Opening: Bastille

Charcuterie & Cheese Plates

Bastille in Alexandria, VA opened in its new location at 606 N. Fayette Street this weekend. The new location is convenient to both the Braddock Road and Old Town metro stops, making for a quick and easy trip from Washington. The short metro ride is well worth it for an amazing and unique French menu.

On display to start were finely crafted charcuterie and cheese platters accompanied by an assorted bread basket and gougeres. The cheese and The gougeres were small, buttery, Gruyere cheese infused puffs that were perfectly light and airy.

There were many hors d’oeuvres options to try.  One of my favorite options was the beignets of escargot with a “persillade” aioli. The buttery flavor of the escargot mixed in with the dough of the beignet was so flavorful. The “persillade” sauce is a mix of garlic and various seasonings adding a nice touch the beignets themselves. An equally unique appetizer was the frog “wings” served with a slightly spicy espelette sauce. The wings were tasty, while not being too spicy. Additionally, the meat was very tender and easily pulled off the wing, making them even easier to eat than a traditional chicken wing. Lastly, the scallops escabeche on a spoon was a great touch to add seafood to the hors d’oeuvres line up. The vinaigrette added a nice touch to a light scallop taste. The small bite also looked lovely in its presentation, placed nicely in spoons.

Scallops Escabeche

Although there are countless appetizers and starters, be sure to save room for dessert if you are dining at Bastille. Their miniature desserts were perfect for trying a few! The Tiramisu and Tarte au Chocolat were wonderfully rich. The tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert, and this especially had great dark chocolate, vanilla mascarpone panacotta and a strong espresso-infused bottom layer of cake. The Tarte au Chocolate was the best mix of chocolate, peanut butter and banana I have ever had. The chocolate mousse and rich peanut dacquoise paired nicely with the caramelized banana. It was almost like a peanut butter chocolate pie mixed with banana’s foster.

Chef Michelle Poteaux Preparing the Desserts

                                           

Not only does Bastille have handcrafted foods, but their unique spin on French cuisine gives you all the more reason to try their menu at their newest location. Another nice feature of the restaurant is the large window that allows you to view the kitchen. I highly recommend Bastille for a fresh spin on French cuisine and a dessert line up that I would dare skipping.