Chez Billy Eric Hilton takes on Petworth

For being ESL, one of the guys behind 18th Street Lounge sure translates well to the DC populace, having opened winners Marvin, Blackbyrd, and American Ice. And now he's pimping Petworth, with Chez Billy.

A French bistro seated just north of the Georgia metro, Billy homages its previous tenant (Billy Simpson's House of Seafood & Steak), keeping its original marble floor & wood-burning fireplaces, while adding the vintage appeal of antique couches, chandeliers, and a wall-mounted goose -- so get down there. Speaking of things that frequently get cooked, the food runs Franconian, with highlights like braised beef cheek w/ picholine olives, skate grenobloise w/ artichokes barigoule & lemon-caper brown butter, and moules frites w/ herbs de provence, & dijon mustard. If you're just there for drinks, the main barroom's got two excellent, people-watching mezzanines where you can suck down signature 'tails like the Pantomime (dry vermouth, orgeat, grenadine) and the gin/ Grand Marnier/ Swedish punch/ grenadine Royal Wedding, which everyone will be super excited to talk to you about ad nauseam, like, to the point where it's weird and annoying, and you wish the Royal Wedding had never existed.

There's also a back patio that should open soon, hopefully in time for the start of their weekend brunch, where you can ensure that even if they speak clearly, you won't.