Someone wrote:
>La Madelaine's is at least a breath of fresh air....
Sorry I can't answer your questions about Morrison's, etc., but I wanted to comment on La Madelaine. They just opened a new one in the Bailey's Crossroads area, next to the new Borders Books and Music, Filene's Basement, and Safeway.
My husband and I went for dinner on a Friday night, and it was a bit crowded, not overly so. Not having been to a La Madelaine before, I was suprised that it was cafeteria-style. It was not, however, cafeteria-atmosphere. The lighting is very warm, indirect, and incandescent. The fireplace was burning brightly, and the wooden tables and chairs were ones that I would have in my home.
A hostess greeted us when we walked in and explained how the food service worked - she could take our order for pasta dishes and the evening special (a veal stew, that night) or we could stand in line and choose from among the entrees, salads and sides.
I ordered the veal stew. Unfortunately, I can't remember what Doug had. We each had a glass of Bordeaux, which was around $4.00 glass. It was a '90, and though not from a first-growth chateau, was quite good. Going through the line, there were salads, pastry-based entrees, rosemary chicken, and about a half-dozen other dinner selections. At the end of the line were freshly baked breads (all you care to eat). The total for the two of us was over $25.00, which is kinda pricey for cafeteria-style, if you ask me, but the food was good to very good (the bread was excellent) and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
Upon departing, we were given a loaf of the bread of our choice since it was our first visit.
I'd recommend giving it a try, and I will certainly return. Not a low-cal place, however.
LynneWashington, DC
La Madelaine
See what happens when you read this newsgroup. I went to LaMadelaine for the first dinner. I had been there for lunch. Well, it was quite unsatisfactory. First, I guess I really don't like cafetaria's ... Don't like the wait, the confusion, or the noise. On to the food. The mushroom soup was very nice. Full bodied with lots of fresh mush- rooms and a touch of sherry.A very nice cesar salad. Bread was okay but not as good as I get at The Bakers' Place. I had the special of the day. A veal dish. Sort of a ragout that hadn't quite been cooked long enough to be succulent. Just a tad tough and the flavor was drab. My spouse had a grilled chicken that was very ordinary. We shared a creame broule which was a bit rubbery. The price for this was about 27.00.Oh, that includes ice tea and coffee. All in all I would rather have stayed home and had my own beef stew. Regards, Terry
Someone wrote: : I ordered the veal stew. Unfortunately, I can't remember what : Doug had. We each had a glass of Bordeaux, which was around : $4.00 glass. It was a '90, and though not from a first-growth : chateau, was quite good. Going through the line, there were : salads, pastry-based entrees, rosemary chicken, and about : a half-dozen other dinner selections. At the end of the : line were freshly baked breads (all you care to eat). The : total for the two of us was over $25.00, which is kinda : pricey for cafeteria-style, if you ask me, but the food was : good to very good (the bread was excellent) and the atmosphere : was quite pleasant. "Kinda" pricey? I walked in there for lunch on Sunday, and I was taken in by the atmosphere. But when I got in line, I discovered that a Croque Monsieur was $4.95, for two pieces of (probably good) bread only half as thick as bread usually is, and what looked like a single tiny slice of ham and some cheese. I asked what their entrees come with (for example, my foccaccia at Caffe Pazzo the day before came with a nice salad, the whole thing for only $3.95), and they told me nothing--everything is a la carte. Well, the salads were another few bucks. Even if the food was going to be good, it was clear to me that value was not to be had, and I walked right out the door. And drove to Fresh Choice in Pentagon City where I had all-I-could-eat, most of it quite tasty, for $5.95 plus the cost of a soft drink.
> Larry L. wrote: >>Lynne R. wrote: >>total for the two of us was over $25.00, which is kinda >>pricey for cafeteria-style, if you ask me, but the food was > >>$4.00 glass. > >Lynne, how many cafeteria-style restaurants even *sell* decent wine? >Subtract the $8, and your two meals were $17, which seems pretty >reasonable given the quality of the food. True enough, I guess, but to tell you the truth, I haven't been to any other cafeteria-style places in a very long time. Generally, I like being waited on when I go out. I avoid places with salad bars and feed-bars (Sizzler) because part of the reason I'm dining out is being waited on. The people working the line at L.M. were very nice, helpful, and polite, by the way. That said, and in response to the other comments on this thread, my opinion of La Madelaine is that it was a satisfactory dining experience for us, and we will probably return, but it's not on my top ten list. I thought the cost was a little high, but certainly not outrageous. The atmosphere was above average and quite pleasant, the food was good, the wine and beer selections were appealing, and the one in Bailey's is about a mile from our house, which adds incentive. We had dinner at Pizzeria Paradiso again last night. There's one for my top ten list. We had a bottle of Dei Vino Rosso di Montepulciano, split an insalata misto, an order of bread, and a 12" pizza with 4 toppings. Our bill was $40. Unbelievable pizza... worth much more. I can't say enough about this place. Fabulous. Lynne