DCist: Bidding Adieu to Les Halles

KateR

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:33:07 -0500

how did I finally go there for the first time on Saturday and not know this was going to happen.... ha! At least we got to watch an awkward young dude in a suit have dinner with a hooker.

monkeyrotica

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:34:21 -0500

I'll second the cookbook. A much better experience than the restaurant, with far more obscenities. You know what would go great in the Les Halles space? Big gay night club. All the gay clubs that got shuttered because of the stadium construction? Move them there, right on main street. Rub America's nose in it. Show the world how gay-friendly DC really is. It's mostly office buildings that are closed after dark anyway, so it's not like they're going to wake the neighbors, and you're generating tons of fabulous foot traffic. Turn Penn Quarter into the Mission District like it was before all the straights took it over. You won't regret it. Think of the tourist trade. Just give it a snappy name like "Goatse's" or "Santorum's" or "Barney Frank's Pump House" and watch the gay dollars roll in.

Reid

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:55:45 -0500

This totally blows. I loved Les Halles. It was relatively cheap and it was a great pre-E St. Theater option. Bistro D'Oc is o.k.. The food and ambiance isn't nearly as good though. Not sure what they expect to put in Les Halles' space. Sounds like another Red Sage situation. They hike the rents, a successful restaurant has to close up shop, and the space sits empty for years. This is particularly annoying since landlords in the Metro Center area ought to recognize that the center of downtown gravity has shifted decidedly east. Anything west of 11th is pretty much fringe territory these days and should be priced accordingly. The one consolation is that I own the Les Halles Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain. It's a hillarious read, and the recipes are actually not that hard and produce some tasty meals.

monkeyrotica

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:54:47 -0500

C'mon, what's a little life-threatening allergic reaction when it comes to haute cuisine? I wish I were "stuck" with a place like Central. And it could be a lot worse. You're not really a Penn Quarter resident unless you've had Wolfgang Puck personally give you the finger at The Source. PS: Parking was ample.

ajw_93

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:06:21 -0500

Ugh, now we are stuck with Central? (We won't talk about the fish-cooked-with-shellfish-when-I-warned-them-about-my-allergy that made me sick for three days after my last visit there.) I guess I'd take Bistro d'Oc, which definitely has its strong points (not least is the attractive maitre d')...but the onglet is just plain not as good. Neither are their frites. LH's frites were the best in town. I have been to LH many, many times and will deeply mourn its passing. Yes, it was hit-or-miss service most of the time but I never had a complaint with anything on the menu or from the bar. The croque monsieur and the chicken sandwich were two all-time favorite lunches. The city changes, which is fine...I'm just sorry I didn't get a chance to have some farewell frites!

Krisa

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:59:13 -0500

Is that seriously considered Penn Quarter? I always thought of that section as the Pennsylvania Avenue DMZ bordering Penn Quarter and Metro Center. Been there a few times, but gotta agree based on all the other factors, rent is a pretty lame excuse for why it closed. And I definitely am not seeing the 'glitz' factor of that block of unpopulated fringe of space surrounded by federal buildings, offices, and the tourist destinations just beyond.

monkeyrotica

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:57:57 -0500

Central's tartare is filet mignon; add a side of caviar and you're about as close to Schlemmerschnitte as you're likely to get in this burg. Les Halles served top round, if you're lucky. If not, it's leftover steak scraps, veal buttholes, and waiter snot. When you're eating it raw, it's best to spend the extra cash. And that goes double for prostitutes.

common_tater

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:49:22 -0500

Rarely, if ever, had a service problem at Les Halles. A great place to have a civilized outside meal. I always had a nice time at a reasonable cost whether lunchtime, early supper, singles, groups. Also, I don't think of it as having been in Penn Quarter, but I'm not in charge of the maps.

Ian Buckwalter

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:46:57 -0500

Yikes, 24 bucks? I'm gonna have to ask Gothamist for a raise to cover my tartare fix.

Bob

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:46:42 -0500

I proposed to my wife there. So between this and the new GMU mascot, DCist has served up a veritable one-two punch on me this morning. Jeebus...

monkeyrotica

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:41:56 -0500

Where am I to get a pre-cinema Steak Tartare before heading to E Street?!? Dude, it's called Central. With fries. $24. You know what to do.

OldPosterKnownAsCranky

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:41:43 -0500

Loved me their steak frites.

Ian Buckwalter

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:37:27 -0500

There's one important item missing from Bistro D'Oc's menu. Where am I to get a pre-cinema Steak Tartare before heading to E Street?!? Guess I'll have to settle for kitfo.

hungeegirl

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:37:03 -0500

really? i had no idea. their fries are pretty tasty.

DcRat

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:24:07 -0500

I never had a problem with their service and I was there a bunch of times. I found it a great go-to restaurant when I wanted steak frites and perhaps a cassoulet. I will mourn their passing.

monkeyrotica

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:16:39 -0500

No suprises that Les Halles blames high rents rather than the quantum singularity of suck that is their service. They have the reputation of their three other locations to worry about. But I'm sure there are hoards of touristy morons who think they'll spot Tony Bourdain at one of them. Apart from the onion soup and the steak frites, there was never any reason to go there. Everything Les Halles failed at, Bistro D'Oc does better and, often, cheaper, minus the 'tude.