Restaurant suggestions in the D. C. area

(relatively limited set, based on my experience)

• Suppose that you don't have a lot of money (< $25-30 per person not counting alcohol) and want to have a nice meal
  • Lebanese Taverna (Woodley Park Metro, Connecticut north of Calvert) - Very good Lebanese food
  • Zaytinya (walking distance from hotel) - even better Lebanese style food.  All mezes.  VERY crowded; they take reservations before 6:30, otherwise plan to stand and wait (but worth it).
  • Bistrot Francais (Georgetown on M Street) - large, classic (and simple) French restaurant.
  • Rockland's Barbeque (North of Georgetown on Wisconsin) - really good barbeque; very small place - basically you stand and eat or sit across the street in the small park.

   

• Next step up - closer to $50 per person, again not including alcohol
  • Tosca - walking distance to conference center.  Very good Italian restaurant
  • Cafe Atlantico - also walking distance from hotel.  Good South American food.  There is some special meal they serve at the bar - kind of Latin kaiseki; reserve well ahead for this.
  • Jaleo - another walking distance restaurant serving Tapas.  Could have gone in the less expensive category.
  • Etrusco - Very good Italian restaurant near Dupont Circle. 
  • Pesce - very reasonable, and very good fish restaurant near Dupont. Simple preparations, but everything is fresh and good.
  • Raku - in Dupont; do not venture past the sushi/sashimi and you'll have a great meal.  You can eat more cheaply here than most of the others in this category.

• Expensive (>$50 per person), and in all cases well worth it
  • Gerard's Place - one of the very best French restaurants in town
  • Vidalia - excellent new American cuisine
  • Kinkead's - best seafood in Washington; no close second
  • Marcel's - French, Belgian, comparable to Gerard's Place - frankly, a coin toss between the two if you order properly
  • Galileo's Laboratory - very special restaurant in a restaurant.  If you don't make reservations well in advance of your trip to DC forget it.  The restaurant itself, Galileo, is very good, although I think too expensive.  The Laboratory is around $75 price fixed and worth it

   

• The best there is in town
  • Citronelle - The best restaurant in DC - reserve yesterday.  Figure on $150-200 per person with reasonable wine. Given the value of the Euro, this place is a global bargain.  No large parties - more than 8 people and they'll try to charge you $250 for a private room.