Bistrot du Coin, Washington, D.C.

Before Maundy Thursday Mass tonight we popped in to Bistrot du Coin for a bite to eat. The service was unusually late (8 p.m.!), so we thought we'd best eat beforehand. Anyway, I had a nice country pate and a little green salad of Bibb lettuce and sliced scallions with a glass of nice margeaux, and then later a slice of lemon tarte with a thin layer of piped meringue on top that was garnished with tiny slices of gumdrops. My dinner companion had a huge pot of steamed mussels in a garlic cream sauce which looked and smelled delicious, and a basket of French fries with a side of bearnaise as a dipping sauce.