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21 Comments:
Thai arroy in the federal hill area of Baltimore is out of this world good... Looking for any specific area or type of food?
essay at 7:12PM on 07/21/08
If I were headed to Baltimore, I'd make my way over to Fell's Point to eat some seafood at BERTHA's. Love their mussels. Also, if you like Spanish food, try Tio Pepe on East Franklin Street.
In DC, I've enjoyed the laid back Four Green Fields (formerly the Four P's), an Irish pub in Cleveland Park. Finally, if you like Moroccan food and want to knock your own socks off (it's pricey), try Marrakesh, on New York Ave N.W. There will be bellydancers.
Have fun!
Susquehanna at 9:35PM on 07/21/08
Please go to the Straights of Malaya! Great, adventurous Malaysian cuisine and a fun neighborhood. Cross the street for some pretty strong margaritas at Lauriol Plaza and then try to make it home. Trust me, it's an adventure and a half.
You need to check out Zaytinya too. Chic, delicious tapas great for sharing, creative and tasty drinks and fun for groups. I think it's a hands down winner!
divaofyum at 9:50PM on 07/21/08
Bertha's is great. Get the anchovy sauce. Trust me on that.
Garvey at 11:38PM on 07/21/08
Paper Moon Diner in Baltimore. Tasty food, plus an explosion of kitch and color.
IbisFlight at 1:21AM on 07/22/08
Hi. I'm the restaurant critic at the Baltimore Sun, and I'd recommend some of our newer restaurants like Clementine, Chameleon Cafe, Woodberry Kitchen, Dogwood and on the higher end (read expensive) Charleston and Pazo. My blog at www.baltimoresun.com/diningatlarge lists by category.
ElizabethL at 5:32AM on 07/22/08
go to annapolis if you can.
french tart at 8:25AM on 07/22/08
Almaz in D.C. has terrific, very reasonable Ethiopian.
KarynMC at 9:38AM on 07/22/08
If you're into beer, the Brewer's Art in Baltimore makes some of the best beers I've ever had. The food is pretty good too (well-done bar food).
Buckethead at 9:54AM on 07/22/08
The Helmand (Afghan) is FANTASTIC in Baltimore. Inexpensive. Pop across the street to Charles Theater. Tapas Teatro is also right there--hopping, excellent.
I also agree about Paper Moon. It's a trip! That also puts you right next to the Baltimore Museum of Art and down the street from Charm City Bakery but you can't really just pop in on Duff and the madhouse).
Still love Sascha's as well.
HappyHoarfrost at 10:08AM on 07/22/08
Another great Ethiopian place in DC (my favorite) is Zed's (in Georgetown). I'd also recommend Zaytinya, as well as Palena (the cafe part of the restaurant is great too, and less expensive), 2 Amys for great neopolitan pizza, Cactus Cantina for great tex (right next door to 2 Amys), Leopold's Kafe for Austrian food and really good coffee/pastries (in a cute, modern setting), Central by Michel Richard for the scene and the delicious "upscale comfort food," Black Salt for super fresh seafood, and Malaysia Kopitiam for cheap and tasty Malaysian food. (All those restaurants are in DC, by the way.) Check out the washingtonian magazine for endless lists of "The Very Best Restaurants," "Cheap Eats," etc.
I'm going to shamelessly plug the restaurant where I work, Rock Creek at Mazza. The concept is seasonal, local food, which in addition to being very fresh and well prepared, is also good for you too. It's hard to imagine fine dining and health food (or what we tend to think of as health food) merging into one very successful restaurant, but it's done really well here, and by the way things taste and look, you wouldn't guess it's a totally healthy dining experience. There's also another location (the first) in Bethesda, although they don't have a really awesome huge tree in the middle of their dining room...
ChristineB at 10:21AM on 07/22/08
You can check out www.donrockwell.com for a lot of discussion about different places and what to order. A lot of this depends on where you're visiting from. For instance, some stuff is good, but it may be better if you're from CA, NY or something like that. Also since it's crab season, now might be a nice time to get your fix of crabs in Baltimore from somewhere like Bo Brooks. The crab cakes, available year-round from Faidley's are the best in Baltimore.
synaesthesia.dc at 1:13PM on 07/22/08
i was just treated to a dinner at Nora and it was fabulous...wonderful service and very personable...i can't stop raving...think Alice Waters of the Mid-Atlantic...very nice.....
triza at 1:30PM on 07/22/08
New place just opened up in the Penn Quarter Section - near Spy Museum and Portrait Gallery - called CoCo Sala. It is a chocolate lounge. http://cocosala.com/. We went the other night. Loved the lounge feel too it. The chocolate beyond description! They also have a few small bites to start the evening. The cocktail list was also really inventive!
Nora is fabo! I will also second Marrakesh as mentioned above. Beware- they take cash only!
lauranew at 4:47PM on 07/22/08
If you can plan ahead and have the cash, go to Jose Andres' minibar (inside Cafe Atalantico in the District). This is a very tough reservation to score (only 12 seats per night), so go here:
http://www.cafeatlantico.com/miniBar/reservations.htm
to read the policy and get ready to dial. I have yet to get lucky enough to get a reservation or off of the waiting list, but it would be worth it if you were so lucky! (See the phots of the food on the webiste.) I also am told that Cafe Atalantico is very good, but have not been because I would be gobbled up with envy of the people who got the rez at minibar.
For a place that is somewhat easier to get into, call now to book into Central, Michel Richard's fabulous (but relatively moderately priced) restaurant in the District. If you cannot get a rezzie, show up just as it opens at 5:30 pm and sit in the bar to dine.
I highly recommend starting with the gougeres (we ate two orders between two of us), and then moving on to the oysters, the lardon tart, the fried chicken (not a joke; even though the menu here is heavily French, the chicken was some of the best I ever had and comes with a tasty mustard sauce) and then the cassoulet. Delish!!
Several other people have recommended Zaytinya, but a word of caution -- get a reservation and be prepared for a VERY loud room. The bar always is packed, so waiting can be both uncomfortable and time-consuming. The food is good, but in my view not fine enough to merit a seventy-five minute wait for a table.
I have enjoyed Thai Square (multiple locations, but I like the one in Arlington) for some very authentic and moderately priced food. The duck curry is great!
For something informal, I recommend trying out a Five Guys burger (multiple convenient locations in DC). Order the spicy fries and accompany with your carbonated beverage of choice (try the root beer!!).
Mizbee at 6:56PM on 07/22/08
I second Cafe Atlantico and Zaytinya. Both are Jose Andres's restaurants are fabulous. Also, the Minibar at Cafe Atlantico is suppose to be superb and quite the dining experience. Unfortunately, I too have yet to get a reservation. They open up a month prior to the date (ex. call at 10 am, July 24th for reservation on August 24th). If you've been or heard of the tasting menu at WD50 in NYC, I believe it is similar. If price isn't an issue, I would also suggest trying to make reservations at Citronelle, Michel Richard's other place in DC. AMAZING.
avideater at 3:39PM on 07/24/08
Palena in Cleveland Park (a block or two down from the natl zoo).. fantastic little place. the prix fixe menu is a steal if you want 3 courses, and their bar menu burger is consistantly ranked one of the best in dc. my favorite certainly! great drink menu- best old fashioned in town.
2 Amys has the best neapolitan pizza (glover park/cathedral area), but Faccia Luna (old town alexandria and arlington) has the best overall pizza around.
Georges for a cheesesteak, if you find yourself in Georgetown.
fetacrackwhore at 9:23AM on 07/28/08
Been to Minibar three times. In fact, I took a chef friend the second time (and a client the third.) Never disappointed. Point of reference José spent time in Ferran Adria's kitchen... and Katsuya Fukushima (his exec chef at Minibar) gets props too. They (and the working chefs who actually prep and present to 34 course menu in front of you like a sushi bar) spend time during the day experimenting like Adria's atelier does in Barcelona. José has a series on PBS called Made in Spain... which is a travel/cooking show and where he shows some of his simply techniques. It's worth the investment in the DVD... just to here his astonishing enthusiasm. The rest of his "empire" consists of 3 Jaleo locations (tapas), Zaytina (middle eastern small plates), Oyamel (Mexican) and they're opening a hotel near the Beverly Centre in LA. Anyhow. Minibar is a real treat. And while cutting edge experimental cooking/ thinking is great for special occasions, all the other places offer lots of great tastes too.
capcooks at 9:56AM on 07/28/08
Sorry about all the typose and spelling errors. Looks like it was written by a lazy illiterate who doesn't proof before posting. I'm not an illiterate.
capcooks at 10:01AM on 07/28/08
How were you able to get reservations there 3 times?! Is there a secret I don't know about?
avideater at 2:01PM on 07/29/08
I also love Mama Ayesha for Middle Eastern food (on Calvert just over the Ellington Bridge from Connecticut Ave). They have recently added several new dishes...both meat-based and vegetarian. Great food, nice ambiance and some of the most gracious staff in DC, I think.
My daughter who lives in Spain is home visiting for a few weeks. We watched 'Made in Spain' together and LOVED it. I was in Madrid a few weeks ago and based on Jose Andres' shows, I tried a couple of restaurants that serve regional food (Asturia and Gallego). Big success...thanks Jose. We also love Jaleo and Zaytina.
Scottzel at 11:46AM on 08/10/08