Best New Revolutionary Cafe

(March 2007)

By Warren Rojas

There's certainly no shortage of fancy French cooking in the Northern Virginia area. Still, it's always a pleasure to see talented chefs cross the Potomac to practice their craft in more intimate environs-as is the case at neighborhood gem, Bastille.

Ex-Aquarelle toques Christophe Poteaux (savory) and Michelle Garbee (sweets) fled the District for the spot formerly occupied by the Cajun-themed Café Marianna. Patrons are now greeted by glossy wood tables, refinished hardwood floors and cheery paintings by local artists that leap out from walls awash in earthy brown and deep burgundy tones.

Garbee maintains a watchful eye on both sides of the house here, often pausing to personally instruct staff on potential wine and even gourmet beer pairings to accompany Poteaux's nouveau French cuisine.

A snazzy crab and crawfish cake reveals a lemony patty of fresh seafood (no filler here) served amidst a garden of fresh greens. An all-duck charcuterie tray brings fatty prosciutto with preserves, a crackly leg confit and a buttery rillete. Atlantic cod (nicely seared) is draped across a zesty mound of citrus-soaked risotto. Even the misses are somewhat praiseworthy. Faintly sweet calamari beignets-clever seafood clusters of squid and shrimp in a deep-fried embrace-are terrific, but often get overpowered by their harissa (a traditional Tunisian hot sauce) yogurt mate. Likewise, a handsome croque monsieur is sabotaged by too much salt (salty butter on the bread butts heads with the equally salty country ham within), only to be redeemed by some grand homemade frites.