WTN: Two French white wines with dinner at Lavandou in DC

My second Restaurant Week special of the weekend was at Lavandou, in Cleveland Park area of DC not far from the National Zoo.
My first visit to Lavandou, a small Provencale-inspired restaurant with closely situated tables that invited friendly exchanges with other diners. (A former rowing coach at US Naval Academy and another university was one of the diners. Another one was an Army chaplain who was delayed in returning to Fort Sill, OK due to the ice storms in the Plains.)
I again chose to select from the special 3-course menu ($30.00 excluding beverage). I chose a salad of three greens with puffed pastry and baked brie as starter, koulibiac salmon filet in puff pastry with spinach and mushrooms as the entree, and orange crepes as dessert. With the appetizer and entree I drank the 2004 DOMAINE LVDM CHAVIGNOL (Sauvignon Blanc) and with dessert the NBV MUSCAT DE BEAUMES DE VENISE, Vaucluse, France.

The Sancerre or Chavignol wine was medium gold in color and very clear. It possessed a citrus nose including lime and minerals. The lime carried over to the taste with a nicely structured mineral backing. Fairly long finish. Refreshing libation with the salmon dish.

Perhaps an even better pairing was the Muscat de Beaumes de Venise with the oranges crepes. I recorded the percentage of alcohol as 18% by volume, but this sweet fortified wine concealed the alcohol well. It tastes somewhat sweet but not overly sugary. Pale to medium gold. Leaves tiny droplets on sides of glass rather than vertical "legs." I couldn't quite decide if the fragrance was more floral or fruity (stone fruits such as peaches and blossoms such as honeysuckle or orange blossom). It matched very nicely with the slight tang of orange zest and the orange liqueur in the crepes dish.

[James Roscoe]

J.C. you should have let us know you were in town. We could have sponged off you like we sponged off Hoke last month! I hope you enjoyed your stay. Look us up next time. We're beginning to get a crowd here.

I'll try to do that James. I did meet up with friends from another wine forum in Baltimore on the 15th. We met at Samos in Greektown where the corkage fee is only $2.00 (they don't have a liquor license so it's BYOB). Also, the sampler menu "Taste of Samos" is copious food (about six or seven traditional Greek dishes) for $18.95 per person. Didn't know if you would be willing to travel to Baltimore but I will try to coordinate with you in DC on my next trip.

JC

I do not get up to that part of DC much, unless you count the Red Line a few hundred feet below stree level, so it was very nice to read your post - thank you. I'll have to take a long lunch hour one of these days. Restaurant week is really a wonderful idea and I wish it would happen four times a year. And yes, do post a note on the offlines page, I'd really enjoy meeting fellow WLDGers from the area.