Recent DC Events

An Enchanted Encore with L'Avant Garde

by Wesley J. Jefferies, Vice Charge de Presse

As the last of summer’s warm breezes gave way to the gentle onset of autumn in the nation’s capital, members and guests of the Bailliage of Greater Washington, D.C. gathered in Georgetown to begin the season with a much anticipated return to L’Avant Garde. The bailliage’s last legendary visit to L’Avant Garde in the summer of 2023 made a lasting impression on the palates and memories of all concerned, so it was with no small amount of astonishment and eager expectation when the bailliage learned that Chef Sebastien Giannini, a world-renowned culinary legend of the Washington D.C. area, had assumed the helm. So anticipated was the occasion, Jeff Vasser, the Bailli Provincial of the Chaîne’s Mid-Atlantic Province, made the three hour journey from New Jersey for the occasion.

Born and raised in Toulon on the French Riviera, Chef Giannini began his career in the Michelin-starred restaurants that dot the Côte d’Azur and became known as “le petit prince de la cuisine provençale.” A move to the Washington D.C. area saw him relaunch the Alhambra as the Executive Chef of the St. Regis Hotel, where the bailliage first came to know him and his culinary marvels at the 2018 Induction Gala. The bailliage followed him to enjoy his creations again when he became the Executive Chef at the Watergate Hotel where the bailliage held its 2019 Induction Gala. When it was announced that, after a time working for a private family and foundation at the start of the pandemic, he would become the new Executive Chef and part owner of L’Avant Garde, the bailliage seized the opportunity to dine with the living legend with alacrity.

As a growing crowd trickled into the restaurant for this next of epic culinary adventures with Chef Giannini, they were greeted with a glass of Champagne Jose Michel Premices Pinot Noir Meunier Moussy. A pale straw-yellow Champagne wine, its delicate yet persistent bubbles danced on the palate with subtle citrus notes of lemon and mandarin. As they came in, they were also able to avail themselves of an open bar where they could be served spirits and cocktails of their choice, from standards such as dry martinis to more intricately and exquisitely crafted concoctions such as the Old Fashioned au Canard, L’Avant Garde’s own creative twist on an old classic prepared with duck fat washed bourbon and cognac, orange marmalade, bitters, and applewood smoke.

Amid the gentle clink of flute glasses and murmured conversations that rose and fell like ocean waves gently lapping onto a quiet beachside, the assembled company was summoned to table and assumed their seats, plates of amuse bouches weaved through the room and landed before them with discreet precision. Among these were a seared scallop, its caramelized exterior giving way to tender bites, served on a delicate bed of turmeric hollandaise. Leek, with its mild sweetness, and fried cauliflower with nutty undertones, provided some textured layers to the scallop that were all tied together with the buttery richness of a delicate dollop of caviar that melted on the tongue.

This was followed by a phyllo dough pastry encasing a rich filling of Bigorre pig trotters melting into the silkiness of foie gras, grounded into the soft earthiness of a small sampling of escargot, and harmonized with a sauce made from beef au jus and a red wine reduction. A gustatory counterpoint to these amuse bouches was provided with a sampling of grilled eggplant salad where the smoky char of the eggplant was brightened by natural sweetness of orange zest and enriched by pine nuts and honey both of which were both cut through with the freshness of mint.

The first course served was Duck Nougat, a terrine composed of rich, harmonious layers of shredded duck thigh and almonds, enveloping a foie gras pâté that sang with lush, buttery notes. A crown of brandied cherries struck a deep, fruity chord, while a black truffle flake, like a final lingering note, added an earthy resonance. Accompanying this centerpiece was a micro herb salad, a delicate ensemble dressed in a truffle vinaigrette, with fennel pollen sprinkled like the lightest touch of a high note and served on bed of confiture de figues, its sweetness grounding the dish and creating a composition that provided a memorable half-cadence for the first course. Paired with a Domaine Tempier Rose Bandol Mourvèdre 2023, its pale salmon hue and notes of rose petals and lemon peel brightened the course, bringing the summer brightness of the Provencal countryside with each glass. The wine’s crisp acidity and mineral backbone gracefully cut through the richness of the foie gras and duck thigh and its vibrancy lifted the sweet fig confiture and earthy truffle creating a harmonious interplay that made the pairing feel organic and effortless, as if the wine has been grown and aged with the dish in mind.

The next course was Maryland Crab Tartare, a dish that like a languid adagio, unfolded smoothly on the palate. At the base was a firm layer of carb tartare while a creamy avocado sat atop, providing a smooth velvety contrast. Chives provided a crisp staccato counter point while a cucumber gazpacho sauce added a harmonizing touch. Paired with a Château de Creanzy, Sancerre, Loire, Sauvignon Blanc 2023, its bright acidity weaved through the richness of the crab and the avocado. Bergamot notes resonated with the creamy avocado, enhancing its depth, while hints of cedar elevated the crispness of the cucumber gazpacho. A strong mineral finish provided a refreshing lift that acted a legato for the next and main course.

Then arrived the main course, the Magret de Canard à la Rouennaise, a dish that commanded the room with its presence. The duck breast, sourced from a bird that been fattened for foie gras, was a study in intricate indulgence. Cooked to just medium-rare, the meat retained its tender, juicy core while an outer layer of fat had melted into it during cooking, creating a depth of rich savory flavor that carressed the tongue and lingered on the palate. The plate was further adorned with a cauliflower and red cabbage purée, their subtle bitterness contrasting the rich, almost gamey notes of the duck. Finally, as per Rouennaise tradition, the dish featured a sauce made by pressing the duck, extracting every last drop of its deeply flavorful juices. The result was a velvety, complex sauce—earthy, bold, and unapologetic—that tied the entire dish together with a quiet but unquestionable authority. Turnips added a hint of earthiness, while the confit oranges delivered a burst of brightness that cut through the intensity. Yet it was the squid ink that added an unexpected twist, mysterious, almost playfully mischievous counterpoint, that elevated the dish from the expected to something quietly audacious.

            A Château Simian’s 2023 Les Clefs du Caladas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape met the duck with a harmony that seemed almost predestined as if a veteran soprano and a seasoned tenor had at last joined on stage for an aria duet. Its deep garnet hue was a prelude to the polyphony within – notes of ripe berries, black currants, and dried herbs all resonating with the rich, almost orchestral flavors and layers of the duck and its velvety sauce. The wine’s silky tannins smoothed out the boldness of the dish without overpowering it, creating a cycle of tension and release that culminated in a seamless harmony.

            The cauliflower and red cabbage puree, with its slight bitterness, found an echo in the wine’s earthy undertones, one offering texture, the other grounding with depth and subtly. The confit oranges, with their sweet and bright notes, danced lightly between the wine’s acidity and its herbaceous layers, adding a staccato burst of brightness that punctuated the meal. Here, the wine’s crisp structure responded with precision, ensuring the light sweetness of the oranges and the mild bitterness of the puree lifted each other up and elevated the dish.

            The cheese course, a Truffle Brie accompanied with a crisp warmed baguette with a scattering of SalaNova greens, arrived like a well-timed coda. The Brie’s velvety rind yielded to a creamy interior that was almost molten in texture. As it melted on the tongue, truffle notes unfolded in layers, quietly at first and then more pronounced, as its earthy and almost musky notes built on themselves like the final notes of a symphonic movement before resolving into a nutty finish that lingered on the palate.

            A Domaine Danjean-Berthoux 2022 Givry Meix au Roi paired with the Brie like a soft adagio. A light and silky Burgundy wine, its youthful notes of strawberries and cream offered a light contrast to the generous creaminess of the Brie while its delicate floral undertones playfully danced with the earthiness of the Brie’s truffle.

            The evening’s culinary opus ended with a final triumphant cadence: a dessert course aptly named the Ultimate Chocolate. At its center in a shallow bed of dark chocolate ganache, lay a dacquoise biscuit, crisp yet yielding, that set the rhythm for the dessert. A base of roasted hazelnuts provided a steady, grounding counterpoint to a topping of airy and decadent milk chocolate mousse. Hidden within the mousse topping were more roasted hazelnuts, delicate chocolate flakes, and glimmers of gold leaf. The richness of the biscuit was balanced by bright hints of citrus jam and mandarin jelly in the ganache, their sharpness cutting through the rich decadence of the chocolate with delicate yet persistent precision. Scattered hazelnuts and dollops of sorbet, adorned with more flecks of gold leaf lay alongside them in the ganache, weaving together a complex tapestry of tastes and sensations where each element built on the next culminating in a soaring crescendo of gustatory climax.

            As members and guests savored the last bites of the dessert and sipped on the last of their Burgundy, Chef Sebastien Giannini and Robert Rooney, L’Avant Garde’s Director of Service, came out to rapturous applause. Bailli Provincial Jeff Vasser would soon become the inducting officer as Chef Giannini was elevated from Maître Rôtisseur to Maître Restaurateur and Robert Rooney was inducted into the Chaîne as a Maître de Table. Vice Conseiller Gastronomique Mark Lewonowski presenting Chef Giannini and Robert Rooney with their respective ribbons while Bailli Provincial Jeff Vasser conducted the induction ceremony with antique swords, provided courtesy of Officier Allan Kam. Based on research done by Dame de la Chaîne Whitney Babash, the swords are Napoleonic-era French briquet swords first used by the Garde Imperiale, an elite army formation under Napoleon’s direct command.

Bailli Judy Mazza explained the Bailliage’s unique chapter pin to those assembled and also presented other materials to the inductees, including the Bailliage’s Challenge Coin.  Bailli Provincial Jeff Vasser was presented with a Chaîne silver wine coaster in appreciation as the inducting officer.  Soon, all kitchen and serving staff were brought to the dining room and were presented with special Chaîne pins handed out by Gastronomique Mark Lewonowski and Vice Chargé de Missions Juan Loza as an expression of deep gratitude and acknowledgement of their contributions to a incomparably sublime evening. As Bailli Judy Mazza remarked, they were also part of the Chaîne family.  In this spirit, Chief Sommelier Samantha McCrimmon was presented with a special Sommelier pin for the ingenious wine pairings.

As conversations tapered and the night outside began to cool, people began to gather and linger at the bar. There were still things to say and share, reflections to offer, as if the dinner itself had given rise to more than just satisfied palates—it magnified and expanded the deep sense of camaraderie and hospitality for which the Chaîne and the Bailliage of Greater Washington D.C. are known. Outside, Georgetown’s busy streets offered a contrast to the serene  and quiet warmth inside, but as belongings were gathered and hands shaken, there lingered an unmistakable reluctance to let the evening end.

            The evening had unfolded not as mere dining experience but as an epic opera, meticulously constructed, course by course. Each dish carried with it the weight of tradition, the whispers of innovation, and a firm sense of purpose that transcended the ordinary rhythm of a meal. The recipes, the presentation, and the pairings of the wine – chosen with the same deliberation as an enthralling series of plot twists in an Agatha Christie murder mystery, played out in ways that were subtle but significant, weaving layer onto layer in a tale that had been carefully set in motion from that very first glass of Champagne.