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Find this business under: Restaurants, Restaurants-Bistro

Ask a group of locals to do some free association with Capitol Hill's Broadway, and "quaint" or "romantic" would probably not be anything you'd hear. Nevertheless, that's exactly what you'll find once you slip inside Bleu Bistro's unassuming door. Housed in the old Habitat Espresso/Espresso Roma space, Bleu Bistro hits a perfect mix of style versus kitsch, urban versus 1940's Paris; and it stands unique amongst the city's other spots. Slatted walls break the long and narrow space into raised booths, private tables and cozy niches. Antique hutches and weathered lampshades sit beside grass patches and the odd, fake-fur-lined wall. Menus arrive in notebooks written with a healthy dose of wit. Half an inch thick, they dedicate nine full pages to specialty libations. Pick from potions like the nearly extinct gin fiz, bloody Marys heated with a touch of Chinese mustard, or a TV-inspired Absolutely Fabulous martini. Then there are the more subtle standbys for evenings and rain-chilled afternoons: brandys, coffee cocktails or a globe of deep red wine. Jazz tunes float through the background, now you're starting to get the picture. This isn't the place for Jaegar shots, large groups or raucous outings -- but the rest of the Hill has that.