This time of year is one of my favorite times to dine al fresco. Though it’s still warm during the middle of the day, as the sun begins to set, it cools off to the perfect temperature. Before long, restaurants will be packing up their patio furniture for winter, so I am soaking up every temperate opportunity to sit outside with friends and sip on a glass of rosé. That’s exactly what I did last Thursday when I went to Chez Billy Sud with my friends Monica and Kim, the same girl gang I went to St. Michaels, Maryland with last year.

Located in Georgetown—speaking of which, you can see all my favorite Georgetown picks here in my Georgetown local guide!—Chez Billy Sud is a white table cloth French restaurant, that would be perfect for a special occasion. As I mentioned above, we really wanted to soak in the remaining days of summer, so we opted for a table outside on their patio, which feels a little less formal and a little more magical thanks to the beautiful twinkle lights they have strung.

Though everything on the Chez Billy Sud menu looked so good, I opted for the mussels since they are made with real French dijon mustard and are truly divine. Plus, they come with the best French fries and the bread they bring for the table is perfect for soaking up the amazing sauce. Speaking of, don’t skip the bread they offer you for the table—sometimes it’s easy to skip the bread at restaurants to save those carbs for the meal, but this bread is worth it, and the butter they serve with it is melt-in-your-mouth good.

This winter, I want to grab drinks with friends at Chez Billy’s Bar à Vin, located right next door! It’s the coziest spot that also focuses on French classics—and would be perfect for date night!