Brassiere Liberté Brings French Staples to Georgetown

Georgetown’s dining scene has been a touch sleepy over the past few years. Up-and-coming neighborhoods in the District have overshadowed once-thriving, traditional food hubs like Georgetown as of late. As the city rapidly changes, restaurateurs looking to open new restaurants turn toward emerging neighborhoods like Shaw, H Street or The Wharf, to name a few. DC restaurateur Hakan Ilhan, however, has faith in Georgetown as a food destination and invested heavily in his latest endeavor on historic Prospect street: Brasserie Liberté.

Ilhan enlisted design firm Swatchroom to completely transform the former Morton’s The Steakhouse space from a dark, outdated cave-like enclosure, to a chic and inviting French-style brasserie. The multi-million dollar renovation includes a floor-to-ceiling wine cellar display, light blue tiling, and soft, warm shades of navy, pumpkin and crimson. A show-stopping domed booth in the private dining area features a delicate hand-painted floral pattern above red velvet upholstered seating. 

The interior is as cohesive as its dinner menu. Highlights include three different kinds of tarte flambees, French onion soup, crispy leg of duck confit, scallop almandine, and of course, the ultimate cold-weather comfort food: boeuf bourguignon. 

“I said to my chefs if we’re going to do this, there are four things you absolutely have to get right: steak tartare, french fries, escargot and boeuf bourguignon,” Ilhan says. “These are [French dishes] everyone knows.” 

In other words: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The french fries, for one, are ideally crispy from end-to-end. And the boeuf bourguignon is one Julia Child would have been proud of. The tender meat succumbs to a fork with ease, falling apart just as it should. If you’re a herbivore, however, vegetarians can take part in this classic French dish by opting for the vegan and gluten-free mushroom bourguignon. 

The man behind the food is 25-year-old Jaryd Hearn, who is currently the youngest executive chef in the city. Hearn previously spent two years cooking at Alinea, Chicago’s only restaurant with three Michelin stars. 

In addition to French staples, Hearn creates vegetarian-friendly salads, moules frites, roasted carrot grain bowl with chickpea puree and seared salmon. 

If you have the stomach real estate after your main meal, save that room for something off of their diverse dessert menu. Options include opera cake, profiteroles and an apple tartlet that comes with homemade brie ice cream so silky you wish you could buy it by the pint.

Based on its first few weeks, Ilhan’s Brassiere Liberte has the potential to level the playing field between DC’s neighborhood eats, making Georgetown a refreshed contender in the city’s comprehensive foodscape.

Brasserie Liberté is open from 11 a.m. – 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 2 a.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. – 2 a.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. – 1 a.m. on Sunday.

For more information about Brasserie Liberte, visit www.libertedc.com.

Brasserie Liberte: 3251 Prospect St. NW, DC; 202-878-8404; www.libertedc.com