New and Improved
An accomplished chef revitalizes Indebleu

By Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 15, 2008

Sound Check: 75 decibels; Must speak with raised voice

Surveying a Thursday night crowd at Indebleu, a dining companion whispers, "You'd never believe we're in a recession."

So true. The swank, two-story restaurant, mere steps from the Verizon Center in Penn Quarter, vibrates with the conversation and laughter of a nearly full house. It's great to see such a lively room in such challenging times, but what surprises me more is how eager I am to snatch another bite of my friend's entree, tofu "tindaloo." It's a vegetarian dish of basmati rice scattered with glossy chopped bell peppers, shards of roasted asparagus and wrinkly cubes of tofu that tastes like a lot of consideration went into it. The aromatic rice, the crisp vegetables -- the pow! of peppercorns and the zing! of cardamom -- add up to an inspired combination. Plus, the food looks sumptuous.

Inspired and sumptuous aren't words I've used to describe Indebleu in the past, but the arrival of Michael Hartzer in February brings much-needed luster to the nearly four-year-old restaurant and lounge. While acknowledging the establishment's Indian heritage, the 32-year-old chef -- who made a name for himself at Michel Richard Citronelle and went on to cook at Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring and the late Viridian in Logan Circle -- steers Indebleu on a more polished, modern American course. The new Indebleu lists a dosa among the appetizers and cardamom-infused yogurt with a main course of lobster, and some previous dishes can still be found in the ground-floor lounge, but the venue is otherwise open to a wide world of ideas. And most of them are a treat for the senses.

Is a Caesar salad cause for applause? It is when it involves a hedge of close-cropped romaine, each leaf brushed with a bit of Greek yogurt spiked with cumin and chili, and when airy pappadams stand in for the usual croutons. (Skewered shrimp are an optional decoration.) You may have seen something like it; Central Michel Richard serves a similarly staged salad. Clearly, five years under the masterful Richard were not lost on Hartzer, who evokes his mentor in his artful arrangements and in the way he employs contrasting textures to engage his audience.

Consider a first course of foie gras, in which a slice of soft liver rests atop a cushion of lightly toasted brioche. Rich on rich, those elements are joined on the plate by lightly bruleed orange segments, arranged just so and interspersed with lines of pistachios crushed almost as fine as powder and drizzles of both orange and chili oils. The intrigue continues with a glossy reduction of port, spiked with cloves and star anise, and balanced with bittersweet chocolate. A bite of the succulent liver followed by a bite of the juicy and crackling fruit-and-nut garnish -- let's just say the end comes too soon. Tuna tartare is likely to be with us for years to come (is there a contemporary American restaurant that doesn't serve some variation of the raw fish appetizer?), but Indebleu adds something fresh to the form. Hartzer's glistening chopped tuna is capped with an emerald spread whipped up from cucumber, jalapeno, fresh herbs and pureed garlic. The cucumber lends crunch and the chili adds punch to the fashion statement, whose base of tuna gets its kick from toasted mustard seeds and mustard oil rather than the usual soy sauce.

The Indian accents here are mostly subtle ones, such as a garnish of roasted cauliflower, stained yellow with garam masala and presented with a trio of big, fat, caper-carpeted scallops; or a lightly curried slaw bookended by two crisp crab cakes. One of the most impressive appetizers elevates the common dosa (a thin lentil pancake) by filling the wrap with fleshy mushrooms and grated manchego cheese, and setting the construction on a dark green sauce of peas and saffron. The dish tastes true to its roots, even as Hartzer plays with it; the teasing heat of the filling comes from smoked paprika.

Steak is one of those dishes a lot of restaurants feel compelled to offer. Hartzer serves filet mignon, cooking it just the way you ask, but he makes it more fun by adding a pink coin of herbed lobster butter to the lightly charred surface of the tender meat. Potatoes and a green vegetable serve as companions, and, like the centerpiece, they're a little decadent. The whipped potatoes taste as much of butter as spud, and the broccoli rabe's usual bitterness is offset with sauteed garlic.

Among the holdovers from the previous kitchen are a couple of desserts that deserved to stay for the party. They include the light and dreamy dome of mango mousse and a many-layered wedge of opera cake.

As they have before, Indebleu's servers inform diners that the food is meant to be shared and comes out as it's ready. In reality, I've always been served small plates (a.k.a. appetizers) followed by large plates here. And, as in the past, the music choices aren't always ideal accompaniments to dining. One early evening visit began with rap, which sounded out of place given the hour and the backdrop. (If you are sensitive to noise, earlier is still better than later.) The main dining room on the second floor is as chic as ever, its burnt-orange walls adorned with modern art, and its tall windows flanked with sheer curtains stitched with tiny mirrors. Indebleu's proximity to Verizon Center, and the day of the week, can determine the kind of crowd you'll see. Suffice it to say, hockey fans are different from hip-hop devotees, and weeknight diners skew older than customers on Friday and Saturday nights. But both camps might agree that Indebleu's pre-event, three-course menu for $30 is a nice deal in this part of town. The entree choices include a twist on a common fish -- salmon served as bars in a wispy potato crust.

I have a few food nits. The focaccia that replaced the wonderful rosemary naan ought to be improved or retired, and a few dishes could use some pruning: Coriander-crusted tuna topped with rings of pickled onion and a sauce of dates and olives is sensory overload. The best reason to order the ordinary duck breast is the chance to try its accompaniment: The Anaheim chili pepper stuffed with cashews and duck confit is a lovely meal all by itself.

It took a few tries, but Indebleu is where it always should have been: closer to the top than to the bottom.