Hannah H.
Yelp
Jardenea is located in the Melrose Georgetown Hotel, off of Pennsylvania Avenue. The restaurant takes pride in offering a menu using ingredients from sustainable farms, fisheries, foragers, and artisans, maintaining a good relationship with local farms. A breakfast/lunch/dinner/lounge/dessert menus are offered, and a group of us came here to try out their dinner options.
I really liked how they broke down the menu, labeling each plates as being 'Kettle to Table,' 'Garden to Table,' 'Sea to Table,' etc. We ordered: Kettle Seared Duroc Pork Belly (Chapel's creamery bue cheese, date puree, baby arugula, and aged balsamic glaze; the pork belly had the right amount of fat, making it juicy and flavorful, and the date puree and the balsamic glaze gave it a nice sweet note); Cherry Glen Farms Goat Cheese Salad (shaved beets, baby arugula, marcona almonds, and dressed in an orange blossom honey vinaigrette; I love orange blossom, so having this to dress the greens made it nice and refreshing); Maine Lobster Pappardelle (fresh English peas, cipollini onions, roasted fennel, blistered tomato and tarragon; while the lobster chunks were fresh, the tarragon seemed to be slightly overpowering); Citrus Brined Duroc Pork Chop (roasted garnet yams, cipollini puree, wilted mustard greens, and a pomegranate demi; the pork was a medium well, but make sure you request the specific temperature you would like - I personally like my meats cooked all the way through, especially pork and poultry!); and, the Grass Fed Filet of Beef (with white truffle dauphinoise potatoes, haricot vert beans, and a shallot demi-glaze; I love haricot vert, and these had a nice little snap; the white truffle potatoes were decadent and would be pleasing for any truffle lover).
For dessert, we shared a Caramel Creme Brulee (topped with fresh berries) and a Chocolate Mousse Profiteroles (with crusted candied pecans and bitter caramel - this just made it a sweet tooth-satisfying ending to the meal).
I liked the hotel interior, as it was modern and chic, with tufted sofas, glossy flooring, and a quiet vibe.
+located inside the Melrose
+reservations accepted
+farm-to-table-oriented menus