Gerard Pangaud Bistro, web site, 915 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-737-4445 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | Menuism | Don Rockwell | Yelp]
A resurrection of the old Gerard’s restaurant in the form of a Bistro. But it’s hardly any different. The old Gerard’s was great when it was “on” (only sometimes), after one visit it is hard for me to see the Bistro version as much of an improvement. It’s not.
The Source, web site, 575 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-637-6100 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | The Hill | WaPo | Yelp]
Yes sir, I know what is best, and I will bring it to you.
That was what I heard in The Source, the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant, which is now one of the two best fine dining establishments in an otherwise food-starved Washington DC.
First posted on Marginal Revolution.
Cashion's Eat Place, web site, 1819 Columbia Road NW, Washington, DC, near 18th Street NW, 202-797-1819 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | The Hill | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot] [Ann Cashion: StarChefs]
Persimmon, web site, 7003 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD, 301-654-9860 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
I’ve yet to go, but Randy Kroszner likes it.
Marcel's, web site, 2401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-296-1166, dinner only (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Economist | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | flyertalk | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Belgian, mostly, more classic than nouvelle. All the reviews are good, but hard to see it beating a trip to Europe.
Palena, web site, 3529 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-537-9250 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Entrees at $40, though, expensive even for its kind. I have yet to go, and don’t feel compelled.
Ten Penh, web site, 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-393-4500 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Pan-Asian, sort of, and run by Jeff Tunks, a food god. Can be excellent, but you take a big chance here for the price. Most go away disappointed, your best bet is the lamb chops. When it hits the spot, one of the two or three best places in town.
Bistro Bis, web site, 15 E Street NW, Washington, DC, in the Hotel George, 202-661-2700 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Economist | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Not what it once was, so why go?
2941 Restaurant, web site, 2941 Fairview Drive, Falls Church, VA, 703-270-1500 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Economist | Washingtonian | The Hill | wcities | World Bank Family Network | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot] [Chef Jonathan Krinn: CS Monitor | Baltimore Business Journal | DC Chefs 10/1/06]
It was once very excellent, but now it is only in the “good for the suburbs” category. Not cheap. The scallops and the foie gras are among the better entries. But the meals there now feel corporate rather than special. Many will love the view of the artificial lake outside, so go early. They also do Sunday brunch. Now I go only when other people are paying. Not as good as Colvin Run Tavern, for instance, for a special Virginia meal.
Maestro, web site, 1700 Tysons Blvd., Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Tysons Corner, McLean, VA, 703-917-5498 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Mobil | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Super expensive, very fine, very yummy. They don’t quite have enough different flavors to justify the nine-course option, but this is one of the very best places around. Northern Italian, but eclectically so. Fine meats.
Oceanaire, web site, 1201 F Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-347-2277 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Hobnob Blog | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Economist | Don Rockwell | Gayot]
Has first-rate seafood, one of my favorite places right now. They do for fish what Morton’s did for steaks. That description might put you off, but you should try it anyway, it is really very good. Noisy and draws a hideous crowd, but don’t let that put you off.
Equinox, web site, 818 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-331-8118 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
One of the better upscale places, but not good enough to excite me. I’ve eaten here twice, the courses have a hit rate of about two-thirds, not cheap. Surely it has its partisans but not at the top of my list.
1789 Restaurant, web site, 1226 36th Street NW, Washington, DC, near Prospect Street, 202-965-1789, no lunch (part of Clyde's Restaurant Group) (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Forbes | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Georgetown standby, it has about the most boring looking menu you can imagine. That being said, quality is uniformly excellent across the board. In a nice old building, the room is charming in the sort of way that appeals to fireplace lovers. Wealthy parents of Georgetown spoiled brats eat here. I can’t complain about the quality, but I will only eat here if someone else is paying the bill. Many will love it, and I enjoy it when I go, but it is not my thing.
Michel Richard Citronelle, web site, 3000 M Street NW, Washington, DC, in the Latham Hotel, 202-625-2150 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Mobil | Forbes | Washingtonian | NYT | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell (also see Citronelle Terrace) | openlist | Yelp | Katherine Tallmadge | Gayot]
I’m no longer willing to stick my neck out and recommend this place. Michel Richard is too frequently absent. It can still be inspiring, but the prices are too high to be content with a “you take your chances” sort of recommendation.
Also see Central Michel Richard.
D.C. Coast, web site - AVOID the web site, it will bring your browser to a halt, 1401 K Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-216-5988 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Economist | Washingtonian | The Hill | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Jeff Tunk’s place. Get the chile relleno, tuna-filled pasta, and crabcake. One of the best places in town right now. The noise can be difficult to take, however.
Bob Kinkead's Colvin Run Tavern, web site, 8045 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA, at Tysons, Rt.7, right behind Tiffany's, in the same mall (Fairfax Square) with Morton’s and Gucci, 703-356-9500 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | The Hill | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Extreme Chefs | Yelp | Gayot]
This place is getting better all the time, although it had a rocky start. My last visit was superb. I suspect they have worked out the kinks, and produced one of Virginia’s best restaurants. Tom Sietsema recommends the squid and crab napoleon and the breast of squab. This is by the Kinkead’s guy, of course.
Kinkead’s, web site, 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-296-7700 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
For seafood, formerly the best bet in town, and maybe was the best place period, but has become unpredictable, maybe because Kinkead is putting his time into his new place in Virginia (Bob Kinkead's Colvin Run Tavern).
Le Paradou, web site, 678 Indiana Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-347-6780 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | The Washington Diplomat | openlist | Gayot]
This is Yannick Cam’s place. I am sure it is pretty good (the lamb chops have been recommended), but lately I’ve been going to Paris a few times a year. So why should I spend my dollars here? By the time I want to go, it will be gone or otherwise in decline.
Restaurant Eve, web site, 110 S. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA, 703-706-0450 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | The Hill | bourrezvisage | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot] ... [Chef Cathal Armstrong: Alexandria Times | Food & Wine | Don Rockwell | Meredith Stanton | Gayot]
Right now everybody loves this place. I went once. Every course was excellent, but somehow the whole seemed less than the sum of the parts. I was in the "tasting menu" room. The "Bacon, Cheese, and Egg" course was first-rate. But for what I paid, I didn't come away with the same feeling of satisfaction I get from CityZen. This is certainly a restaurant to be reckoned with, but I am not yet sure if I will go back.
Taberna del Alabardero, web site, 1776 Eye Street NW, Washington, DC, entrance on 18th Street, 202-429-2200, opens at 6:00 (affiliated with a Spanish restaurant group, Grupo Lezama) (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Very yummy. They often have regional specialties cooked by visiting chefs. A superior dining experience. Not cheap, but the price is high for a good reason. Good paella. Stuffier than it needs to be, but often I feel this is the very best place in town right now. It has shown a remarkably ability to reinvent itself when needed.
Gerard's, web site, 915 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-737-4445 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | wcities | Gayot]
Update June 8, 2008: See Gerard Pangaud Bistro.
This place is accused of being inconsistent, so make sure Gerard is cooking that night. If so, it is phenomenal. Get the sweetbreads, the duck (or maybe the lobster, but $58 there), and the brioche. This meal will blow you away. Not cheap, but at its peak one of the two or three best places in this area, along with CityZen and the Inn at Little Washington. Did I mention that Gerard ran a Michelin two-star back in France? Sadly, the décor of this place is ugly, but I don’t care.
Inn at Little Washington, web site, 309 Middle Street (Middle and Main Streets), Washington, VA, 540-675-3800 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Mobil | Economist | Forbes | Donna Reiss | Washingtonian | WaPo | food-plan | openlist | Gayot]
$100 and up for the fixed price meal , and that is not counting wine. But one of the best restaurants in North America. It's about a seventy minute drive from Falls Church, but a pleasant one. Get the Tuna with Foie Gras on top. Or the Veal with Sweetbreads. Those are the two best entrees. Reservations of course required, but a relatively relaxed atmosphere and a nice dining room.
Oyamel, web site, 2250 Crystal Drive, Crystal City, Arlington, VA, 703-413-2288, closed Monday, plus they don’t always take reservations (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Gayot]
Update: The Crystal City location has closed, and the place is moving downtown, to where Andale used to be, near the Verizon Center, on 401 7th St., new phone is (202) 628-1005.
The best Mexican we have, without a doubt. Don’t compare this to your favorite TexMex in Houston but rather to a fancy nouveau place in Mexico City (which is where the chef hails from). The décor is beautiful, and reminiscent of the Camino Real Hotel in Polanco. The word on the new locale is that the place is much smaller but has maintained its standards. I've yet to go back there, but am looking forward to it..
Just about everything is remarkably authentic, they even fight the regulators to get Mexican cheeses across the border, albeit pasteurized ones.
You should get: the seared scallops, cochinita pibil tacos (barbecued, slowly simmered pork), Chile Poblano Relleno, black rice with cuitlacoche (corn fungus, that word is Nahuatl for “shit of the gods,” which is apt). I was very impressed by this place. It is by the folks who brought you Jaleo and Zaytinya and Café Atlantico, but of these Oyamel takes the greatest care to give you the real thing.
CityZen, web site, 1330 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC, in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (directions), 202-787-6868, dinner only, and not every day, closed Monday and Tuesday I believe (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Mobil | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Gayot]
Don’t forget, all food is ethnic food. For the first time since Jean-Louis (and I mean the mid- to late-1980s, not the later version of the place), Washington has a first-rate place for fine dining. Right now this is one of the ten best restaurants in North America. Yes, dinner costs more than $100 a pop, but now is your chance to go. Go, and go often, before it declines. The fixed-price menu changes every month, make sure you get the full treatment.
Zengo DC, web site, 781 7th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-393-2929 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell]
Richard Sandoval and Placido Domingo own this place. Modern Mexican mixed in with Pan-Asian, one of the best places in town. The look is very stylish, and reminds the visitor of Manhattan or Mexico City. A hip crowd. The hamachi is superb, also get the empanadas; don’t say “I don’t like empanadas, they are dull, crusty things.” Swallow each arepa in a single bite. Not cheap, but for what you get it is reasonably priced.