Ardeo (DC)

In the heart of Cleveland Park lies Ardeo—perhaps D.C.’s best kept secret. Ardeo use to be two establishments—Bardeo, a wine bar and Ardeo, the restaurant. Now only Ardeo remains.

Simply put, Ardeo is my favorite D.C. restaurant. In fact, it may be my favorite restaurant, period. The service is sublime. The food never disappoints. I’ve dined at Ardeo perhaps a dozen times – every Sunday after mass. Last week I visited my parents in Rhode Island and Tom and I drove back to D.C. for nine hours straight in order to visit our favorite place. Ardeo is that good.

I’ve sampled too much Ardeo food to write about it all but standouts include the foie gras, the pork cacciatore, the chilled corn soup, the tuna tartare, and the crispy brussel sprouts. The foie gras is creamy, served with a side of Brioche toast and fig mustard. The cacciatore is filling and comes with a crispy bacon top. The chilled corn soup is bowl licking worthy. The tuna tartare is served with grilled watermelon and pistachio nuts. The crispy sprouts rival Rasika’s famous flash fried spinach. The desserts here are divine—the pecan pie with Bourbon ice cream is a must.

The service is absolutely perfect. Last week they sat us at 930 even though the kitchen closed at 10. The manager asked if we wouldn’t mind closing out our check at 10 and gave us a complimentary drink and a dessert sampler. We thought the sampler would include small bites. The sampler consisted of four FULL desserts. Like I said, the service is impeachable.

I describe Ardeo as D.C.’s best kept secret only because it’s never that crowded. We’ve never had a reservation and we’ve always been accommodated right away. It’s a beautiful place too—candles everywhere and you eat under arches filled with wine bottles. It feels romantic and homey at the same time.

The only thing Tom and I weren’t wild about was the brunch here but even the brunch is better than most.

5 of 5 spoons!

Moderately expensive ($$$).