Today’s edition of Tasting Table DC highlighted the recently opened Del Ray Cafe located on E. Howell Avenue:
Del Ray du Jour: Pause any tim
e of day at Del Ray Café
Exquisiteness has swerved toward the homey in Del Ray.
After years spent mastering fine French cuisine at Old Town’s La Bergerie, Laurent Janowsky has embraced a homier vibe at his new Del Ray Café.
Janowsky’s strategy began long before any guests glanced at their menus. The restaurateur refurbished a split-level home, creating a country-inspired retreat with sliding barn doors and a screened-in porch overlooking the yard. Inside, classic Gallic songs filter through the rooms while the kitchen–presided over by La Bergerie veteran Sylvain Tonello–prepares crusty baguettes, herb-speckled roast potatoes ($5) and thick, summery dishes of ratatouille ($5) from breakfast through dinner.
The day starts with buttery pains au chocolate ($3), or eggs flanked by rotisserie ham, potatoes and warm bread with goat cheese ($14). By dinner, the kitchen is preparing snails in garlicky butter ($6) and tender local rabbit loin ($27) with smoky bacon in a light thyme sauce.
You can easily recreate the experience at home: The Café’s nightly carryout special ($17), available from 4 to 9 p.m., will send you home with a three-pound chicken, roasted potatoes and a warm baguette.
Read another review of Del Ray Cafe from The Food Nomad.
