WASHINGTON–Cafe Beaux Arts, a new restaurant in the Omni Georgetown hotel, is rapidly building a loyal following in the fashionable Georgetown section here through a calculated combination of serious cuisine and less-than-serious decor.

The most recent addition to Omni International’s collection of bistro-style restaurants, the 200-seat cafe ironically derives much of its contemporary style from post-World War I Europe.omni hotel

The menu, while eclectic, relies largely on the less formal French dishes popularized in the casually low-budget Parisian cafes of the 1920s. The decor, on the other hand, is a tribute–although somewhat tongue-in-cheek–to the profoundly intellectual work of the Russian abstract expressionist painter and theoretician, Wassily Kandinsky, whose work flourished during that period.

The resulting union of those seemingly unconnected influences, however, has clearly sparked some widespread interest among the local Georgetown residents. Open only two months, Cafe Beaux Arts is already doing more than 400 covers daily, for breakfast, lunch and dinner–and only about 5% of that total is generated by in-house guests.

“This place has hit a home run,” said Walter Staib, vice president of food and beverage operations for Omni. “It makers an overall thematic statement, and it offers quality food at moderate prices.”

Staib is no newcomer to the bistro concept–or to Washington, for that matter. In fact, he is probably the man most responsible for the ongoing “bistrocizing” of the Omni chain. Other bistros he has developed include Nicole’s in New York, Jacqueline’s in Baltimore and Monique’s in the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C. Future bistros are also slated to open in Jacksonville, Fla.; Richmond, Va.; and Providence, R.I.

“We’ve done a lot of these restaurants,” he explained. “And we’ve had the benefit of a lot of trial and error. We don’t make the same mistake twice.”

The point of the more casual bistro theme is essentially to ensure that the customers feel at ease while dining, Staib explained. An all-day menu–offered from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.–and moderate prices reinforce the theme. “Having one menu with a few daily specials tells the customer that the restaurant is meant to be uncomplicated familiar,” Staib said. “There’s not a lot of pretension.”

Like the traditional Parisian bistros, Cafe Beaux Arts offers a number of dishes prepared on grills and rotisseries. For example, grilled and rotisseries. For example, grilled chicken, beef or veal paillards are available for $12.75 each and are served with a choice of herb butters or sauces. Additional grilled items include salmon for $12.50, swordfish for $14, lamb chops for $17.50 and filet mignon for $15.

Roast chicken is a staple of nearly all rotisserie menus, but executive chef Anthony Sindaco adds his own signature to the cafe’s version. The chicken is first flavored with a Cajun-sounding mix of chili powder, curry, garlic salt, powderd thyme and oregano before spit roasting. Half of a chicken is served semiboneless with a side order of corn fritters for $9.50.

A second rotisserie item, roast prime rib of beef, is similarly dusted with fresh thyme and marjoram before cooking and served with horseradish. An English cut sells for $9.50, while the regular cut is $11.

Cassoulet, another popular bistro dish, is also offered, but once again, it has been customized for the cafe. Instead of hewing to the traditional preparation, which calls for haricot beans, Sindaco uses black beans instead. The other main ingredients, such as lamb, pork, duck and sausage, are more in keeping with the original version. The dish sells for $8.50. Other bistro-style dishes featured are steak au poivre for $13, coq au vin for $7.50, assorted pates and Brie for $4.50, fresh shellfish at market price and croute aux champignons for $3.

To some degree, the serving staff also follows traditional European service steps. For instance, the cassoulet is presented to the table in a large ceramic tureen and then plated there by the waiter. Presentoirs–classical metal serving platforms–are also being used on the tables to hold the serving plates. “The talbes are small, and the presentoirs help keep things from getting too cluttered,” staib said.

But while the menu is clearly anchored in bistro cooking, the cafe does not shy away from offering contemporary dishes. Individual gourmet-style pizzas with such toppings as lamb sausage, goat cheese, Cajun ham, sun-dried tomatoes, jalapenos, and Canadian bacon are prepared in a stone pizza oven and sold for anywhere from $5.75 to $9.50. Pasta dishes–such as lobster ravioli with a beurre blanc sauce for $11.75 or red pepper linguine with baby clams and basil for $7.50–are also on the menu.

According to the hotel’s general manager, Richard Cotter, dinner and late-night dining are the strong dayparts for the cafe. Breakfast and lunch covers total about 180, while dinners–the kitchen is open until 1:30 a.m–are topping 225. “We’re doing well with late-night dining,” he explained. “This is a late town with no place to go. You have to search for a late-night place in Georgetown that offers more than just a hamburger menu.”