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3321 Connecticut Ave. NW
(202) 966-3002
Hours of Operation and Prices
Lunch: M-F 11:30-2:30; Entrees: $9.50-$13
Dinner: Sun-Th 5-10, F-Sat 5-11; Entrees: $13-$17
Pre-Theater: Daily 5-6:30, $15
Other Information
• Credit Cards: All major
• Reservations: Recommended
• Dress: Casual
• Parking: Free
• Nearest Metro: Cleveland Park
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This Provençal restaurant is so small you might have to squeeze past diners to reach your table, and when it is crowded, the close quarters and low ceiling turn it into an oven. So why is it continually popular? Its Cleveland Park neighbors love its countrified French look, its menu of little-known Provençal dishes and its gentle prices. Regulars find the service friendly. And those who know their way around the menu find some very appealing food.
Newcomers, on the other hand, have to put up with erratic service -sometimes the waiters are jolly, but it can be difficult to flag them when you need a drink, a fork or the check. And the cooking is no more consistent than the service. An appetizer of chickpea crepe is topped with zesty, well-dressed crab meat and capers, while an entree of lentil pancake with grilled sweetbreads tastes as if the sweetbreads had been boiled rather than grilled, then served without seasoning.
The choices are adventurous, with fish dishes such as grilled tuna in a feisty, aged vinegar sauce on a bed of white-bean puree, or bouillabaisse of cod, and old-fashioned meat preparations such as daube of beef, lamb stew with artichokes and bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin cooked in Provençe's bandol wine. So Lavandou can be worth the inconveniences, and your second visit is likely to be better than the first.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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