Wherever you sit at Brasserie Royale in Sterling, you’re likely to have Julia Child watching over you. She even smiles down from the bathroom walls, where she appears in a famous photo in a tub with her husband, Paul. Call her the restaurant’s spirit guide.
After all, married owners Michael and Allyson Stebner both encountered her seminal cookbook early in their culinary journeys. “Her cookbooks are wonderful and her recipes are great. And a lot of the recipes for Brasserie Royale started from Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” says Michael.
“It’s been a source, a reference for me forever,” adds Allyson.
At its heart, the goal of the famous tome was to demystify French food for an American audience. Today, we’ve moved far past the idea that European fare is exotic, but it can still be a challenge to find a neighborhood bistro that hits all the right notes.
Allyson and Michael Stebner (Photo by Michael Butcher)
Early in its life, Brasserie Royale already promises to reach that summit, though it’s still a work in progress. Any issues I had with the restaurant’s early days are simply symptoms of a busy new restaurant.
It can be tough to score a reservation even on a weekday — not a surprise in bistro-starved Loudoun County. The loud dining room crippled conversation, but the Stebners told me that they were already working with their architect to amend matters quickly. If it’s still a little buzzy inside when you visit, chalk it up to the nature of a bistro.
About that name: Though “brasserie” means “brewery” in French, the Stebners admit that they just liked the name better than “Bistro Royale.” The well-thought-out interior makes it one, as does the comforting menu full of delicacies that fly out of the kitchen.
What should you order? Bread is not included with the meal, but should not be missed. The baguettes are baked in-house and accompanied by salted, cultured butter. Get it with pan-fried crispy brie, too. At first cut, the creamy fromage oozes from its browned jacket. Spread it on crunchy pain cuit (crostini) with fig gelée and a big clove of confit garlic that you extract from the head yourself. It’s a sweet-and-savory delight that brings together the simple pleasure of assembling your own snack.
At one of my meals here, I skipped the fun seafood dishes — like tuna tartare that’s ornamented like the classic steak version but heart-healthier — in favor of one of the fresh pasta dishes.
Photo by Michael Butcher
Like nearly every element here and at the Stebners’ Local Provisions around the corner, the goat cheese ravioli is made in-house. It’s served with an al dente bite at the edges that opens to reveal tangy chèvre in a golden tomato butter made for sopping up with extra slices of baguette. A bit of lavender honey sweetens the deal, while a dotting of chives gives it that unmistakably French je ne sais quoi.
A little personal history: My first trip overseas was to Paris, just before I turned 13. I ate steak frites at nearly every meal for a week. I’ve been a tough critic of the dish for more than three decades, and in my estimation, the version at Brasserie Royale can not only hang but has its own very special assets.
It’s made from a bavette, cut from the sirloin flap, just as I like it. The beefy tasting steak is best with Béarnaise sauce, but I’m more than happy with Brasserie Royale’s herb-packed maître d’hôtel butter that slowly melts over the tender meat.
The fries are not typical bistro frites, however. They’re chubbier than expected, yet still every bit as crisp as I prefer. The real magic comes in choosing to accent the fries beyond salt. Diners can get their golden frites flavored with garlic and speckled with fresh herbs or bathed in a nutty Gruyère fondue, the Stebners’ elegant solution to their own craving for Shake Shack’s cheese fries.
Other entrées include boeuf bourguignon, made with short rib and served over jagged-edged handmade noodles, and a beautifully grilled filet of halibut with softened mushrooms and leeks. Both are a few steps short of ambrosial due to thin sauces. Just a bit of a roux and they would taste as blissful as they smell coming to the table.
Photo by Michael Butcher
I have no complaints about the desserts. The ice cream profiteroles are set in tender choux. The crème brûlée has more surface area than most, allowing for a glut of glassy sugar atop the silky custard. But the vacherin glacé is worthy of special note.
When the Stebners first cooked together a quarter century ago in California, Michael sent Allyson to try the food at a French celebrity chef’s restaurant in Los Angeles and report back. She returned talking about the vacherin glacé. “She’s literally been talking about that dessert that she had at that restaurant for 25 years,” he recalls.
Her recreation thereof features her own special touch of homemade lavender ice cream enrobed in soft meringue, in turn inlaid with baked meringue and slices of fresh strawberry. The floral element is subtle but speaks volumes of the Gallic-style care for top-quality ingredients like fresh lavender. Love those flavors as much as I do? The raspberry sorbet has a touch of rosewater.
The Stebners have taken the spirit of Julia Child and run with it. I can only imagine her delight at finding such a neighborhood gem in Northern Virginia — fondue, flowers, and all.
Brasserie Royale
Rating: ★★★
See This: Sink into leather banquettes in a checkered-floored bistro just like the ones in Paris. Or sit outside and people watch, though Cascades Marketplace may not be quite as chic as the City of Love.
Eat This: Goat cheese ravioli, steak frites, vacherin glacé
Appetizers: $6–$24
Entrées: $19–$55
Dessert: $8–$12
Open for dinner daily, brunch replaces lunch on weekends.
46290 Cranston St., Sterling
Feature image by Michael Butcher
This story originally ran in our October issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
Dining and Cooking