Members focus > CHEF CHRISTOPHE POTEAUX, Bastille restaurant
February 11, 2008
On a quiet street in Alexandria, Virginia, a new French revolution is underway. This one is taking place at a restaurant aptly named Bastille — named after the “Place de la Bastille” in Paris, where a famous French revolt on July 14, 1789 changed the course of history.
Alexandria’s own mini-revolution is in the highly capable hands of Chef Christophe Poteaux, and his pastry chef wife Michelle Garbee, who together founded Bastille restaurant in August 2006.
They are taking classic bistro cuisine and adding the more modern touches that have been introduced by a new generation of chefs in Paris and which is now appealing to the growing clientele that Poteaux and Garbee are attracting to their Bastille from the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.
“The revolution in bistro cuisine was initiated by current-day Parisian chefs, whose creations are based on bold flavors, and which use more modern ingredients that are lighter and fresher,” explained Poteaux. “This is the approach at Bastille, where my dishes also reflect the more than 12 years I’ve spent in the U.S., and my exposure to various international cooking styles.”
Poteaux puts the emphasis on fresh products — including organic contents — buying whenever possible from the region’s farmers who come to the local markets.
This new "bistro gastro" style is reflected throughout Bastille’s current winter menu, which features starters that range from organic beet Carpaccio with house-made Boursin cheese; and a duck charcuterie trio of confit, prosciutto and rillettes (a personal favorite of Chef Poteaux), to cod brandade cake with frisee salad and truffle vinaigrette, and the restaurant’s trademark calamari and shrimp beignets accompanied by sheep milk yogurt and harissa dip.
Varied main courses, dinner tasting specials and an extensive wine list
Bastille’s current main courses are equally varied. A partial list includes: grilled Mediterranean Branzino filet, served with sage infused Canelini bean ragout; the Chef’s bouillabaisse composed of market seafood poached in a saffron & Pernod mussel broth, garnished with vegetables, country bread and rouille aioli; organic farm-raised Scottish salmon, mustard-pancetta vinaigrette and green lentils; risotto du jour, made with organic dry-aged carnarolli rice; and coq au vin (braised chicken in a red wine sauce) with mushrooms, baby onions, lardons, garlic and fresh herbs, served with “Aligot” Yukon mashed potatoes.
Multi-course dinner tasting specials are also offered at Bastille, accompanied by monthly featured wines from the restaurant’s extensive wine list. For an establishment of its size — with interior seating of 45 places — the restaurant has an extremely diversified list of more than 120 wines, many of which are of origins that may not be known to average restaurant-goers.
“We offer selections by the bottle, the glass, and in a flight of three glasses,” Poteaux said. “In January, for example, we featured Bordeaux wines, including whites — which many people don’t realize represent 40 percent of the region’s total production.”
Bastille’s dessert menu is the responsibility of American-born Michelle Garbee, who was Executive Pastry chef of the Watergate hotel. She joined Poteaux at Aquarelle in 2004, where they began collaborating on sweet and savory dishes alike. Her current dessert selections include Valrhona Brownie Fudge torte with coconut mousse and passion fruit caramel; pistachio butter cake, Meyer lemon and crème Chantilly; warm local apple tatin with crème fraiche sabayon; brown sugar and spice bread pudding, accompanied by a port cherry sauce; Valrhona Jivara milk chocolate and chestnut Crème brûlée; and a golden pineapple upside down cake topped off by a rum anglaise sauce.
With this dynamic husband and wife teaming, Bastille has built an excellent reputation since its opening 18 months ago — with recognitions that include its recent ranking in the Washingtonian magazine’s top 100 restaurants, and equally good “ink” in a variety of local and regional publications.
“Business has been good, and we’ve become very, very busy during the past six months,” Poteaux said. “We’re now a part of the community here in Alexandria, developing a solid business lunch clientele and bringing in the locals. We also are attracting people from throughout Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland who appreciate good food. Additionally, our press coverage and exposure in the region’s dining guides has made Bastille a stop for many visitors to this area.”
The pace will pick up even more in the coming months, as the warm weather allows Bastille to put its outdoor patio into full operation — adding 30 additional settings to the restaurant’s seating capacity.
According to Poteaux, the upswing in business at Bastille includes a growing number of gourmet clients who appreciate good food. “This is one of the major trends we’re seeing: more and more of our customers are coming because they understand and appreciate what we’re doing, and can recognize the difference,” he stated. “There are an increasing number of Americans who are informing themselves about cooking, and are connoisseurs. In addition, they want to learn more, and are regularly asking us how we prepare our selections and what the origins of our dishes are.”
This is particularly satisfying for Poteaux, for whom cooking has been a key part of his life. As a boy, he worked in the kitchen of his family’s restaurant in Paris, and spent summers at his grandfather’s pastry shop in Bordeaux. Poteaux came to the United States in 1997, training at the French Culinary Institute while working evenings at the highly-rated Restaurant Daniel in New York.
He then went west, cooking at some of Los Angeles’ best restaurants, such as the famed L’Orangerie in Hollywood. He became the Chef de Cuisine at Bouchon and was the Executive Banquet Chef at the city’s upscale Jonathan Club. Returning to the East Coast in 2003, Poteaux followed in the steps of the late great French Chef Jean-Louis Palladin, reviving the Watergate’s Aquarelle restaurant.
Learn more about Bastille, and its dual chef team of Christophe Poteaux and Michelle Garbee at the restaurant’s Website: www.bastillerestaurant.com.
Bastille
1201 N. Royal Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Tel: 703 519-3776
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