Restaurants in DC: Hayatt Regency Capitol Hill

[gfron1]

I don't "get off island" much from my small town, but I'm heading to DC for 3 days next week. I'm looking for a nice meal ($50-100 per person) that would be fairly convenient (if not close) to the Hyatt Capitol Hill. Not looking for snooty, but rather good food. And I'm open to absolutely any type of food.

BTW, its very hard to browse previous posts for this type of info...I tried.

Thanks in advance.

[brr]

Bistro Bis, Charlie Palmer Steak and Johnnys Half Shell are all within a 5 minute walk of the hotel....and are all in the price range you mention

[Busboy]

Depending on your wine/booze consumption, I think you'll be pushing the edge of your budget envelope (after tax and tip) at either Bis or Palmer, but they are both excellent choices (as is Johnny's)

And, depending on your willingness to travel, there are a lotof other choices within a 5-minute cab/20-minute walk. Try the Penn Quarter neighborhood, which is begins maybe ten blocks from the the hotel -- though it's an "interesting" walk if you don't know the area. This is the hipster neighborhood, so you're always in danger of being served a brutally expensive martini colored in a way you don't usually identify with gin. But old guys like me appreciate all the eye candy and there is some excellent food to be had. Rasika serves excellent Indian in a wonderful setting; tapas at Jaleo are excellent and the atmosphere more informal, and many like Zatinya.

The browsing is imperfect, but if you click onto the DC forum home page, and go to your lower left for a forum-specific search, the results are usually pretty good.

[PatDC]

In addition to the other suggestions, you might enjoy Sonoma on the House side of the Capitol. I'd call it a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel. If you check a map, you'll see it's not as far as the the addresses might seem. The two are just located on opposite sides of the Capitol. (Walk along the West side of the Capitol grounds because the East side is torn up with construction.)

[gfron1]

Reservations at Jaleo are made for 10/30! Thanks for the help everyone.

[gfron1]

Went to Jaleo last night with my group of 8. It was a huge success - thanks for the lead. We had 30 different tapas, and by the time we got to dessert, we had had enough wine that we got one of each dessert - nothing was disliked. The traditional eaters enjoyed the chicken and steak items, my favorite was the bacon wrapped fig croquettes. Tonight...Ethiopian!

[Busboy]

Went to Jaleo last night with my group of 8.  It was a huge success - thanks for the lead.  We had 30 different tapas, and by the time we got to dessert, we had had enough wine that we got one of each dessert - nothing was disliked.  The traditional eaters enjoyed the chicken and steak items, my favorite was the bacon wrapped fig croquettes.  Tonight...Ethiopian!

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Excellent -- please report back on the Ethiopian. The competition is very hot right now and any feedback will be appreciated.

[gfron1]

Etete (1942 98th St. NW)

I took three friends to Etete based solely on the Washington Post review. Whenever I travel to a city large enough to have an Ethiopian restaurant, I make plans to enjoy a good meal. That said, I’ve eaten at many, many of these restaurants, and have been to only a few that I would consider “bad.” I also tend to favor the dark, smoky restaurants filled with cabbies from which the Post reviewer distinguished Etete.

The ambiance was nice, but becoming slightly worn (walls roughed up, upholstery torn). It was too bright, and the generic restaurant tables took away one of my favorite aspects of Ethiopian restaurants – the wicker tables and stools.

I followed the reviewer’s recommendations and started with a sambusa. The sambusa was nice – good flavor and crispness, but the pastry flavor was different than any I had ever had before. Different family secret? I’m not sure, but it was still nice. In fact, it reminded me more of the pastry I get at Jamaican restaurants with their patties.

Next we each got a different entrée. I ordered the vegetarian combo (gamen), and we had a ground beef dish, marinated beef strips, and lamb in sauce. The lamb in sauce was nice, not tough like I often get at Ethiopian restaurants. The beef strips were a hit with my Ethiopian-virgin friends, and while I did find them tasty, they were not unique nor special. The ground beef (kitfo), which was the predominant dish, was the only entrée that remained on our tray at the end of the meal (just bland) although we thoroughly enjoyed its cottage cheeses. My vegetarian dishes were all very well prepared – especially the cabbage.

I also ordered the honey wine since I had never seen that on a menu before (maybe I just missed it). It had an aroma that faintly reminded me of pont le’eveque cheese, but had a nice taste, and paired well with the meal.

I would recommend Etete but I’m sure it isn’t the best in town. None of the dishes had the pizzazz and complexity that I’m used to in Ethiopian food. In general, I found the meal well prepared but rather bland and washed. Service and prices were nice. In the end my favorite Ethiopian is still in Indianapolis (who would of thunk it?!).