A Downtown Newcomer Is the Sparkly French Soiree D.C. Needs Right Now | Eater DC
"Opening its swanky doors on Tuesday, July 29 at the prominent downtown corner of 17th and K Street NW (1700 K Street NW), this new French-grounded destination—its name means “secret agent” in French—unites a lauded chef’s longstanding recipes, bespoke music, and late-night aspirations. Co-owner Nasr El Hage says the restaurant is “rooted in the elegance of the Riviera” and, speaking to the venue’s social ambitions, adds, “I wanted a place that closes late on weekends, so that the good time continues after dinner, to dress up and go out, but not quite nightlife,” says El Hage. “You can have a great time at 8 p.m. or 12 a.m.” Chef partner Cedric Maupillier, who “shuttered his award-winning Shaw staple Convivial last December,” brings his South of France education and upbringing to the plates: the menu “draws from the Riviera but also every nice place in the Mediterranean that has sun, olive trees, thyme, rosemary, and lavender,” he added, even “where you can hear the cicadas chirp.” Maupillier also recounts the meeting that led to the project: “Nasr came to see me at Convivial while I was looking for new opportunities,” Maupillier recalls. “I was about to go on vacation back home to France when he started talking about the Riviera, where I was born.” The food program emphasizes grilled fish and seafood, plenty of vegetable dishes, regional specialties, and a short list of meats, steak-frites, and pasta; highlights include the heady broth-based Bouillabaisse Marseillaise, a dover sole served Riviera style, a vegan Bolognese, and Maupillier’s own must-have favorite: escargot. “I tried frogs; that didn’t work well – but Americans love escargot,” he says. Drawing from other Mediterranean landscapes, the moules gratinee gets heat from ‘nduja spice and Calabrian sausage from Italy; a roasted cauliflower receives a shower of Middle Eastern za’atar on a tahini sauce bath. For touches of luxe, the menu offers foie gras “opera,” a caviar service, and two shellfish towers—Le Petit at $110 and Le Grand at $240—with oysters, littleneck clams, mussels, lobster, shrimp, Tahitian tuna, and hamachi crudo. The bar highlights French spirits, aperitifs, and house infusions with cocktails like the Caviar Martini and a Provence Negroni; the bottled list includes a lengthy count of Champagnes and 400-plus wines focused on French coastal regions that “tell the story of the sea and French country,” says El Hage. The 6,493-square-foot space—formerly home to Kellari Taverna—was completely reimagined to capture France’s posh seaside spirit with light oak, marble, hand-blown glass chandeliers, and gilded accents, and offers booths, alcoves, bar spaces, and leafy veranda seats for lively postprandial conversation. Music and nightlife are integral: the restaurant is equipped with a Funktion-One sound system, a DJ booth and stage sit at the center, and the program includes live piano, sax, guitar, and violin performances for “sexy, elevated” sounds (DJs come in on Thursdays to Saturdays). Investors and partners include co-owner Nasr El Hage (a local real estate exec with Lebanese roots), Nellie Elana Gebrail, and Dany Abi-Najm (whose family is of Lebanese Taverna fame). “We want guests to feel things,” says El Hage; the goal of the restaurant, adds Maupillier, is “l’art de vivre [the art of living], served daily.”" - Evan Caplan
