Cafe Bonaparte

I was in a very “blah” mood on Thursday. I felt trapped and needed to get away from Foggy Bottom and the bustling college lifestyle. Whenever I feel this way, I decide to detach myself from everyone (including my phone) and spend the day at a quiet café or bistro somewhere in the District to relax and get some work done. Today, I decided to head to Georgetown since I hadn’t been there in a while.  After walking around for a little bit, I couldn’t decide on a place to go as every restaurant and café was busy and had a fast-pace “on the go” type of ambiance. I then remembered this French, cozy and quaint bistro that is nestled away deep down 1522 Wisconsin Ave, NW called Café Bonaparte.

I immediately made my way up there and was seated at a delightful table beside the massive floor-to-ceiling high window overlooking several cafes and shops. The whole mood of the place was delightful – everyone seemed relaxed and looked as if they were taking the day off from work. The décor of the place has a very Parisian feel to it – warm and charming colors, small coffee tables with a luxurious yet vintage feel.

Photo from: http://citybuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bonaparte.jpg

The ceilings looked as if they were made out of aluminum and gave the entire place a subtle shine.  

The Ceiling

This place is known for their crepes. They have a wonderful selection of both sweet and savory crepes with a variety of fillings such as smoked salmon, roasted vegetables, ham, goat cheese, fruits, chocolate, etc.

I decided to have the lunch special, which consists of ½ crepe or sandwich and ½ a soup or salad ($9.99). I went with the Mirabeau crepe (sauteed shrimp, cilantro, citrus ricotta cheese) and the Roquette salad (arugula, red grapes, goat cheese, roasted hazelnuts in a lemon-olive oil emulsion). I sat there gazing out the window while leisurely eating my meal.   The crepe was drizzled with an extremely flavorful creamy, saffron sauce that I think added the perfect bang to the dish. The salad used hazelnuts, which was what intrigued me to select that option (aside from the obvious goat cheese which I can never get enough of). I am a huge fan of nuts in my salads. Usually, walnuts, almonds or pine nuts are used, never have I ever had hazelnuts! It was a scrumptious surprise.

After my satisfying meal, I just sat there, people-watched and did some reading for one of my classes. It was crucial for me to get away from everyone and everything and simply recharge my batteries. 
Note: Cafe Bonaparte does not take reservations, so make sure to be willing to wait around 15 minutes for a table!