Free Wilma

Agreed on Restaurant Eve. You might also want to consider the Majestic Cafe for modern southern cuisine.

Anyone know if they're open on Sunday evenings?

What's not mentioned in the article is the presence of the flagship store of HEB's Central Market which is a virtual clone of the Wegmans in Sterling in many way. ← Joe - I thought that was a fairly significant oversight in the article as well. I hadn't realized that Whole Foods was based out of Austin too. I got to visit Central Market last summer and was amazed. I can't wait to try out the "entertainment" Whole Foods on my next visit.

There's an interesting article in this morning's USA Today regarding the latest Whole Food's store in Austin, TX. There's a lot of emphasis being placed on the entertainment of food shopping. The article indicates that one of the new concept stores will be coming to Annapolis and that some of the entertainment elements may eventually be seen in current stores. Whole Foods Article in USA Today

Oyamel and Jaleo Jose Andres' sister restaurants, are located just on the edge of National Airpost. Jaleo is tapas and Oyamel small plates of interior Mexican. Both are quite good....but Jaleo is probably more consistant.

In relatively close walking distance are DC Coast and Ceiba, both having numerous seafood options. They (along with the aforementioned TenPenh) are owned and operated by the same folks.

A slug! When I called the manager over to show it to him (the waiter wasn't in the room at the time) he told me "Don't worry! Everything is organic". I had to laugh. It was durng the summer and the little creature apparently has fallen off of some fresh greens that were used as a garnish. I wasn't particurlary freaked out. At least it wasn't a half eaten slug. Yuck. The restaurant was incredibly remorseful and comped us some fabulous desserts. And yes, we've been back since the slug incident.

I remember that story very well. I loved the part where they told about using okra instead of the "lady finger" cookies in the tiramisu. What a classic.

I don't know, I'm a huge fan of the butternut squash soup...however, Tallula's Celery Root Soup is yum - haven't seen it offered anywhere else. ← I'm pretty sure I had celery root soup at Poste during a holiday dinner a few weeks ago. It was YUMMY!

Has anyone tried the new Mexican restaurant in Alexandria, Tacuba? It's in the Bradlee Shopping Center in the space formerly occupied by another fairly lame Mexican take out (maybe called Desert Moon??) right by the Chicken Out. I believe it was mentioned in Tom's weekly chat on Wednesday. Its website claims "authentic" interior mexican cuisine and the menu looks somewhat promising. I'm going to try and swing by sometime this weekend but would love to know if anyone else has tried it yet.

Dave and Busters is a great suggestion even for the kids younger than 8. My 4 year old have a blast when we went this past summer.

Does it need to be a private room? I'm assuming the drinks may be of greater importance than the food in this case. If so, then maybe somewhere with a terrific view or extra interesting room. I know the Hay-Adams has an elegant room on one of the top floors that looks out over Layfayette Park. I've been to private lunches there...but not cocktail parties. Are there any places that have views of the Potomac? It would be cool with the leaves changing. Of course if this is after work, daylight savings time will be over and it will be dark by 6:00.

If I remember correctly, your breakfast and dinner costs are included in the room rate. Your boss may want to consider that he has probably already paid for dinner before exploring outside options. From my one visit, I remember the doughnuts being wonderful at breakfast and the bar closing WAY too early in the evening.

We ended up at Zaytinya, which was perfect. Only one of our group had ever been before and everyone loved it. We ended up having the six-week-old along for girls night and the staff was very accomodating in giving us a roomy corner table where he could just sleep the evening away. The only (very slight) downside is it's a little loud when you want to just chat and laugh with the your dining partners. But had the baby been fussy at all (which he wasn't), it wouldn't have been awkward. Thanks for the input and ideas!

We're a bunch of late-30s married moms who are dying to dine out without our precious children. We're gathering for a post-childbirth celebration honoring our dear friend. One friend is pushing for Lauriol Plaza and I'm trying desperately to find a suitable alternative. We want lively, but not loud. Good food that won't break the grocery budget....and all on a Sunday evening. We're in Alexandria but are very happy to travel into DC. What are the atmosphere and prices like at Colvin Run Tavern (website is pretty vague)? And what's the atmosphere at Mendocino Grill? I'm definitely keeping Firefly and Cafe Atlantico in mind by was sorta hoping to go somewhere I hadn't been before. It may be a little cool on Sunday evening but outdoor seating is always a big bonus. TIA.