Obligatory Restaurant Week Review Part 2

Setting afire to the hearts of the DCfoodies guy, Chowhounders and Don Rockwellians alike, Corduroy has become the hottest kept secret in DC. Being on the second floor of the Sheraton Four Points makes for an inauspicious location for ones of the best restaurants in the city. It is a weird dining experience to see someone soppy wet come out of the workout room as you dine. However, that minor quibble is erased by some of the best food and best service I've ever had. Being the last Sunday of retaurant week, we took J's mother who was visiting from Texas.

Let's start with service. With a 6:00pm reservation we were seated promptly. The friendly but not obsequious waitress (my favorite kind) was great about describing the food and recommending wine. I've said before that my standard of good services is how well they can keep my water glass full. That shows that they are paying attention. So not only does Corduroy pass that test with flying colors but I go into orgasms of delight by how well they are keeping our BREAD plate full. Usually we get a finite amount of bread or have to ask once the bread is depleted. This is particularly important when needing bread to sop up the delicious sauces that Tom Power's kitchen comes up with.

Onto the food. Dear god is that good. J had the mozarella porcupine which was interesting but mozarella is inherently bland. I thought it was a great summer dish because it was served cold but somehow the porcupine part was nice and crispy. I on the other hand, had the onion soup which was incredible. It hit all of the notes i love about a French onion soup, sweet, salty, savory, but was greasy. The puree had enough structural integrity not to taste like baby food. J's mother hd the salad which looked excellent. For entree, J had the much lauded scallops, I had the lamb with ravoli, and J's mother had the roast chicken. Both of our entrees deserved every single accolade they were given. Complex flavors that didn't get in the way of the basic goodness of the main ingredients. Roast chicken is something I would never order at a restaurant. I make an excellent roast chicken. However, I was wrong not to order it here. J's mother insisted we have tastes of her chicken and I was this close to reenacting the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally. I'll have what she's having indeed. The chicken is out of this world good. When we asked our server, she said that the chicken was poached first and then roasted. I am still tasting that chicken.

For dessert J had the hazelnut bars, his mother had the chocolate tart, and I had the creme brulee. The quality of the desserts can be summed up in one sentence - If it were socially appropriate, I would bring this ramekin to my lips and lick off all of the creme brulee.