One night in DC--Help a Seattle eGulleteer

[halland]

My wife and I will be in Maryland visiting family and are planning to go into DC on Friday night to visit some friends. I'm not that familiar with the area, but my wife is looking for some recommendations of where to eat in or around Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, or the U Street area.

We were thinking Italian, but if there is something else that we really should try, we're pretty much open to anything.

Thanks in advance,

Hal Landvoigt

[vengroff]

I haven't been yet, but Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema routinely recommends Kuna, an Italian place on U St. Here is his review. Is this the sort of thing you are looking for? You didn't say anything about price range, so I'm not sure.

[theakston]

Dupont Circle Italian:

Al Taramisu is fun and friendly:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...798559&typeId=2

More upscale is Roberta Donna's place:

Galileo and Laboratorio del Galileo:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...792558&typeId=2

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...026895&typeId=2

In Adams Morgan I used to like I Matti - very reasonable but I think I heard that it was closing and being converted into something else

Good non-italian in Adams Morgan is Cashions Eat Place (american) or Grill from Ipanema (Brazilian).

I tend to give U street a miss. It's more club scene than food scene.

If you can be persuaded into a different area downtown and a different cuisine, Cafe Atlantico is fantastic:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...796043&typeId=2

It's close to the MCI center and china town which has become as good a spot for night life and bars as the 3 places you mention. I'm glad to see a lot of posters here love this place too.

[vengroff]

Or, if you are willing to go a bit farther afield for some of the best Italian food anywhere, get out to Tyson's Corner and dine at Maestro.

Cafe Atlantico, or either of Jose Andres's places (Jaleo and Zaytinya) are always good bets. You will find all three are heavily praised on this board.

[Steve Klc]

Given your "Italian" criteria Hal, which can mean many things to many different people and price ranges, and given that I'm not much of a fan of the higher-end cooking currently in that Dupont Circle/Adams Morgan/U Street--meaning I think you can get better cooking, better value, more interesting food and better dining experiences elsewhere, in other neighborhoods--there's one "Italian" restaurant you should consider that isn't the obvious high-end recommendations of Laboratorio (in your requested area) or Maestro (not in your area): and that's Obelisk, simple, small, unpretentious, and a relative dining bargain on P Street. Especially convenient if you plan to cruise in on the Metro Red line. If they have room for you, and if you aren't looking for the swank and glamour, Obelisk appeals in a unique way in this city especially to diners not prone to overpraise the next new thing. You'd spend at least twice the Obelisk check amount at Laboratorio or Maestro, if that is at all a consideration.

Obelisk has been mentioned here and we've linked to an article on it by a local writer, Emily Kaiser, on other threads. There's pretty current info about all these restaurants online, in the Washington Post site and on the Washingtonian magazine site. (Unlike the info about Cafe Atlantico linked to above--that specific review capsule is very dated.)

Also, something to consider: I have heard Maestro has begun a somewhat restrictive, some might say onerous, credit card/cancellation policy of late--you have to cancel 72 hours in advance or you will be charged. I'd make sure you are comfortable with that policy, that you understand it completely before faxing them back with your info.) An occasional user here is a Chowhound regular, Joe H., who has compared Maestro to El Bulli, so perhaps this policy is worth it to some. El Bulli, however, has a more customer friendly cancellation policy. Joe's also extensively documented all his wonderful meals at Laboratorio and Maestro and is a big fan of them--he has linked to his threads at Chowhound as well. You should read them and investigate the cancellation policy if you're considering either venue.

Not Italian but in your requested dining area--if you're visiting this weekend you will be out of luck, since this new Dupont Circle restaurant doesn't open until next Tuesday--but I'm waiting to try David Greggory, which is on 2030 M Street, NW (202-872-8700) If you're not adverse to trying something brand new, this might be interesting. It's the new joint effort of two well-regarded local chefs.

New, not Italian but French, but in that hot Penn Quarter where Jaleo, Cafe Atlantico and Zaytinya are--and well, I can't really add to what's already been said about those three restaurants here on eGullet--is a casual French bistro doing fairly-priced simple but serious food called Bistro D'oc, which just opened across from Ford's Theater, 518 Tenth Street, NW (202-393-5444) The chef (nee of La Miche in Bethesda but nowhere near as stilted and formal) the food and the setting are all charming in a straightforward, grizzled old French bistro way. And since the chef is this French grizzled old vet doing what he loves and is good at, this is a big, big plus. This isn't weak, pretend or sanitized French bistro cooking--our wagyu hangar steak (not as thin and sinewy as the onlget of others) charred yet undercooked perfectly and frites, and pork with chorizo, crawfish tails and du Puy lentils were fantastic--so was the warm brie with apple compote and crispy toasts which we followed them with. (It's on the menu as an app, but it's better after.) Everything we had was blissfully assertive, strong, salty, and redolent of roasted garlic. A lot of very fairly-priced, well-matched food wines, especially deep were the lesser-known, lesser-appreciated Languedoc reds around 30 bucks a bottle--though I was disappointed more wines weren't offered by the glass. In this repsect, Bistro d'Oc could learn from Mon Ami Gabi. These would be good with all the chef's hearty grilled meat dishes and are quite a bargain price-wise now. Entrees mid to high teens. We only tried one dessert, the creme caramel with orange and cherries and it was very poor, even given the generally poor nature of creme caramel around town, though it was served very cutely in little clear glass tubs. Until I try a few more desserts, I'd suspect the glass of Banyuls for $8 would be the best dessert option.

There are two beautiful spaces upstairs--a blue room and yellow room both with fireplaces--which seem ideal to me for private parties, rehearsal dinners, etc. We went on a Monday, a very slow night when the Theater is dark, so the place was virtually empty. The street outside it is ripped to shreds as well, not exactly a nice strip to stroll along. The chef, his grizzle and the rest of his service staff brought all our dishes out together. Very nice, young and eager, though unpolished. (I'll take nice, young and eager anyday in this era of shitty restaurant service.) I heard it is packed on weekends, with Friday night the only night they open the upstairs. It hasn't been reviewed yet but I hear Tom's review comes out on June 1st. On the basis of my one meal I'd expect it to be a very good review and I, for one, am really glad there's a reasonably-priced French bistro worth going to. It will be interesting to see if Tom compares this place to Bistrot du Coin--what did Dupont do before du Coin, anyway?

Another gain for Penn Quarter. It's only based on one meal, so we'll see.

[vengroff]

I have heard Maestro has begun a somewhat restrictive, some might say onerous, credit card/cancellation policy of late--you have to cancel 72 hours in advance or you will be charged.

I'm sad to hear about this new policy. 72 hours is a long time.

This approach has been debated up, down and sideways on other threads, so I'll try to be brief. Whenever I hear about another place adopting some variation on this policy, I initially get mad at the restaurant. But after I think about it a second, I always end up blaming the dining public. If people would view their reservations as a contract and show up when they make them, or at least be courteous enough to cancel in advance, we wouldn't be having this discussion. If I owned a restaurant that I knew could be full every night, but I was forced into turning away willing customers to hold reservations for eventual no-shows, I'd be pissed.

[vengroff]

Tom hyped Kuna again today in his Washington Post chat.

Washington, DC: .... Just looking for decent places to go for a mid-week casual dinner. Do you have any suggestions?

Tom Sietsema:  Have you been to Kuna on U St.? I had a terrific dinner there a few weeks ago.

Have any eGulleteers been to this place? Reports?

[Joe H]

Steve, thanks for the nice words. By the way I had your fig dessert on Monday night at Zaytinya. It was incredible!!!!!

[pastramionrye]

if you are looking for italian food in dc (fine dining) try obelisk or tosca (excellent)...palena is italian-french influenced...

non-italian: try cashion's near adam's morgan

go to washingtonpost.com and read about the restaurant's...it is easy to pick restaurants by cuisine and by neighborhood.

good luck.

[hjshorter]

On the basis of my one meal I'd expect it to be a very good review and I, for one, am really glad there's a reasonably-priced French bistro worth going to.  It will be interesting to see if Tom compares this place to Bistrot du Coin--what did Dupont do before du Coin, anyway?

Before du Coin opened we ate at any number of better places around Dupont, or walked over to Georgetown. I've had two terrible meals at Bistrot du Coin. The last one was bad enough it made we wish that Food For Thought had never left - that's pretty bad if any of you recall FFT's food and service - because I wouldn't have had to pay $90 for such a mediocre meal. Overcooked meat, wilted salad, limp soggy frites, and a perfectly forgettable cherry clafouti.

Bistro D'oc sounds worth trying. Thanks for the writeup, Steve.

[Steve Klc]

Heather--have you stayed current with Sietsema's opinion of du Coin? Has he mentioned them, and any deterioration, in any of his chats?

[Malawry]

He hasn't mentioned them in a loooooong time. Perhaps we should ask him this week. I suspect he hasn't visited in a while and that's why he hasn't mentioned them.

Heather, I'm disappointed to hear they are not so good. I was thinking of trying to visit sometime soon since I haven't eaten there since I became omnivorous (and I only ate there once anyway). And yeah, I remember FFT. I used to get the chili salad there, it was the only edible thing on the menu. Disappointing, I really wanted to love FFT as a vegetarian living in Dupont Circle but I refused to go back after a few tries.

[hjshorter]

I haven't read a review of du Coin in a long time - perhaps Malawry's right and we should ask Sietsema what he thinks of them lately. I really wanted to like it. They got some bad press a while back about an incident where people with kids were treated badly, if I'm remembering correctly, that also predisposes me to give them a pass.

Yeah, FFT was awful, wasn't it? Anything in that space is bound to be an improvement.

[dave88]

Actually, FFT has been reencarnated albeit much smaller in the new 9:30 club. They have about 6 tables and iirc only serve a limited menu, though still veggie of course. Seems mostly to be a place to get a pre-show bite.

[hjshorter]

Really? They have a food counter near the main floor, but I haven't noticed the tables. Is the food edible?

The old 9:30 Club served food too, but it was there only so that they could get a restaurant license. That's how they could admit all ages. I'm sure it's the same in the new club.

[mogsob]

I lived in DC from 1995 to 1998. The two -- and only two -- restaurants I miss are Cashion's (Adams Morgan) and Obelisk. Particularly the latter.

[pastramionrye]

Actually, FFT has been reencarnated albeit much smaller in the new 9:30 club.  They have about 6 tables and iirc only serve a limited menu, though still veggie of course.  Seems mostly to be a place to get a pre-show bite.

it's actually been reincarnated at the new black cat near U street, not the 9.30 club.

[dave88]

Yes, Black Cat, Black Cat... little change for the homeless......

Correct --not the 9:30

[halland]

Well we finally decided on Bistro D'oc, and while it wasn't Italian, it was the right decision. Its a great restaurant. I'm sorry I can't remember more but here's what I do remember:

Appetizers:

I had the tripe which was delicious, but it really was too much for just me.

Others had good looking salads, and there was a soup with crab that was finished at the table (the hot soup was poured over a large mound of crab in the bowl).

There were other things I wanted to try but didnt including calf brains with capers and a pig knuckle sausage on a portabello mushroom.

Main Dishes:

I had the duck confit with potatoes and mushrooms. It was a little drier than I expected but it was delicious nonetheless.

Other dishes included mussels and frites, lamb, and a diner at another table had the cassoulet which was quite large and looked delicious.

Wines: We relied on the staff to recommend wines and they chose two modestly priced wines ($30 and $32) which were perfect. The wine list is thoughtfully composed with a broad price range and many sub-$35 selections.

Desserts:

Alas, I was the only one who could fit anything else. I had the mango-coconut creme brulee. It was very delicious, but I felt the dish was too warm -- the brulee should be hot, but the creme should be cold.

Overall I thought it was a very well though out restaurant. The service was superb. The food was superb, with just a few glitches. And the atmosphere is very comfortable. At no time did we feel rushed or otherwise pressured, and the biggest complaint I can make is that I had to ask for the check. The total, for 4 appetizers, 6 main dishes, 2 bottles of wine, 2 other drinks, dessert, and 5 coffees was $250.

Hal

[Steve Klc]

Did you sit downstairs or was it crowded enough that they sat people upstairs? Noisy at all? Street outside still dug up? Let's hope d'OC sustains things once the reviews come out.

[halland]

Upstairs? Downstairs? I didn't even realize there were different seating areas. There is a lot of construction going on in front of the restaurant, and it wasn't really crowded, or ever even full at all. Most of the Ford theatre crowd seemed to be going to or coming from the Hard Rock cafe.

Hal

[Steve Klc]

Tom Sietsema's review of Bistro d'Oc is up:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...083175&typeId=2