1972 French restaurant?

Hello, I%26#39;m trying to find out where my parents enjoyed their first anniversary meal in June 1972, and if the restaurant still exists. Here%26#39;s what I have to go on:

French, fine dining. It was ';the place to go';. Each table had only one seating for the evening. They had been told political figures would eat there. My father thinks it was in or near Georgetown, but can%26#39;t be sure. In short, they remember the meal and the occasion clearly (as it should be!) but not the name or location of the restaurant. I would love to help them get back there. Any ideas?

Nathan

1972 French restaurant?

That is a fabulous idea, Nathan! May I suggest that you also ask this same question of the foodies who frequent ChowHound.com%26#39;s boards -- here%26#39;s the URL for the DC/Mid-Atlantic one:

http://www.chowhound.com/boards/show/14

1972 French restaurant?

Sadly, I don%26#39;t think this fits the description of anyplace currently operating in DC.

From the description, it may be have ';Le Lion d%26#39;Or '; or maybe ';Rive Gauche';, neither of which is still around. (And neither of which was in Georgetown, so I%26#39;m not sure if I%26#39;m on the right track or not!)

Thanks for your help! Unfortunately, with that help, I%26#39;ve determined that the restaurant was probably Rive Gauche, which closed in 1997. Any suggestions for a replacement if they go back, preferably classic French/formal atmosphere?

To some extent those kinds of places have gone out of style. Plenty of French cuisine around town but I don%26#39;t think there%26#39;s anything really ';formal'; with truly classic French food, most places are more bistro style.

If they have access to a car I%26#39;d recommend L%26#39;Auberge Chez Francois, but it%26#39;s out in Great Falls (Va). I haven%26#39;t been there in years, but I really enjoyed it. But I%26#39;m not sure it would pass the ';formal'; part of the test. Dressy, yes. formal, no. More country inn than stylish city atmosphere.

The other option would be Citronelle. Amazing. But very pricey!