Bistro d'Oc gets a thumbs up from me.

I feel like the ubiquitous "bistro" is reaching a critical mass in downtown DC, which honestly is good. I like bistro food because of the smaller portions and less formal atmosphere. Eating at a bistro is less of an "event" and more about dropping in and having a quick bite with a glass of wine. This is something that I think has really not been perfected in the US, especially with the failing dollar. Going out around here has to be this huge production, with mammoth portions and more showing off in the kitchen (which has its place, but not when you just want a smoked salmon plate and a glass of champagne at 4 p.m.!).

Anyway, I tried Bistro d'Oc with my co-workers last night, and I really enjoyed it. It's restaurant week in DC, so there's a bit of give and take with the quality of service and cooking vs. getting a good deal on your meal. We all ended up ordering a'la carte, partially from the RW menu, and from the regular menu. The best part of the meal was the RW butternut squash soup with coconut foam. This was my first experience with "foam," though I hear Jose Andres is doing some nice things with it over at Cafe Atlantico. I liked it quite a bit more than my standard scoop of sour cream that usually goes into my squash soup. The duck confit (which I always mispronounce!) was more pedestrian, but duck confit is always delicious. This one has very tender mushrooms, and the nicest part, crisp round fried potatoes, perfectly seasoned. Dessert (RW opera cake) was really not great though it was topped with a nice ganache.

So I give it a thumbs up for a casual night of food, and I'll definitely be back for more duck (though I might try the breast with black currents next time).

Knitting pics will be up soon, as soon as I can find my tapestry needle for end-weaving. The dratted thing has mysteriously disappeared, and there is a disturbing lack of craft stores around here.