Rural Society: Restaurant of the Month

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Every now and then, treat myself for a nice steak. A few months ago, I visited the new Jose Garces restaurant, Rural Society at the Loews Madison Hotel for DC Restaurant Week. Compared to other restaurants I went to where the offerings were scarce, I suffered a 24 hour food coma from my experience at the restaurant. I was impressed with not only with the food but the knowledgeable staff. From the server's wine knowledge to trading stories about my old neighborhood in Brussels with the Belgian staff member, I truly felt at home.

From the Brunch Menu: Fugazza de Desayuno

I recently returned to Rural Society for lunch and had the opportunity to chat with the chef, Chef Louis Goral and ask him a few questions about what inspires the menu. He was telling me how he and Jose Garces traveled around Argentina for several weeks to ensure that the restaurant had authentic recipes and a wine list to match. With lots of inspiration from Buenos Aires and its environs, he and Jose Garces offer a great selection of the Argentinan favorites, from the parrillada to fugazza (Argentian pizza).

Chef Louis Goral

I was happy to see that Aaron Beaver, the beverage director of Loews Madison Hotel PostScript Bar and Rural Society, developed the cocktail menu for Rural Society. I started my lunch with El Diablo, a take on the margarita with a homemade habanero simple syrup which gives it a sweet kick. I also sampled the white sangria at the opening party which was delicious as well. The restaurant also has an impressive list of South American wines. Aaron himself had the pleasure (jealous here) to hand pick the wines from Argentina and Chile. I had my lamb chops with a Carmenere from Chile of the Vina Ventisquero cellar, beautiful pairing.

El Diablo

About the food: Where do I start? If you are coming here for a special occasion is all about the meat. I had the steak for dinner which was tender, buttery, and delicious. Tip from Chef Louis: When removing the steak from the fire, add butter on top to stop the cooking, making it juicy and flavorful. Probably the most decadent cooking tip I've received! For lunch, I sampled the lamb chops, absolutely delicious. All the meats are cooked on an open wood grill. You can see and smell the chefs preparing the food. The lamb chops were accompanied by grilled Brussels sprouts seasoned with bacon lard and pomegranate. I also enjoyed the zetas (mushrooms) that were also grilled as well, you can taste the smokiness of the grill. The dulce the leche flan was a little too smoky for my taste but the Dutchman loved it nonetheless. My favorite is the ice cream with caramel sauce with petit alfajores (dulce de leche stuffed cookies) and the dulce de leche crepes. These can be had with the homemade limoncello or coffee which Chef Jose Garces and his father source from Latin America.

Overall, Rural Society is now one of my new favorite spots in Washington, DC. Things that I love: that the staff knows their food and are passionate about it without being pretentious. The attention to detail: the semi private dining rooms offer an individual minibar (an ode to Loews Madison) to having some of their beverage offerings homemade. I appreciate that the creators (chef and beverage manager) took the time to travel and research their cuisine.

The Lamp Chops from Rural Society

DiningTip: Rural Society is on the expensive side, but head there for lunch and happy hour for more affordable specials.

Homemade Ice Cream with Alfajores

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Rural Society: Restaurant of the Month

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