Corduroy Restaurant

Today is Biscuit Boy’s birthday and to celebrate, we went to Corduroy last night for dinner. And to sum it up in one word: Heavenly. Corduroy, in my opinion, is under rated. Hidden away in the Sheraton Four Points Hotel, it lacks street visibility. But that just makes it a hidden gem. It’s also easy to get to via Metro, just a short walk from either the McPherson Square or Metro Center Metro stations.

I met Biscuit Boy in the bar where he was sipping on a Guinness. I order a glass of a malbec whose name has slipped my mind but it was a very nice drinkable red. We finished our drinks just in time for our 7 p.m. reservation.

(Note: Each dish below has been rated on the biscuit scale of 1 to 5 biscuits with 5 being the top rating.)

After being promptly seated, we began to study the menu. The waiter let us know about an appetizer special, Lobster Salad with Basil Oil. There wasn’t much to decide at that point for me. I wanted to try the lobster. We decided that rather than get an appetizer each, we’d share one in hopes that we’d have some room left for dessert.
It was brought out to us on two separate plates, always a nice touch. A small circle of marble-sized bits of lobster sitting on very thin slices of cucumber and topped with radish sprouts sat in the center of a plate ringed with bright green basil oil. The dish was superb! The sweetness of the lobster, the slight bitterness of the radish greens and the peppery flavor of the basil oil were absolutely wonderful. I passed on the cucumbers. We have a mutual dislike for each other. But I’m sure it’s cool fresh flavor would have been great with the other flavors. This dish made me want to go back to Maine where we had some of the best lobster ever a few summers ago.
Biscuit rating= 5 biscuits

I ordered the Peppered Tuna cooked rare and served with Sushi Rice and Hijiki (a Japanese seaweed). Now one would think the tuna would be steak like in shape, maybe an inch thick and about the size of your palm, right? Nope, this bad boy was a 2-inch round by 3-inch tall block of tuna. It was set on top of a bed of sushi rice which only made it look taller as it was set before me. It was set in the middle of a square plate decorated with minced chives and I think some ginger and sesame oil. The sushi rice had the hijiki on top of it as well as some very thin slices of lotus root which added a nice crunchy texture to the smooth and almost creamy rice. The tuna was rare in the middle, very fresh and very tasty. I did encounter a little bit of a membrane in between some of the layers of tuna that made if hard to cut easily but it didn’t affect the taste at all. It was a nice well balanced, easy on the palate dinner. Almost soothing.
Biscuit rating= 4.5 biscuits (only because of the membrane issue).

Biscuit Boy ordered a dish that was making its debut on the menu. Pan Roasted Sardines served with a Black Olive Vinaigrette and potatoes. Four sardines about 1½ inches wide and about 7 inches long were served with the vinaigrette drizzled on the center of the plate. The potatoes looked like they were diced pieces set into a ring mold and plated, about ½ inch tall and 4 inches wide. The sardines being an oily fish really needed the balance of the vinaigrette. And they were delish. By the time he was done with his plate there was nothing left but four fish heads a small pile of bones.
Biscuit rating= 3.5 biscuits

To go with the meal, we ordered a bottle of Verget Chablis. A very nice, slightly flinty, slightly buttery wine that was a perfect match for the lobster and quite drinkable with my tuna and his sardines.

For dessert, I contemplated several of the choices on the menu. I narrowed it down to three, a Pistachio Bread Pudding, a Chocolate Tart with Caramelized Banana or a Baked Chocolate Sabayon served with chocolate ice cream. Being a chocoholic, I finally decided on the sabayon. Biscuit Boy chose the Apple Tart.My dessert took an extra 15 minutes as it was baked to order. This was nice because it gave us time to have a cup of coffee and relax, which wasn’t hard at all at this point. And before we knew it, our dessert arrived.

The apple tart was light and fresh. The apples had a nice little bit of crispness to them and the crust was light and tender.
Biscuit rating= 4 biscuits

The sabayon was out of this world. When I took a bite of the sabayon with a little of the chocolate ice cream I shut my eyes and savored the flavors. Biscuit Boy asked if anything was wrong. Not at all, it was just the opposite. The hot sabayon just melted in your mouth and melded with the cold ice cream to create a sensation of bliss in your mouth. This was by far the best dessert I have had in a long time.
Biscuit rating= 5 biscuits

The service was impeccable. We never felt rushed. Water and wine glasses were filled with little notice. Our waiter was friendly, offered advice when we had questions and made us feel quite relaxed over the course of the two hours we spent dining. We will defiantly go back to Corduroy again and not wait for a special occasion. The bar there has long been a favorite of Biscuit Boy’s and the dining room may soon become one as well.

Our meal, including wine, dessert and tax was $138 (and worth every penny). Overall biscuit rating= 4.5

Corduroy Restaurant
1201 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-589-0699