My apologies to the fine 10% of government and associated contractors who do a fine job and work hard. To the other 90%, fatten up fella's, hog killin time comes in November of every year.
Back when I haunted the area, there were a lot of great restaurants on King St. in Old Town Alexandria. My very favorite was the now defunct Scotland Yard...the atmosphere, food, portions, etc. made for a perfectly satisfying experience, and the way they decorated for Christmas was right out of the 19th Century.
Etete, excellent Ethiopian place just off U Street.
Tuscana West on I Street.
Neyla in Georgetown (best Lebanese I’ve ever had), just off Wisconsin.
Old Siam, on Capitol Hill along Barracks Row
Cuba Libre in Chinatown
As a chef and sometime connoisseur I say:
La Chaumiere on M Street in Georgetown is hands-down the finest traditional (provincial “plus”) french restaurant in the DC area, if not the country. I believe it is also the best restaurant, generally, in Washington.
Service is of course impeccable and consistently so.
Other restaurants like Citronelle or Butterfield are trendy and very good (especially if you go in for small ‘nouvelle cuisine’ portions and highfallutin’ presentation, but they are exorbitantly expensive and their atmospheres lack warmth. La Chaumiere is where those ‘in the know’ dine.
The souffles are a must, by the way.
P.S. I have no business connection to any restaurant.
Mickey D’s?
Are you looking for something right in town or in the surrounding area? What type of food? Some of my favorites are Old Ebbitt Grill (hear Whitehouse) and Marrakesh (in NE). I’m also partial to the hotdogs at the permanent stand just SE of the Washington monument:)
Red Hot and Blue! Lee Atwater connection and the best potato salad on the planet. . .
Love Central on Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. as well as Capital Grille.
If you want a burger, by far the best is Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington (1713 N Wilson Blvd). Yeah, Obama ate there, but so what?
I like Indian cuisine, and my favorite is Dishes of India in Belle View (1510A Belle View Boulevard, Alexandria). Great food, nice atmosphere, and reasonably priced. If you’re outside the beltway, Angeethi in Herndon (645 Elden Street) is also terrific.
It depends on whether you want good food or want to brag that you paid too much at a fancy Georgetown place.
Ride down to Solomon’s Island. lots of really good food there and no reservations needed.
The Italian Cafe, in Falls Church. Order the Osso Bucco.
Old Glory BBQ, in Georgetown on the NE corner of M and Wisconsin. Great pulled pork and choice of 6 different BBQ sauces (Memphis is my favorite.) Also, the bar has a “Bourbon Club” — to get your name added to the wall, you have to drink a shot of 100 different Bourbons. Even if you don’t make it, it’s worth the journey!
My two favorites are Old Anglers Inn in Potomac MD, and Taverna Cretekou (Greek restaurant) on King St. in Alexandria. Taverna doesn’t just have good Greek food, but during temperate weather their outside patio is wonderful.
I have a soft spot for Famous Luigis on 19th St. downtown. For a neighborhood Italian place its pretty good, not up to what you’d find in NYC’s and Boston’s Little Italys, but perfectly acceptable for DC.
For a greasy spoon there’s Pete’s Carry Out on Capitol Hill (where Independence Ave jogs right to become Penn Ave SE). For a dive bar there’s Tune Inn, also on Cap Hill (end of 300 block Penn SE).
Ledo Restaurant, Knox Road and Rt 1 in College Park, MD. Great Italian food. Lasagna and pizza.