DC restaurants

spanish --- jaleos.. (all though spanish people don like it) bethesda,md/washington DC
italian.. (little italy area in baltimore) or timpanos in rockville,md

 

If you're gonna venture up to Baltimore's Little Italy, I could make some recommendations.
Will

 

It is not in DC, but Ikaros (baltimore) is the best place for real Greek food. Remember to order one salad for two people, it will be plenty

 

I could list tonsss of good places to eat. Maybe you should check out Zaget online.

Where in DC will you be?


Antony

 

wardman park is close to adams morgan.(take a left on calvert). and dupont circle area(keep going down conneticut) both should cost about the same via cab.


adams morgan is more hip and casual whereas dupont circle tends to be trendy and high dollar so u can pick your poison

run down on adams morgan:
nice night life...ranging from carribean to european to indian..
fourchette -french (this place could get to your 100$ for a couple with wine plus specials) the rest are not that exp..
meskereem -ethiopian
bukom/ghana cafe -west african

whole in the wall-
crepes and the 1400 calorie jumbo pizza slices and julias empanada

i would not bother to drive to baltimore since you are that close to the action

anyway wardman park concierge is very good..so they should hook u up ( i use to work for marriot when i was young un (and our top properties were wardman and mayflower)
i am not much of a dupont expert.. but i think others will chime in

 

For Italian I have a few recommendations:

Cafe' Milano - Located in Georgetown it is very nice, great food and the crowd is always interesting. You will definitely be in the $100 a couple range!

Sette Osteria - Just on the north side of Dupont Circle. Very good food and very affordable

2 Amys - If you're in the mood for some Neapolitan Pizza, they are probably the best in DC. They are located off of Macomb and Wisconsin, just north of the National Cathedral. The pizza is always very good and the prices are as good as Sette.

I've always been a bit of a snob when it comes to Italian food since I grew up in Italy and we eat Italian at home, but these are the three me and my friends continue to go to. Good luck and let us know if you find anything interesting. BTW - I've never had any good Italian food in the so called Little Italy of Baltimore!

 

Just curious, where did you eat in Little Italy?
Sabatino's?

 

Agree Marriott Wardman Park is great location and Metro is just out the back door down the hill. The Concierge there has always been great for me.
Adams Morgan is about a 15-20 minute walk outside - sometimes hip for sure, often times bizarre..

Although it's German, taking the Metro to Union Station and walking up Mass Ave a couple of Blocks is Cafe Berlin which is very nice, run by a German family and fits your pricing

 

Ricardo,

The best Italian food in the area is at Geranio (www.geranio.net). Flavor-wise, it's the only thing that even comes close to real Italian food. Best service for any Italian place here as well. I can't help you on Spanish food here. For some reason, every Spanish restaurant in the area is holding flavor hostage in a back room connected to a car battery. What up wit' dat? Who likes food with no taste? Same goes for most of the local Greek places here, and don't get me started on the tasteless Tex-Mex places here. Yikes!

Seriously, I don't know of any good French restaurants in the DC metro area. I've been disappointed each time I've tried. I do, however, know of a great Belgian (Walloon) place that is owned and operated by a former chief at the European Union. Try www.belgacafe.com. Don't mention my name (I'm there so much they might be sick of me). Hahaha! Outstanding beer & wine there, too!!! Oh wait, there is one acceptable French place but it's way out in the Great Falls, VA area. Don't know if you want to go that far west with all of the traffic problems in the area. There's also an excellent Serbian place around the corner and through the woods near it, but I haven't been there in a long time.

If you're really into outstanding wine with great food, try www.bilbobaggins.net. The menu is global, the owner (Mike) will make sure you enjoy your visit to his establishment. He's been known to do stuff off the menu for me, and heck, I'm a nobody.

I have yet to find a good German place in DC. I usually drive up to West Virginia when I have to have it! The place is the Bavarian Inn (http://www.bavarianinnwv.com/). It's the absolute best outside of Deutschland (excluding that other one in Las Vegas). It's so good you will find Germans on a holiday up there every time you visit it (no joke). Maybe it's just me, but I think DC restaurant quality has gone down in the last few years maybe because the market is saturated with too many restaurants that are struggling to be profitable by cutting corners and trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator of customer, who likes bland food. Eh, my opinion and five bucks will buy you a small cup of Starbucks. Eh whatever, right.

If you want to try something really different here, go to Casablanca in the 1500 block of King Street, Alexandria, VA--Moroccan food, belly dancing, good times, authentic. Love that place. Hope this helps (hope I made you laugh, too). Happy New Year!

Cheers,
Tony

 

Where did you eat?? I have had good luck there.

 

I don't recall the restaurants name....we had an FCA luncheon several years ago and I wasn't really impressed with the food.

 

Sorry to hear that. I grew up in the so called Little Italy.
If you'd like I could recommend a few "good" Italian places in Little Italy. Given there about 12 or so places to eat, it depends on which regional dishes you'd prefer. Each restaurant has it's own special way of making veal,shrimp or macaroni and gravy. Some are better than others for certain dishes.
Where in Italy did you grow up? It would help me to get the right one for you.
Will

 

I grew up in Naples. Any recommendations would be great. I go to Baltimore occasionally and would love to try something new.

ciao - davide

 

There are a few.
In Little Italy proper, try Chiapparelli's, the founder came over from Naples.
(Chicken necks to give the gravy/sauce a nice flavor). Pasquale (the founder) made the best squid I've ever eaten. Unfortunatly he took the recipe with him when he passed away.

Just east of Canton is my friend Vinnie Scottos' (VINNIE'S CAFE). He's from a little town just outside of Naples (still has family there).
There are a lot of good places, you just need to know where to find them.
If you're coming to Baltimore, just PM me.
Will

P.S. Sorry to hijack this thread!

 

The best food in DC is Kinkead's, albeit it may be over 100 per couple, but much worth it. It is some of the best seafood in the world, chef Thomas Kinkead is one of the nations finest. Try and get a reservation, you wont be sorry.

 

Bob Kinkead. Thomas is the kitschy painter.

For excellent but pricey Spanish food, try Taberna del Alabardeo, which is considered the best Spanish restaurant in the country by many critics.

Good luck.