Decibel Level Ratings

[mrbigjas]

hi there d.c. folks--a question from my father in law: is there any washington restaurant review site or reference place that includes a sound level rating? my motherinlaw really hates loud places, but as you know everything is on a continuum--for instance, obviously bistro du coin is out, while someplace like say, terrazza is in. so being able to compare noise levels would be very useful.

(assuming the place has good food and doesn't generally suck, obviously)

i know a couple of years ago, the philadelphia inquirer started putting decibel measurements into their reviews, but i'm not seeing them on line now. so the nice example i'd planned on using won't work...

anyway, anyone know of anything? thanks.

Edited January 19, 2005 by mrbigjas (log)

[DCMark]

I don't know of a website that concerns the noise level. I have the same issue with my parents.

You can read between the lines in reviews. Also, post specific restaurants here and maybe some posters can give you advice.

Restaurant in DC that I think are quiet:

Bistro Lepic

Al Tiramisu

Galileo (not 100% sure)

Obelisk

[The Hersch]

Restaurant in DC that I think are quiet:

Al Tiramisu

←

Al Tiramisu? Have they done something to the space to make it quiet? I ate there not very long after they opened (and hated it), and it was one of the noisiest places I've ever been (as were BeDuCi and Verdi before it in the same space). Has this changed?

[Tweaked]

Corduroy is very serene

[DCMark]

I remember it being quiet but it was years ago too.

Restaurant in DC that I think are quiet:

Al Tiramisu

←

Al Tiramisu? Have they done something to the space to make it quiet? I ate there not very long after they opened (and hated it), and it was one of the noisiest places I've ever been (as were BeDuCi and Verdi before it in the same space). Has this changed?

←

[mrbigjas]

thanks for the initial responses, y'all. i'm waiting to hear back from him about the places he's thinking of going, in hopes that i'll be able to be a little more specific with my questions...

edited to say: OK after further discussion, it turns out he was trying to find out because the m-i-l thinks that that sort of thing should exist somewhere if it doesn't. so he was trying to find out if it did. thanks for the info so far, and for reminding me about bistrot lepic--do they still serve that awesome pigs foot there?

Edited January 19, 2005 by mrbigjas (log)

[frogprince]

Corduroy is very serene

←

true; one could hear...well, the swish swash of one's epononymous trousers.

palena also springs to mind, as does taberna del alabardero.

with regards to awesome pig's feet, bistro d'oc certainly does a superlative job with those worthy pieds. and it's in sausage form. and, hey! it's quiet enough to hear john wilkes booth cursing dr. mudd's atrocious bandaging of his wounded leg.

[chuchelo]

This subject was raised in the Ask Tom section of the Washington Post Magazine today. Here are Tom Sietsema's suggestions:

The Bombay Club, Corduroy, Makoto, Melrose, the Oval Room, Le Paradou, Palena, Sea Catch and 1789, all in Washington; Ristorante Terrazza and Tavira, both in Chevy Chase; Le Tire Bouchon in Fairfax; Bombay Tandoor in Vienna; and La Flor de la Canela in Gaithersburg.