With distressed brick walls, radiators hanging from its pounded tin ceiling, and artfully scuffed green and white tiled floors, La Bonne Vache, perched at the corner of Prospect Street and Potomac Street in Georgetown, feels like it’s been there forever. Although most of this charmingly timeworn aesthetic is recently installed, the underlying lived-in sensibility isn’t a complete deception. The space was home to beloved sandwich shop Booeymonger for 50 years before it closed last spring.
La Bonne Vache—which means “the good cow” and opened at the end of January with 30 seats inside and plans for nearly a dozen outside—is a partnership between two hospitality industry power couples: Claire and Ari Wilder (Kappo, Zeppelin), and Robert Aikens (whose impressive burger credentials include time at Ghostburger and Stephen Starr’s gastropub Dandelion in Philadelphia), and his wife, Rachel Aikens, a pedigreed restaurant designer responsible for Espita and Opaline. The goal was to create an accessible, affordable restaurant for Georgetown families that would offer a blend of familiar French favorites along with cheffed-up burgers.
Robert Aikens now lives in London full time but plans to return to D.C. regularly to check in with the operation. That leaves the open kitchen in the hands of chef de cuisine Scheyla Acosta, who last cooked locally at the already-shuttered Cashion’s Rendezvous in the Square, along with none other than Ann Cashion serving as sous-chef.
Despite the French fare on hand, burgers are really the focus. Made with a blend from rock-star butcher Pat LaFrieda, patties can be doubled on any burger and arrive on a Martin’s Potato Roll. The Classique was my favorite. A classed-up, utterly crushable cheeseburger, it comes with Gruyere fondue, LBV sauce (aka mayo, ketchup, Worcestershire, and a bunch of other seasonings), red onions, and dill pickles.
Aikens brings classic French flavors to bear on the specialty burgers. There’s a riff on steak au poivre using green peppercorn cognac aioli instead of the traditional sauce, though the most prominent flavors are Auvergne-sourced blue cheese and sauteed mushrooms. Another burger comes topped with beef bourguignon (does that make it burguignon?) braised with roasted tomato and fresh herbs, then shredded and piled atop the patty with caramelized onions and smoked bacon. Finally, there’s one with truffle-amped Brie and truffle aioli.
For those who want to steer clear of cow, there’s a vegetarian burger crafted from green lentils and roasted mushrooms, and crowned with goat cheese, frisee salad, and tomato, as well as a crispy cod sandwich with dill pickles and tartar sauce punched up with cornichons, capers, and diced shallots.
Of course, there are fries. On the slender side, with the skin off and frizzled golden, they arrive with garlic aioli or addiction-forming Gruyere fondue with the consistency of queso, which is a very good thing.
When I visited, hors d’oeuvres included gougeres, foie gras parfait with toast points and cornichons, deviled eggs packing a hefty dose of curry, and salmon rillette accompanied by dilly cucumbers, though they are cycling through new options on this front. There is also a selection of salads, including a standout with royal purple beets, apple slivers, and goat cheese.
For dessert: silky chocolate mousse topped with Chantilly cream and crunchy chocolate pearls, creme caramel, and a madeleine sampler featuring honey lemon, chocolate, hazelnut, and pistachio. To accompany the meal, the thoughtful drinks list includes plenty of bubbles, easy drinking wines, classic French cocktails, and a good selection of NA options.
Still-despondent fans of Booeymonger should know there are three sandwiches available, including one with shaved rib eye with Gruyere, frisee, and horseradish aioli. It is not intended as a replacement for the former tenant’s well-loved Manhattan sandwich with grilled roast beef, cheddar, spinach, and house dressing, but it may begin to patch the hole in some hearts.
La Bonne Vache,3265 Prospect St. NW (202) 222-0620. labonnevachedc.com.