New French Restaurant, L’Avant-Garde, Opens

L’Avant-Garde opened at 2915 M St NW – the long-awaited sister to cocktail bar L’Annexe, next door. The 100-seat restaurant is helmed by Gilles Epié, who was the youngest chef ever to receive a Michelin star. (Nevermind what the rest of us were doing at 22.) The Southern French menu is infused with butter, foie gras, truffles and fish all shipped from France, and includes dishes like caramelized-roasted cod with Moroccan semolina and fried leeks, duck foie gras beignet, octopus with baby potatoes, a roasted sweetbread with caramelized endives and baby onion, and a white chocolate and lemon panna cotta. The cocktails are equally impressive, such as Thyme is of the Essence, featuring vodka, thyme and lavender-infused Cointreau, grapefruit, and raspberry shrub. According to Eater DC, Georgetown’s Boulangerie Christophe is partnering with the restaurant on its breads, desserts, and pastries.

(Photo by Scott Suchman)