Originally Posted by
M60_to_LGA
As others have already pointed out, DC's dining scene is rather lame. There *are* some good restaurants, but they're far outnumbered by mediocre, overpriced places.
If you like Ethiopian, try Ethiopic on H Street NE, or Dukem on U St. NW. As already noted, Ethiopian food is basically the only ethnic cuisine that DC proper does well. Otherwise you have to trek out to the burbs.
From my perspective, DC's dining scene is fine - it just isn't for tourists. Cheap, ethnic cuisine rings the city rather than being in the center, because DC's ethnic communities established themselves much later than in most industrial cities and established themselves in the suburbs. Even the Ethiopian which you suggest is better found on Georgia Avenue at the DC-Silver Spring border.
Sure there are plenty of steak and cigar smoke (virtual nowadays) places for the lobbyists, but there are plenty of places which appeal to the well-healed international set as well - Rasika, Taberna del Alabardero, Izakaya Seki, Obelisk, Zaytinya, etc. They aren't cheap, but that is to be expected when many of DC's surrounding counties are amongst the richest in the US, and there are lots of DINKs and well-paid single folk in the city.