How To Get A Seat At Lutèce, D.C.’s Foremost Neo-Bistro

Resy: Let’s start simple. How many seats are there at Lutèce?

Parker: 35 indoors and 14 when the patio is open.

When does the patio open?

On any nice day, we’ll open it right up.

And when do reservations drop on Resy?

It’s a rolling 30-day schedule, released each morning at 11 a.m.

How quickly do your reservations get booked out? Are any specific days busier than others?

Fridays and Saturdays will go first, especially the Chef’s Table, since there’s only limited slots for that every night. And if you are looking for a larger party, our restaurants are very small in tables but also in space. Tables also are limited, so they will book up quicker.

Typically, if you’re going to book two weeks in advance, there’s going to be availability. We take parties, and also solo diners at the bar. We’re really proud to have that available to people.

What is the Chef’s Table, and as a diner what you can expect?

So, we do a carte blanche, which is a choice tasting menu throughout the restaurant. It is available in any seat of the restaurant. It’s five courses and $125 per person.

For The Chef’s Table, the two tables are available for parties for two, three, or four. And they’re higher tables right in front of the kitchen where you can watch them prepare the food and listen to the conversations. We have our Advanced Sommelier taking care of that table when he’s working, and then chefs will come over and present the food. So it’s like the front row seat, the primo. And it is the same price for the five-course experience elsewhere in the restaurant but you also get some other surprises – I’m not gonna say what those are.

So those get booked out quickly for a special experience. Now let’s say you want to dine with a larger party? Is that possible?

We can take parties of up to six people. Anything larger than that would be a buyout and they’re definitely available. Also, we can only take one party of six at a time. Logistically, in the dining room, there’s only one certain table that can accommodate that number.

Can you do a private event?

Yes, we can do a buyout. We don’t have a private dining room. But for any number greater than seven, they would be coordinating with our private events team to curate their experience for a special night when they have the restaurant to themselves.

Are any of the seats in the restaurant held for walk-ins?

We do hold space for walk-ins, but those are limited. We only have 10 tables, so we hold back a limited amount of walk-ins, but those typically fill up very quickly. That being said, the patio has a little more walk-in availability when we have it open.

What time would you recommend stopping by a walk-in table?

5 p.m.

During the peak time, what is a typical wait for a walk-in?

If you’re in right at five, we can seat you immediately. Now if you want to get on the list for later, our dining experiences are two hours. So, depending on when that table is seated, the wait could be two or four hours, so it’s advantageous to make a reservation online.

Is there any way other than Resy to grab a table?

No, everything goes through Resy.

How many seatings do you have per night?

Thursdays, Sundays, Monday nights, there are two seatings. On Fridays and Saturdays, there’s three. And then we do lunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and those can range from two to three, depending on the timing of when people sit down for lunch. It’s a one-and-a-half-hour experience for parties of one or two, and for parties of three or more, as a two-hour experience.

Does lunch service have a longer wait time?

It will usually not book up as fully, so it ends up being much more walk-in friendly. Our cheeseburger is really well known and beloved and is only available at lunch. It’s a really nice way to spend an afternoon before you might go out for your other plans. It tends to be like a wine lunch. People come in and get a nice glass of wine, share a nice bottle, and go about their day. I always love dinner, but the light during lunch is just dreamy. It’s really great for people who are spending a day in Georgetown, and for our neighborhood friends to pop in and out during that time.

In your opinion, what’s the best seat in the house?

I love sitting at the tables by the windows or the chef’s tables. We don’t do a chef’s tasting at lunch, but sitting there and getting that front row seat at lunchtime is an added perk. It’s listed on Resy as a high table at lunch and listed at Chef’s Table at dinner.

And then, of course, sitting on the patio on Saturdays and Sundays is really fun. It’s good people watching and lots of really cute dog watching. It’s a parade of very cute dogs out for their Saturday or Sunday walks. Also, we’re dog friendly on the patio for well-behaved pups.

What has been a favorite memory of yours at Lutèce or a favorite event that you helped coordinate and plan at the restaurant?

We’ve done a lot of chef collaboration dinners and special events like Valentine’s Day and New Year’s. We just had dinner with Nando Chang from Itamae AO in Miami. The collaboration with them was so strong and our guests just were over the moon about it.

And then a few months ago in May, we had a very special dinner. There was a very famous restaurant in New York also called Lutèce. The Lutèce in New York in the ‘70s was where anybody, who’s anybody, would eat and we’re really honored to share that name. But Chef André Soltner of Lutèce in New York has dear friends in Georgetown, and every time he’s in town, he eats with us. It’s a really big honor.

So back in May, we transformed our Lutèce into the 1970s New York Lutèce and did a dinner in honor of him. He was also in attendance. He’s 93 now, so it was really special. We cooked things from his cookbook that had deep, sentimental value for him. He really brought French cuisine on a high-end level to America. We’re not a white tablecloth place, but we were that night. I got to do really fun big fan folds and use wine glasses from the 70s and even include table flowers. I got red carnations because I’d seen photos of that. All our staff wore traditional chef fits. It was a lot of the people who had a lot of nostalgia for New York Lutèce, and also our regulars who always come to support us.

There was this couple who revealed that they had had their rehearsal dinner at New York Lutèce 38 years ago, and they got to meet the chef for the first time. And they’re like, we got to thank him for that experience 38 years later. There are really good events that make Lutèce super special, but we also try to make a Thursday night just as special for everyone too.

I know you guys just came back from summer break. What things are you excited for as the GM and Lutèce in general?

We opened a sister restaurant this past February called Pascual. It’s based on the cuisine you find in Isabel’s home in Mexico City with a little bit of Oaxacan influence. So that’s been really fun to show all their different talents. Having Pascual also reinforces Lutèce. There’s been times when people tell me, I ate at Pascual last night and I ate here tonight. People are doing this culinary trip around town based on chefs Matt and Isabel.

Last but not least, can you describe the dining room on the busiest nights?

The word we use the most is cozy. It is a small dining room. It’s very Parisian. Our building is over 100 years old. The tables are going to be a little closer together than any big box restaurant or other grandiose build outs that are happening in all these new developments in town. They’re very much in line with all the things we love, aesthetically.

We’re lucky to be busy every night. There’s a lot of movement in the dining room with our staff. The music’s a lot of fun. But you can also have a cozy conversation. When people ask about dress code, it’s a very much come as you are situation. Maybe you’re just off of work or you just came from a workout. We get a lot of people, especially during lunch, who want a burger after they’ve had a long run.

But you can be as dressed up as black tie going to the Kennedy Center afterwards or come in jeans and t-shirt with a bunch of friends. It really is whatever you want to make it. And I feel like our team is very good at tailoring the evening to what you’re looking for.