www.austingrill.com
The Austin Grill has several DC-area locations, but the original & best is in Glover Park (commonly -- and incorrectly -- referred to as "Upper Georgetown"). The restaurant is really kitchy -- never a place that takes itself too seriously.
Opened in 1988, this Tex-Mex favorite serves terrific home-made chips & salsa (ask for the salsa verde if they don't bring it), and fantastic food all around. The drinks are exceptional; you won't find any premade margarita mixes here -- they're all made to order from scratch. My favorite is the High-Test, which is served in a shaker with a martini glass. Other great drinks are the Stars & Bars and Swirlie.
The vegetarian options aren't overly plentiful, but the ones they do have are fine by me! The folks at Austin Grill are very accommodating, so don't hesitate to ask for anything to be made "your way." Maybe I am biased toward The Grill, as I won a trip to Austin, TX from them a couple years ago. Man..was that fun!
Austin Grills can be found in Old Town Alexandria & Springfield (VA), Glover Park and downtown (DC), and Bethesda & Baltimore (MD). They also opened in Cambridge, Mass not too long ago.
What's even better -- the first Monday of every month, one or more of Austin Grill's restaurants sponsors a community organization for the evening. The organization invites their friends and supporters to dine at Austin Grill, who in turn donates one-third of the restaurant's sales after 5pm to the organization.
ENJOY!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Dinner entrees begin at $14.50. Luncheon entrees begin at $12.95.
Venetian world cuisine. The place is colorful, comfortable, romantic, fun! The food is EXCEPTIONAL, and the service will leave you thinking they mistook you for someone famous.
Food: Everything from pastas and risotto to seafood. Also have a vegetarian section to their menu. Will also do a healthy grilled fish. Wine list is incredible -- anything from a $32 bottle of fine Pinot Grigio to a $1, 000 bottle of reserve.
Decor: Images of the theater and of Venice. Dramatic focal elements include a glowing glass wall of original Venetian masks, harlequin panels of colored glass, an oversized photo-mural and a kitchen set on a stage. The design by the award-winning architectural firm of Adamstein & Demetriou includes elegant and bold materials and luminous surfaces, such as natural stone, tile, glass and stucco.
Visit www.teatrogoldoni.com , and then visit the restaurant!

Although they keep true to their word and everything at Chevy's is fresh (no cans, bottles, or other things of the sort), I find the food to be average and oily. And lacking in the vegetarian options. That's why you generally find Chevy's in malls (Pentagon Centre, Ballston, etc) or off Route 50.
If you are looking for really good Mexican or Tex-Mex at the same prices, do yourself a favor a try Austin Grill. The original in Glover Park (Wisconsin Ave) is the best and my favorite; it has a kitchy atmosphere and the service is usually as great as the food. The newest location is by the MCI Center, and it is a little "nicer" in decor. You can find the others in Bethesda, Old Town Alexandria, and Springfield. Am I missing one? Anyway, be sure to ask for the salsa verde, and have a great time.
Another suggestion for Mexican is Lauriol Plaza, recently relocated to a brand new building on 17th Street near Dupont. Atmosphere is great, especially in the summer when you can sit outdoors. But Austin Grill is always a fave.

Fantastic! The food, the service, the atmosphere... I'm a total sucker for great service, and this place has it. I love it when the staff knows all the wines! The food is exceptional; I wouldn't have expected any less from the chef behind DC Coast. I can't say any more than what the first reviewer said ~ this place is not to be missed.

Flat Top is definitely a great restaurant to go to on a date or with friends. The selection of vegetables, meats, sauces, and rice/noodles from which to choose is far superior to Mongolian Grill. You have the choice of having your food prepared as a salad (they will place your cooked selections atop mixed greens), as a moo~shu (with pancakes), as a soup, or as a basic stir-fry. It may seem confusing at first, but don't be shy ~ the staff is EXTREMELY friendly and helpful, and no one will make you feel rushed. The ingredients are well marked, and the nutritional values of all the sauces are clearly posted on the wall. I'm amazed that there is no oil used whatsoever; everything is just thrown onto the flat top grill (hence the name!) and cooked up before being delivered to you at your table. Healthy and fun! You can also choose to have your food cooked in a wok that has never had meat or peanuts. This place blew my little expectations out of the water. Oh, the desserts were really amazing, and you can get half orders of any of them (where else can you do that?!).

This place is convenient (on Connecticut by Calvert in Woodley Park) and has a neat decor, but I am sure the only reason it stays in business is from the conference traffic (it is close to the huge Omni Shoreham and Marriott Wardman hotels). Although there is nothing particularly *bad* about Jandara, there is nothing distinctive, either. There are hundreds of Thai restaurants in DC, and at least 70% of them are more memorable than Jandara. Go to Thai Chef in Dupont.

Meiwah is the best thing since City Lights of China! No wonder ~ the owners of Meiwah used to own City Lights! The one thing they didn't take from City Lights that they should have is the Mr. Katz's Crispy Bean Curd dish ~ nothing like it in the world. Other than that, it is pretty similar to City Lights food~wise, but the decor is far superior. It feels fancy, although you can certainly go casual, but there's nothing fancy about City Lights.

I do not understand at all why people come visit this fine city and then go to eat at Planet Hollywood. Someone please explain that to me. What does Hollywood have to do with DC? OK, let's not go there!! But there are so many fine establishments that truly represent DC and are part of the DC experience. Save Planet Hollywood for...I don't know when. Throw it in with Hard Rock. Oh! Save them for Las Vegas, which has no real distinction of its own. That's a good time to go to PH and Hard Rock (esp to gamble!).

Actually, Nora is the only restaurant in the country that is certified 100% organic. Everything from the table salt to the wine. There was a terrific article in the Washington Post about this in spring 1999. They have to go to great lengths to accomplish this feat.
Although I agree that it is a great place to take a vegetarian, or anyone else, don't expect a huge variety of vegetarian entrees. I was suprised that there was only ONE when my husband and I went on our one-year-before-our-wedding date. (The menu changes daily, I believe.) There were plenty of salads and appetizers that were meatless, though. Our meal was terrific.
If it is a special occassion, call ahead and ask them to print something special on your menu. Since they print the menus every day, they will do this for anyone (for instance, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUZANNE!).

My husband and I are celebrating each month's anniversary during our first year of marriage. I know...even we joke that from then on it is all downhill, right?! Maybe we'll continue the tradition after year one. Anyway, we have so far eaten in some of DCs finest restaurants as a result.
Our second month anniversary was at Kinkead's. I had often heard about this place, it's scene and food, but had never been. As my husband is a vegetarian (I am a pescetarian ~ which means that I don't eat any other meats but fish), I was apprehensive to suggest Kinkead's, but he wanted to go. It was incredible...the service, the atmosphere, the wine, the food!! Even my husband's vegetable plate that the chef put together was outstanding.
I started with the Grilled Squid with Creamy Polenta and Tomato Fondue. The "fondue" was actually much more of a ragu, and it was all fantastic. As if that wasn't enough of a meal in itself, I then had the Black Pepper Crusted Rare Tuna with Flageolets, Grilled Portabellas, and Pinot Noir Sauce. Que bella!! My husband started with an excellent Salad of Marinated Artichokes, Oven Dried Tomato, Roasted Peppers, Pesto & Fried Mozzarella and then dove into his vegetable plate, which also had a Pinot Noir sauce.
As if THAT wasn't enough, we binged upon a Lemon Dessert Sampler (lemon and wild strawberry crepe souffle, lemon sorbet, lemon mousse Napolean and a mini lemon raspberry tart) and some terrific Port.
Now I know why Kinkead's is infamous. Next time I'm bringing someone along who can share the mussels with me! :)
http://www.kinkead.com/

If you're looking for a great, authentic Chinese restaurant in Bethesda, Foong Lin is your place. Especially if you are with a large group and/or have children with you. Although the food is really terrific, there isn't anything exotic ~ just the standard Chinese food menu for the most part. They have daily specials that are generally very, very good. You can't beat the price, the service, or the quality of food that you will find at Foong Lin at any other Bethesda Chinese restaurant. If you're downtown, the better bet is City Lights of China in Dupont. They not only have the standards, but some amazing, unique dishes, as well. Check them out, too!