The Clover Group opened its fifth Cafe Deluxe American bistro last month at 2201 M St. NW in the city’s West End.

Cafe Deluxe opened its fifth location in May in the new Hilton Garden Inn at 22nd and M Streets NW. (Photo: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

While the local chain already has four other locations in Cleveland Park, Tysons Corner, Bethesda and Gaithersburg, the West End location is unique because it is in the new Hilton Garden Inn. As part of their contract with Hilton, the restaurant must be open for breakfast and also provide food for room service, banquets and receptions at the hotel – things none of the other restaurants do although some do offer weekend only brunch, according to Clover Group’s president Brian Sullivan.

Executive chef Juan Valdez has come up with a menu of fresh classics all from scratch using fresh ingredients every day with a focus on healthy dishes. Diners will still find the favorites they know at the other locations like gourmet flatbreads, artisan sandwiches, burgers, musses and classic entrees like grilled salmon, braised boneless sort ribs and chicken pot pie.

New entrees for Cafe Deluxe West End include the 14-ounce New York strip with Brussells sprouts and horseradish mashed potatoes (left) and the seared ahi tuna with mango salsa and asparagus. (Photos: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

New dishes include the seared ahi tuna steak served with mango relish, a balsamic reduction and sautéed asparagus ($24.95) and a 14-ounce New York strip steak with Brussels sprouts, bacon onion marmalade and horseradish mashed potatoes ($32.95). There’s also a gluten-free menu available.

On the West End bistro’s breakfast menu is (clockwise from top left) the Healthy Deluxe, the crab cake & fried green tomato Benedict, beignets and Sully’s coffee cake. (Photos: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The expanded brunch menu, which is served until 11 a.m. during the week and 3 p.m. on weekends, offers guests lighter choices such as the Healthy Deluxe with egg whites folded over freshly roasted yellow squash, zucchini, red pepper and asparagus served with salsa and avocado pico de gallo and topped with crème fraiche ($12.95). In addition, Cafe Deluxe offers a selection of egg Benedicts including the new crab cake and fried green tomato Benedict made with lump crab cakes atop fried green tomatoes, roasted corn, tomato relish and asparagus topped with poached eggs and Old Bay hollandaise sauce served with breakfast potatoes and fresh fruit ($16.95), specialty and build-your-own omelets, corn flake-crusted French toast ($9.95). The bistro also is serving signature confections like beignets rolled in cinnamon sugar and nutmeg and served with honey butter ($6.95) and Sully’s coffee cake, named for Sullivan, made with blueberries and almond streusel drizzled with vanilla icing ($9.95).

Happy hour at the bar features (from left) burger sliders, calamari and berry mango mojito. (Photos: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The full bar features over 60 wines, an expansive beer menu with 13 on tap including four rotating seasonal options and a variety of new cocktails including the berry mango mojito made with Cruzan mango rum, muddled blueberries, white cranberry juice and club soda ($9.95). The bar also has a happy hour from 3:30-7 p.m. Monday-Friday that includes $4 Stella Artois draft or house wine, $5 rocks margarita or cosmopolitan and $1 off all draft beers. The happy hour menu includes $4 bar bites including crispy chicken rolls, prosciutto mac and cheese, mini gruyere grilled cheese with prosciutto and creamy Mediterranean hummus; $5 burger sliders with house seasoning, sharp cheddar cheese and deluxe mayonnaise on a potato roll served with onion straws, apple and brie flatbread and chef’s inspiration flatbread; and $6 calamari seasoned, battered and served with a sweet chili sauce or 1/2 order of PEI mussels in classic Belgian, Thai curry or fra diavolo broth.

Cafe Deluxe West End features floor-to-ceiling windows, rich-colored leather booths, mahogany furniture and a marble topped grill. (Photos: Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The 5,000 square-foot restaurant’s interior was designed by GTM Architects and features rich-colored leather booths, mahogany furniture and oversized mirrors. Floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the restaurant open up onto the hustle and bustle of 22nd and M Streets. The dining room seats up to 124 people with seating for 38 at the bar. A patio that seats up to 40 people will open later in the summer. The bar is also dark mahogany with a marble top. A private dining room with capacity to seat up to 40 people offers personalized menus, natural lighting, audio visual capabilities and complimentary Wi-Fi. An additional 2,500 square feet of banquet space, which can be divided into thirds, is available for corporate and social events with catering by Cafe Deluxe.

Café Deluxe West End is open 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday, 7 a.m.-12:30 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m.-11 p.m. on Sunday. Room service is offered from 5-9 p.m. daily.

The Mendelsohns are taking over more of the 300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE as Chef Spike and sister Micheline open their new French restaurant Béarnaise just down the street from their original Good Stuff Eatery and We, the Pizza.

The pair are partnering with Chef Brad Race, formerly of Jose Andreas Mini Bar, Michel Richard’s Michele in Tysons Corner and Le Cirque in New York City, as executive chef on the new 112-seast steak-frites restaurant, Béarnaise, which opens Wednesday in the old Thai Roma location at 315 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. The restaurant’s simple prix fixe menu features three cuts of steak with a choice of five sauces paired with a first course and unlimited fries.

Chefs Brad Race (right) and Spike Mendelsohn are opening Bearnaise French bistro on Capitol Hill. (Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

“The food is really going to reflect the flavors of Paris,” said Spike. “We’re adding our twist with some extra dishes to a typical steak frites and with unique artwork we’re hoping to create a humble, but chic atmosphere. The restaurant is also an art gallery with pieces throughout the restaurant picked out by Micheline and their mother on a recent 10-day trip to France.

The siblings grew up in Montreal and spent time exploring and living in Paris. A Top Chef contestant, Spike previously cooked with French cuisine with Chef Gerard Boyer at Les Crayeres, a 3-star Michelin restaurant in Reims, France, and at Bouchone in Napa Valley, Calif., with Thomas Keller. Spike and Brad met while working at Le Cirque.

During a recent preview, Spike said they’ve been working on the restaurant for about a year. “Support from the community and city has been amazing,” he said. “I’m excited to get down to a more fine-dining restaurant.” They had originally considered a bistro or brasserie but settled on a mix of their favorite dishes from both menus.

Bearnaise’s menu includes (clockwise) French onion soup, bone marrow, praline crème brulee and a flat iron steak with unlimited fries. (Mark Heckathorn/DC on Heels)

The first course includes a choice of French onion soup, a mixed greens salad or a seasonal soup du jour. For your steak, you can choose an 8 ounce flat iron ($28), a 14 ounce ribeye ($38) or an 8 ounce filet ($42) with béarnaise maison, spicy béarnaise, au poivre, bordelaise or maitre d’ hotel butter and unlimited fries.

Appetizers include old salt, Rappahannock and stingray oysters ($16 a half dozen or $30 a dozen), escargot ($8), maple glazed foie gras ($18), pan-fried frogs legs ($14) and a selection of cheeses served with honeycomb ($12). A selection of four sides cost $8 each and include a tartiflette of potatoes with bacon and Reblochon cheese, Brussels sprouts bacon and béarnaise, roasted bone marrow with sea salt and parsley or roasted portabella mushrooms. The four dessert choices are $12 each and include profiteroles filled with French vanilla ice cream drizzled with warm homemade chocolate sauce, praline crème brulee, a three-layer chocolate mousse made with milk-, white- and dark chocolates or a seasonal tart.

The bistro’s drink program includes 11 wines priced at $10 a glass or 25 wines at $40 a bottle. There is also a reserve list of champagne and white and red wine, cocktails, beer and a house punch made with seasonal fruits and spices.