Cafe Deluxe, Cleveland Park

Cafe Deluxe is one of those restaurants that you've been to many times because it's there; a neighborhood joint, not quite a "destination"......well at least it used to be so........
When it opened in Cleveland Park (more like Cathedral Heights) back in early 2000 (I think), it was "the" place to go in the neighborhood. Touted as having a French Bistro feel, it serves mostly american comfort fare. The location it currently resides on Wisconsin Ave, NW, just a block from the National Cathedral used to reside a Thai restaurant, which name escapes me. The decor is geared to look like a Parisian Bistro; dark wood bar, booth tables with white table cloth and covered with white butcher paper; the servers all wear white Dress shirt and tie with long bistro aprons.......classy. Cafe Deluxe also offers outside seating with red umbrellas. The ambience........really just a neighborhood joint that offers a slightly fancier look and offerings. Within the last year or so this particular location has expanded; the consignment next door to them closed and Cafe Deluxe took it over and now offers seating up to 160-200, and the opportunity to have private functions.

The prices are very reasonable, most of the featured wines cost under $10, main courses $12-20. Starters ranging from Asian inspired crispy chicken spring rolls and Ahi Tuna to Roasted beet salad; Main courses contain your typical items: Steak, Fish and Chicken and a lamb shank that is decently prepared.....not always.
They also have hot sandwiches, but unfortunately, I usually pass on sandwiches......especially the cold ones, although the burger follows the trend of using a Brioche roll. On one occasion I tried the lump crab cake with corn and asparagus, while decent and well prepared....it is so outdated. I remember preparing a similar dish during my stint as a chef back in 1999. The grilled meatloaf should be passed on......while novel when it first opened, it wasn't very well prepared then, it still taste the same now, never mind the grilled description.
Skip the salmon, it has yet to evolve in the way it's prepared. FYI, farmed salmon should be avoided as much as possible, they're not environmentally sustainable and taste watered down compared to its wild brethren.....enough of my salmon rant......
Just last night I went with a good friend for a pre-concert dinner; we shared the roast beet salad (typical these days to have this on the menu) which was good, but not different than what Matchbox offers. We also shared the herb roasted chicken and the special of the evening: grilled grouper fillet with corn sauce, tomato relish and risotto cake.The grouper was good, nicely prepared, not dry or overcooked and perfectly seasoned; the corn sauce, a nice sweet compliment to the fish..........BUT again that is so '00 and passe.....
We also shared the herb roasted chicken, served with mashed red potatoes and asparagus......now you've probably heard me saying that I almost always pass the chicken on the menu, however, this time I was surprised by the flavorful of the preparation. It was a half chicken, semi bone-in, roasted with a dry-rub; most likely thyme, tarragon, oregano.....but there was this sweetness that is hard to describe. It was a perfect combination of earthy, savory and sweet. The garlic mashed red potatoes is probably an instant pre-prepared product; unfortunately the asparagus was slightly overcooked.

Dessert choices are pretty much a pass, but if you need to get one.......rule of thumb, almost always get the Creme Brulee if offered on the menu.

In summary, Cafe Deluxe passes for a fancy neighborhood bistro with reasonably priced gourmet-like food preparations in need of reinventing itself at some point.


Cafe Deluxe, Cleveland park
3238 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington DC 20016
Cafedeluxe.com

Prices: $20-30/pp, appetizer w/ main course and a glass of wine, tax and tips not included