Stewie Mac

We have a long weekend in DC in December (27-30). Staying at the Swissotel Watergate.

Any good bars for the Friday evening (quieter, near the Watergate bldg) where we can get a snack (getting in around 9.30-10).

Any good places to eat over the weekend (not Thai/Indian, etc, which we can get plenty of in London) - somewhere with some DC style (if such places exist) ?

Anywhere good for Sunday brunch ?

Any other clues at all ??

thx
Stewie

really hoping that PremEx's post in Community will sned a few people here to look at this...

TribeFlyer

Stewie,

It's not "typical DC" the way Old Ebbitt Grill is, but for special occasions I enjoy having Moroccan food at Marrakesh on New York Avenue (for atmosphere, think Jimmy Stewart in The Man Who Knew Too Much). Prix fixe 6-course meals are ~$25 each, and include a belly-dancing show. Two seatings each evening, valet parking only, reservations a must (202) 393-9393.

slawecki

The Watergate Hotel is sort of off by itself. The nearest dining/bar activity outside the hotel is about 6 blocks away. Probably a cab ride in late Dec.

Restaurants are quiet during that period, as congress and lobbiests go home.

High end dining is on 21st street, above K in NW. plus Cittronel in Georgetown, and Kinkaids near 21st.

Lots of interesting mid priced places on M st in Georgetown, both eating and bars.

Adams Morgan, 16th at end of first alphabet has a lot of ethnic restaurant. Washingtoh has a number of Ethiopian, Meskerem is considered best.

I don't think there is anything close(walking distance) to Watergate that is open late. Washington is not a particularly active late night town, except for the very loud 20ish crowd.

Might try the bar in the Watergate(I assume there is one) upon arrival for food, quiet, and drink. There should be food serviced by the restaurant kitchen. The restaurants in the watergate have had their ups and downs of late. I have not dined in the current version. It once housed the most famous, and best restaurant in DC.

The Old Ebbit Grill downtown and Bistro Francais in Georgetown are open late.

Stewie Mac

tribeflyer, slawecki,

Many thanks for the info. The Watergate building did look a bit out of the way on the map, but that's one of the downsides of using priceline - thank goodness I saved enough $$$ for a few cabs

Any other info / recommendations from anyone welcome.

echoes

I've personally seen a lot of nice restaurants in Georgetown... or if you want something more cultural/trendy I think Dupont Circle area is good.

travelpower

DC restaurants to Try-

Kinkead's, Vidalia,Red Sage

Georgetown Restaurants:
1789

Snack late at nite at 930pm: No idea


You are way out of the way restaurant wise by staying at the Watergate--
you may want to try a website called www.chowhounds.com and post this same question- It is frequented by lots of foodies that travel all over the world

gleff

Check out Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide (as profiled in the Washington Post). It's the definitive guide to food in the DC area. Far more useful than the Washingtonian's Dining Guide, et al.

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More Room Throughout Coach: the Website of Free Miles and Free Markets

SPN Lifer

Originally posted by travelpower:
By coincidence, I went to Red Sage two weeks before your post, and found it excellent. Great southwestern food for less than $20 each (without drinks). It is just a block from the J.W. Marriott Hotel.

gleff

Vidalia used to be one of my favorites but has declined markedly.

Kinkead's is excellent basic seafood. Bob Kinkead is there about 3 days a week but really doesn't cook anymore. I understand that their chef is leaving in the next couple of months.

Also overrated is Citronelle. It used to be the best in the District proper. It's now more unpredictable. I wouldn't chance it for ~ $150pp.

1789 is good, basic French food. Classics. Not adventurous at all.

Check out Equinox for good regional cuisine. DC Coast is outstanding. Perhaps the best seafood in town can be found at Oceanaire.

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View from the Wing: A blog about Free Miles and Free Markets

monitor

Another vote for DC Coast, one of the best seafood restaurants in the country (try the smoked lobster thing that they do).

slawecki

For the DC big bucks restaurants:

I think Galileo,Kinkead's, Taberna, & Nora were Phyllis Richmond (ex Wash Post reviewer)buddies, along with a lot of cream & butter fixer uppers. They got rave reviews from her, and are still living on those laurals.

Gerard's Place, Obelisk, & Melrose are very well respected without the raves from the Post. Seasons (in the 4 seasons)was wonderful,but hated by and to my knowledge, never reviewed by Richmond. I have not been there since the new chef has taken over, but he has been very well received. Marcel's Wiedmaier cooks great, but the place has the ambiance of a YMCA swimming pool on an overcrowded day.

I got no thrill from DC Coast, but I don't think I tried the smoked lobster thingy.

Eli Gorin

I am going to go through my personal recommendations based on some responses i have read in this thread, so bear with me:

The Watergate is walking distance from the waterfront but that's a moot point being that you are going smack dead in the middle of winter and the bars on the waterfront are closed outdoors. BUT if you do make the walk down, there is a fairly new restaurant/bar called the Harbor Club. It is a five minute walk from the Watergate, just walk down Virginia Avenue towards Georgetown (ask the concierge).
If you are interested in excellent fusion cuisine, i HIGHLY recommend TenPenh (10th and Penn). Great asian atmosphere, wonderful service, excellent food.

Also an important note about cabbing from the Watergate: The cabbing system is based on Zones (well, since i left last May it still was). You are in Zone 2 at the Watergate (which is Virginia Ave. and 27th Street). The line for Zone 1 is east of 23rd Street going towards the Capitol. This means that if you are going to go to the restaurants mentioned such as TenPenh, Marakesh, etc, it is TWO ($6.90 the first person, $1.50 each additional) zones. If you walk over to 22nd street and grab a cab from there, it is ONE zone($5 first person, $1.50 each additional). If you go towards Georgetown from the Watergate (Citronelle, the waterfront, it is one zone.
The reason i mention all this zone mumbo jumbo is because DC cabbies are NOTORIOUS for stiffing people making them believe they traveled through 3 or 4 zones. PLEASE keep this in mind, that no matter where you go in DC proper (within NorthWest DC, where most of the touristy things to do are, i.e. museums, etc), you will go no farther than TWO zones. I lived there for 5 years and there were plenty of cabbies who felt they could stiff me.

If you are going to go to Kinkeads, and the weather is not too bad, ask the concierge for directions on how to get there by walking. It is a 5 minute walk from the hotel on the other side of the George Washington University campus. If you cab it from the hotel is it pretty much a waste of $10 in cab fare plus tip.

DC Coast is an excellent restaurant, and if you are looking for seafood, Kinkeads is good and simple, but I would by far choose Oceanaire. The food is great, the seafood is freah and phenomenal.

For italian, as Slawecki mentioned, there is Galileo, but personally i felt it was way too overpriced.

As for Sunday Brunch, the Kennedy Center Rooftop has a nice Sunday brunch for i think $27/pp and a great view of the city. Old Ebbitt is classic DC. I believe the Four Seasons brunch has been rated the best in DC before, but extremely expensive (i beliebe $75/pp).

As for times the bars close, DC laws require that bars close at 2am on weekdays and 3am on weekends. No real all night bars around.

Adams Morgan has the largest selection of bars within a small area. If you want some more cool bars, try the 18th Street area, which includes places like Ozio, Dragonfly, 1223, etc.

For late night dining, as in the best 4am Eggs Benedict, try Au Pied du Cochon on Wisconin Avenue in georgetown 2 blocks up from Wisconsin and M (downtown georgetown).

As for the hotel itself, Priceline actually did a good job in setting you up. I think the location is ideal. About 6 blocks from the Metro station, 10 minute walk to Georgetown, and the hotel itself is excellent. My parents would always stay there when visiting. The service is wonderful, the hotel is small, and overall its great.

Sorry if i got off track here, i was just writing as it came to my head. Hope this helped and enjoy your stay in DC.

-Eli

bmi Gold

Posts in this thread are getting a little old now, and I guess a thing or two has changed.

We are due to stay Thurs-Sun at Westin Embassy Row in DC in a couple of weeks and would love a couple of early (avoid jetlag) dinners in some memorable places.

All suggestions greatfully received - I would love to know YOUR favourite. It is so much more pleasing to follow a personal recommendation than that of a concierge or guidebook.

Thanks.

bmi.

syzygy8

Firefly, just south of Dupont Circle on New Hampshire.
Cashion's. 18th Street and Columbia Road
Komi. 17th Street and P Street. Go very hungry and get the tasting menu. You'll never forget that meal.

Check out everything about restaurants and dining in the DC area at DonRockwell.com. DC diners, chefs, critics, etc. all in one place.

El Boocho

I'd add Occidental Grille (very DC) and one of my faves is Vidalia. I just went to Thai Square for the first time recently. It was the best Thai I've had outside of Bangkok. It is in Arlington on Coumbia Pike near Glebe. No metro and too far to walk from the westin, but perhaps you could stop on the way to the airport. If you are going early, I doubt it would be very crowded and I'd bet they would find a place to store your bags if you took a cab.