14th Street
Get directions | 1601 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
Hours | Sunday 10am-10pm, Monday 5pm-10pm, Tuesday 5pm-10pm, Wednesday 5pm-11pm, Thursday 5pm-11pm, Friday 5pm-12am, Saturday 10am-12am
I’ve only been to Paris once. I was 17 and battled my very first hangover during the flight across the pond. Surprisingly, landing in a foreign city with a pounding headache courtesy of Bud Light is not ideal. Live and learn, I guess. The first half of the trip was a jet-lagged fog and the second half was spent wondering why the hell these people don’t speak English (note: I was a terrible person as a teenager).
But you know what I say if people ask if I like France? I tell them that I love it, because I choose to believe that the France in the real-world is exactly like Le Diplomate. I imagine if I wasn’t such a jerk when I was younger, I would have noticed that the epitome of a French restaurant was a place a lot like Le Diplomate. A loud, bustling space with excellent food, service, and wine.
Stephen Starr’s restaurants, whether in his home base of Philly or elsewhere, are usually top-notch, and his first outpost in the nation’s capital is no exception. If you get all ‘teenage-girl seeing T-Swift’ about anybody who’s been on ‘Meet the Press,’ this is the place for you. It was the spot to be seen at when it opened and has maintained that luster. Come in on a weekend and you’ll be sure to see a handful of the city’s power brokers here. That is, if you’ve ever turned on CNN (I haven’t).
Everything we’ve had here has generally ranged from delicious to f*cking delicious, so order anything with confidence. Do know that while you won’t have to sell your first-born to come in, it will take some advance planning, as reservations are usually booked a couple weeks in advance, even for brunch. If there’s a second cousin of yours you aren’t too fond of, however, explore a barter deal to get in sooner.
(202) 332-3333
lediomate.marketing@starr-restaurant.com
https://instagram.com/lediplomatedc
Plat Du Jour
Monday
Dorade Royale en Papillote $33
Tuesday
Lobster Risotto $40
Wednesday
Cassoulet $35
Thursday
Dover Sole Meunière $54
Friday
Bouillabaisse $33
Saturday
Filet de Boeuf $55
parsnip, seared foie gras, sauce périgueux
Sunday
Poulet Feuilleté $33
chicken veloute, truffle, puff pastry
Le Diplomate Fromages
A Selection of Cheeses $6 each
Fruits De Mer
Petit Plateau $95
serves 1-3 persons
Grand Plateau $175
serves 4-6 persons
Assorted Oysters* $20
half dozen
Belon Oysters* $20
half dozen
1/2 Chilled Lobster $23
King Crab Cocktail $39
Salmon Tartare $18
Scallop Crudo $18
Top Neck Clams* $12
half dozen
Shrimp Cocktail $22
Hors d’Oeuvres
Steak Tartare du Parc* $18
hand chopped steak, capers, quail egg
Mushroom Soup $14
cremini, maitake
Charcuterie $23.5
Tuna Carpaccio* $23
leek vinaigrette
Onion Soup Gratinée $14.5
Ricotta Ravioli $15
plum tomato, basil
Macaroni au Gratin $14.5
Gougères $11
gruyère, pate a choux, fleur de sel
Escargots à la Bourguignonne $17
garlic-parsley butter, baguette
Mushroom Tart $16
pioppini mushrooms, truffle pecorino
Foie Gras Parfait $18
wine gelée, brioche
Pâté de Campagne $14
pistachios, pickled cipollini onions, cassis mustard
Farmer’s Cheese $16
honeycomb, mint, hazelnut
Les Salades
Salade Verte $12.5
haricots verts, radishes, red wine vinaigrette
Warm Shrimp Salad $23
lemon beurre blanc, avocado
Entrées
Grilled Branzino $32
tapenade, roasted peppers, gigante beans
Beef Bourguignon $36
crimini mushrooms, lardons, red wine sauce
Moules Frites $22
marinière style mussels, pommes frites, sauce mayonnaise
Burger Américain $21
cheeseburger, pommes frites
Lobster Frites $68
garlic-herb butter
Veal Escalope $35
charred spring onions, chanterelle mushrooms, mushroom cream
Salmon* $29
sauce maltaise, braised endive, hazelnut
Pasta Primavera* $21
garden vegetables, parmesan cream, pine nuts
Gruyère Omelette $17
Saunders Farm eggs, gruyère, fines herbes
add fresh black truffle +30
Steak Au Poivre* $40
black pepper crusted New York strip, garlic spinach, cognac demi-glace
Trout Amandine $31.5
toasted almonds, haricots verts, lemon brown butter
Steak Frites $34.5
herb roasted , maître d’butter, pommes frites
Half Roast Chicken $29
rosemary, pommes purée, jus de poulet
Duck Confit $32
frisee, aged sherry, crispy Yukon gold potato
Scallops $35
du Puy lentils, mirepoix, buerre rouge
Sides
Pommes Frites $8
Haricots Verts $8
Pommes Purée $8
Garlic Spinach $8
Cauliflower Gratin $10
