Eat Local: Le Refuge

Jean-Francois Chaufour, and his wife, Francoise, brought authentic French country cooking to Old Town in 1983 with the opening of . Twenty-eight years later, the restaurant maintains its reputation for consistently exceptional cuisine and service, and remains a deserving favorite of Old Town residents.

Anne-Claire Fregnan, the owner's daughter and manager of Le Refuge, says her father describes the restaurant as reminiscent of visiting a little corner of France–and he couldn't have said it better. Once inside, you really do feel as if you're sitting inside a cozy French bistro, complete with accordion music, a glass of wine and an abundance of French culinary classics from which to choose. Whether you are having a casual lunch, celebrating a special occasion or on a date, Le Refuge will not disappoint. 

Lunch: For lunch, you can't go wrong with a bowl of the baked onion soup with Swiss cheese, a popular choice, according to Anne. Other lunch entrees include a hearts of palm salad, several fish options such as sauteed scallops and salmon, a quiche of the day and a variety of veal, pork, and beef options served in sauces that sound divine. Lunch hours are Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Dinner: Some signature dishes to consider for dinner are the rack of lamb, beef wellington, frog legs, and bouillabaisse, a fish soup specialty that hails from the south of France. The restaurant also offers daily seasonal specials such as soft shell crabs, Coq au Vin and cold soup trios. Be sure to save room for dessert–profiteroles, creme brulee, homemade tarte, strawberry melba, and chocolate mousse cake grace the menu. The dinner menu is available Monday through Saturday 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Reservations, especially for Friday and Saturday night are highly recommended. 

Le Refuge offers a large selection of wines by the bottle, with an admirable selection of French wines from multiple regions, and several Californian reds. There are also three to four choices of red and whites by the glass and several aperitif cocktails such as the signature house cocktail–peach schnapps and champagne, garnished with a raspberry. 

Le Refuge is located at 127 North Washington Street in Old Town Alexandria. Phone: 703-548-4661.