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Washington, D.C. Map: Marcel'sMarcel's Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Cuisine French
Hours Sun 5:30-9:30pm; Mon-Thurs 5:30-10pm; Fri-Sat 5:30-11pm
Address
2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Location Foggy Bottom/West End
Transportation Metro: Foggy Bottom
Reservations Reservations recommended
Phone 202/296-1166
Web site www.marcelsdc.com
Prices Tasting menus: 4-course $75, 5-course $90, 7-course $125 (any dish on the menu may be ordered individually); pretheater dinner 5:30-7pm (including round-trip limo to/from Kennedy Center) $52
Credit Cards AE, MC, V

Frommer's Review

When you walk through the front door, look straight ahead into the exhibition kitchen. Chances are you'll be staring directly into the eyes of chef Robert Wiedmaier (or his chef de cuisine, if Wiedmaier should be performing in his exhibition kitchen at Beck's). In any case, Wiedmaier's vivid style and cuisine are firmly on display here, with French dishes that include nods to his Belgian training: duck breast with baby turnips, rose lentils, and Calvados sauce, or venison with ragout of winter mushrooms and Madeira sauce. Wiedmaier's boudin blanc sausage is said to be out of this world. Desserts usually include such seasonal tarts as spring pear tart with raspberry coulis. Marcel's offers three tasting menus, four courses for $75, five courses for $90, and seven courses for $125, but you may choose any item listed on a tasting menu and order it as appetizer or entree.

Marcel's, named after Wiedmaier's young son, hews to a country French decor that includes panels of rough stone framed by rustic shutters and antique hutches displaying Provençal pottery. Drapes and carpeting help buffer the conversational buzz that otherwise would ricochet off the stone walls and floors. To the right of the exhibition kitchen is a spacious wine bar with its own menu (the full dinner menu is also available at some tables) and lovely live jazz Tuesday through Saturday year-round. Marcel's offers seating on the patio -- right on Pennsylvania Avenue -- in warm weather. Widely successful from the start is Marcel's sibling, Brasserie Beck, which opened in 2007; Beck's is named after Wiedmaier's second-born son.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


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Destination Guide Destination Guide Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2009 Destination Guide Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2009

Author: Elise Hartman Ford
Pub Date: October 26, 2009
Price: $17.99

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Frommer's Star Ratings

Frommer's Recommended 0 stars Frommer's Recommended
Frommer's Highly Recommended 1 stars Frommer's Highly Recommended
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended 2 stars Frommer's Very Highly Recommended
Frommer's Exceptional 3 stars Frommer's Exceptional

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Frommer's ranks every hotel, restaurant, attraction, shop, and nightlife establishment it reviews for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating scale, an expression of the strong compare-and-contrast opinions that are a brand hallmark.

Other ratings provide stars based primarily on price and amenities; the Frommer's star rating is meant to quantify the kind of intangible, experiential elements that help travelers make informed decisions.

The "baseline" recommendation is zero stars--every hotel, restaurant, attraction, shop, and nightlife establishment that Frommer's chooses to review is recommended; otherwise, we simply wouldn't include it.

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