Frenching in Dupont: Bistrot Du Coin

I went to Bistrot Du Coin last weekend for dinner after passing it countless times on my way to and from the Metro without even looking in the windows, and was totally shocked that it even existed so close to my apartment. The food was decent enough for the price and Du Coin’s atmosphere is like that of a traditional bistro, bustling with energy and loud. With its high ceilings and funky French decor, its easy to forget that you just walked in from the streets of Dupont. If you’re looking for a place to grab a drink and a quick meal, Bistrot Du Coin delivers when it comes to the typical bistro favorites like pots of mussels and plates of steak frites. Which leads me to the frites — totally addictive, and the shining star of the entire meal.

Hot, crisp and perfectly salted … Du Coin doesn’t mess around when it comes to the frites. Try them with a side of the house’s homemade mayo if you really wanna get serious. In addition to the frites, I got a small order of the Moules Mariniéres (a simple preparation of mussels steamed in white wine, with onions, shallots and parsley), and my friend got the Moules Roquefort (mussels in a creamy Roquefort sauce). At $8.25 for a small order of around 15-20 medium-sized mussels, this meal was easy on the wallet and totally worth the noise and intimate (read: super-close) set-up of the tables. It also helped me ignore the creepy oversized Santa doll that guards the entryway and row of plushy snowmen above the coat rack (in April).

We went at kind of an off time (6:30 pm on a Sunday night … a dining time usually reserved for senior citizens and children under the age of 6) and didn’t have to wait for a table, but by the time we left dinner it was a crowded and boisterous scene with great people watching. They also have some pretty good deals if you want to drink wine by the glass, at anywhere between $5-8 for whatever the house wines are that night. However, the glasses are pretty tiny and if you’re not dining alone you’re probably better off just getting a half bottle or carafe. Since we were having mussels, I had a Hoengaarden (a Belgian white beer) which was pretty good but definitely came in a wimpy glass for the $6.50 price tag.

Overall, because of its convenient location I would probably put Bistrot Du Coin on my list of regular dives for impromptu dining but wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way if it required a trek, unless you are planning on having a dinner of frites with a side of mayo … then by all means, trek.