Lutèce

Wow. What an incredible experience! My partner and I have been anticipating our anniversary dinner at Lutece for the longest time. Ever since we heard about this gem, we knew we had to try it out and Lutece absolutely did not disappoint.The ambiance of the restaurant was so cozy and lively. It was a small space but it adds to the cozy atmosphere. The service was top notch. From start to the end, they made sure that we were celebrated. We had different staff bringing out dishes and each one of them wished us an happy anniversary. They even brought us a sweet treat at the end and we thought that was so thoughtful.Finally, the food. Oh my gosh. The only thing they could have done better is give us bigger portions! Both my partner and I couldn't stop thinking about the steak tartare, duck, and honeycomb semifreddo. We absolutely can't wait to return and try out the Chef's tasting menu. Thank you so much for a wonderful night!

Had a FABULOUS time at Lutèce's tonight celebrating mom's birthday dinner. We had a reservation at 8:15, but was planned to be there earlier than scheduled, around 7pm. They didn't have any tables available earlier but were so nice to make a recommendation for nearby bars to hang before our reservation time. Our table became available around 8pm and they texted us to join early if desired, which I appreciated. The restaurant is cozy, on the smaller side. You are quite literally next to your neighbor's table - think Paris or a city in Italy. It's darkly lit, noise level is decently high. We did a la carte, ordered broccoli appetizer, gnocchi and scallops (+ caviar). Surprisingly the winner of the night were the broccoli! They were cooked perfectly/ crispy, and the sauce that came with enhanced the flavors. Scallops were alright, caviar was just meh. Glad I had the option to add caviar because it was a special night, and why not. Gnocchi was super mushy, cauliflower were good though! Overall, their dish had beautiful presentation, sauce seasoned perfectly, but the main ingredient didn't feel super fresh / not cooked to our taste.We ordered two glasses of wine and unfortunately the by-glass wine list was very underwhelming. Should have gone for beer or cocktail.I did like the vibe, service, and the chef's cooking skills, so would like to give Lutèce another visit when their menu changes.Overall though, I had a great time!

One of the most confusing restaurants I have ever eaten at.Let me first say, that I have eaten at many places that holds themselves out as fancy, and has terrible food. This is not that. I have also been to places that are fun, but have bad food. This is not that either. This is a place with OUTSTANDING food.Lutece just served me some of the best, most creative food I have ever had. We had the chefs table thing. The "gnocchi" with truffles were incredible. The duck was ridiculous and cooked perfectly. I still can't get over the desert thing with the cheese on top and apple crumble thing on the bottom. The oyster. The broth. Literally everything was Michelin level quality and presented that way.I give it 4 stars because of all the rest. The noticeably weird music. The annoying texts that repeatedly warned me that I only could be at the restaurant for 2 HOURS AND BE ON TIME (though table wasn't ready when I showed). I could tell the people who worked there really LOVED the food, but they also had a sort of strange cultish vibe - it wasn't warm service it was more like I was being ordered to like the food or pressured to do so. I was told the chefs tasting menu would take "one hour and forty minutes" and it took precisely that amount of time, which I found sort of...odd. There was one chef who looked like the dude from The Bear. He also looked just as stressed.I don think this place knows what it wants to be. Is it a casual French bistro? Is it going for 3 Michelin stars? If you're going to put that much effort into making such amazing food...maybe serve it on table cloths? Do they want people to relax? Do they want people to enjoy their (again - stupendous) food, OR ELSE? Why are they ONLY serving "biodynamic" wine? Why not just serve "good" wine? I hope everyone who works here chills out...your food is great! Let it speak for itself. Drop the rest.

I still can't say the name right, but this joint is a new add fave for me. The duck was great. TheBeef tartare was great. The vino was great. And the 3 different cocktails were great. The staff too - exceptional. Love it.

This is a review just of the desserts (although one day I'll come back and try their savory food)! I've been twice for dessert and adored it both times. The first time I tried the honey semifreddo and fell in love with the mix of comte cheese and honeycomb. The textures and flavors were wonderful! I love a cheese plate, and this was that and an elegant dessert combined in the best way. I came back for the recently added beet donut with turnip cream because that combination sounded too out there to miss. I was surprised how much I loved it! There could have been more turnip cream, but honestly the brioche on its own was so absolutely perfect that I didn't care; I enjoyed every bite. The beet glaze was subtle and earthy while still being sweet enough to work with the bread. I can't speak to any of their other food, but for desserts alone they're so creative and produce something genuinely delicious too! This place is very expensive, so keep that in mind, but I can't fault the quality and I've left very happy both times. The space is small and I'd recommend a reservation, since it gets popular, but I felt like the staff did a good job managing the high number of people both times I was there.

Lutèce had long been on the list and I was so glad to finally try it last weekend with two friends. I arrived about 10 minutes after my friends so they had already ordered a bottle of red wine and it was the perfect compliment to our meal -- rich, full and yet light and drinkable. We started with the Bluefin Tuna Crudo, which was tender, bright and had a bit of a kick to it. It was such a fresh bite to start the meal. We also had the Charred Napa Cabbage and the roasted carrot special and the dishes had such different flavor profiles but were equally delicious. The cabbage was nutty and silky with the tahini sauce while the carrots were buttery and smooth with the touch of honey. I truly would have been happy with just these three dishes!For our entrees, we had the Berkshire Pork, the Roasted Cod and the Parisian Gnocchi. While I didn't try the pork, both of my friends really enjoyed it. The cod was flaky and cooked perfectly and the lobster/orange/saffron broth so was bright and tangy, it was my favorite bite of the evening. We added the truffle supplement to the gnocchi and I honestly didn't think it added too much, especially because the gnocchi dish was so salty I truly couldn't take more than two bites. I was disappointed but my friend really enjoyed it. Dessert was a tough pick and we might have picked incorrectly but we went with the Apple & Molasses, which "presents as an apple pie" as our server said. It wasn't sweet and was a good way to cleanse the palette with interesting flavors but nothing I'd order again. I did love the extra passionfruit jelly bite served to us with our bill. Passionfruit anything, please! It's an adorable, cozy space that I imagine would be great for a date night. I'd love to go back and try some other dishes in the future. One note, we did go there on an especially cold evening and did feel like we were a bit rushed from our table as the very small vestibule area filled up and future diners were crammed in there staring us down.

Great ambiance and perfect for a nice date night or special occasion. I do want to mention that it is very important to have a reservation as it is almost impossible to get in without one. It is a smaller restaurant so seating is a bit cozy. However, the food is worth it! Since I came with a group, we were able to try a bit of everything and it was so good. I especially enjoyed the gnochhi (only wish there was more) and the grilled octopus. The one thing that I was not the most impressed with (and maybe this is because it was so busy) was the service. The service was pretty slow to refill water even with me asking and we had a bit of a laugh when we told the server about a dirty cup. Instead of taking away the cup, the server just brought a new one and so this dirty cup was stuck on our table for the whole dinner.

Top notch spot. Lutèce's tasting menu is on another level. Sat before the kitchen theater, you're pampered and entertained every second of the way. It was all so tasty. From the host to the kitchen staff, you feel like you've walked into a cohesive and fun family setting. The restaurant is elevated and elegant. Don't miss out.

I want to tell you that Lutece is no good so I can keep it to myself, but that wouldn't be fair at all. Lutece is such an amazing place and deserves all the compliments it gets. You don't make your way into the Michelin guide unless you are serving up some serious food and that's exactly what Chef Conroy is doing at Lutece. Everything and I truly mean everything I have ever had there is perfect and that includes the cocktails. Service is second to none and at the helm is their amazing managing Elizabeth. All the staff are beyond friendly and provide you with perfect service. The restaurant is small and comfortable at the same time. You're not cramped at all but you do feel the love from everyone while you are eating. This is a gem and Georgetown is lucky to have them. Please make the trip to Lutece and you'll see what I am talking about.

Great location in the middle of Georgetown. Nice small, intimate restaurant. I think there was space for ~30 or so inside the restaurant. Really attentive staff who seemed to always be available when you needed something. Ordered the tasting menu which was really enjoyable. The blue fin tuna appetizer was fantastic - it was in some type of sauce that was a nice tart and a little spice too. Main dish was duck which was really well cooked, with just enough fat and skin. For the dessert, they served 4 different types and while the chocolate cake was very nice, the crème brûlée was very nice. They did a nice job with portion control, so while I was full, I wasn't completely stuffed. Paired the dinner with a nice burgundy wine that was very nice. A little hard to get into from a reservation perspective but definitely worth the trouble.