Corduroy

Corduroy is by far one of the most phenomenal restaurants in Washington D. C – the entire experience is truly remarkable. I had the seared tuna (cooked rare) and cauliflower soup, both of which could not have been prepared more perfectly. I am blanking on the exact type of wine my girlfriend and I split, but we both agreed that it was one of the smoothest and most delicious pinot noir’s we’ve ever tasted.
On top of outstanding food, the vibe inside and hospitality of the waitstaff could not be beat. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone living in, or visiting, the DC area!

Completely worth the price! Some of the most delicious food I have ever tasted, ever.

We took an important client here for a weekday business dinner, and everyone was pleased. I had the lamb loin with creamed spinach and it was cooked to perfection. One of the best meals I have had in some time. Nice atmosphere.
The only (minor) negative to the place was that you had to go upstairs to use the restroom, which was too small and needed some repair to the faucet. Kind of a dumpy restroom for such an otherwise classy place.

I’m never a believer in the phrase «Well I guess the kitchen just had an off-​night» and especially not at these prices. With hundreds of great restaurants in DC to choose from, you can’t have an off-​night.
We weren’t even close to being «wowed» by our dinner, other than thinking «wow — we could have wasted more money if we had gone for the Chef’s 5 Course Surprise Tasting menu».
The Crab Blintz looked like a fried Chinese egg roll, cut in half on the diagonal and was, at best, bland. The Lobster Carpaccio presentation was beautifully done but the dish had absolutely no texture and lacked any identifiable flavor. And oddly, it seems as though it could have be eaten with either a fork or a spoon. If I had been asked to identify what I was eating without looking at it, I would not have had a clue.
The Barnegat Light Sea Scallops with Grits entrée also fell way short of any real punch. If I had prepared my Roast Guinea Hen with Mushrooms dish at home I would have rated it very good — the only true winner of the evening.
So with 2 cocktails and 2 glasses of wine, with tax and tip, the bill came to around $ 200 and I’m sorry, not worth half that.
In addition to being greatly disappointed in our dinner, a somewhat strange thing happened as we were leaving. The restrooms as well as additional tables and the bar are on the 2^nd floor. As we arrived at the top of the stairs we both noticed an extremely odd odor, which may have explained why there was not a single patron at the bar.
Needless to say, we won’t be returning.

This doesn’t happen often in Washington DC… but when it does, it must be recognized. A friend and I had an absolutely marvelous dining experience at Corduroy last night. From the moment we arrived until we left we were treated with courtesy and excellent service. We started with exquisitely briny PEI oysters. Then came perfectly prepared Wagyu beef and delectable lamb. Our server, Michael, was attentive and knowledgeable. The Japanese and French influenced cuisine provided a wonderful balance. We will definitely return for our «Corduroy Quarterly» dinners! Thank you everyone at Corduroy for a stupendous and memorable evening.

The boyfriend took me here for our 6^th anniversary. He surprised me and took the time to find a nice restaurant because he knows me so well as a foodie! The ambiance is intimate and romantic. Servers are very professional and snazzy, they wear suits! Anyway, on to the food! For appetizer I had the Crab Blintz with Chayote Slaw — it was delicious and flavorful! Small enough to not fill you up before your entrée comes out. For my main I had the Pork Loin which was really good! It was perfectly cooked and I enjoyed every bite of it! For dessert we shared the Pistachio Bread Pudding. It was just average tasting. It seemed a little more like a fancy pound cake than a bread pudding. Overall, we had a great time and enjoyed the food and service!

Corduroy used to be one of my favorite places in DC, but after last night, it seems to have fallen off. WAY off…
Typically when I go, I select my meal from the menu, but last night I decided to try the Chef’s surprise 5 course meal. BIG MISTAKE. If you go, DO NOT DO THIS. Sad to say, but the amuse bouche was the highlight of the evening. Our main course was a small piece of almost raw pork tenderloin that was fatty and chewy. I wasn’t even really offended by the uncooked meat, it was the more than 30 minute wait from our previous course that really ticked me off! The plate was hot and was clearly sitting under a heat lamp for quite a while. Although, the server was apologetic, it still didn’t sit right with me.
Now to the part that really pisses me off. We got 4 courses, not 5. I’m not the type of person to cause a fit, so I paid and left.
While I have enjoyed eating there in the past, this will be my last time. If I am going to spend my hard earned money, I might as well get what I paid for.

We were first-​time customers last night, after making a last minute dinner reservation. The ambiance is calm and romantic. We opted for the $ 70 per-​person 5-​course tasting menu and we were thrilled with our choice. We were a bit worried because tasting menus may serve smaller portions, but we felt that the five courses (plus amuse-​bouche) was the perfect amount of food.
With our tasting menu, we tried a crab-​stuffed blintz, a crispy grouper, pork loin with a delicious sauce (can’t remember the sauce details), and the wagyu beef with whipped potatoes (which was incredible). The desserts (which were included in the five courses) were outstanding. The chocolate tart with caramelized bananas was our favorite.
One thing to note is that there is a limited wine by the glass selection. Overall, great experience!

I’ve been to Corduroy twice and it was simply phenomenal both times. Everything I’ve had to eat or drink has been wonderful and the service is consistently excellent.
In sharp contrast to most of the hot restaurants in DC, the dining room isn’t as loud as a dive bar, which is a recurring problem for me in DC. I’m always looking for restaurants where I can take my dad when he’s in town — he hates it when we have to shout across the table to make conversation. The really great dining is often at boisterous young places that set his teeth on edge. Corduroy is a very nice exception to this rule. (My other go to with my dad is Tosca, which is also quiet for a popular restaurant.)

I have heard that Corduroy is one of the best places to dine in DC, so I was excited to check it out this week during my visit to DC. Our group started with the lobster carpaccio and it was beautifully presented and very tasty. For my entrée, I opted for the salmon with succotash and was delighted with my choice — so fresh, light and flavorful. It was surprisingly slow, but we did come in for an earlier dinner. The service was good too, but nothing over the top!

What a great dining experience! We started with the tomato salad — incredibly good heirloom tomatoes — and the lobster carpaccio. Then we had the tuna and the venison for our entrees. The flavors were wonderful, especially the venison — it wasn’t gamey at all. And the portions were more than adequate.
The wine list is also extensive, although the list of wines by the glass is fairly limited, and skewed towards old world wines. We found one of our favorite Rhone blends, Esprit de Beaucastel from Tablas Creek, on the wine list, and were told that its more youthful sibling, Patelin de Tablas, will soon be offered by the glass.

Took the wife here for a nice anniversary dinner. Couldn’t have been more pleased with the menu, dishes, service and staff.
We arrived at 530 when it was still quiet with few patrons. Hung out upstairs until our table was ready.
The wait staff was very professional, big on presentation and very attentive.
The food was excellent. Overall ambiance and feel of the place was very intimate. Really a very great experience. Highly recommend if you need to impress a young lady or put the right for forward.

To sum up Corduroy in a single sentence — New American restaurant with a hint of Asian fusion serving up goid but uninspiring dishes; perfect for business dinners if you can expense it. I’d give it 3.5 stars.
Now the long story… Came here after a conference since it’s right by the convention center. Service was a bit unorganized. Had a reservation at 5:30, showed up at 5:35 and was told my table isn’t ready. Ended up waiting upstairs in the bar area and wasn’t seated until a good 15 minutes later. Docking a star for this.
I had the $ 70 5-​course tasting menu, thinking that it was an opportunity to try out Tom Power’s creative dishes, but was a bit disappointed by the meat courses.
I enjoyed the chilled burdock cream soup (amuse bouche), tuna tartar with hunks of nagaimo yam, and the seared scallop with grits. I thought the progression of courses was perfectly designed for my culinary preferences at this point.
Then came the mediocre meat dishes. The guinea hen was OK. The meat wasn’t as tender as expected (especially when I was told it was marinated for 24 hours) and served on spinach and baby bok choy (usual pairing that you get everywhere else). The entrée course was 2 small blocks of seared lamb served on top of mashed potato. This was my least favorite course — I left half on the plate — as the mashed potato was too buttery and overpowered the lamb.
Dinner did end on a good note with a strawberry tart with strawberry ice cream. The natural flavors of the strawberry really came through and it was a perfect and not too sweet way to finish the meal.

Cyndy’s Bottom Line: Consistently excellent food, cocktails/​wine and service!
Love the food!
Love the desserts!
Love the service!
Love the excellent wine list!
Love the creative cocktails by Dee!
Still in love with Corduroy!

I have no complaints about the food. Everything I ate was perfect. But the environment was off the mark considering the high-​end restaurant Corduroy is trying to be.
First, the host seemed confused when we walked in and told him that we had a reservation. He acted extremely surprised, and then bewildered for about 30 seconds like he suddenly woke up from an alternate reality where Princess Diana was still alive.
Also, the waiter spilled red wine on the table.
Also, there was a large wedding/​engagement type party towards the back of the dining room that could best be described as «a rowdy bunch.» My question: if you want to be rowdy, why did you choose to come here? I posed my question rhetorically because their answer probably would have been «We have money to spend and we own this town, bro!»
Lastly, there was a large puddle in the men’s restroom around the urinals. I kind of expect restaurants of this caliber to resolve these kind of issues so guests don’t have to strategize how and where to pee. A man from the drunk wedding/​engagement party walked in after me and made a remark implying that I had pee’d all over the floor. I laughed it off because I think (?) he was joking.
In general, going to a $$$ restaurant means you won’t get accused of peeing on the floor. This is not that place.

Dinner with friends at Corduroy it was a mini celebration of the closing on our house with friends, last week
Corduroy is modern and sleek, yet warm. The restaurant was bustling when we arrived, however noise was not a problem the entire night. We ordered a variety of seafood dishes/​duck and beef, they were all wonderfully seasoned and perfectly prepared. The service was especially noteworthy… friendly, but not overbearing. Awesomely smooth and professional. For those taking the Metro… the restaurant is just around the corner from the Mt Vernon Square Metro stop, so it’s super easy to get to. We will be back with or without a friends! So worth the time and money. Our server was friendly and attentive. We had a table by the front window, which was quiet and gave us a nice view of the street and the restaurant.
The bass was simply but perfectly prepared. The duck was a filling and awesomely delicious dish. The bread pudding was simply presented and delicious — filling but light dessert.

Scallops were not on menu, but they are generally available as a special, and they are delicious. Each one is served atop a velvety mound of mashed potato with a side of mushrooms. This is one of the tastiest scallop entrees I’ve ever had, really delicious flavor on everything. I don’t even like mushrooms, but they manage to make even those pretty good. Highest marks for the scallop entrée, for sure.
We also tried the crispy bass, which was just ok, not a ton of flavor. However, it is served with a great pile of cabbage underneath filled with deep smoky flavor. We went back for that way more than the fish itself.
One area they need to make some changes on is the drink menu. They don’t list any beers, even though they do have some if you ask. But then you’re forced to rely on the waiter’s memory of what they have and what style each is. Of course our waiter didn’t have an encyclopedic memory of the options and we were left choosing blindly. They weren’t bad, but who knows what we missed out on.
The décor is very sleek but plain, dimly lit, with a white and gray color scheme. It works, though, it’s nice ambiance. They sat us in a two person booth, which was the only booth in sight. Score.
At the end of the meal we shared a pistachio bread pudding, which was a perfect cap on the meal. I would definitely get it again. Apparently my date put on opentable that it was my bday the night we went, so the waiter sang happy birthday when he brought out the dessert. I’m not a big fan of that sort of thing, but he was quiet enough that people didnt stare, which I appreciated.
Lastly, if youre wondering about the name, the menus are covered in corduroy. These people love their fabrics.

I got the three course meal. It was a steal for only 30 $. Great food. However, I was not a fan of their pumpkin tart. It wasn’t sweet enough for me. But I have a sweet tooth so others may enjoy it if you prefer less sweet deserts. The service was great.
I would suggest their drinks as well.

Entire experience and food was amazing.
For the first course, I went with the crab blintz and the coyote slaw. Essentially a crab egg roll. The crab was so fresh and the coyote slaw was a perfect accompaniment.
For my main course, I got the ahi tuna, which is a must try here. The tuna was perfectly prepared and the seaweed rice was to die for. I’d come back and order the same thing.
Dessert was O-​OK. Chocolate tart. They have a good selection of homemade ice cream to choose from.
Very upscale white tablecloth ambiance. That being said, service was really very easy going and accommodating.

Four and a half stars: fantastic food and service, but the drink menu could use some work. No idea why the listing is under diners, it’s definitely a dressy dining establishment. Decaf coffee was okay. The spring cocktails were light and refreshing, but the resulting flavor profiles were not successful riffs off of traditional recipes. CDR sazerac was stronger than the Royal pomanhattan, and the cranberry caipirinha was slightly watery, but all three offerings failed to please. Chauncy Buck hit the refreshing notes we were looking for, and the well-​balanced lemongrass cocktail swept our palates for the win.
The heavily touted microgreens salad on special was dressed in a pleasingly bright lemon vinaigrette… a nice but very conservative option. I was also a shade underwhelmed by the dressed tuna tartare mounded with crispy shallots and mountain potato for contrasting texture, plus a hearty pile of shoots on top. Red snapper bisque was poured tableside over presented garnish, rich without being too fishy. Our server described the resulting customer outrage when the restaurant tried to take lobster carpaccio off the menu, and we can understand the protest. Sliced opaquely thin with just enough drizzled drawn butter to coat, sprinkled with microgreens– this was the must-​try of the night.
Seared sea scallops w/​Anson Mills antebellum grits were just past cooked, but still cohesive and seasoned well. Roast and confit Guinea hen with maitake mushrooms was tender and tasty. I almost regretted not getting this instead, but honestly the Broken Arrow Ranch antelope was damned delicious, and I used the accompanying chestnut purée to sop up runaway juices. Meat was cooked to order, and the right balance of tender and mildly gamey.
The sorbet and ice cream flavors of the day weren’t boring, but I wasn’t compelled enough to keep my taste buds from straying. Pistachio bread pudding was decent, just far more delicate than decadent in both appearance and flavor. I didn’t think I’d be on board with a bread pudding that wasn’t lumpy in the slightest, but its elegance didn’t detract from flavor. Flourless chocolate cake was pretty standard, just rich enough to quiet any sweet tooth with a dollop of complementing ice cream. Pineapple tart tatin was the best of the three desserts in design and complexity: balanced sweetness with an emphasis on natural sugars, and artful wafer fractals. With a mildly anti-​dessert outlook, I was delighted to find that our choices seduced my spoon back for more bites.
From host table onward, service was splendid: polite, friendly, and attentive. They employed a strategy of having us flip our menus when we were ready to order, didn’t drag the meal pacing past reasonable levels, and almost never cleared a drink without asking permission first. The two times we wanted our server’s attention, a different server was alert enough to jump in and fulfill our requests. I’ll be back to try lamb special, pork belly, and baked chocolate sabayon. As cute as the upstairs bar and lounge area is (think Urbana with lighter wood tones) and as decent as the whiskey/​single malt options are, a cocktail drinker’s liver would be better sated elsewhere.