Lovers of unpretentious, French food classics may have been disappointed when Georgetown mainstay Cafe La Ruche closed this past summer, but the tradition is alive and well in the Canal rowhouse’s new occupant, Chez Billy Sud.
Sud—French for south—refers both to the Southern French cuisine it focuses on and its location south of its older brother, Petworth’s Chez Billy DC. The two eateries share Chef Brendan L’Etoile’s interpretation of simple French food (think steak frites and duck confit), and are run by restaurateur brothers Eric and Ian Hilton.
From the very first step into the restaurant, Chez Billy Sud welcomes you with Belle Epoque lamps glowing red and warm. Burnished hardwood floors, freshly-pressed tablecloths, and large vanity mirrors transform what felt like a Normandy brasserie as Cafe La Ruche, into a Provencal chateau.
The menu is simple, offering hors d’oeuvres, entrees, and—of course—les desserts. I started with “Les Betteraves,” a sweet, yet acidic dish of roasted beets, beet soubise, hazelnuts, Roquefort, and Anjou pear. True to Chez Billy’s theme, the Roquefort cheese hails from the South of France, and as a caseophile, I was pleased to begin my meal with such a decadent, butyric favorite of mine.
But, if you are not so fond of sheep’s milk cheese, (or perhaps you are like my brother who is a firm believer in beets tasting like dirt), don’t take alarm, for there are plenty more hors d’oeuvres to be had. On the rustic side, the hors d’oeuvre menu includes a hearty fish soup, and on the more refined end, Chez Billy Sud offers little toast crisps with red wine-poached duck eggs.
The classics on the entree menu were perfectly executed. The duck confit was salty and rich, with meat falling off the bone and melting off the fork. The boeuf bourguignon is almost as rich as the chocolate side of les desserts.
The “Delice au Chocolat”––chocolate mousse, hazelnut, orange, and passion fruit––pairs excellently with an espresso to end your evening, or even better, with their Armagnac Old-Fashioned with rum and orange bitters. The Tartes aux Pommes, however, was my favorite (and a French classic), filled with spiced apples and brandy caramel, with a dollop of chai ice cream on top.
By the end of the meal, I couldn’t help but sit back and take in the aesthetics. Murmured conversations, silken lighting, and impressionist paintings paired with the simple, butter-soaked classics leave a satisfied palate and a deep yearning for the white sand and turquoise, Mediterranean water of Southern France.
Chez Billy Sud
1039 31st St. N.W.
Tues.-Sun.5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
chezbillysud.com
Photo by Carolyn Zaccaro
