During my parents weekend visit to DC, we happened upon a stellar restaurant that recently opened in Dupont at 2100 P St. NW. Less than 100 feet from their hotel, Residence Inn on P., we stopped in to check out the menu after our crowd was drawn in by Cafe Trope’s sign celebrating the Caribbean/French fusion. Everyone seemed satisfied by the looks of the menu/ambiance and we snagged a reservation for 8PM with about ninety minutes notice. We showed up a bit casual in our tourist jeans and sweaters, but did not seem to stick out sorely. The place is certainly urban casual inside where ladies can wear (seemingly) anything and men are as likely to have a casual jacket as they are to dry clean their party jeans.
Menu: Cafe Trope by Howsoon Cham
Given the price range it seemed to be a bit of an older crowd than any place in Adams Morgan or U St. There were some middle age men impressing their trophy gals and two groups of girlfriends out for a night on the town. By 8:45, the restaurant was full, but we had plenty of room to pass dishes and swivel around our 6 person table. At its fullest point, we still seemed able to hear one another, but then again, we’re not a quiet bunch. Drinks came along and we cut our deals on the side to share plates and swap tastes of the wide selection. Waiter-man described the plates as being 5-6 bites each, but I’d say they were something more like 8 bites per. Most ordered an appetizer and 2 plates, surmounting to 3 courses and the girls saved room for dessert.
My dad started with the Oysters, which he raved about — twice to our server, once to each of us individually and then again the next day after lunch. He enjoyed the filet, but seemed most enchanted by the four large, Plantain-Encrusted Oysters served over a bed of spinach. Laura had the Truffled Goat Cheese and Macaroni with the Pumpkin and Spinich Quinoa. I had a bite of both and was very pleased with the French twist on the traditional Mac-and-Cheese. Mary choose wisely with the Butternut Squash soup, which was creamy and delicious, if not very filling for its size. She also ordered the Pork Tenderloin served over sweet mashed potatoes and collard greens. At odds with her entree, I thought the sweet potato was much too sweet for inclusion as a pre-dessert accompaniment. They seemed as if they’d been drizzled with maple syrup.
Merritt agreed that his side of potato puree was much closer to comfort than the sweet potato version. He also ordered the rack of lamb, which came after I was filled up on my own yummies. I thoroughly enjoyed my starter of Marinated Squash and Garbanzo Beans. Never having too many garbanzos, my second course was the curried chick peas and spinach, which kicked the flavor up into a tasty zing. Having read the reviews online, I tried out the seemingly signature Jerk Chicken Lollipops, which lived up to their rep as both delicious and spicy. Things would have been troublesome had dinner’s spice been reversed, but instead offered an increasing glow on the pallet. Finally, my mom started with the Pear and Roquefort Salad, moved on to the Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Pilua, which brought out the harvest flavors which seem difficult to reach during winter months. Her entree, wild salmon, was an honestly sized 6 bites and seemed a well placed culmination of the aromas and flavors passed round the table.
It did appear that the staff was still growing into their roles on the floor. Our waiter did seem a bit confused about his surroundings and had a couple oversights on what was still available. While we did get everything that we’d ordered, the timing was a little disjointed, thrown by a table mix-up with the runners. Also, gravity seemed to be an issue with several glasses biting the tile and utensils occasionally clanging across the room or down steps. However, our water glasses were full and wine was delicious. The fine food more than made up for the oversights in service and we are all confident that Trope can work through any staffing issues and their overly powerful gravitation pull.
With another month of practice, Cafe Trope could rival other area restaurants for DC’s finest.
