One word can essentially sum up this experience: wow. First of all, this restaurant looks as close to Paris as you can get this side of the Atlantic. Very impressive: the ambiance is lovely. My family took us here for my birthday dinner last night and it was incredible. If you have a large party, let me please recommend the grand plateau seafood display. It's three platters high and features everything from lobster tails and mussels to crab and sea snails. Sea snails may sound disgusting, but the quality and freshness? Superb. It was the best seafood I've ever had. Our meals ranged from the steak frites and au poivre (both perfection), the duck confit (mine, with orange and candied kumquat and absolutely flavorful), the special coq au bin (which my brother declared phenomenal and cleaned his plate of), and the half roast chicken, which also got fabulous ratings. Even the bread, freshly made in house, is delectable. And the roasted Brussels sprouts? Oh nom. Dessert was the creme brûlée, which had vanilla bean pod bits in it. As a pastry nerd, I was so pleased by this. The dark chocolate Napoleon with burnt caramel jam was perfection. But really, the kicker was the service. Our server, Anise (Anis? Anais? Whatever it was) was the best we have ever had. Our plates were constantly refreshed and even perfected to pristine horizontal alignment. Napkins and silverware were refreshed each course. It was hands down one of the top five dining experiences I have ever had. Thank you, Le Diplomate, for a lovely and extraordinary birthday. read more

Logan Circle. Kind of trippy. It's hipster on one side and the other side is very formal business-y. I mean, I love the place. Logan Circle overall has a nice vibe to it. My friends and I made a reservation for dinner (in a month advance). Now, is that necessary? I don't know. I didn't make the reservation but I was told they get packed, real quick. We arrived a bit early, so we chilled at the bar and man, it's really crowded there. We went on a Saturday night and our reservation was at 8:15pm? Super packed. We get seated right away and we are ready to order! Our waitress was superb. She was friendly and told us a little background story of the restaurant. Apparently it was the restaurant's one year or some anniversary that day. Some recommendations - * Steak Frites - I thought it was perfectly cooked. I like mine medium and sometimes medium rare. The fries were on point and delish meal overall. * Duck Confit - Duck was crisp and right. The coating was yummy. We got wine and cocktails and appetizer with our meal so.. I believe the meal was a bit pricey. I don't remember myself really liking the appetizer we ordered. I believe it was liver, duck liver. Not my cuppa from what I remember. I would definitely come back here but am I dying to come back? Hrm. maybe not. But then again, I would come back... Try it! read more

This is an excellent restaurant. The food is upper echelon, especially considering the relatively reasonable prices they charge. Even better than their food is the atmosphere: somewhat noisy, but in a happy way. Furthermore, this is a casual place, you can come in shorts and no one will care or even notice. The booze is good, although the specialty drinks are what specialty drinks usually amount to, i.e. a little bit of alcohol and lots of syrup/fruit/etc. Do yourself a favor and just order a see-through straight up or a pint of beer on tap. On the dinner menu, the appetizers seem to be the best bets, although just about everything i ate or spied seemed good. The mushroom tart is outstanding in flavor (lots of butter in the flaky crust) and large in portion, easily enough for two people to share. The corn soup was fine for what it was, a cold and sweet concoction. I had the skate as an entree and throughly enjoyed it, mostly for its texture. The warm prawn salad was excellent, although size-wise it hovered between a large appetizer and a somewhat undersized main course. A shout-out to the bread basket, which was composed of a fabulous array of carbohydrate treats. To top off the experience, the waitstaff were pleasant and helpful. At the end of the meal, when we asked for an additional slice of one of their especially tasty breads, the waiter brought us a full loaf of the bread to take home in a nice Le Diplomate bag. Wow! This is a fun restaurant with a winning, pleasant and casual atmosphere and outstanding food selections, well prepared and reasonably priced. The only problem with Le Diplomate is that it's so damn hard to get a reservation. read more

Delicious food and wine. They do a great job at making it seem like an authentic French bistro (read the WaPo article by Roxanne Roberts before going to truly appreciate the ambiance). I preferred the hors d'oeuvres over the entrees and will probably just stick to a bunch of smaller dishes instead of an entree. The steak tartare and the mushroom tart were my top two. The wine selection was great - trust the sommelier when getting a bottle, he picked the perfect pairing for us. FYI, it's a bistro and gets loud. Seating is not spacious. It's a casual place that gets a teensy bit more dressy at night. Can go biz-cas/cas-chic, but overdressing is not a problem. read more

Fairly underwhelming. It's standard French fare, done right, but not particularly exceptionally. There isn't much really too fancy about the place. It honestly looks like EVERY little bistro in France, and the food is about the same level as well. The problem is they charge too much for the food, which albeit is good, simply isn't great. For the half the price you can head to Bistro La Bonne not too far away on U st. and get food just as good without a ridiculously long wait. But hey, it's new and fancy looking -- so it's the cool place to be. Like Barcelona right nearby...overpriced and average food, with a crowd only because the place looks nice and expensive. Not my scene. I do hear that brunch is good though, but haven't tried it. And it also looks overpriced and underwhelming. read more

Ooooh I just WISH I can unleash a 5-star rating for this exquisite establishment, but alas I cannot. The ambiance is cozy but didn't feel packed, friendly and helpful waitstaff, and an extensive menu. The food is delicious and hot...but the entrees leave something to be desired. That really is the only thing holding back the final star for Le Diplomate because the hors d'oeurves are out of this world. The mushroom tart was amazingly flaky, rich but not overly done with butter, light, and a great essence of mushroom with a well balance of cheese. The escargots were wonderful! Great presentation, not overly buttery, the snail was not overpowering with bread on top (genius). If I was to return to Le Diplomate, it'll be wine and hors d'oeurves the entire meal. Entrees. My girlfriend got the duck confit and overall it was very good, just not outstanding. The duck meat itself was well-cooked, moist, and was meltingly tender. I just wish the sear on the skin was executed better. It would have been a nice play between texture of a crispy skin and the succulent duck meat. That being said, the duck meat pulled away from the bone like how a well-seasoned ribmaster would prepare the ribs. Clean and right off. The Beef Bourguignon...how can I put this...just lacked passion and attention to detail. The broth was overly salty which when prepared as a braise leads to many sips of water from my glass. I know the wine is used for the braise but I wish just an essence remained to offset the savoriness. The pancetta or bacon utilized offered some relief, strangely enough (I'm guessing due to the sweetness of the onions), and was a tad sweeter than the beef itself...which was burnt at some edges and tough. The Vanila Bean Creme Brulee was an interesting arrangement...as I do not know if it was an execution flaw but there were differing temperatures across the layers of the brulee. Near the crust, the creme brulee had a warm arrangement was closer to the middle and bottom of the creme brulee, the temperature dropped drastically leading to a confusing lukewarm but not unbearable eating experience. Pricewise, it is reasonable for the chic French bistro eating arrangement. Nothing raised eyebrows or immensely beat up the wallet. 4.5* but just not close enough to a 5* rating due to the entrees being a letdown. read more

Our group of 6 has such an amazing time here! Out server when above and beyond when asking for recommendations of bottles of wine he did a fun little tasting for us to decide. Paired the wine perfectly with our meals, took pictures for us and steered us in the right direction. Overall just an amazing experience. read more

Well, well... Let's talk about the most classic place on the 14th St NW. I like to celebrate the important things here. I like the beef bourguignon which is their most famous dish! You can't die without tasting this beef in this restaurant! But, the other day I had the duck and then I can't decided which one is my favorite now. For my surprise it was so tender! Best one I taste in my life. Duck skin is so hard and dry but this one was really smooth and tasty to eat with the sauce. Choose a good French red wine for the dinner and enjoy your small trip to Paris read more

The weekend brunch is one of my favorites in town. The food is consistently good, the service is quick and attentive, and the ambience is bustling. It's a fun place to go with family or friends or visitors to town. It's loud (typical brasserie style), so conversation is sometimes hard to have, but the energy and vibe is cool. This is part of a much larger group of restaurants by an owner out of Philly, but he's done an incredible job of making this feel like a DC local restaurant. That's no small feat. And he has a strong local following. It's always busy and sometimes hard to get a reservation because of it. If you go without one, bring some patience as it can take a while ... no one is eager to leave their table! read more

Friday date night, no reservation & walked right in and was seated as soon as they opened. Bread was amazing. Seafood tower was awesome- hubby was impressed by the belon oysters. Also had the cheese plate & a burger. We will go back! read more

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We went to Le Diplomate for brunch but now I'm dying to go back for dinner. First off, the coffee was great. Strong and flavorful unlike the flavorless-bottomless-caffine-water you get at most brunches. Then the bread, ahh the bread. It came with some great baguette, as well as fruit and nut bread, some others, and butter. Yum! My Gruyere omelet, including the awesome hash browns with caramelized onions on the side was perfection. The only thing we realized was that we probably had the least personal relationship with our waiter than any we've ever had. I think he didn't say more than 3 or 4 words to us. But you know what, we were all fine with that. read more

Lived up to my lofty expectations - was extremely impressed with not only the quality of the food, but also the service. Restaurant was full and busy on a Thursday night. Steak Frites The hanger steak was well seasoned and absolutely delicious. Seared on the outside and juicy on the inside. Fries were good too. LARGE portion! Steak Tartare A bit hesitant to order at first, but WOW what a great choice! Escargots Unmatched. I challenge someone to find better in DC. Be prepared to make reservations well in advance, especially on the weekends. Parking can be a bit tricky during dinner time, as typical for most of DC. read more

Finally after years of anticipation I got to visit a Stephen Starr restaurant. Came in at 7:00 pm on a Wednesday and was able to be seated immediately. Service was attentive without being overbearing except for a little snafu where we hadn't seen anyone for about 20 minutes. I think there was some confusion when the rain started and they moved us inside. We started with the steak tartar which we both thought was very good and then moved onto our entrees. My friend got the duck confit which was excellent. The duck was crisp it was cooked properly and had a ton of flavor. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about my dish which left a sour taste in my mouth both literally and figuratively. I got the trout almondine and the only positive thing I have to say about it was that the skin was seared perfectly and crisply. Unfortunately the the fish was way overdone and the the almonds were far beyond toasted and the sauce was so one dimensional it was like eating a warhead with every bite. If I hadn't been on a date I would have sent it back and I think I've only sent back like 3 dishes my entire life. It was honestly one of the most wrenched things I've ever had to stomach down. Personally, I would return again, but I'm not itching to come back. Highly recommend the duck confit unfortunately my dish was so awful I think it put it damper on my overall opinion. read more

The food is incredible! RADISH CRUDITÉ, ROASTED DUCK BREAST, and GRUYERE OMELETTE. Unfortunately for as much as I read on this establishment, I was very disappointed with my waitress. As soon as we sat down, she asked for our drinks and seems a bit in a rush. We hadn't gotten a menu, so I didn't know what their specialty drink would be. She rushed off. She came back only to ask what we wanted to eat and rush off again. Usually, I would have gotten the manager but the space was so closed together, I did not want to make an ordeal of it. Nor would I want to burden my waitress. I don't know if she had personal issues or a bad day and I really didn't want to be the person to add to that. The ONLY time she actually smiled and was polite was when she came with the cheque. We were seated by the wait station against the windows, but not one person came by to refill our waters. We were waiting for the longest time to get our bill as I was cringing from being there one more minute of bad service. I wanted to go somewhere else. My dining partner is usually very laid back but even he was getting irate with our server and her constant absence and the water not being refilled. As much as I wanted another drink and try dessert, we opted to go somewhere else for dessert and better service! read more

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I came here for dinner to celebrate my roommate's promotion a while back. Everything about this meal was exceptional. We were seated out in the patio. To start, the bread is dangerous. I told myself to cut back on bread to save room for the other courses, but the whole basket was gone by the time our main courses came. We split the ricotta ravioli as an appetizer. Light, tender, and not too cheesy. Perfect portion as an appetizer. I ordered the Porc Milanese (plat du jour for Wednesday) and my roommate ordered the steak frites. My pork was enough to feed 2 people. The sauce complimented the breading and the arugula salad was a nice touch. We had the pommes puree as a side. Fluffy and smooth, couldn't get enough. The hanger steak was juicy and tender. I would order it if I came again for dinner. I had to take one star off for the service. For a French establishment, I expected great service. But our waitress was not very knowledgeable in her drinks, and checked in on us sparingly. I'd like to come back for brunch for their freshly made pastry basket, but I hope the service will be better. read more

1400th review for this place. Boom! Excellent French food in a beautiful setting. Why can't all restaurants be this fantastic. Yes, it's a bit on the expensive side, but find me a good French restaurant that isn't. You step inside this restaurant and it looks as if you've been transported across the Atlantic to France or on this side of the Atlantic to Epcot. They have this fresh baked bread stand in the middle of the restaurant with mounds of boules and baguettes. It's no wonder they are showing of the bread like this, it's crusty and soft and amazing. The food is equally good. I was here once before late night where I enjoyed cocktails and shared an awesome burger. On my visit this time around I ordered the moules frites. Yum, yum! They serve you a giant bowl of mussels in what can only be described as herb, lemon butter soup. It was extremely decadent with thin, crispy, salty fries on the side, perfect for dunking. Such a good meal! I will for sure be back again. read more

Been here many, many times since we moved to DC. Always delicious, always an enjoyable experience. Romarin is one of my favorite cocktails anywhere. Highly recommend. read more

Having dinner at Le Deplomate during Bastille Day is one of my favorite things in DC. This year they had a face painter. It was wonderful, experience for the family. And as always the food is great read more

The good is good but it didn't live up to my expectations. What I loved most was the ambiance. It feels like you're in Paris. And the service is impeccable. We sat in the garden area, which is beautiful. The inside is nice too -- feels very French bistro-ish. read more

Ask for Alex! After a horrible start to the night with terrible "service" at a different restaurant I stumbled across the gem! It's crazy busy and loud, but they found me a perfect table to enjoy a book, cocktail and dinner. More importantly, the service was perfection!! Great indoor and outdoor dining! The French onion soup is perfection!!! I mean seriously, can I ship this stuff to Chicago?!? The Grande Dame cocktail is a nice twist on my love for bourbon. In a very competitive market, they're doing it well! He even escorted me to the restroom on my way out! read more

Le Diplomate - Brasseries Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Our server, Roger, was the best we have had in years at any restaurant. He was unobtrusive, but always appeared when we needed him. Very attentive to the little details! Very good wine list with some terrific values! Food was delicious. We loved the escargot, farmers cheese, onion soup, radishes with butter, Skate fish dish, and beef bourguignon, Creme brûlée and pot de chocolate desserts were terrific! But really, Roger, our server, made the meal for us! If you haven't been to Le Diplomat, definitely go! read more

Came here for a graduation dinner for 8 people. Made reservations a month ahead of time online(can't reserve earlier than 28 days). Atmosphere was casual French dining. Excellent food--charcuterie plate, pork Milanese, escargot, breads, mussels, frites, tagine, etc were all perfect. Service was good. Would come back for special occasion. read more

THE quintessential DC restaurant experience has only been augmented in my book recently thanks to my relationship with one of the managers (or at least I think that's his title), Euwan (spelling? sorry!). Each time I come in, he takes the time to recommend a bottle of wine with precision and care. Le Dip is a DC staple, and I've been coming here for years. My only "knock" is the menu feels somewhat limited, at times, but that's more based on my taste buds that given day. You can NEVER go wrong with the cheeseburger--which I highly recommend asking for topped off with a fried egg. read more

Feels like it has been here forever. There are already a ton of reviews of Le Diplomate so I won't get too exhaustive here because the hype is correct. I've had multiple dinners and brunches here since they opened and each time was a pleasant experience where I was given excellent service by all levels of staff, the food was executed perfectly, and tasted amazing. Everything I've ordered from the basic salade verte (green salad), the steak tartare, onion soup (life changing), foie gras, and any entree have all been perfection. The waiters have been perfect each time recommending drinks and wine to pair with the food at each course, and the management staff attentive without hovering over patrons like hawks. But what I love bast about Le Diplomate is the space, it feels timeless, like it's been on 14th for generations, and pulls this off effortlessly. I'd expect nothing less of STARR Restaurants. I don't ask for much more than good food, good service, and a comfortable space to enjoy both in from any restaurant. So if you're looking for a beautiful space that really does transport you to Paris and the food to back it up with, give Le Diplomate a try. You won't be disappointed. read more

This place is beyond great. And the first sign of this is by seeing how packed it is on a Monday night! When we left at 10pm, it was still going strong. We specifically went for a birthday last night, so we decided to splurge. We started out adventurous with the Escargot (amazing) and Onion Soup (very tasty). Both our entrees were delicious- The Scallops with Risotto and the Beef Bourguignon. Everything was so yummy that there was no room for dessert, however we will be making a trip back for cheese plates and the apple crisp! Also huge thanks to the hostess and GM Patrick Desotelle for the great, personal service. Greatly appreciated- you brought the experience to a full circle. Cant wait for next time. read more

Le Diplomat is easily my favorite brunch spot in DC. The ambiance is perfect for sitting outside, ordering a cappuccino, and people watching. I've had the eggs benedict and the basque poached eggs. While both were fantastic, the basque poached eggs get the edge for being slightly more unique: mixing peppers and prosciutto in polenta--rich, but delish. Their breakfast potatoes are also worth mentioning. Usually a humble side item, these almost steal the show. I have a theory they are cooked in duck fat. Or something. Whatever it is, it's magical. The bread basket also goes above and beyond--flaky croissants, sweet rolls--brings you right to a Parisian boulangerie. Le Diplomat gets four stars only because it's a tad on the pricey side. Not to out of line for DC, but just enough for it to miss perfect. I can't wait to go back for lunch and dinner--I expect the food to be equally delicious. read more

Le Dip has so many reviews that it's almost pointless for me to add my two cents... but, (but!) I love this place so much - SO MUCH - that I just feel compelled. It would be an injustice to review other places and not review Le Dip. I won't go into too many details, but let me just say this: whenever the mood strikes my bf and I to go out to eat (which is a lot), 95% of the time, Le Dip beats all other potential options we put on the table. It's always that good. And almost always perfect, whatever mood strikes us. A few points in particular come to mind: I go here and feel like I'm living the good life. I never want to leave. To me, Le Dip is more than a restaurant, more than a dining experience. It's a feeling. The atmosphere. Such care went into every element of the decor of this place. So many well-selected vintage pieces and imported from France. It's exquisite, really. One would be hard pressed to find a true French bistro this fantastically executed. The only thing dispelling the illusion of being in France are French-speaking ladies and gents. One can go to Le Dip multiple times and feel like it's a different experience each occasion: go to the bar and it's one thing; sit somewhere else in the main interior, and it's another; sit in the "greenhouse"-like room, and it's yet another; or sit outside, and you have something else yet again. It never gets old. The food: I'm not going to try to review all of the food I've tried here; I'll leave that to others. Nonetheless, I can always count on a nice meal. There's something to be said for sticking to the classics (classics for a reason) and executing well. Oh, and drinking old world wine. Another win. "Executing well." Very, very well. That basically sums up how I feel about this place. Ah, Le Dip. You are my special favorite. A couple mentions about the food, though, because I can't help myself: Three words: foie gras parfait. So rich, so creamy, so incredibly delicious. It's 10:30pm, I'm sitting here in pajamas about to go to sleep, I'm not remotely hungry, but my gosh, I have such a deep love for Stephen Starr's first foray into DC SO much that I have to write this review before I go to sleep... and just thinking about that foie gras parfait and a glass of bordeaux... ahh that sounds so good right now... perhaps I should stroll to my favorite DC bistro... Three more words: Cranberry walnut bread. More, please. The diet... starts tomorrow... (i.e., after I leave Le Dip) :-) read more

Wife and I had a gift certificate from our niece for Christmas. I really wanted to like this place..... If you have kids, you become very very stingy and greedy with your nights out alone...and you really want them to be special. This was no exception. We were led to our cozy table for two way in the back....and when I mean back, I mean back right next to where the waiters click the orders into the computer monitor....so not the best spot. This was made up for by our waiter. A perfunctory chap who was very knowledgeable about the menu and extremely business like in his approach. I sensed he had better places to be, but he performed and did well....points for talking me out of a Manhattan made with whistle pig.....he knew his stuff and that was a test of his knowledge. Points off for the mediocre food.....it wasn't bad, but wasn't outstanding. I had the lamb stew, which I could have made at home probably a tad better. More points off for the vanilla bean creme brûlée which really was vanilla pudding with a crust.... That would have been just four stars, because my wife enjoyed hers. What I really knocked down points for was the other staff....the 'bussing staff'. Do not ever scowl at me when I say "no sorry I am still working on this". Do not silently snatch a plate from under my nose without asking. I found that Le Diplomate needs a bussing 101 course post haste. Their bussing staff totally ruined it for me. Yes, I understand that you are under pressure to turn over the tables. I understand that you have limited plates and need to clean them. I get that there is a line of folks also waiting for tables. But do not treat me, a sitting customer rudely. Here staff read this...http://www.foodwoolf.com/2012/12/how-to-bus-a-table.html And yes, even though I had a gift certificate for 100.00 and spent over 160.00, I still tipped on the 160 plus. Unfortunately not a place I may return to in future. read more

One of the most fulfilling meals I have eaten in a long time, although be sure to have a reservation as I have never seen this restaurant anything but hopping, even when we went on Sunday night. Started with the Grand Plateau - incredible variety and everything exquisite. I had Norwegian Salmon as my entree - the salmon was perfect but the Haricot Verts were the star. Will absolutely be back. read more

So delicious for brunch - I had the chicken avocado rosemary sandwich once which was delicious. The second time I had the polenta with eggs benedict and prosciutto.... this was the highlight of my meal besides the profiterole... so incredible and rich! The shrimp cocktail was also very fresh and delicious. The bloody mary was the only okay part of the meal, it was not really a hit. I like my bloody marys very thick and with visible spice and horeradish, this was a mediocre size with an average flavor. However I am sure their other drink are phenomenal read more

Disappointed. Heard so many good things about this place and saw such good reviews. Maybe the rule of thumb should just be never order steak at a French restaurant. We came for a 11 pm reservation but no need really as it was popping but there were still a few seats available. We ordered the steak au poivre medium rare which came with spinach. You could switch the spinach for fries if you wanted. We decided to keep the spinach and order an additional side of fries. The butter that came with the bread was amazing, the spinach and fries were really tasty as well. It was only the main entree, the steak that was lackluster. My first bite and it was the tendon or whatever so it was hard to chew. The middle part of it was decent but there were random parts that were too chewy. Overall the steak itself was dry even though it was covered with lots of sauce which didn't seem to soak through (shouldn't need to mask a steak with all that sauce anyway). Still the service was good and our food came out decently fast. read more

Le Diplomate - Brasseries Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Very nice place! Staff very professional! Food is delicious. We ordered the veal escalope. Their desserts were pretty good too.

Excellent service and food. Place was very busy but we got a table quickly. Waiter was professional, knowledgable and attentive. We had the mushroom tart, trout almondine and scallops provencal. For desert we had creme brulee and profiteroles amazingly well done. All were top notch. Definitely reccomend this place. read more

this rating is for brunch, but I doubt it would be substantially different for dinner. The food is excellent and the service is fine, but the ambiance nearly ruins it. It's loud, it's a scene (did I say scene? I mean circus), patrons are obnoxious. There is nothing here that is exceptional enough to merit all of this unless you're....into that shit. read more

We've been yearning for a new "default" restaurant in our neighborhood: somewhere with good energy, polished but approachable interior, offering stable food options at a variety of price points and a broad spectrum of naughty-to-healthy choices. Finally found it. The food is very good but not amazing (except the mushroom tart and the burger blow our socks off), but the ambiance and service (in our experience) more than compensates and keeps us coming back. P.S. the new manager, William Washington, has settled in nicely and is doing a bang up job. read more

Pro - nice interior design work. reminds me of the Disney version of what a Paris brasserie should look like. - great wine list - dessert(s) Con - Service. Slow. - DO NOT ORDER THE ESCARGOT. Watered down sauce + Cold. I love escargot, just not from here. - Cold fries...wtf is up with the cold fries. and you give so many..its a bit of a turn off. read more

Had a wonderful meal here, came on a Tuesday night w/o reservations and were told we'd wait over an hour, unless we were willing to take the risk of getting rained on at a sidewalk table. Our gamble worked and we had a romantic sidewalk cafe meal. We started with the delectable mushroom tart, and also had a 5-cheese plate, with nice sides of nuts, raisins, honey, and preserves. Combined with delicious complimentary bread (3 different kinds), we were starting to get full already but we had already ordered two entrees. My lamb shank was falling-off-the-bone delicious....obviously a nice cut of meat but also prepared to perfection. GF had Veal Escalope and enjoyed it as well. We were too full for dessert so can't speak to that. If you can eat outside, recommend you do, unless you like high noise levels While we waited for our table, the effect of hard floors, walls, and ceilings was evident, and even on a Tuesday night it was full. There are lots of outdoor spaces, so seems like there are good options for all. Our waitress was attentive and the servers clearly worked as a team clearing tables, etc. This one lived up to the hype, at least for us! read more

The hype is true! And worth it (for the most part). The attention to detail is maniacal here, and that's a good thing. I've been to most of the other Stephen Starr restaurants in New York and I would say that the experience at LD in terms of food and service far surpasses the experience you would get at say, Buddakan. We asked our server the last time we went for brunch when they were opening for lunch and breakfast service and were told that the owners won't open the restaurant up for further seatings until they have every last detail ironed out. In other words, the fight for reservations show no sign of ending soon. Even bread is on request only as they want to work out the exact amount of bread to bake every day. Feel of the whole place is very French brasserie and almost Parisian. Food is almost faultless. Don't forget to try the Josephine cocktail! read more

Great dinner! For apps, check out the mushroom tarte. C'est magnifique! Try the sea bass and with gigante (like fava beans), and on Fridays, the bouillabaisse. read more

On a Sunday morning, a couple friends and I were looking for brunch on 14th Street. After trying some places, we found Le Diplomate. It was filled to the brim (outside, inside, patio), but surprisingly, we got seating right away. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful. We sat in the middle of the main room, but the room adjoining the patio is marvelous. It seemed like it was a classic French look, but either way it was classy, open, and architecturally stunning. The service was great. Our waiter was receptive and friendly, along with the rest of the staff. There was always someone to refill our small glasses and to bring more of their delicious bread. We only ordered hors d'oeuvres -- but honestly, one for each of us was very filling. I had the macaroni au gratin, while my friends had the onion soup and the mushroom tart. The texture balanced well -- the mac was crisped on the top, while the inside was tender and gooey. I would have preferred a cheesier macaroni, but it was still delicious and had great flavor. The onion soup was a little heavy, but still quite good and well-flavored. My friend said the mushroom tart was well-done. Although the food was great quality, it did not match the price. I understand why restaurants price their food high, but I only understand if the food is amazing quality. I'm not saying the food wasn't good -- it was great -- it just wasn't incredible enough to be that high-priced. Although the staff and visuals were top notch and the food was great, the priciness was a large downside. read more