Le Sel

What can I that I was heavily disappointed when I am inviting a huge amount of guests to be greeted with a sub par service and food quality that's is comparable to microwave dinner?We weee initially greeted and settle in with the group inside and it was quiet and slow Sunday evening. Then the service and quality just went downhill afterwards. We tried out the sea salt bread and I was appalled by the sheer size of the portions. Two orders of these for a table of 7. Not gonna suffice. Even the appetizer of grilled octopus is a joke. Other restaurants have bigger portion. This looks like a kids plate. Even the cheese plate wasn't explained what type of cheeses and small sliver of it. The duck confit and duck sausage platter was just a messy plate. I am appalled to see this as a well known ny recognized dish. Having to call other waiters to serve us water refill and provide a steak knife for those who order steak frites after 30 minutes. And waiting for one more steak frites so we can eat was just not cool. The steak I saw looked pretty burnt and charcoaled. Ya I shouldn't have followed opentable recommended suggestions and realize should try other things. Let's say there's better French restaurant than this. This is a ridicule for the cuisine. And who in the world charge gratuity tax??

WOW, I had an amazing meal at Le Sel! I actually came on Super Bowl Sunday and the restaurant was empty- really empty! It's such a beautiful space, and it turned out to be a joy to have it to ourselves. The service was exceptional, and the staff really know and understand the restaurant. They made great recommendations and generally just doted on us all night. The food is absolutely incredible. They clearly change their menu seasonally, and the warm, hearty dishes we enjoyed were perfect for a cold winter night. The star was the cassoulet, with duck sausage and delicious beans. I also loved the mushroom risotto, which really focused on the natural deliciousness of mushrooms. The golden tile fish was great, but my favorite part was the baby turnips. Winter root vegetables are heavenly in the right hands, and the perfectly cooked turnips were a sign that Le Sel is a great restaurant. We also enjoyed the sea salt tasting, which was so much fun. The different salts were all unique and a pleasure to sample. The dessert sampler was also exquisite, and as it comes with an espresso it was a great deal. I look forward to coming back in a different season and eating outside on their spacious patio.

This place has no business being this good. And I was worried at first because the appetizers and initial service was slow and underwhelming. The reviews on here are real...service is slow and a little uncaring for sure.But Chef Silva ended up coming out and that is when the magic started. You could see from how passionate he was about the food that this restaurant was his little baby. He also told us his chefs were all trained from scratch by him and it made him believe in the group much more. Very endearing.Then the incredible entrees came out which made the appetizer look like they had been made by a different restaurant. The coq ah vin was incredible, the prawns were perfect, but the STARS of the show was the cassoulet (just a medley of duck, sausage, and pork) while the secret menu Parisian gnocchi proved to be perfectly crispy soft and doughy.I will for sure be back for these favorites, I hope more people try out the entrees and skip the apps. Well done Chef Silva!

My husband and I came here for a date (rare these days with several little kiddos!) and were excited for some fine French food. We immediately were impressed with the decor. Classy and refined but not stuffy. We especially enjoyed the dark blue and white prints adorning the walls. Our food was mostly great. We had the French onion soup, the steak frites, and the catch of the day (which was rockfish on lavender butter potato puree with some other goodies). My husband requested medium rare for the steak but it arrived completely cooked through. Despite this, the steak had incredible flavor and was still quite tender, but it was a definite miss that it was overcooked. The fish was very lovely and the French onion soup was divine (isn't it always?!). Drinks are also great. Decent selection of wines and cocktails, from which we sampled both. My only big gripe is with the speed of service. Our waiter was quite nice but disappeared for astoundingly large periods of time. We eventually flagged down a busboy for our check after waiting about 15 minutes after finishing with no one in sight. If you have time to kill, though, not such a big deal.

The bar at Le Sel had nice selection of unique drinks and beers. It's a quaint little bar with excellent service. The Province 75 was a nice recommendation not on the main menu. The DC Brau brew was a crisp Pilsner.

Look at the pictures. The presentation says it all. Flavors were amazing! Pricey but worth it.Table for 2, no reservations needed, loud due to it being a hotel bar/restaurant. But the FOOD was everything. Parking is a bit of a nightmare but based on food alone! Yes, Yes, YesWe paid, $150 with tip for two. Not bad. On the higher end of dining without the elegant dining experience.

Service was excellent for brunch this Sunday. Very kind and attentive staff. The menu is limited for vegan options. I think the breakfast menu has more sides. We ordered the two options that were vegan or could be made that way: avocado toast sans eggs and the oatmeal. The toast was excellent and included sun dried tomatoes. The oatmeal was good, but not my favorite. Something with a grain or sweetener perhaps wasn't expected. This bright, window filled spot is located inside The Kimpton Banneker hotel. I know they have valet parking and what seem to be a few street spots.

Came Saturday morning after a late Friday night out in DC and stumbled on the the Saturday brunch menu. I pass by the hotel all the time and stepped in the see if they were open for breakfast around 8a and I was pleasantly surprised. Service and staff were friendly and attentive and the smashed burger was delicious. The mimosa really topped off the meal. Can't wait to come back!

Food quality is always great. Vintage, shabby-chic ambiance. We got seated very quickly but service was quite slow and underwhelming. Overheard that our seated neighbors were offered to have part of their meal comped for waiting so long. However, my daughter and I had been waiting longer than them; we were seated at least 20 minutes prior and our waiter still had not taken our food order. Otherwise, coffee was good and meal was nice.

We met a friend for dinner here last weekend. We tried the escargot - too salty with way too much finely chopped what tasted like basil. The green stuff was over powering, and we couldn't taste any garlic. However, our main courses were great. I had the lamb shank - it was a big one, the flavour was really good. My husband had the steak with fries - very good as well. My friend had the duck cassoulet, which I tasted some and seemed it the best tasting among the 3 selections. Service was very slow inspite of the nearly empty restaurant. The food gets a 4 star, but the service only gets a 2 star, therefore averaging out to a 3 star.