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127 N. Washington St., Alexandria, Va.
(703) 548-4661
Hours of Operation and Prices
Lunch: M-Sat 11:30-2:30; Entrees: $7-$14
Dinner: M-Sat. 5:30-10; Entrees: $14-$20
Pre-Theater: T-Th 5:30-7, $16
Closed: Sun
Other Information
• Credit Cards: All major
• Dress: Casual
• Reservations: Recommended
• Parking: Street
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I'm not sure how Le Refuge does it. It crams in so many tables that neighbors become intimates, and the walls are decorated with empty cheese boxes and wine bottles. Yet it's still one of the most charming French restaurants in town. Despite the come-on of unopened wine bottles on the tables whining for you to buy them, and the waiters' tired-looking open-collar shirts, Le Refuge looks Parisian. Its pink tablecloths and vases of small flowers brighten the scene a bit, but mostly it's the friendly bustle that does the job.
The regular menu is a 1950s American version of a French restaurant: beef Wellington, salmon in puff pastry, onion soup, pâté, bouillabaisse and chicken in mustard cream. The specials, though, are more modern. And the list of options is long, though the quality of the cooking varies so much from dish to dish that it is hard to recommend a strategy for ordering. One oddity works in your favor: Le Refuge is one of the rare restaurants whose entrees are the best dishes. So you might as well order some sure bet such as a salad to start, and concentrate on the second course. While the leg of lamb is cut so thin you suspect a machine did the job, it is well infused with garlic and moistened with a nice brown sauce. What solidifies the perennial appeal of Le Refuge, though, are the vegetables. A whole array surrounds the entree: a rosette of whipped sweet potatoes, a fan of zucchini and tomato slices, florets of butter-drenched broccoli and satisfying, old-fashioned potatoes lyonnaise all on one plate.
For dessert, you can forget the '90s with ice cream-stuffed profiteroles or a wedge from a giant fruit tart. Don't plan on lingering for the evening, though. You'll probably be shamed into relinquishing your place to the waiting diners looking hungrily at your table.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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