Leigh M.'s Profile

This is a true wine bar. The staff and ownership has extensive knowledge of wine, but even more importantly, they make it accessible. There are nightly flights of red, white, rose, and bubbly, and the descriptions of all the wines on the menu would take a good evening sitting with a glass to sip just to read through!

The food is top-notch. I hope they added the special avocado bruschetta to the menu: thin slices of ripe avocado with chopped pistachios atop grilled bread might be the most perfect tapa-style dish ever created. I have tried most of the smaller dishes on the menu; the calamari and rock shrimp (fried, of course...fried things seem to be a theme in my Yelp reviews) were the best I've had just about anywhere, and that includes the ten years I spend living in New England! I also had the fish "entree" special the first time I went -- the entrees are smaller than your typical main course, to allow for sharing several among the diners. White-fleshed fish is sometimes bland, but this was so perfectly cooked, seasoned, and absolutely delicious I refused to give a bit to my companions. The cheese offerings are also high quality, a must at a wine bar; they don't shy away from offering powerful triple-cremes and pungent blues. Bread, cheese, and wine might be the only three food groups I need...in which case, Cork, can I move in?

It's a terrible thing to live just two blocks from this place...at least, from my wallet's perspective.
I absolutely love everything about Brasserie Beck except that I'd knock five or ten bucks off the prices and kick some of the overgrown frat boys out of the bar when they get too deep in their cups. Not that the food isn't worth either the price or the annoyance, because it is! Huge fan of the pate de campagne and the beet salad, not to mention a delicious duck almondine, salads filled with chopped egg, blue cheese, bacon, shallots, and all the good stuff that hides the lettuce, homemade lamb sausage, and desserts that shine like a beacon at the end of a night of food and drink -- all are definitely, if not value, then at least more than on the mark for DC price points. The problem is that I want to eat there all the time, and I just can't afford it!
Amazingly for giving this place a glowing review, I'm also not a beer drinker, which is where BB puts most of its expertise. The wine list is nearly as expansive as the beer list, however, and I have never gone wrong with one of their fine roses or reds to pair with my mussels or their country pate.
Highly recommend the patio on the summer, too; perhaps not the most scenic view, but they open up special beer taps just when the outdoor dining area is available, so the beer lover in your life will appreciate it.

Bastille does a simply wonderful Sunday night "family dinner" prix fixe -- three courses for $27 (cheese instead of dessert, supplement $4; cheese AND dessert, supplement $12).
The wine specials are always superb -- excellent bottles in the $15-25 range, and sometimes even less. They also offer both 3- and 6-oz pours for wines by the glass, which is fairly unusual at a restaurant not marketing itself as a pure wine bar.
And the Sunday night dinner...wow! The entire menu, including any specials, are up for grabs on the prix fixe. Every dish is crafted with a rustic elegance that fits the concet of a "gastro-bistro" -- great food in a bistro atmosphere.
Both times I have been to Bastille, I've had to have the goat cheese cromesqui (little fritter) salad with frisee, toasted hazelnuts, and dates, with vinaigrette.. Getting a bit of each in one bite exemplifes what Chef Christophe does so well -- the interplay between textures and tastes sweet/tart/creamy/crunchy.  A special of braised lamb shank with fig sauce and pommes puree was fall-off-the-bone tender, each bite a delicious contrast of meaty, full-flavored lamb and jammy sweetness. Sauteed broccolini provided a bit of crunch and texture beside the silken potatoes.

Dessert, a local apple tatin with brandied creme fraiche, was brilliantly executed, the perfect size for one, with the apple slices retaining enough of their bite to prevent the tarte from dissolving into a goopy, if caramelly, mess.

Other dishes live up to the standard. The duck charcuterie included part of a confit leg as well as duck prosciutto; the calamari and rock shrimp beignets could serve as a light meal or easily feed two or three diners as a starter. The steak frites is spot-on for true French bistro dining -- cooked precisely to order with a pile of perfectly crispy, salty, peppery fries. The creme brulee arrived with just the right ratio of crackly sugar crust to sweet vanilla custard.

Totally worth the drive; Bastille is one of my absolute favorites! ($$$ only for including wine + prix fixe; fewer courses or less wine and you're down to $$.)