Word on the Street -- A Newby at The Willard?

Ok, it's not so much the word on the street (because frankly it's too damn cold to stand on the street chit-chatting), but rather, the word on Open Table (which, Bobby and I completely adore, btw).

Anyway, perusing Open Table the other night (I was looking to see what restaurants still have availability on Valentine's Day),* I noticed a new listing for a place called Cafe du Parc, which I hadn't seen before. After investigating a bit, it appears that Cafe du Parc will be a french bistro located at the historic Willard hotel. It also appears that opening is scheduled for March 1 (Open Table says that reservations for the bistro are not accepted until then). However, there's very little information on the bistro's website, and a google search turned up little other than the fact that the bistro appears to be hiring. In fact, it seems we've even trumped the veritable Washington Post on this one, although I can't imagine Mr. Tom Sietsema isn't aware of the new venue (honestly folks, what doesn't that man know?).

According to it's information page on Open Table (which is authored by the restaurant), here's the scoop on Cafe du Parc:

Cafe Du Parc highlights fresh local inviting flavors modest in presentation embracing classic bistro cuisine such as Pot-au-Feu, Steak Frite, and Bouillabaisse a la Provencale. In addition to the savory offering, the Café boasts an array of house made patisseries all artfully prepared by our Café Brigade under the supervision and guidance of our Executive Chef, Daniel Kenney and famed Michelin-starred Chef Antoine Westermann of Strasbourg, France. The main floor with street front and hotel connect access is a lively space with a focus on pastry and take away serving custom blend, specialty coffees and a selection of teas . Here we showcase our house made morning pastries and baked items as we open the doors in the early am. Transitioning to lunch we display gourmet sandwiches, salads and sweets. Moving to the afternoon and evening the theme shifts to our signature "Petits Plats" and specialty pastries.

We'll keep our eyes and ears open for more news regarding Cafe du Parc, and if you hear of anything, please drop us a comment.

*For those of you who haven't already made your V-day plans, time to get cracking. CityZen is already booked up (just ask Jason Storch at DC Foodies), along with 1789, Mie n Yu, Citronelle, Kinkead's, Vidalia, and many others. Not that I'm worried -- Bobby made a reservation at CityZen weeks ago (such a lucky girl, aren't I?).