Upscale Italian Dining at L'Ardente

One of the best meals I had in 2021 was both an unexpected delight and exactly what I should have expected from classically trained French Chef David Deshaies.

Chef Deshaies trained under famed French Chef Michel Richard and opened his first restaurant, Unconventional Diner, in 2018.

In 2021 Chef Deshaies opened the upscale Italian restaurant, L’Ardente, and this time he’s putting his own twist on classic Italian food - like his 40 layer lasagna.

Chef Deshaies’ creativity is everywhere on the L’Ardente menu. Each dish seems to honor the Italian classics while delivering an exciting new variation.

GETTING SEATED

For our visit - on Christmas Eve of 2021 - we were treated to an incredible table that overlooked the wood fire grill and the gigantic pizza oven. From there we could watch as incredible things were happening - and it was all awesome!

From the moment we sat down at our table we were treated to a show as the chef working the wood fire grill prepared gigantic steaks with a generous helping of salt and cooked them on his unique grill. I thought it was especially cool that the individual cooking grates could easily be raised or lowered to maintain a perfect temperature on the steak.

COCKTAILS

Like most of my favorite meals, ours began with a look at the cocktail menu. I like to begin with a restaurant’s signature cocktail list since it’s usually a good indication of how well the culinary team combines flavors for a finished product. With the taste of signature cocktails dancing in our mouths we could then begin to look at the food menu with a good idea just how adventurous our dining experience would be.

The L'ardente Amalfi — The L’ardente Amalfi Cocktail

Deb opted for the color changing Amalfi - Empress Butterfly Pea Gin | Pallini Limoncello | Tonic Water

And I chose the tasty Paloma Limone - Ilegal Mezcal | Limoncello | Lemon | mint | Limoncello Meringue

We chose our respective first drinks because we both love limoncello (we’ve sampled fresh limoncello in Positano, Italy, and are both big fans). Neither drink disappointed.

APERITIVO & ANTIPASTI

After our opening drinks we moved to the aperitivo course. There were several great sounding choices but we decided on the Prosciutto di Parma (sliced fresh and served with an incredible grilled focaccia and fig preserves). I thought this was an especially tasty appetizer.

After finishing our aperitivo we proceeded to the Antipasti. Again we faced a dozen incredible sounding choices but we landed on Chef Deshaies’ variation of risotto. L’Ardente’s Venetian Risotto had all of the flavor I associate with a top quality risotto but substituted the arborio rice with an unexpected (and very welcome) riced calamari cooked in lobster stock with king crab. Talk about a textural delight!

PASTA & PER LA TAVOLA

It was now time to choose a pasta and optional per la tavola - which in Italian means: “for the table”.

The pasta could have easily been the 40 layer lasagna but we chose something different, the Campanelle (Rock Shrimp | Anchovy | Capers | Mint | Extra Virgin Olive Oil). I loved this take on a classic Italian Pasta.

L'ardente Campanelle — L’ardente Campanelle

And for a per la tavola there was only one choice. When I saw the Bistecca alla Fiorentina on the menu there was no way I wasn’t going to be ordering it.

*Note - the Bistecca is not cheap at more than $100, but it can easily serve two

When a Bistecca alla Fiorentina arrived at our table I was blown away. This is probably as close to a genuine Florentine Steak as you can possibly get without flying to Firenze (Florence), Italy and ordering one at Buca Lapi Ristorante.

The classic Bistecca alla Fiorentina of Fierenze, Italy is absolutely legendary for its size and simplicity. What makes it so special is its perfection. And I’m happy to say that the Bistecca alla Fiorentino at L’Ardente was my idea of perfection. I’ve had plenty of steak in my life but I’ve never had steak that transported me to another hemisphere in a single bite - and kept me there to the final bite. This steak is really that good.

PASTA - REVISITED

It would have been easy to call it a night after the incredible Bistecca alla Fiorentino, but here at Ultimate DC Dining we take our reviews seriously - and that meant we couldn’t leave without seeing (and tasting) the 40 layer lasagna.

L'ardente 40 Layer Lasagna — The incredible 40 layer lasagna

The lasagna at L’Ardente (40 Layers | Short Rib Sugo | Truffle Mornay | Sottocenere Cheese) is both familiar and foreign in every way I can describe. Its layers of pasta, incredible sauce, and truffled cheese are cooked to absolute perfection.

The biggest visual departure from traditional lasagna is how it’s served on its side, which is probably a whole lot safer than having an 8 inch tall square of lasagna waiting to tumble over.

When I read the description on the menu I thought it was a gimmick designed to attract the “food photos of Instagram” crowd - but after one bite I quickly understood that it was so much more. I also realized that my home cooked lasagna has always been at least 20 layers short of being done right…

And if you’re wondering - we didn’t finish our lasagna (something almost impossible to do after an entire Bistecca alla Fiorentino) so we ordered our lasagna to see the plating and have a taste fresh from the kitchen. The rest was packed up and enjoyed at home the following day.

DESSERT

For our final course of the night we, again, found several options that all sounded amazing. But on the advice of the third member of our review team we decided to get the Tiramisu Flambé. This was another gimmicky sounding option that seemed perfect for instagram videos - but after one bite you start thinking about lighting all of your sweets on fire.

After thoroughly cleaning our dessert plate all that was left was to pay the bill and head home full and very happy after an incredible Christmas Eve dining experience.

RATINGS

And this is where things get extremely difficult for the Ultimate DC Dining team. Deciding on final ratings for the food, experience and photo qualities for L’Ardente was the subject of a very long discussion. We all hold the epic two Michelin-starred minibar in impossibly high regard and its three category perfection is so difficult to live up to for every other DC area restaurant. But we all agreed that the food and experience was as good as can be had outside of the flagship José Andrés offering. The food at L’Ardente was superb, the staff and atmosphere was top notch and the photos I captured are some of my favorites.

Food Rating - 5 out of 5

There wasn’t a single misstep when it came to the food. Every plate was made with intention and attention to detail. Everything we tried was great with the Bistecca alla Fiorentino earning an extra special mention.

Experience Rating - 5 out of 5

Inside L’Ardente it’s beautiful. The look is upscale but with a playful side (just read the neon sign above the bathroom entrance and you’ll understand what I mean). Every member of the staff was on their game from the hosting team at the front door to the entire wait staff. Even Chef Deshaies, himself, took a break from running the kitchen pass to stop by our table and see how we were enjoying our meal.

Photo Rating - 4.5 out of 5

There’s a lot to love about the pictures you can take at L’Ardente but it smells so good you are eager to put your camera away and start tasting. And in the end you’re there to eat the food - not take pictures…

FINAL SCORE - 14.5 OUT OF 15

The entire L’Ardente experience is definitely bigger than the sum of its parts. When we dined at L’Ardente it had only been open for a few months but the polish was that of a team that had been working together for years. The Ultimate DC dining team has sampled Michelin-starred Italian and our experience at L’Ardente was on par with the best Italian food Washington DC has to offer. If by this time next year L’Ardente doesn’t have its own Michelin Star then something is seriously wrong.

To reserve your table visit the L’Ardente website:

www.lardente.com

* Menu items may change without notice. The items pictured in this review may not be available when you visit.

L’Ardente