I went to Rays the Steaks for my birthday last year and the steak was great. You can also try Rays the Classics in Silver Spring for the same meat but you can get a reservation. Steaks has a no reservation policy.

For cheap eats I love Two Amys near the Cathedral for their pizza and wine bar; be prepared to wait but it is worth it. I also enjoy Kabab Palace in Crystal City; it is two Afghan restaurants one is a take out place open 24/7/365 and where all the cabbies eat. The other one is a sit down restaurant a couple of doors down and the food is quite tasty and reasonably priced; you can do dinner for ~$25-30 for two; just be prepared for slow service.