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400 N. Capitol St. NW
(202) 737-0400
Hours of Operation and Prices
Breakfast: M-F 7-10; Entrees: $5-$8.75
Lunch: M-F. 11:30-3; Entrees: $8.75-$16.25
Dinner: M-Sat 6-10; Entrees: $18.75-$21
Closed: Sun
Other Information
• All major credit cards
• Dress: casual
• Free parking garage after 5
• Nearest Metro: Union Station
• Handicapped Accessible
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The more chefs come and go in this city, the more we ought to appreciate those with staying power. And Robert Greault at La Colline, above all, deserves tribute. His La Colline is a last bastion of such French classics as quenelles de brochette Nantua and tripes a la mode de Caen (updated with fresh morels in season). But he hasn't rested on his laurels after all these years. His menu is also modern enough to encompass current trends. He smokes his own salmon and trout, he stuffs ravioli with lobster and shiitake mushrooms and he dresses his tortellini with smoked portobellos and sun-dried tomatoes; he flavors his chicken salad with Asian peanut dressing in a Francophile bon bon chicken and his shrimp comes with Thai curry sauce. Knowing there isn't much you can do to improve on simply sauteed soft-shell crabs with a squeeze of lemon, he doesn't do much, just sprinkles them with an inspired mixture of pistachios, pecans and walnuts. If you're looking for richness, head right for the
terrine of fresh foie gras, the real thing, at a mere $8.75 for buttery luxury. Or remind yourself of the heartiness of authentic onion soup under a blanket of cheese.
If you prefer something light, salmon is delicately cooked and subtly dressed with a julienne of leeks and a light moistening of vermouth sauce. That will leave room for a dessert from the irresistible array on the rolling cart. Key lime pie? It's as tart as you could wish. Lattice-crust apple pie? There's no flakier puff pastry, no more tangy and fragrant apple filling than La Colline's.
As befits Capitol Hill, La Colline is quiet and discreet, its high-backed leather booths allowing privacy and its quietly dignified environment endowing every conversation with a sense of importance. No wonder it has staying power.
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