Sometimes last minute plans end up being the most fun. My buddy Lawrence and I decided to go to Ardeo, spur of the moment, to try out their new menu and visit a good friend/former co-worker. Cleveland Park has a different sort of neighborhood vibe when compared to the rest of D.C. I'll say it lacks a certain smugness and that is a welcome change of pace. Ardeo/Bardeo is in the middle of that neighborhood and the restaurant follows that same type of vibe. No loud house playing while you eat here (I'm looking @ you Zengo). Bardeo seems to have its regulars...like the 3 martini after work guy. Ardeo is going to be where you want to take your date for a nice, sit-down meal.
After we were seated, Lawrence and I each got a beer off the limited list. However, I love Kona beer so that worked out fine. The appetizers we chose were: 1) Steak w/ horseradish creme fraiche, fingerling potatoes 2) Suckling pork belly, pineapple, ham and 3) Crispy onion straws with what I'm going to call super sauce because I think if I put that on a burger I could become a millionaire. The onion straws are kind of hard to dip in the sauce, but just stick your whole damn hand in there because its worth it. The other two apps were also very delicious, but I liked the horseradish creme fraiche on the steak the best. For my entree I chose the Seven hour braised leg of suckling pig. You read that right; and yes it was awesome. Being from Atlanta had me appreciating this dish on all sorts of levels. Babe came with cheddar grits, blackeyed peas, redeye gravy, & peanuts. When I go back to restaurants I almost always get something new, but when I come back to Ardeo I'm getting this...no way around it. The other two entrees were 1) Smoked duck breast (w/ hush puppies, napa cabbage slaw, barbeque sauce) and 2) Pork cacciatore, black pepper fettuccini, house pancetta. Both of these dishes got rave reviews along with plates being completely cleaned. We all briefly entertained the idea of dessert, but we were on beers 3 or 4 of what would be around 9 so ya know what goes better with beer than ice cream? Fuc*in' bacon pizza, that's what. This was just as good as any entree we ordered and was crushed in a matter of like 4 minutes. This pizza was just as good, if not better, than any I have had at Two Amy's or Matchbox. The bacon pizza comes with House bacon, aged cheddar, grilled corn, basil. The grilled corn is what makes this one stand out and I really enjoyed it as a topping. All of this and a few beers each totaled like 45 bucks each, before tip, which is not bad at all.
This is a neighborhood place that's worth coming to from another neighborhood.
Overall: A
Highlights: Cheddar grits and the bacon pizza
Lowlights: The service left a little to be desired, but was still friendly and timely.
