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Back to Food and Dining Main Page
Washington DC Reviews |
| Downtown (including Verizon Center area) | |
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Tosca
1112 F Street NW Washington DC 20004 (604)688-7338 |
Affable, talented executive chef Cesare Lanfranconi takes his immense cooking talents front
and center at this very upscale downtown destination. No wonder lunchtimes are crowded and
dinner draw DC’s elite for power meals. With a menu that changes seasonally, fans always
find something new and dazzling for their palates, such as Lanfranconi’s roasted venison
medallions with black winter truffles or his beef loin steak with warm potato salad.
Constantly inventing and refining his style, Lanfranconi turns out unforgettable meals
---and also, his warm breads are just as exciting. The tasting menus afford a chance to
get a smattering of the restaurant’s dishes, just in case your visits to DC are limited
and you can’t drop in often.
Named not for Puccini's opera but for the daughter of Lanfranconi. Lanfranconi previously cooked at Galileo. He slips local tomatoes inside tiny ravioli and invigorates them with summery basil sauce, and perfumes a rustic pork sausage risotto with truffles. Desserts are better than ever these days, and they play by the calendar: In late summer, diners could find a fine polenta cake garnished with juicy cherries and a flaky tart of tomato marmalade presented with a scoop of basil ice cream. If you get a chance, opt for the the chef's table in the kitchen. You'll get great service and be able to pick the brains of the staff. Best of all, Tosca has an outstanding, if pricey, wine list. A great selection of Italian wines will make it easy for excellent sommilier Paulo help you pick an outstanding selection. Highly Recommended! |
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Bibiana
1100 New York Avenue, NW The corner of H St. and 12th Washington, DC 20005 (202) 216-9550 |
Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj's newest addition to his stellar collection of elegant dining rooms in downtown DC.
Bajaj is also the owner of Bombay Club, 701, Rasika, Ardeo, and sister wine bar Bardeo - some of the best restaurants in the city.
Sleek Bibiana is appointed with dark wood, layers of art glass, black leather and lighting accents that speak
of high-style Milano design. Bibiana serves Italian cuisine in a sophisticated, contemporary setting.
Very good apetizers - especially the burrata and the date dish. Also the Liver pate is yummy and served on big slices of Italian bread. The roasted duck breast is an impeccable cut rendered uniquely with pureed celery root and half of one delightfully caramelized grilled peach. The pastas are all handmade with delicious sauces. And even though Italian's are not known for their desserts these are quite good including the pie with pistacho crust. Finally, the "bomba chocolate" is an unabashed feast of ganache, mousse and cookies that brings to mind Central’s iconic multilayered Kit Kat Bar. Bibiana also posts a rising star in the sommelier’s spot, having lured under-30 Francesco Amodeo from Hook in Georgetown. Francesco has chosen a very good wine list with good selections at every price range. Its not hard to find a good bottle at a reasonable price. There is a $25 corkage fee for wines not on the wine list - be sure to share some with Francesco so as not to be rude. Harry Gregory of London-based ARA Design who is responsible for the stunning interiors at all of Bajaj’s restaurants has designed Bibiana to reflect a modern high-style Milano decor with dark wood, layers of art glass, black leather and dramatic stainless steel lighting fixtures. Recommended! |
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Poste Restaurant
555 Eighth St. Washington DC 20001 202-783-6060 |
Housed in the Hotel Monaco, the high-ceilinged dining room always has a nice glow and a
happy buzz, while from the exhibition kitchen come dishes that dare to be a little
different. Garlicky snails wear pastry caps, and an arugula salad shows up looking
like a perfect hedge, breezy with mint and sweetened with figs. In winter, there
might be roseate venison paired with Brussels sprouts, while springtime may bring
herb-paved cod served with a mini-skillet of boulanger potatoes. Strong performances
like apple and quince tarte Tatin or a trio of custards will keep you in your seat
through dessert. Great before a Wizards game or a show.
Where to sit? The best seats are in the main dining room. Open and airy, with high ceilings and streams of light, this space is accessorized with comfortable booths in gold fabric; it also captures a you-are-there view of the exhibition kitchen. The side room is nice enough, but feels removed from the action. Regardless of where you land, service is smooth, at least most of the time. The restaurant's dual entrances -- people come in via the bar on one end or the lobby on the other -- can result in long waits and confusion. One overly enthusiastic waiter insisted on asking all four people at my table how we liked everything, person after person after person after person. By the time he got around the table, hot food was cooling and cold food was warming. More frequently, though, the staff is in the background, professional and polite. Poste has a decent wine list. Includes a few half bottles and glasses by the wine. Recommended! |
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Rasika
633 D Street, NW Washington, DC 20004 202-637-1222 |
The name is derived from Sanskrit meaning "flavors," and the restaurant features those created by
chef Vikram Sunderam, who relocated to DC after being at Bombay Brasserie in London for 14 years.
The concept promotes authentic Indian fare with a modern emphasis. Signature dishes include the
crispy spinach salad with date and tamarind sauce; black cod with fresh dill, star anise and
fennel seeds cooked in a clay oven; and tawa Dover sole hand-rubbed with chile and prepared on
the griddle.
Rasika offers up an exciting menu of vindaloos and tandooris as well as authentic Pan-Indian cuisine with a modern twist. Signature dishes include black cod with fresh dill, star anise and fennel seeds cooked in a clay oven, and Dover sole hand-rubbed with chile and prepared on the open tawa (griddle). An extensive selection of more than 100 bottles of wine (ranging from $30 to $200) serves as the perfect accompaniment to the chef's flavorful creations. At the back bar, imbibe an exotic pre- or post-dinner cocktail, such as a clove martini or pomegranate margarita, or simply douse the flames of dinner with a cold Kingfisher beer. Rasika has a well thought out wine list to go with their spicy foods. Highly Recommended! |
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Full Khee
509 H Street, NW Washington DC 20001 202-371-2233 |
The best inexpensive Chinese restaurant in DC! This is the real deal. Make sure to order the
shrimp dumpling soup. The eggplant dishes are excellent.
A Chinatown institution, Full Kee emerged from a months-long makeover last year and is back to its best, serving steaming bowls of shrimp dumpling soup and large noodle dishes. Highly Recommended! |
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Georgetowne/West End/Dupont Circle/Cleveland Park |
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Obelisk
2029 P St NW Washington DC 20036 (202)296-7700 |
Obelisk is a DC institution and deservedly so! Peter Pastan is a master. They have the best Tuscan food in DC. You cannot go wrong
with Obelisk! This is delicious, fresh, home cooked, perfect tuscan cooking at its finest. The setting is not
at all indicative of what is in store for you. The 5 course meal probably has 10 tasters at least in the
antipasti round alone- and the price is exceedingly fair given the quantity and quality of the food.
A gem in the city.
Obelisk is one the city's most consistently excellent restaurants. Service and food are simply superb. In this pleasantly spare room that seats only 36, the walls are decorated with 19th-century French botanical prints and Italian lithographs. Obelisk serves sophisticated Italian cuisine made of the freshest-possible ingredients. Each night, diners are offered two or three choices for each of five courses. Dinner might begin with an antipasti misti of zucchini fritters, deep-fried risotto croquettes, and garbanzo beans with tuna in olive oil; followed by sweetbread and porcini ravioli with sage butter; and then an artfully arranged dish of grilled stuffed quail and duck sausage with spinach, or black bass with peppers, fennel, and green sauce . . . or whatever the chef has been inspired to create. A cheese course and dessert follow. Breads and desserts are all baked in-house. Pastan's carefully crafted wine list represents varied regions of Italy and it is outstanding! Highly Recommended!!! |
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Palena
3529 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20008 (202) 537-9250 http://www.palenarestaurant.com |
Frank Ruta is truly one of DC's best chefs. Even though he is very low key and hides from publicity, it always
seems to find him. Ruta worked at the White House for 11 years under some very good chefs and also had some
stints abroad along the way. He was born and raised in a very Italian family that loved food and it shows.
We've eaten here a few times and have had outstanding meals - you really can't go wrong. And the wine list
is also very good.
Ask anyone who is passionate about food (or lives in Cleveland Park) to name the best dishes in the city, and they inevitably will nominate Ruta's consomme, gnocchi, burger, roast chicken and meant-to-be-but-not-always-shared fry plate. "He's the best cook in America, if not the world, and I say that having eaten at every two- and three-star Michelin restaurant in New York," said Mark Kuller, who owns the downtown restaurants Proof and Estadio. On any given night at Palena, there might be a consomme with roasted squash, delicate wood pigeon raviolini and slivers of foie gras; sardines served in a Sicilian-inspired sweet-and-sour sauce of pine nuts, raisins and apple; or rabbit stuffed with escarole and herbs alongside pickled eggplant and crab apple mostarda. In his first review of Palena in December 2000, Post critic Tom Sietsema called dinner there "required eating for anyone who aspires to cook in this city." Highly Recommended!!! |
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Kinkead's
2000 Pennsylvania Washington DC (202)296-7700 |
Bob Kinkead is a master. His namesake seafood restaurant is one of the best in town.
The waiters are intelligently professional and the wine list is a treasure of reds as
well as whites, in a range to appeal to novices and connoisseurs.
The seafood ravioli is so airy, gossamer and flavorful that it rivals the fiest Italian pasta or Chinese dim sum. The char edges grilled squid is the tenderest and most flavorful version you are ever likely to encounter. Geh classics - tempura soft shells, crab cakes, fried clams, and tuna tartare - are as good as they get anywhere. |
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Adams Morgan |
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Jack Rose
2007 18th St NW (at Florida Ave) Washington, DC 20009 202-588-7388 jackrosediningsaloon.com |
Named for the classic American cocktail that blends applejack and grenadine, Jack Rose is a three-story temple to whiskey that
boasts an inventory of more than 1,200 bottles - both Scotch and American - in a former boxing gym at the foot of Adams Morgan.
Many of these great whiskeys come from the collection of Bill Thomas, who founded the two Bourbon bars, each of which stocks more than 100 rare, weird and wonderful Kentucky whiskeys. Much of the Scotch comes from the storied collection of Harvey Fry, a single-minded single-malt obsessive who owns thousands of extraordinary examples and often hangs out at the bar at Jack Rose to mull over the finer points of Bruichladdich or Glen Grant. Jack Rose's array of whiskey fills specially built shelves along three walls of its first-floor dining room. The displays climb toward the pressed-tin ceiling - so much so that bartenders have to use special rolling ladders to reach the bottles at the top. It really is a virtual reference library of whisk(e)y. If you want to explore the diversity of Islays, Lowlands or hard-to-find barrel-aged Kentucky spirits, this is your place. But the thing about Jack Rose is that you don't have to be a Scotch fanatic to have it become one of your favorite bars. That's because it the food is quite good. Try the Pork Belly appetizer - it is awesome. Also good, but not great are the sweetbreads. On the entree side, the stuffed eggplant is very tasty and so is the stripped bass. Heading up Jack Rose's kitchen is Michael Hartzer, who has worked at IndeBleu and Citronelle so he some chops (no pun). Unfortunately, the wine selection is not that great. The by-the-glass selection is pretty weak but you can find a decent bottle for dinner. However, as they say, when in Rome.... The beer selection is awesome with several brews on tap. You won't be disappointed by the scene, ambiance, or food. During the summer, the roof top bar is rockin. A great place that is a lot of fun! Highly Recommended!!! |
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Bethesda |
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CENTRO'S
4838 Bethesda Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814 (301) 951-1988 www.centroitalian.com |
Located in the heart of Bethesda, Centro is a sleek, sophisticated & trendy restaurant
serving modern regional Italian cuisine. The service , atmosphere & food are exquisite.
Delicious hand-made pastas are a great primi patti. The veal Paccheri di Gragnano rigatoni
pasta with a meat ragu, Bolognese style is one
of the better ones we've tasted. The main dishes are very good as well. The grilled
pork chop is excellent and fish dishes are always fresh. Main courses at dinner, $15 to $30. Dinner for two: about $100.
Very good Italian wine list! You'll find an outstanding selection of Italian wines at all prices. You can't go wrong with this list. General Manager Antonio has done a great job with the wine list! Highly Recommended!!! |
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Potomac/Rockville/Gaithersburg |
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Volt
228 N. Market St. Frederick, MD 21701 301-696-8658 |
Executive Cher Bryan Voltaggio, formerly of Charlie Palmer Steak and a Top Chef contender, has opened his
own place, a very upscale venue in up-and-coming Frederick, Maryland. Still basically a farming community
with a gloss of gentrification, Frederick is home to this eatery with white-on-white décor, white linen and
a glam menu, all with a big-city price tag. Brunch stars such attractions as hot muffins or buttermilk
biscuits, fennel breadsticks, french toast, buttermilk pancakes, and assorted savories, including
Voltaggio’s standout hamburger served with hot kettle chips. Plentiful French-pressed hot coffee
(his is good and locally roasted) plus much improved and attentive service add up to a pleasing experience.
Voltaggio aims to utilize locally sourced goods, and that’s to his credit, as his cooking is first-class.
Dinnertime brings Voltaggio’s à la carte entrées, which are limited to beef (an Angus cut), lamb from
Jamison Farms, seafood and poultry, such as Muscovy duck with slightly tart endive. It's a seasonal menu, so
keep an eye out for regular changes. Desserts include a combination of chocolate textures and tastes, ideal
for chocoholics.
Really hard to get reservations. Try sitting at the bar - try the Pork Belly burger off the snack menu, it's awesome!!! Good but not great wine list but you'll have no problem finding something good to drink and there are some good values if you know what you're looking for. There is a little secret in the kitchen at VOLT. It seats four and is located in the kitchen as the central focal point. Joined by two flying pigs, it is lively and inventive and allows the unknown menu of 21-courses to unveil itself. It is 'Table 21,' an explosive celebration of molecular gastronomic cuisine. Table 21 is truly for guests who want to experience creativity in food. The custom made steal table allows four guests to sit side-by-side giving them a full view of the culinary vision unfolding in the kitchen. Wine pairings are not included or advised for the 21-course meal. However, VOLT's Sommelier and Cocktail Craftsman Neil Dundee will help with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage selections. The cost of Table 21 is $121 per person, not inclusive of beverages, tax and tip. Guests are welcome to reserve the table in parties of one to four. If reserving for less than four, then the table becomes communal. Reservations are required for Table 21. Seatings for Table 21 are as follows: 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday; two seatings on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Please note dietary restrictions when making reservations. Highly Recommended! |
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Hunter's Inn
10123 River Rd Potomac, MD 20854 301-299-9300 |
The Hunter's Inn has been a Potomac fixture for 26 years, catering to the local horse set,
businesspeople, or those planning an evening to remember.
Executive Chef John Sarg offers exceptional American cuisine, such as fresh fish, steak, chicken and large entree salads. Several steaks are available, including an Certified Angus 12-ounce New York strip topped with crispy onion strings and a homemade steak sauce. Filet mignon is topped with wild mushrooms red wine reduction sauce and served with grilled asparagus and potatoes. Sandwiches are also available for lunch and dinner. All burgers - which Washingtonian Magazine described as one of Washington's best - are made from a half-pound of Certified Angus beef. Desserts include carrot cake, lemon coconut cake and raspberry tort. To compliment the menu, the wine list has been expanded - making it one of the most extensive in the Potomac area. moderate. Recommended! |
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Bombay Bistro
98 W. Montgomery Ave. (S. Adams St.) Rockville, MD 20850 301-762-8798 |
If you're looking for great, authentic Indian food, look no farther! One of the very early Indian
restaurants in the area, the Rockville Bombay Bistro (really like a bistro) has always been a big
hit. It's all about casual fun and good times, and often there's a young crowd enjoying curries,
naans and dosas. We recommend the consistently good lamb vindaloo, which here is appropriately
hot and sour---and in generous portions---and the outstanding, smoky-flavored dal makhani. We've
also discovered the very good South Indian masala dosa (potato-stuffed pancake) and swear by the
delicious tandoori-baked breads. The famous buffets make a good excuse for overeating. Whatever
you do, save room for the mango ice cream.
Bombay Bistro dishes up an east Indian cuisine. Expect the average entrée to cost $10 to $12, and dress casual. They also do a great carry-out business. Highly Recommended! |
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Northern Virginia |
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Peking Gourmet Inn
6029 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22041 (703) 671-8088 Website: www.pekinggourmet.com |
Founder Eddie Lun Kwai Tsui opened his Szechuan-style eatery with a plan to make his tender, roast Peking duck the toast of the town.
Almost 30 years later, his children, Robert (general manager) and George (head chef), continue a proud tradition that has attracted every
sitting president dating back to the George H.W. Bush administration. Virtually every wall is plastered with candid snapshots of staff
posing with local politicos, visiting dignitaries and all manner of celebrity followers, while the ornamental lanterns and smiling golden
dragons found in the main dining room pay homage to the family’s Asian roots. And in a stroke of marketing genius, tiny ducks parade
suggestively above everyone’s head along a border that stretches across the entire dining room.
Without question, get the duck. The signature bird is prepared tableside by a master carver who removes every morsel of the moist and meaty mallard with surgical precision. Once they cut off the skin they take the knife and cut off all the fat from the skin. That makes it one delicious piece of crispy skin that is outta this world. They then wipe all the fat off the duck and thinly slice the meat. The gourmet duck experience includes steamed pancakes, giant spring onions plucked from the family’s Purcellville-based Grass Roots Farm (supplier of many of the house vegetables), and a side of fried rice speckled with onions and peas. The crab stuffed dumplings are really delicious. Perfectly cooked and tasty as can be - you can't stop eating them. The Joy Yen Shrimp are really BIG PRAWNS, cooked with a magical seasoning sprinkled on top which is basically chopped garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and something else that makes this equivalent to ferry dust. Yes, that stuff the ferry sprinkles on top of you and amazing things happen? This is at the Peking Gourmet. The wine list is not exactly world-class but that's not what you come to this restaurant for. It has a great home-style feel and authentic, delicious cuisine. Highly Recommended |
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Mark's Duck House
6184-A Arlington Blvd Falls Church, VA 703-532-2125 |
The name doesn’t suggest anything special, but the literal translation of the Chinese
characters sends a message – “Great Crowded Restaurant.” The dining room has been
spruced up, but this still isn’t the place to take a prom date or entertain your future
mother-in-law. It is a comfortable and popular Hong Kong-style restaurant that serves
some of the area’s best Chinese food.
Diners get two menus, one listing appetizers, main-course soups, and noodle and rice dishes, and another of more-elaborate main courses. The best appetizers are cut from the roast ducks, chickens, and pigs that hang near the entrance. For main courses, duck is excellent, whether roasts, braised or Peking-style. Lobster and Dungeness crab with shredded scallions and ginger are also winners, as are salt-baked shrimp served head-on with chilies. Casseroles – of tofu, seafood, pork, and more – are special, too. Dim sum, served daily at lunch, is varied and pleasing. Note that the Chinese serve at room temperature many dishes that Westerners would assume were hot. As a rule of thumb, dishes on rolling hot tables are hot; plates on pushcarts without heat are room temperature. Constantly on the Post Top 100 restaurant list and winner of many "Cheap Eats" awards you will not be disappointed. Recommended. |
