Christophe Marque - Chef of Cafe du Parc

Parisian chef finds his niche in D.C.

When a French chef arrives to open an authentic French bistro in Washington, one element of realism that has to give way is French itself. The Café du Parc may be a little corner of Paris in D.C., but communication in the dining room and kitchen is more practical in English.

So when Christophe Marque arrived in the U.S. capital in March last year to open the cafe next to the Willard InterContinental Hotel, of which it is part, the first thing he did was spend two days a week between lunch and dinner service at language school. As he sits talking to a reporter in what used to be a Chanel boutique but now looks like a Left Bank brasserie, he is completely at ease in English.

Marque came to the restaurant because of Antoine Westermann, the three-Michelin-star chef of Drouant in Paris. Westermann was brought in as consultant when Café du Parc opened, and he chose Marque, who had worked as sous chef at Drouant.

“It was very cold, very snowy, when I arrived,” says Marque. “But I was very impressed. It’s a dream when you are young — everyone speaks about the USA.”

The buildings in D.C. surprised him, though; from films and TV he’d expected skyscrapers. He and his French girlfriend, who also works at Café du Parc, found a place to live in Thomas Circle and set about exploring. First they discovered Whole Foods, then the Dupont Circle farmers market. “Very nice,” Marque says in a French accent that could melt the coldest butter. “It look like in France — people come with package,” he says, meaning shopping baskets or bags.

Born in Pau in southwest France, Marque learned while very young to cook alongside his mother and her mother, getting everything from the garden or local street markets. When he left high school, he apprenticed in the restaurant of a hotel not far from his hometown before moving on and up in kitchen status to a one-Michelin-star restaurant in a hotel in Biarritz. That was followed with a post in Paris at Le Violin d’Ingres, another one-Michelin-star restaurant, which in turn led to becoming sous chef at Westermann’s Drouant. He was there a year before Westermann put him forward for Café du Parc.

Marque says he is trying to make the place a French bistro — but one adapted to the culture of the United States. “It’s like when I go in France to a Chinese restaurant. We want to discover something, but not too much. I make French food with American flavor.” He’s not going overboard in the American direction, however. “In France I don’t eat in McDonald, I don’t eat a lot of hamburger. I try to learn a little bit American food. But I am not a fan of hamburger.” He grimaces apologetically with a French kind of expression.

What he offers lunchtime diners are alternatives, like a French country soup with vegetables and duck confit, and homemade French pâté. “We try to make a tartine [sandwich] with smoked salmon and Roquefort. Is good. American people like this. I a little bit make war on hamburger.” At night, there is a French onion soup; a veal, pork and duck foie gras pâté cooked with port and Armagnac and wrapped pastry; braised shoulder of beef in a red wine sauce with bacon lardons and carrots; pan-roasted East Coast scallops topped with parsley and garlic butter; and pork that’s sautéed crisp with thyme and garlic jus — among other goodies that give you France on a fork. He’s not too impressed with American pork, however. He cooks it for 24 hours at an extremely low temperature “sous vide,” or vacuum-packed in a plastic bag, to deepen flavor and encourage tenderness.

But producing French bistro food in Washington isn’t the same as cooking in France. “Sometimes for us it is difficult to work. It’s different produce. Meat is different, pork not the same — not fatty like in France. It has more water, it’s not the same quality.” On the other hand he’s impressed with the beef and local oysters. “Very good!” He grins approvingly. The law prevents him from serving young unpasteurized cheeses like in France. But he offers some lesser known French varieties like Petit Basque and St. Marcellin. “We need to adapt. This is the point: to adapt to culture and law. This is interesting, too.”

He dashes into the kitchen, and returns with his arms full of little Le Parfait preserving jars. He plunks them down on the white tablecloth, then examines each handwritten label closely. “We make terrines, pâtés, rillettes [a rough pork belly pâté], foie gras. We try to work on peppercorn pâté.” The jar of black olive tapenade is extremely cold to the touch. “If you leave [it] out, the oil separate.”

He spends 10 hours a day in the kitchen, where he’s given a completely free hand. “I’m happy to be here. The hotel, they leave me and how I want to do. This is nice.” He’s also enjoying Washington. “It’s not too big. The area is close — not like Paris, big all over. Here is like Chinatown is here, Georgetown is here.” He slices the tablecloth into small quadrants with the side of his hand.

On his time off, he says, he plays football. Football? Really? He laughs and corrects himself: “No, no. Soccer. We play at Pentagon City, sometimes down by Memorial Bridge, with Costa Ricans from the kitchen. This I love.” He loves travel even more. His parents came over to see him and they explored Miami, Las Vegas, New York and the Grand Canyon. He grins. “Yes, I’m happy to be here.”

Café du Parc (202-942-7000;cafeduparc.com) is located at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Main courses cost $18.95 to $24.95.

This article by Julia Watson first appeared in the Northwest, Dupont, Foggy Bottom and Georgetown Current Newspapers. Photo Bill Petros/The Current.

NEWS UPDATE: Café du Parc has launched a year-long celebration of traditional French bistro food with dishes at lunch and dinner that commemorate different regions of France.

It starts with Alsace, with dishes available through the end of April like Spaetzels Aux Champignons du Bois, spaetzel pasta with white mushrooms and chicken jus; Choucroute Alsacienne, Alsatian sauerkraut with fresh pork belly, sausages and slow braised pork shanks; and Kouglof, sweet brioche with raisins, almonds, Kirsch pastry cream, and assorted seasonal berries topped with beer ice cream.

Provence follows from June 21 for a month, then in the fall Aquitaine from September 23 through Oct 31. The festival ends with a month-long tribute to Brittany from December 1 to the 31st.