Washington DC Restaurants
 

I will be staying at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington this weekend and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on really good restaurants in the area.

Thanks in advance

It might be helpful for you to define in the area. The Marriot is downtown and there are a number of good places to eat.

(1) The Red Sage -- high end, pricey, but very good yupee mexican. Great decor

(2) McCormick and Schmidt -- great seafood place. Good menu of single malt scotches. I always see famous people there

(3) The Talbard Inn -- very, very cute romantic place. Good french/Italian food. Nice wine list. It is a great date place because they have these big comfy chairs where you can sit and drink wine until all hours of the night. Last time I was there Joan Baez broke out her guitar and played for a while (but don't expect this)

(4) Jalios (i'm not sure that's how you spell it) Is a good spanish place with lots of Tapas

(5) Old Ebbit Grill -- Classic DC place. Good food, nice atmposhere.

I left about 4 or 5 out, beacuse these are my favorites. Outside of downtown -- Georgetown, Adams Morgan, etc. There are lots of great places.

My favorite place is "1789", it's about the best food I have ever had. It's abougt a 30 min. cab ride from where you are staying.

There alot more, but this is a good start. Happpy festing

Thanks DBK!

Flyaway
PS- I mean in the downtown area.

Red Sage is OK, but very overrated in my opinion. 1789 is good. McCormicks & Schmidts is good for seafood, but Kinkaids is better. For steaks, it is Sam & Harry's.

Flyaway: There were some suggestions in http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/Foru...ML/000140.html

Most of the suggestions were for the burbs, but there were a few in downtown DC. Tara Thai, a few blocks from the Bethesda Metro (red line) was great!

[This message has been edited by dgolds (edited 08-11-1999).]

Here's my hit list--

1789--great lamb, great atmosphere, good location (near Gtown campus, easy walkt to M Street)

DC Coast--relatively new restaurant, just tried it for the first time and had the most wonderful soft shell crab and oysters (you have to try these... vodka, ice and japanese mints mixed in) a hip place frequenct by a 30-something crowd, quite diverse, on K and 16th

Restaurant Nora--Florida and R. And establishhment in DC. Organic, American cuisine. Always has outstanding gazpacho
The chef, Nora, is well-known. Saw her on CNN about a year ago.

Lebanese Taverna--on Connecticut above Calvert Street. Delicious Middle Eastern fare.

Happy Dining!

jexjex


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You must go to Kinkead's. I believe they are in the Foggy Bottom area and close to a metro stop. The Ipswich Fried Clams are the difinitive verison. Make a reservation by phone before you go to Washington or you'll never get in. In a pinch, there is a bar area with some tables where you can order the clams. Don't miss them !! Visit the web site www.kinkead.com

Forgot to mention Tivoli, in Rosslyn just across from Georgetown and 4 or five floors straight up from the Rosslyn Metro station. Fantastic Italian-ish menu, wine selection is most excellent and not to too terribly overpriced. But the better entrees are typically in the $30 range...But at least they serve the meal in the proper order (with the caesar salad late in the meal).

It is my parent's favorite (they are on first name basis w/matire'd).

If that's too pricey and you're in Rosslyn, try Tom Sarris' New Orleans just down the street...

I'm a DC native and jexjex and Matt Wald are right on target with their recommendations. DBK: the cab ride from the Marriott to 1789 (best rack of lamb in town) should only be about 10-15 minutes, unless you are going Friday evening at 6 p.m. when 30 minutes might be more accurate. http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

My only addition: Bistrot Lepic on Wisconsin Ave. (upper-Georgetown, lower Cleveland Park, call it what you like)... small, great French, they don't advertise because word of mouth keeps the tables full.

1789-mum! And so many other excellent recommendations for fine dining! But I still miss Hogs on the Hill!

For pizza, Pizzaria Paradiso (sp?) in Du Pont circle; it's about 2 blocks from the metro station. It's also near Phililps Gallery which is America's first modern art museum. It opens til 9PM on Thursdays if you like art.

For Italian, Galileo (expensive) or I Matti (moderate). Both restaurants participate in DALC and Transmedia. BTW DALC runs dining programs for AA, DL, NW, and UA.

Try Full Kee in Chinatown for for HongKong style shrimp dumpling soup with or without noodle.

If you are more specific about your preference as cusine, price, location and etc, you will get better recommendations.

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Dan

I must say thanks to everyone who responded. I think I will have some good dining experiences in Washington D.C.

The J W Marriott has a very fine Sunday brunch with silver, crystal and music (incl a comp cocktail or two), often included in their weekend packages or for a slight extra fee in lieu of the included breakfast menu. I have done it many times. I suggest you call the hotel directly to inquire. Do this early and then a late dinner at one of the previously mentioned restaurants should fill your gustatorial day,

Obelisk in Dupont Circle has a great prix fixe northern Italian menu - $45 for four courses plus cheese.

Legal Seafood which is becoming a bit of a chain, is the best for seafood.

The restaurant on top of the Capitol Hyatt is interesting for the conversation amongst the congress critters and lobbyists.