L'Oursin

Overall I had a nice experience at L'Oursin.The place was fairly quiet on a Monday evening. I snagged a parking spot on the street right out front, which was a huge win in my book.There are several unique cocktail options, which made it pleasantly difficult to decide. I ended up going with the drink that correlates with The Hall (Le Hall) from the game Clue. La Chanteuse de Telegramme ($16)--essentially sparkling wine flavored with blackcurrant liqueur served in a flute, I believe. Cassis, Angostura bitters, and Cremant de Jura were involved, among a couple other ingredients. It was tasty, although I'd probably try something else next time since there are a lot of intriguing options. I also had a sip of the Mrs. White cocktail aka Madame Blanche ($18), which includes pineapple Cognac, pastis, oregeat, herbes de Provence, lime, cream, and soda. It was more on the savory side, plus light and refreshing. If you don't like anise/fennel/black licorice choose something else! I did prefer Le Hall.There were not many plant-based options but our server recommended pairing one of the green salads (minus the cheese) with the lentil, leek, mushroom side dish. Both were more flavorful and delicious than expected! I think most vegans would be satisfied enough. Maybe throw some fries in there for good measure if you're extra hungry. The interior was pleasant, my bum did start to go a little numb after a bit. I'd happily come back if a friend/date/family member wanted to dine at L'Oursin in the future. It is a bit pricey though, around $65 for one cocktail, a salad, and a side dish, so be aware of that! Tip is already included in the bill.

We made a reservation last minute. The restaurant was slightly busy. Our waitress was very nice to recommend a few dishes and drinks. The vibes of the place felt like a date night sort of place. We had the madam blanche and madamoiselle Scarlett drink. Both were very good and sweet!The raw scallops were really good. I definitely recommend getting this along with the pate en croute. They were the better parts of the course we had. Cassoulett was a letdown. It was mostly beans. I wish there was more meat considering the price we paid ($48). The creme brulee was delicious! But the mint ice cream was a bit underwhelming.I would come back trying different dishes instead~

Did you know that L'Oursin is sea urchin or uni in French? That's what this place serves local and fresh straight out of the shell! I came here for my birthday several weeks ago with my husband and made reservations around 6pm for 2. Parking was easy to find on the street and free! The restaurant wasn't very busy at 6pm, but around 9pm when we left, it was bumping! Super lively and all the tables were full (even for a non-weekend date).We tried a little bit of everything on the menu. We got the bread basket, local/fresh uni, beef tartare, st Jacques scallops, ris de veau (sweetbread), gnocchi Parisienne, 2 different cocktails and then a bottle of orange wine. The cocktails were nice and well balanced - my husband loved his and the menu is adorable! The orange wine was nice too and the waiter actually let us try some before committing to the full bottle. My favorite food items were definitely the gnocchi and uni (caught locally in Washignton)! My husband's favorite was probably the scallops and beef tartare (good portion size). The bread was not my favorite - not warm and tasted a bit stale? But it was nice to have some extra carbs for the beef to eat a long with. Overall a great experience! The restaurant is not "quiet" by any means for a romantic French spot in Capitol Hill. I would say it's a good in-between for nice meal but not white-table-cloth. I like how it was still casual enough to not feel like you're breaking the bank but also refined food and a good assortment to try from. We paid a little over $200 before tax and tip for the 2 of us. Would definitely come again and highly recommend for a special occasion. Even if it's not a special occasion, it's a great French restaurant to experience.

Really cute, intimate interior. Tables were kind of close together. Large menu with cocktails and wine. French Fare. Very kind, polite service.We got a couple mezcal cocktails ($18 each)Food:Bread & Butter ($6) - nothing specialPate en Croud ($18) - this is such a tough dish to find - i'm happy I got to try it for the first time :) and that they sell it hereCalamari ($18) - small portion but perfectly crispy friedSteak & Frites ($42) - salty and overpriced as steak usually is (personal opinion), but I like the way it was cookedBeautiful Plating. Automatic 20% gratuity added to bill.

This is the place you bring a current lover or friends (new and old), but not the place for non-friend coworkers you don't really know or the place to break up with someone. The natural and warm lighting with dark stained wooden chairs create an intimate, but not intimidating, atmosphere; the perfect environment to cozy up and feel close to your dining partners. Hence, great for current lovers and new and old friends, but not for large coworker gatherings, and it would just be cruel to break up with someone here. Although, the food will help mend broken hearts, or at least help you forget about it for a few hours.If you're short on conversation topics, the food and drinks can help with that as well. The food is delicious and beautifully plated in a way that definitely draws attention, but does not dominate the conversation. Imagine the perfect party host; floating around the room creating connections between people and enabling conversation, but not setting you up for a 45 minute monologue on the origins of an obscure spice.I recommend making a reservation ahead of time, and showing up with an empty stomach. I would go back for the steak frites, butter and bread, and salads (all of them). Their escargot was good; large chewy morsels of escargot swimming in buttery-garlicky goodness. They were shell-less, which gave me feelings, but did not impact my overall enjoyment of the dish.

This visit is from a little while ago. Menu offerings and prices are subject to change with inflation.L'Oursin is an old school French restaurant in Central District. It doesn't have as much buzz as several other French restaurants, and that's perfectly fine. We went on a hot day, and it was quite stuffy in the back. Luckily, our reservation was early, 5-ish, and the restaurant was still fairly empty. I requested a table change, and they accommodated by moving us closer to the door with better air flow. Be warmed if you are hot temperature sensitive. The lights are kept low inside; with the bright sun outside, everything looked darker inside. I was very happy with my table near the front. Service was cordial; they left us alone until we asked for them, which is very European style. I have no problem with that. The Food:Gougères, $12 - 4 StarsMenu: Two warm smoked sockeye salmon cream puffsSelf-explanatory. It's delicious!Zucchini Soup with Bay Shrimps and Crème Fraîche, $12 - 5 StarsA cup of refreshing chilled soup. We scrapped every bit of it. LOL.Saumon Aux Morilles, $38 - 3.5 StarsMenu: Butter-poached king salmon with green lentils, haricots, and gray morelsWe didn't ask before ordering, and we are guessing they kept true to French ingredients because the salmon is very pale, which could be Atlantic salmon. It was ok, but we much prefer the richer Pacific salmon. Cabillaud Grille, $36 - 5 StarsMenu: Neah Bay lingcod with squid, manila clams, sage, corn, and potatoesThe only thing wrong with this dish is that I want more. Hahaha. It was very yummy, and the sauce is great with the bread. Pain et Beurre, $6 - 4 StarsMenu: Warm breads and salted whipped butterHmm, bread and butter in a French restaurant - would I say no??

I loved my experience here. The service and ambiance is top. The food is exceptional with my favorites being the steak frites and the Cassoulet. Will be returning for more. One comment I do have is the Escargot has a citrus flavor that I really doesn't work. As someone who is French, I was really disappointed by the Escargot. Seems like they are trying too hard but flavors don't work on this. Everything else was phenomenal.

Came back a second time - we were hella hype, so we brought friends. Got a last-minute reservation for 4 on Resy on a Saturday at 6:30pm that wasn't too busy, but at the same time, it felt different.The appetizers were good - foie Gras and the Pate were both highlights. Similar to last time, the escargot quality was better, but the sauce was extremely salty.For the mains - we got halibut, steak frites, cassoulet, and the chicken. Chicken was my highlight - the halibut was definitely underwhelming this time.We ordered just the creme brulee this time, as well as the banana flambee ice cream. The creme brulee the first time was better - the crust is way too thin this time. Ice cream was fine. Overall the service quality felt worse this time - food took almost 2 hours to come out (its 821pm and we just finished our mains)The missus downgraded her previous rating to a 3/5. I'm inclined to agree - from a consistency perspective this place really feels worse than last time (objectively speaking).

Tartare was so fresh and refreshing! Tuna tartare was a perfect pairing of the fresh tuna, grilled asparagus and flavorful sauce! French onion soup has very meaty stock and sweet. Missing picture but the fresh baguette was

Came here for dinner with the family. The dishes we enjoyed most were: the ris de beau, the poached halibut, the gnocchi, and the desserts-- mousse and creme broulee. All well executed! What fell short were the escargots-- too salty, and the steak-frites- very chewy, lacking flavor, the meat seemed "off". Btw, kudos to them for getting rid of the reservation cancellation charge they used to have on Resy! Maybe that was more of a Resy policy than theirs.