My wife and I recently went to Le Gaulois for a quiet and romantic dinner.

Attire
We knew that the restaurant was casual (business attire -- not tie or jacket for me, and a nice skirt and blouse for her) and relaxed, which is what we were seeking. However, this casual atmosphere lends itself to a noisy often loud environment which distracts from the coziness of this warm restaurant.

Wine List
The wine list is small, but serves the needs of most any palate. The selection is uncomplicated, fairly priced and well suited to the entrée’s this restaurant offers. We chose a nice St. Julien, Bordeaux. They did not decant the wine, though this is not a restaurant where I would have expected a sommelier to be on staff.

Menu
We were very pleased to see the extensive menu with a broad variety of fish, meats, game meats and terrific vegetables. We avoided the standard menu choices and made our selections from the evening’s list of specials.

We made different selections for our appetizers and entrée’s so that we could enjoy a nice variety of what the menu offered. For our appetizers we chose a delicious poached pear, blue cheese and vinaigrette salad, and the more standard escargot in mushroom caps. Both of these were nicely done, though neither was remarkable. The pears seemed to have been poached a little too long. I suspect this is due to their having been prepared much earlier in the evening.

Our entrée’s were rack of lamb, French cut green beans, potatoes au gratin for myself and veal stuffed with various spices and mushrooms, coated with a very light marinara-esque sauce on a bed of pasta for my wife. We enjoyed both dishes. Though as with the appetizers, they were very very good but neither was truly distinctive.

For dessert we had a black current moose pie, in a sabayon and raspberry coulis . It was very very good and was the best dish we had all night long.

Service
As with our entire experience, the service was good but not outstanding. They took our order quickly, brought us the ritualistic basket of bread, and left us alone for a small while before bringing out the appetizers. The entrée’s followed in the natural order and we enjoyed a fine meal with a standard level of attentiveness by the wait staff. Dessert was delicious and our coffee’s were served in a timely fashion.

I know that our very American impatient natures were evident last night, and had we been in France or Europe, this level of service would have been outstanding, but in the US and Washington DC specifically, I felt that the staff was slightly behind the curve.

Cost
Most appetizers cost $2-$5 and entrée’s were in the $12-$20 range. The wines generally ranges from $10-$90 and there were options for glasses and half bottles which is always nice. Our bill for this special dinner was approx $125 not including gratuity.



Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations The red meat and game meat dishes appeared to be the most creative choices for entree's.
Best Suited For: Friends