RSS FeedA Revived Indebleu?
A friend’s birthday was as good a reason as any for drinks, fine dining and some evening hip shaking on a recent Saturday night. Mildly reminiscent of the former Moomba in West Hollywood, the only place in the Penn Quarter where you can get it all in one evening is at Indebleu. Where our little group would spend the evening was not in question. What was in question was whether or not Indebleu’s summer ’07 revamping of their menu and space would live up to its billing.
Upon arriving, a host attending the podium just inside the entrance provided our party directions to the red room, an intimate and quiet spot upstairs on the second floor allowing a good conversational dynamic. Loud dining rooms always run counter to my vision of a nice evening out so this was an auspicious start. Perusing the menu, diners will see it divided into Smaller Plates, Larger Plates and Sides [PDF] with a selection of meat, fish, bird (including quail) or veggie for the Larger Plates. The server explained that sharing is encouraged and that the cuisine is American with Indian influences.
I went with the yellow fin tuna with avocado served on a bed of roasted corn topped with chili cilantro dressing, wasabi mashed potatoes and a friendly agreement to share a colleague’s order of samosas. Tastes were on target – the tuna was cooked as ordered (seared around the perimeters), the mashed potatoes were uneven in texture but mutely spiced and the samosas and accompanying three sauces hit the right palate. The service was excellent but the food was served lukewarm and needed to be returned for an injection of heat to bring it up to eating temperature.
Dessert was the high point of the night [PDF]…the coffee had a great nutty taste and the Spaghetti and Meatballs dessert delighted the whole table. Why? In a showy display, the server comes to your table and pushes saffron cardamom ice cream through a freezing cold press right at your table. The resulting lump of spaghettied ice cream was enough to share with two others but I kept the accompanying three balls of gulab jamun, fried dough in a sweet syrup sauce, for myself. And, behold, it was very good. (I forwent the creme brulee for next time.)
As for the booty shaking in the Tantra Lounge downstairs, there was plenty of that going on courtesy of the DJ who did a fine job of getting the crowd moving. Bottle service [PDF] is available, if desired. A small line formed outside the entrance by the time I left at midnight.
Given the chance, would I go back? To bust a move with the opposite sex and swish a drink, absolutely. For dinner, however, the main course should crescendo before dessert with a hot enough temperature to warm and comfort. Consequently, a potentially great dinner experience became a bit normal. That said, I always give a restaurant two bites at the proverbial apple and a chance for redemption. In the meantime, the jury is stil out deliberating.
Indebleu is at 707 G Street, NW, with the restaurant area upstairs and the Tantra Lounge downstairs. Read WaPo’s Tom Sietsema on Indebleu for another opinion.
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Comments
i went last saturday (dancing, not eating) for the first time. i was surprised that its really a club. long bar, really expensive, small drinks, dj booth, some lounge areas. i wasn’t expecting that. and busy. a pretty fun night out. i think i was the only person with jeans and a t-shirt though. whoops.
Proof is excellen and my favorite new addition to the neighborhood. Go for the gnocchi and the sable fish with miso glaze. (Typically when I think of sable fish I think of it alongside the break-the-fast staples of lox and whitefish salad, but this preparation tastes most like a chilean seabass.) I would say avoid the flatbreads but everything else I’ve had there is great.
Indebleu has been open as a nightclub for 2 years now. It gets a good crowd on Fridays and Saturdays, young professionals in the late 20s to early 30s age range. The drinks are pricey but the atmosphere is worth it. We need more lounges like this in our neighborhood.
Kimberly, I could agree more that Proof is my new favorite in the neighborhood! AMAZING cheese plates. I do disagree with your view on flatbreads–the smoked salmon one is unique and inspired.
I’ll be doing a short ditty on Proof soon. You may want to save your laudatory comments for then.
What I like about Indebleu is that it accommodates an all inclusive evening. They also have a chef’s table for those so inclined and gilded.
you nailed it….. when they first opened i was kinda excited to have loungy LA-ish hangout
… but after paying too much to be underwhelmed with the food more than once..
i stopped going in there….although ..i do on occasion pop in for coffee & dessert…which as you stated is great
xoxo
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Nice review, thanks much. I can’t believe I’ve not yet made it over to Indebleu to eat yet. I’ve been there a few times for drinks/lounge, but never to eat.
I haven’t checked out Proof next door yet either, need to make an effort to check those two places out.