Dauphine's

Dauphine's is the newest restaurant concept from the team behind The Salt Line. Led by critically acclaimed Chef Kristen Essig, Dauphine’s is inspired by the playful spirit and iconic cuisine of New Orleans. Chef Essig will work closely with Chef/Partner Kyle Bailey to utilize Mid-Atlantic ingredients to prepare classic Louisiana fare while also creating original dishes inspired by the city of New Orleans. Dauphine’s is located within Washington, D.C.’s Midtown Center, a new development at the site of the former The Washington Post building at 15th and L Streets NW.  Closest Metro is McPherson Square.

For our last dinner out for 2021, we went to Dauphine's for oysters!  We started with a sampler of local raw offerings - today featuring Orchard Point from MD, Sea Stone from VA and White Stone from VA.  They were all light in salinity but super fresh and cold.  They paired well with the bottle of cava - 2015 Raventos I Blanc Conca Del Riu Anoia, Brut ‘De La Finca’ from Catalonia, Spain.  The light bubbles and bright notes of apple and pear were celebratory and fun.

For appetizers, we shared the Mirliton & Pig Ear Salad with arugula, walnuts, Asian pear, and aged gouda.  The salad was refreshing with different textures and Keith loved it.  

I also wanted chargrilled oysters and ordered the house special - Oysters Dauphine with spinach, horseradish, and lots of shaved pecorino.  They were very tasty.

To continue my oyster dinner, I enjoyed the Oysters Spaghetti for my main course.  Bucatini was tossed in a buttery sauce with fresh sauteed oysters topped with green onion and bread crumb.  This dish was quite decadent and I enjoyed my last glass of sparkling cava with it.  

Keith ordered the Cochon de Lait - pork belly & collard green roulade with red beans and mustard seed.  He ordered a glass of pinot noir to accompany this dish.  He liked the pork and beans and was happy to have a little more of the Cajun flare.

With his main, Keith ordered a side of Pommes Soufflé.  Puffed pieces of potato were light and airy and served with a sauce béarnaise.

Lastly, for dessert we shared Beignets dusted with powdered sugar.  They were a little more dense than I remember having in New Orleans, but tasted good nonetheless.  With it, Keith tried a Sazerac - a whiskey cocktail from New Orleans made with rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters and lemon peel.  It was a little strong and he would have preferred it over ice.

The server recommended the State Street Cocktail for me.  Attributed to Stanley Clisby Arthur in 1937, this crowd-pleasing and textured Gin Sour features flavors of pineapple, juniper, citrus and mint.

Overall, we had a great dinner at Dauphine's.  I loved all the oyster offerings and was happy to end the year with this lovely meal.

Total Rating: 4.33

Food: 4.5, Price: 4, Service: 4, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5