Relationships are about mutual interests and compromises. Just ask Claire Wilder and her husband, Ari, whose holdings include Chaplin’s, Zeppelin and the young Kappo. And Rob Aikens, the England native whose cooking you might have enjoyed at Ghostburger, Le Diplomate and elsewhere, and his wife, Rachel, a restaurant designer.
The Wilders aimed to open a French place. The Aikens aspired to sell hamburgers. Both couples hoped to do their thing in Georgetown, and all four were smitten by the corner space vacated last spring by Booeymonger, the sandwich institution that fueled legions of Hoyas over five decades. The quartet took over the space in February 2023 after working out an idea that pleased everyone: a menu marrying French accents and burgers.
The owners’ joint venture, rolled out in January, is the 40-seat La Bonne Vache — “the good cow” in French.
The small storefront is off the beaten path, but not hard to find. Look for a line that sometimes compares to the one outside Georgetown Cupcake and that demonstrates the enduring appeal of burgers and French cooking, never mind that burgers and French cooking are in abundant supply nearby and elsewhere in the city.
Washington’s affection for the two actually “helps us a bit,” says Rob Aikens.
If you ate at the charming Cashion’s Rendezvous before the seafood counter abruptly shuttered in the Square downtown, you got to sample the work of Scheyla Acosta, the chef de cuisine at La Bonne Vache. A native of Barcelona, she previously served as executive chef for a coffee roaster in New York and a private chef in Kuwait. In a fun twist, Acosta recruited her former boss, Ann Cashion, to help out a couple of days a week. (Nothing like having a James Beard award winner pitching in.)
Acosta is following the recipes created by chef Aikens, who relocated to London in March last year with his wife and kids to be closer to his family. The appetizers reflect his love of France and his tenure at one of the most popular restaurants in Washington and Pastis in New York.
Chopped poached shrimp draped with a French take on Thousand Island dressing feels like a ladies’ lunch that lads will love, too. The seafood cocktail is served in a buttery avocado half next to some hearts of butter lettuce. Throw in a glass of rosé, and it feels like Friday night even midweek. The gougeres arrive hot, with a dip of whipped cream cheese spiked with paprika; both the cheese puffs and the spread are impossibly light. The kitchen excels at pairings. Witness the smooth and delicate foie gras parfait, served in little tufts and flattered with singed orange segments.
While the salmon rillette, rich with butter and creme fraiche, is history now, I won’t forget its shocking-green cucumber slices, made possible by blanching, then dressing them with dill oil.
Perhaps you want a salad before your sandwich. Grapes sweeten endive and blue cheese, a mix finished with mustard dressing; sliced roasted beets with crisp apple underscore the affinity the two have for each other. The addition of tangy goat cheese and hazelnut dressing to the latter creates a salad that would taste at home on either river bank in Paris. The Good Cow includes some good vegetables.
Rachel Aikens kept some memories of Booeymonger in her rethought interior. Regulars of the sandwich shop will recognize the radiators hung near the low, pressed tin ceiling, also inherited. Otherwise, the floor, walls and green tiles are new, only made to look as if they’ve been around for ages. The price points take the sting out of the clatter. Sandwiches average $15.
The signature burgers start out with some pedigree. Each four-ounce patty combines a mix of brisket, chuck, short rib, hanger steak for some minerality and “strip with a little age on it,” says Rob Aikens, who worked with the acclaimed Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors of New Jersey on the mix. The burgers are then dressed to suggest a French dish. “Steak au poivre” uses green peppercorn in its aioli; beef “Bourguignon,” dramatically stabbed with a steak knife, is coaxed from winy braised short ribs, smoky bacon and sweet, soft onions. The crusty LBV Classique, on the other hand, proved a little dry, despite its Gruyère sauce and dill pickles. (Cheers for the substantial cloth napkins, served in neat twists.)
I like most of the beef burgers. I’m partial to the fish, though: steaming battered cod, audibly crisp with panko and nestled in its bun with cool shredded lettuce and tartar sauce. (When she auditioned for the owners, Acosta created a bouillabaisse burger that helped her land the job but has yet to appear on the menu.)
The other sandwiches are half-good. Chicken paillard with shaved vegetables is a satisfying filling that gets no respect from its baguette, which bends when you want it to crackle. (Other interiors feature shaved rib-eye and Black Forest ham.) At least the dense bread is toasted before it’s served.
“Nurturing from afar,” says Aikens, who regularly talks to Acosta and his business partners. The next time they’re on WhatsApp, they might also consider replacing the french fries with better than what they’re buying now, crisp but vapid. (I don’t expect hand-cut fries from such a small and busy kitchen, but good commercial potatoes exist.)
The staff combines industry vets and college students, and you might be surprised who does a better job of taking orders and delivering plates. I understand, the place isn’t Marcel’s or even Bistrot Lepic, but it’s irksome when people take your order and promptly forget it, or just stare off in space when multiple tables are trying to get their attention.
A couple of times, I found myself at the gray marble bar, in the hands of a guy whose mistakes were smoothed over by his sense of humor. When the wrong dish came out, I let him know. “Well,” he shot back, “would you like to try it?” Unlike one of his colleagues, the bartender pointed out that my bill included service.
The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, and “most people are miffed by it,” says Ari Wilder. La Bonne Vache isn’t a place where diners tend to camp, however, so tables turn over briskly. (The expert crème caramel is worth a linger. Not that I want any line to get longer.) The format appeals to quick dates and young families; the tight seating means you’re likely to chat up strangers.
While my last conversation with a neighboring diner was one-sided, I appreciated the toddler offering me a french fry. I took the gesture as a welcome. When I thought about it afterward, though, maybe he was trying to get rid of it?
3265 Prospect St. NW, 202-222-0620. labonnevachedc.com. Open for indoor and outdoor dining and takeout 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Prices: Appetizers $10 to $16, sandwiches $12 to $21. Sound check: 80 decibels/Very loud. Accessibility: A second door on Prospect Street includes a ramp. Dining rooms are snug; the restroom is ADA-approved.
Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/03/29/la-bonne-vache-restaurant-review/