Went for valentine's day last night. Great service, all servers were very attentive, nice wine selection, every single plate was scrumptious! We had the loveliest night by the candle light. read more

ended up here given timing and the dining options in tenleytown. like the artist from whom (i'm assuming) this place derived its namesake, matisse the restaurant is hit or miss. and while the artist's masterpieces are no doubt much greater (and rarer), so much lower were his misses (and more often). that being said, the restaurant's service was not much better than the worst of the painter's work (i will expand on this shortly), and coming from a person who normally doesn't give much of a hell about service, it must have been memorable. when a couple friends and i dropped in here sunday afternoon for brunch, we entered a rather empty, though quite attractive front room. with only a few tables full, and spending the next several minutes trying to divine where a server might be found, we had plenty of time to admire the restaurant's stylish decor. done in a reserved style of black, dark wooden browns, and white-washed brick, with a long sleek wooden bar, an assortment of interestingly shaped light fixtures and ceiling hangings, just a touch of color to the table settings, a brick stairccase curving up towards the back of the restaurant, and windows square-paned to angle the light drifting in, a certain elegance was undeniably present. probably a good place to bring a dinner date. if we could just figure out the seating policy. but with the bartender's back turned towards i don't know what, we calmly waited until a server eventually walked in from the rear of the restaurant (it actually looked semi-bustling with some sort of party as well as other tables) and acknowledged our existences. given the back room, i forgave them the delay and we were seated in the front room with our menus. a few minutes later, our server, and his remarkable obtuseness, arrived. an example? a fairly accurate scripting of our exchange over drinks (which took at least 4 or 5 minutes) server: Could i offer you anything to drink? A mamosa? A bloody mary? friend #1: no thank you. i'll just have water for now please. server: would you prefer sparkling or non-sparkling? friend #1: just regular water please. server: regular water. what size bottle? friend # 1: no, just regular water. tap water. server: regular tap water? friend #1: yes. server: ah, tap water. ok. and you? a mamosa? a bloody mary? friend #2: um. no thanks just water for me also. server: and would that be sparking or still water? perhaps you would like a large bottle for the table? friend #2: um. no. just regular water. with lemon. server: and is that bottled regular water, or tap? friend #2: tap. with lemon. server: ah....ok. just water. and you sir? a mimosa? bloody mary? sparkling water? coffee? me: tap water. non-sparkling. no bottle. just tap. with lemon. server: a mimosa? or a bloody mary? me: nope. just water. like i said..... (our exchange with our chuck-norris-like-don't-take-no-for-an-answer-approach waiter continued as my friends inquired about cappucinos, much to the delight of our waiter, who apparently receives 1,000,000% commission on each beverage sold...so after my friends ordered their cappucinos, our waiter bluntly stated "ok, so that will be three cappucinos then for the table?", and which point i had to deliberately rebuff him again with my request for a simple goddamn glass of water).... anyway, our waiter did eventually bring our cappucinos and took our orders without making any further suave comments outside of "and for your appetizer?" when i had clearly already ordered no appetizer despite my friends doing so. the cappucinos were only ok, and after receving our appetizers (porridge with fresh fruit, and mussles in curry broth), we waited for the bread that was being passed from a basket to tables in the back to be offered to us also. especially my friend with the mussels. alas, this did not happen. so we flagged our waiter down and made it happen. after this (thank god)our waiter was much more cogniscant, and even offered butter/olive oil with the bread. ooh-la-la. the food was good though. and when our entrees arrived shorlty after(eggs benedict, chicken with tomato-pepper confit and risotto, and brandied french toast with sage sausage), they were pretty damn good as well... though the eggs were a bit overdone, the flavours in all the dishes were impressive and well put together. and, being much more concerned with food than service, the meal salvaged much of the repair done by our waiter. sure, it took a while to get our check, but we were at least stuffed and satisfied when we left. and when we were overcharged for the mussels and i saw the bartender scolding the waiter, i understood that he must have been new to the job. having apparently just graduated from mafia u. yeah. all in all, the food and decor means i might even return for dinner some time. just as long as i don't end up sleeping with the fishes first. food/ambience = 4 solid stars service = -2 read more

We were the couple that came in minutes prior to opening on 3/18. I'm spending valuable time here in hopes that the hostess learns something... so here goes: We wanted to just grab a drink, but decided "heck, why not grab some dinner." It was only 5:30 and not a single customer was in the entire restaurant - not one. There are likely 40+ tables in the place (including the upstairs). I wandered over to ask the hostess if we could grab a table. She rudely and quite condescendingly stated, "you need to be out by 7." To which, we responded... "no problem". Then, as she walked to the hostess stand, again she repeated, "I need you out by 7." Ok, we get it... and note - it's 530p and not a single customer is in the entire place yet. Finally, she doesn't even grab us menus and states again - as she attempts to seat us next to a wall - "I need you done by 7." At that point, I've had it. I told her that "we get it" and that her condescending demands (after the 3rd time) were not appreciated - especially since it's 530, and again, there is not a single other patron in the entire place. Then, she gave us this sour, degrading look - as if WE were somehow offensive. Needless to say, we left. You know us. We come in and drop at least $250 on dinner and we never skimp on your best wine. We are somewhat regular, and we do like the food and the wine list is terrific. However, the comments, and even demands, from this hostess were uncalled for. That got me thinking to another time. We have Wizards season tickets and often hit Proof prior to games. Recently, we showed up without a reservation and the place was crowded. However, the hostess gave us a table, but asked us nicely, "hey, would you mind finishing up by 7?" To which, we understood and replied "sure thing...no problem." Adding just a bit more here... while we were eating, our waiter told us the game was an 8p game because ESPN was doing it. I told the waiter that we promised the hostess to be done by 7... but he cut me right off and said, "don't you guys worry about... you are fine... and let me go talk to the hostess." Note: on that night, our bill was probably $200 and we gave our waiter a $100 tip. My point... that's how you treat people. You don't bark and demand that "I need you out by 7." You simply ask them nicely... and I can assure you that most (and certainly us) will get it. We drop a few Franklins every time we come in. Yes, we like the food. But, please talk to this incredibly arrogant and rude hostess and explain that the customer is still the customer and a little respect goes a long way. read more

Service is not particularly good. The food is good but not phenomenal. This isa reliable spot if you want a place where you can have conversation (not too loud) and food that you can rely on. However, this is definitely a spot for an older crowd. The restaurant could use some updating - maybe spruce up the menu. The ambiance is really nice, though, and the lighting is warm and welcoming. read more

We have been going to this sophisticated neiighborhood restaurant for as long as it has been open(10 years, I think). The food is always good. Last night the halibut and osso buco were excellent. The wine list is well chosen for interest and value. My highest compliment is that Matisse is on the short list of where we send friends. read more

Haven't been to Matisse in awhile, but tried again and found it to be as good as I remembered from about a few years ago. My favorite dish was still there, and it was excellent as usual (ahi tuna on a bed of small lentils). The service was good in the main dining room even though they were catering to a large group upstairs. Great atmosphere! A bit pricey but worth it!! read more

I had mushroom soup, a lobster salad and a glass of wine. The mushroom soup tasted vaguely of mushrooms, could have used a few more pulses in the food processor and a less bland base. Both my dinner partner and I agreed it was unremarkable. The lobster salad came with some fresh greens that were dry and required that I request extra dressing. Not bad otherwise. The lobster could have passed for a half a crayfish. Three small bites. It was an appetizer portion disguised as an entree. My bill came to around $60. My friends love the place. But I have to say I felt underwhelmed, underfed and over charged. The room was nice and the service was good but I won't be back. read more

not a good week for me and the frenchies. first belga cafe then matisse. ugh. pluses - the beignets are delicious & the space/decor is beautiful minuses - awful, awful service the food? well, it's acceptable. but not good enough to come back for such crappy service. not even the beignets. came here for brunch on a saturday with 4 other friends. there was NO ONE else in the restaurant other than the wait staff. not a single soul. yet, the host asks us if we have a reservation and when we reply "no," he pauses and says, "um...okay. i think that will be a problem but let me check." maybe he expected an imaginary rush? whatevs. he takes us to be seated and we sit...and sit....and sit. FINALLY, a server appears and takes our drink orders, then returns with them promptly. that was the ONLY prompt thing about our entire experience there. when waiterman finally reappears to take our food orders, he seems confused by my friend's statement that she does not want/like the bloody mary she'd orderd. server: oh, you don't like it? friend: no, it's too sweet. server: oh, it's too sweet? friend: yes, please take it back. server: so, you don't want it? WTH! it was like talking to a muppet. he finally took the drink, and our orders, and disappeared again. when the food arrived, everything looked lovely. the beignets - the main reason we went to matisse - were fluffy sweet flaky tasty goodness. everyone at the table enjoyed them. unfortunately, i can't say the same for the rest of the food, including my dish - the farm fresh frittata. i'd ordered it emphatically with NO MUSHROOMS, and yet, it arrived chock full of mushrooms. when i pointed that out to the server, he gave massive attitude, and tried to place the blame on me. me: this is going to have to go back. i asked for no mushrooms, and there are lots of mushrooms. server: you didn't want mushrooms? me: no, i did not. i said no mushrooms when i placed my order. server: you never said nothing about no mushrooms lady. me: i most certainly did. you actually repeated it back to me when you took the order. server: oh, so you don't want mushrooms in it? because you didn't say that. me: yes, i DID. and you acknowledged it at the time. i'm not going to argue with you about it now. please take this back and give me my correct order. he took the plate back, with loads of attitude, and i fought the urge to curse him out. my friends joked about what "extra" would be in my replacement dish and about my disgust for mushrooms. they'd all laughed heartily when i'd placed my order and a couple even echoed "no mushrooms!" at the time b/c it is a standing joke with us and they all knew it was coming. AND, the server said it back to me too, "okay, no mushrooms." so i know i said it, and this server - #47 according to our receipt; we never got his actual name - was just being an inconsiderate, forgetful jerk. even if i hadn't said it, HELLO, your first reaction should never be to start arguing with or giving attitude to the patron. i got my replacment frittata sans mushrooms, and it was okay. not spectacular, but good enough. i could tell the veggies were fresh. i don't remember what everyone else got, but other than the beignets their general sentiments were the same as mine: good enough food, but not good enough to come back and deal with the dismal service. no one ever checked on us, the water and coffee were not refilled, and the attitude was completely off-putting. only one other party [of 4] in the entire restaurant came in to dine while we were there, and there were at least 3 servers on the floor, so there was no excuse for the long gaps in service. the other table had cokie roberts seated at it, but didn't appear to be getting any better or more frequent service than we did. i guess that's good or bad on matisse's part...they don't discriminate or show any preference with their sukery. i will NOT be back. i wouldn't recommend matisse to anyone unless you can get beignets to-go, and even then, it might not be worth it. si grossier! read more

I know Sunday night may not be the best time to try a new restaurant, but the reviews looked good and we went for a post-Thanksgiving birthday dinner. The service was middling to poor -- the waiter was overly anxious to get our orders (the restaurant was not crowded) and kept reaching over people to serve or collect dishes (at a round table where he could easily get to each person.) The duck and steak were well received but the gnocchi and halibut had little taste, and the seared tuna was almost cooked to medium. All in all the food was a disappointment. The atmosphere was very nice and it was quiet enough to talk easily.We might try it again on a different night of the week, but it has a long way to go to be worth the price. read more

We attended a dinner party at Matisse on a busy Friday night and all of our meal was phenomenal! Celebrating a friend's 60th birthday in a private room upstairs we were treated to some delicious fish spring rolls, mini crab cakes and mushroom flatbreads! For dinner we had a set menu with a choice of 4 apps, 4 entrees and 4 desserts! They recommended several wines of which we tried three and all were excellent and pared well with our mix of dinners. I had the Duck breast and it was so tender the melted in my mouth, my wife had a filet mignon that was also very tender and cooked perfectly! The array of deserts that are "Made In House" finished our meal superbly. We highly recommend Matisse! We definitely be going back very soon! read more

We had an excellent Saturday lunch at Matisse. It is hard to find a good restaurant for lunch on Saturday. The service and food were excellent. read more

Some friends took us to Matisse Restaurant while we were visiting Washington DC. What a treat! My husband and I shared the Roasted Beet Salad and I ordered the Roast Veal. His vegetarian dinner was also excellent. We couldn't have asked for a nicer dinner! read more

We recently took our Canadian friends to Matisse for a special dinner during their DC visit. The food was delicious but the service terrible. The waiter definitely needed more training-he couldn't figure out where to put the knives and forks, struggled to open the wine, started pouring the wine without asking my husband to taste it, never cleared the appetizer plates from the table, and in general seemed to be learning as he worked. A woman who seemed to be his teacher/adviser was very rude to us when we asked to move from the table that was directly under the air conditioning vent, and again when we were leaving. The next day I wrote an email (very polite) to Fritz at the address listed on their website, but he never responded which prompted me to post on Yelp. read more

Had dinner here this past weekend. The food was very fresh and I really liked the ambiance of the place. Formal but not too fussy. My friend and I both had pasta dishes and they were very fresh but a little bland (not very flavorful) hence the three stars. Food is advertised as mostly organic and farm to table concept using local produce. Blueberry mojito was excellent. I will definitely go back to try something else before deciding if this is worth more than three stars. Great as a neighborhood restaurant but not if you are looking for a special gastronomic experience. read more

We went last night and it was just ok. The food was ok but it was served like I was at a diner. Plates handed to my wife, my appetizer plate unceremoniously dumped on the table. The calamari appetizer was not very good and the presentation was something you might see at a TGI Fridays. The 5 Scallops (main course) was ok but nothing I couldn't do at home. The sauce had no flavor and the vegetable was unrecognizable. I had to ask to have them to remove the appetizer plates and the entre plates (they stayed on the table a very long time). I think the owner needs to spend more time at his restaurant. He may also want to invest in his servers and have them take a course in proper service or hire more busboys to help the waiters. Since it is a neighborhood establishment I will come again because I like the wine list and its a cozy restaurant. read more

Beautiful space and we did not have the service problems that others seemed to have. Food was pretty good. We had the smoked eggplant appetizer special - eh. Very underwhelming. I then had the bay scallops with yam purée and leeks. Really yummy though I have to agree with my husband's assessment that the plating of the yams was less than visually appealing . I'd go again but I do like le chat noir down the street better. read more

This is a nice elegant restaurant where the wait staff is completely inexperienced and does not match the expectations one has given the food's high quality. The kitchen overthinks their dishes, which come out not consistent and way too elaborate. I have tried the appetizers, which all seemed to be OK and some of the fish dishes. But I was quite disappointed one day with a simple tuna, which should have been simply seared but came out way overcooked and the wrong color. It was obviously old and not a good cut. Yet, when I pointed this out to the wait staff they told me I was wrong. NEVER TELL YOUR CUSTOMER THEY'RE WRONG. I would go back but probably just for lunch and stick to salad and soup. read more

Had another great experience dining at Matisse. The servers were attentive, but not overly so. The drink pours were generous and the food was flavorful and nuanced. The sophisticated atmosphere is also a plus. Looking forward to my next visit. read more

I have been about four times over the course of some 10 years to Matisse and the place is still one of my favorite restaurants in DC. Very nice food, friendly staff and...quiet !!! Ideal place for an evening with friends or your spouse. Can't recommend it enough. As for other reviews complaining about the service, I should point out that Matisse is "European style", ie waiters are not "in your face" every minute asking whether you're enjoying your meal (or not...). I tremendously appreciate that and hope it will stay that way !! read more

I love Matisse, and after reading the review of " Law D." I feel compelled to add a review of my own. I frequent Matisse often - and 8 out of 10 times I am dining solo after work, or having a late brunch after church. I have never been treated any differently because I am dining alone, and am always warmly welcomed by the staff. On any given night one can look around and see several people dining with only the company of today's paper, or work they took home. "Law D." seems like a complete idiot. Matisse is wonderful. The food is always good, the people always nice, and there's always a solid crowd. His review reads more like a vendetta than an actual experience at this great restaurant. Woo Hoo Matisse, Booooo Law D! read more

No matter how good the quality of food served, nothing can ruin the taste of the food more than horrible service. I'll take mediocre food with excellent service over good food with horrible service any day of the week. Two weeks ago four of us dined at Matisse and, from the very outset, it was quite evident that our server was not in a good mood. He was curt, rushed and made no effort to be amenable or helpful. Without boring you with the blow-by-blow details, it took twenty minutes to order cocktails, another twenty minutes for them to be served, our entrees were served before our appetizers had been completed and the server never once asked how our food was. We were never even asked if we wanted additional wine or cocktails. Were it not for the help of the buspeople, we'd still be there waiting for utensils. What bothers me most, however, was the owner's reaction to our bad experience. After three e-mails and three phone messages, I was finally sent a e-mail by Fritz, the owner, explaining that he had spoken to the server and that he promised that things would be better on our next visit. Next visit?! Why would I consider returning to an establishment that shows such indifference for their patrons? In no way is this establishment worth the prices paid for food (microscope portions) and the indifferent, if not rude service, that you will endure. There are countless other establishments that will serve equal or better food and make yout feel that you are a welcomed guest who deserves to be treated as such. read more

Lovely neighborhood bistro. Full on a Saturday night. That's good. Good music, bar area, decor, service, hostess. Food was pretty good, but I resent having to pay over $25 for a tiny five to six ounce four-bite square of filet of fish, so I got the duck breast, which was pretty good. The whole dinner was over-priced, but nice. The neighborhood homes cost $800K to $1.5 million, making this a neighborhood restaurant for the one percenters. No problem there; they have to eat, too. The prices and menu were not conducive to drawing anyone under 50 years of age. No problem there; that's fine too. Us old folks gotta eat, too. Overall, A-OK, but, having lived next to this neighborhood for 30 years, I've never been here before and don't think I'll be back. Why hasn't anyone been Yelping about this place in a couple of years? But, serious, when did wine prices start at $8 or $9 and go up to $12 or $13 for a glass? It takes nothing to open and pour, and now, with the twist-off caps, it's "viola, here ya go." Not like an "artesean" cocktail, which takes a lot of work at times. The special desert, a plum tart, was marvelous. Sweating waiters exhibit caring and hard-work. They are tipped well and earn it. read more