The Mayor

If one is looking for a nice, formal dining experience with all the genteel charm and grace of the latitudes, I would be hard pressed to recommend an alternative to Lemaire at the Jefferson. There are options with decidedly more “exciting” food or a more contemporary décor/youthful vibe, but what tips the scales in Lemaire’s favor is the overall stately feel to the dining experience, sans too much stuffiness. While my notes from last year that Lemaire “lacked in general diversity” still ring true for some categories, I must say that after some recent visits, I’m pretty pleased with the level of maturity it has attained and the number of check marks it satisfies on my imaginary dining list.

No dawdling around waiting for water refills, no laminated, flimsy menus, no cramped seating in rickety rooms. The wait staff have a certain degree of professionalism about them, manage to rotate efficiently and are able to add some of little touches one expects in a restaurant attempting for a certain class (folding napkins when a patron visits the restroom for example). After my recent rant on announcing special pricing, I was particularly pleased to see our wait staff recite the prices of each special. The dining rooms can get a little loud (although a conversation in muted tones is easily within earshot), the bar is particularly raucous at times but perhaps it’s the vaulted ceilings or the generally opulent feel to the architecture that seems to mellow things down. The food is pleasant and elegantly constructed, complemented by a very decent selection of wines. VA sourcing (naturally) and regionals like kale, collard greens, mac n cheese, black eyed peas etc make appearances both as sides and in dishes, albeit of a fairly standard repertoire. Currently offered - a rather interesting prix-fixe Picasso tasting menu for $50. Chef Bundy, I guess the overall ambiance of the Jefferson and typical clientele might necessitate a certain degree of circumspection about your menu, but it would be great to see your imagination fly and go wild with a dish or two.

Lemaire is not inexpensive, but it compares very well (and exceeds on certain counts) with several of its peers (@ a price point that includes practically every restaurant in town that successfully (or not) aspires to a certain cred).
And it’s on Open Table!