The Washington Examiner
By Alexandra Greeley
Long before opening hours, chef de cuisine Driss Zahidi chats on his cellphone. This Moroccan chef has made a name for himself in a corner of Northern Virginia — McLean — where he now heads the kitchen of the relatively new Bistro Vivant. A cousin of the nearby upscale Assaggi Osteria, this casual, French restaurant stresses the kind of approachable cuisine that appeals to the American palate: fresh ingredients, accessible dishes, full flavors.
As Zahidi himself says about the menu, “We are now making French food really nice. … We do daily specials and try to get more local produce.” That translates into classic French dishes with all-American ingredients. He points to the daily specials menu, noting that one of the day’s features is chicken breast with a mustard sauce and leeks. “On Friday, if I can get something like figs, I will wrap them in ham and cook them with Roquefort,” he said.
That Zahidi ended up as a chef is a story in and of itself. Raised in Casablanca, Morocco, Zahidi often helped his mother in the kitchen, explaining that as the oldest child, it was his duty to help him mother prepare family meals, from peeling potatoes and more. “That was really the beginning,” he said of his cooking career. To bolster his skills, during his high school years, Zahidi worked in various local restaurants as a line cook.
If you go
Bistro Vivant
Where: 1394 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean
Info: 703-356-1700
Hours: Mon.-Fri., lunch 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Mon.-Thurs., dinner 4 to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. until 10:30 p.m., Sun. until 9:30 p.m.; Sat., Sun., lunch/brunch 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
He then attended the University of Science and Technology in the city of Mohammedia. Later, Zahidi moved to Compiegne, France, to further his education, and there, to earn his keep, he worked part-time in a nearby bistro. That job helped to confirm his goals: He discovered that his real passion lay with cooking and the culinary arts.
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