sucks... there is a garage across the street for like $5.
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Excellent fare. I've tried both the bargain pre-theater menu and the regular menu and think that everything has been very good. Excellent service. This is a good place for both a quick meal before a play or a more leisurely dinner.
1-08 I just returned and had the cassoulet - not as good as I remember in Toulouse, but still a hearty and rich combination of duck and beans served so piping hot it will warm you half the night. Others had mussels, hanger steak, and duck confit - all satisfied customers.
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Bistro d'Oc is where romantic ambience and reasonable prices meet up, make love and have beautiful children.
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This place like a hidden treasure. It is right around the block from E-Street Cinemas, has awesome food (not a terribly great selection for vegetarians, but what they do have is verygood) and it is never crowded! Try the Potage Parisien (leek, potato and carrot soup served with gruyere and croutons).
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I used to work at Bistro d'OC many moons ago. Sure, I've had my ups and downs with the place. Thankfully I've exited my post-college waitressing stint and I've gained some perspective on some things.
So here goes:
The owner-family (the Greniers) are very sincerely-stubborn, starkly-hospitable, and honestly-proud. These qualities -- whether attributed to their Frenchness or not -- is what makes Bistro d'OC and its food some of the most genuine and tasty food -- French or otherwise -- in the Deece.
Everything is prepared fresh. I mean EVERYTHING. From the soup broth to salad dressing to the profiterol puff itself. And the fact that it's fresh and made in-house means Chef Grenier either took a look at it, tried it, or both. Needless to say, you'd be hard pressed to find Bernard letting something go through those swinging doors if it didn't pass his Languedoc (or his wife's Thai) muster (see: sincerely-stubborn).
Also, as I just mentioned, the food is prepared in one of two styles, or sometimes a mixture: either that of Languedoc-Roussillion, or Thai, or both. It's very genuine in that regard. So many French-food connoisseurs should understand that he's focusing on what his family knows best, and doesn't give a crap about what you think should fly. The d'OC is there for you to enjoy, plain and simple. Don't go if you don't like it...it saves a lot of time and energy if that's simply understood before you sit down to eat. Of course, if there is something "wrong" with your dish, he will come out and apologize/explain and promptly take care of the problem. Because he wants your food to be GOOD.
Many folks I waited on who had any complaints about the D-O-C I don't think understood what that place is about. It's a BISTRO, not a cafe nor a restaurant, and in France that means something different than the Americanized/glamorized definition of a "bistro." Basically, you will only get what you ask for, and there's no time or imperative reason to make sure you feel like a princess. You'll get a slab of butter, some fresh-baked baguette and a cup of water...and anything else will be out of your pocket; even a refill on a soda (at $2.50 a pop). But you'll also get some genuine Southern French cuisine with the occasional Thai influence, as well as the satisfaction of knowing that it came from the real deal: the Greniers themselves.
PROS:
-very affordable, yet genuinely-gourmet
-one of the coolest and authentic atmospheres in a DC restaurant
-vast array of French aperatifs and down-to-earth wines (they're hesitant to have any non-French wines on their menus)
-family-owned and operated
-some seriously good food
-Greniers make servers read LaRousse's Gastronomique book in their downtime
CONS:
-your picky attitude
tips: tip the server in cash; they take some if your tip if you do it via credit card
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I would recommend this place for lunch or dinner if you're in the area -- but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
My fiancee and I went for brunch. Everything he had -- including escargot -- was excellent, especially the corn soup.
I ordered an omelet with spinach and some kind of seafood. It was nothing special. Nothing. I also ordered the lemonade (it was a sweaty day) and they brought it without ice and it a tiny tiny cup. To get a refill, I would have had to pay full price for another small glass.
The restaurant itself is cute though and in a neighborhood with not much else around, you could do worse than to eat here.
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Although I have worked at Metro Center for over a year, a colleague recently introduced me to Bistro D'Oc. I am pretty mad that it took me this long to hear about it! I have eaten there twice this week alone!
This is a very cute little restaurant, and it is right on 10th street. If you are walking, avoid walking up 10th from Pennsylvania. It takes your right past the Trolley Tours stop and several tourist boutiques and information centers, which can be a hassle if you are in a hurry, or like to avoid tourists.
Anyways, the original menu at Bistro d'Oc is fantastic! However, they have this giant board of specials that they prop up next to your table. I swear they have as many specials as they do items on the menu! If they have it, the asparagus/crab appetizer and also the chicken fricassee in green curry sauce are both FANTASTIC! The onion soup is also great.
For dessert, by pass everything and get the profiteroles. Absolutely fabulous. I have also tried the creme brulee, which is made with pineapple and rum. Very good too.
This is a very good French restaurant, and also very affordable. They never seem overcrowded, but have a steady business at lunch.
Definitely give this place a try!
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The food and atmosphere were both good. Very good, even. More points to the atmosphere though. Comfortable, home-y French country style. Warm colors and wood throughout. Friendly people. However, the service from said "friendly" people was a bit confusing. We were asked by three different people in the first 10 minutes if they could get something for us to drink. Then two different people whether or not we were ready to order. After that they seemed to get it together. (Not counting the giant serving spoon they delivered to my dining companion for her soup, but this was quickly corrected when we asked . . . someone else.) For a restaurant and -wine bar-, the wine selection in the restaurant and general bar area was pathetically limited. And the house red...wow. And not in the good sense. In the astonished, accurate, overheard words of a diner at the table next to us: "This tastes like barely fermented grape juice!"
Overall, the food and atmposphere were good and the experience was . . . entertaining.
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Bistro D'oc is a great place to get some good French food in the business district. The atmosphere is very warm and charming and the menu is quite extensive. I had the braised lamb, which was very soft and tasty. The best part of the night came with the profiteroles for dessert, which I highly recommend.
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This a great little place directly across the street from Ford's Theater. It's very cozy and the food is good, although not entirely French, as the name suggests. I had the duck liver pate - which was spectacular - but was somewhat disappointed when the croque monsieur I ordered was just a ham and cheese croissant. Still, it was a good ham and cheese croissant. The wine list consisted of less than 10 selections, but I had a very nice rose and the desert was really really good. Berries, marscapone cheese, cookies and vanilla liquor. I'd go again.
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Bistro D'Oc is far and away our favorite casual French place in the city. The food is high quality and, dare I say, prepared with love? Enthusiasm abounds here, for uncomplicated, tasty food like the most perfect roast chicken I've ever had, great pate, escargot, and wonderfully prepared but simple meats and fish.
On top of the food, Bistro D'oc has a warm atmosphere, with friendly and helpful staff (and owner). Two stories. First, when quizzed one night about a drink on the bar menu I hadn't heard of before--quinquina--the chef/owner very helpfully explained what it was, and and poured me a glass himself from the pitcher sitting on the bar. Best of all was the enthusiasm he clearly had for this homemade conconction (which was wonderful, by the way, as an appertif...I highly recommend it). Nothing is a better marker for a restaurant than when owner and staff show obvious pride in their offerings.
Second story: we had been lucky enough to find a parking space right out front, but when we were leaving found a line of tourbuses parked on 10th street blocking our car (the restaurant is right across the street from the Ford's Theater, so this is not an uncommon occurance). When the host overheard my wife and I describing the situation, he nearly burst out of the restaurant ready to confront the drivers.
Wonderful place...please try it if you haven't already. It was mostly empty the last few times I've been there, and that is starting to worry me.
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