We went to Bobby Van's for my son's birthday (his choice) since he wanted their famous porterhouse. <br> The decor is nice, very steakhousy with blond wood, and lots of large format bottles of wine around. They have a nice wine enclosed wine cellar that you can see from most of the tables. <br> Service was very good, with one small exception described below. The breads were very good and they kept the basket full. There were three different breads (french, olive and raisin) and some flat crackers with seeds that were quite good. <br> For appetizers my son had the blue point oysters on the half shell, excellent but expensive at $13.50 for a half dozen. I had the soft shell crab, also $13.50 (you can get one as an appetizer and two as a main course) It was prepared perfectly, just a touch of spice and not at all over-cooked and served over a light fresh tomato sauce with a piece of cornbread. My wife had the crab cake. The first one was cold in the middle and she sent it back, the second one was very good with no filler at all and nicely spiced, though she would have preferred it broiled to fried, but she didn't ask so I don't know if that is an option. We had been tempted to order the seafood sampler appetizer, and watched several go by, they were huge, with shrimp, crabmeat and a lobster tail. I am afraid to think what they charged for those. <br> They are famous for their dry aged steaks, and the steak was cooked just like we wanted it, very rare. If you order the porter house for 2-4, everyone must have it cooked the same way (obviously) and it came as ordered. The steak was chared on the outside and blood red in the middle. It was already cut for us and served up nicely. However, it was not as tender as I expected, not tough at all, but no better than some other steaks I've had at other restaurants that do not specialize in steaks. At $34.50 a person, it was not the best deal either. My wife had the broiled scallops with lemon butter which were quite good, and a large serving. <br> Sides are ordered separately and except for the baked potato, are for two. The mashed potatos were good, but not exceptional, though they were very hot. The creamed spinich is very creamy, too much so. The baked potato on the other hand, was huge, cooked perfectly, and served with sour cream, chedder cheese, and applewood smoked bacon as toppings (served on the side) <br> Desserts were good, though the bread pudding a little dry, but the apple crumble was excellent. The cream broule was wonderful. Coffee ended the meal and was very good. <br> The wine list is extensive, and for what is there not as over-priced as some places in this city (though I couldn't find any red for less than $40) but when I ordered a 1999 Franciscan Oakville, they brought a 2000. I sent it back and ordered a different wine. This came as advertised. (a 1999 St. Frances Cab for $60) I would have liked it if they had said the 99 was no longer available and asked if I wanted the 2000 (I didn't) before bringing it. But it was the waiter, not a sommelier so I guess I am being picky. He had no problem taking it back and getting something else. <br> They sang happy birthday to my son, embarrasing him mightly, and everyone made a point of wishing him a happy birthday. They comped his dessert too.

We had dinner here last week and I was not impressed. The crabcakes were cold, the fried fish too breaded, and the service only average.

For my 50th birthday we ate at the Inn at Little Washington. The Inn, by the way, is celebrating it's 25th anniversary year. Dinner is pris fixe at $148 on Saturdays and $108 during the week (including Sunday). <br> The Inn is beautiful inside. Very posh and sort of Victorian. Lots of comfortable chairs and couchs for you as you are waiting for your table. The ceilings are especially interesting, each room's is different, all painted and quite spectacular in their own way. Heavy curtains were tied back to give a view of the garden. <br> The table was a little small for three, but the linens were immaculate and quite impressive, probably a 400 count weave borcade in a snow white. Fresh flowers and a candle made for a nice setting. Since we were on the porch however, the chairs were wicker and a little uncomfortable for sitting in for the two hours it took to have dinner. I would have preferred chairs that were a little less leaned back too. <br> The menu and wine list were presented by the waiter/wine steward who also acted as the head of the service team for our table. (It was obvious he was the boss) The menu for the day wished me a Happy Birthday and everyone made a point of discretely wishing me a happy birthday without making a fuss (No singing thank goodness) <br> Now to the meal. The wine list took me a long time just to read, much less make a selection. It is 60 pages long, and there are a lot of selections on each page. Very heavy in Bordeaux. The wine list, while quite expensive, does include quite a few selections for under $100. (They even have a full page of Virginia wines, mostly Bourbourville) There is also a page full of wines by the glass, and a page of half bottles as well as two pages of large format bottles. <br> Dinner, to say the least, was spectacular. It became a running joke with us that you couldn't empty your water glass or bread plate. Everytime you got close they came buy and filled it again. As soon as the ramakin full of butter was empty, it was replaced. The rolls were crusty twist rolls with poppy seeds and were always hot and smelled heavenly. They also served thinly sliced dark bread with nuts that has a dusting of sea salt in the crust. It was delicious. (I think we must have eaten 5 or 6 rolls each - maybe more for the kid) <br> As we were deciding what to order they brought a tray of canapes, 4 each of 4 delightful bites. A small ham biscuit, a smoked ham and gueyere quiche, a salmon and cream cheese roll on toast, and a baked cheese ball that we could not identify (and forgot to ask about again). <br> For the first course, my wife and I both chose the warm salad of grilled asparagus and fresh water blue prawns with sherry vinagrette. My son had the sole "fingers" with green herb sauce. The asparagus was out of this world, fresh (grown locally apparently) and full of flavor. It came with fresh prawns and smoked ham on top dressed with the vinagrette. Each bite was sublime. Capers and diced egg dusted the plate and added just the right accent. <br> For the second course, my wife had a cucumber sorbet with a cucumber and dill salsa. It was unbelievable. Cool and refreshing, just a little sweet and tangy with the cucumber flavor dominating. I had the pecan crusted soft shell crab tempura with Italian mustard fruit. Fantastic. Lots of flavor, crisp yet not crunchy, and perfectly accented by the tanginess of the fruit and sauce. The boy had the local morel pizza with Fontina cheese, country ham and frizzled ramps. It was cut to be eaten with the fingers and I was afraid that if I tried to take a slice I would have lost mine. It was very good. <br> My wife then had the pistachio crusted grilled lamb chop with forest mushrooms and carrot ginger essence. She asked for it medium well and it came exactly like she asked. It was delicious. The carrot ginger essence was a perfect foil for the tender lamb and pistachios. <br> I had the pan seared tenderloin of veal with wild morel mushrooms, local asparagus and raviolis of Virginia ham and Fontina cheese. Heavenly can't begin to describe this. The veal was so tender it cut with the fork. The raviolis were full of flavor and the morels were plentiful and plump, full of flavor and smelled wonderful. <br> The boy had the Pot-au-Feu of locally raised prime tenderloin of beef and breast of chicken simmered in aromatic broth with root vegatbles and grilled wild ramps. It also was so tender that he could cut it with his fork. He loved it. It came with a tray with horseradish sauce for the beef, a herb and lemon zest for the chicken, (those little french pickles what ever you call them), and sea salt. <br> Then came dessert. What a difficult choice. <br> I love lemon desserts and there wasn't one on the menu. When I said I was disappointed, the waiter suggested the they could make a plate of lemmon tarts for me so I chose that. It came as six small tarts, two each with mirange, blueberrys, and rasberrys. They were grouped around a small pot of lemon curd. It was sooooooo good, lemony and smooth and fresh tasting. They had decorated the plate with Happy Birthday written in chocolate on a marcipan ribbon. <br> My son had the Molten-Centered chocolate cake with roasted banana ice cream. It was out of this world, warm and gooey, lots of dark chocolate and a scoop of the most outragously delicious ice cream <br> My wife chose the Seven Deadly Sins. Small bites of seven desserts. A lemon tart, the molten center cake, butter pecan ice cream, a hazelnut ice cream bar shaved dark chocolate stem, a coconut-pineapple sorbet in a chocolate cup, the pannacotta in passon fruit sauce (out of this world, I almost wish I had ordered it as my dessert) and a apricot-ginger fruit spread on a crisp. <br> Coffee and expresso ended the meal we thought, but then they brought our a couple of straw boxes with small cookies, chocolates, dried fruit and nuts. I couldn't finish them I was so full. <br> Service, of course, couldn't have been better. Bread and water appeared before you knew you were out. Each course was perfectly timed, and served (they used two wait staff to bring each course so all three of us could be served at the same time) Once I had said I wanted to decide when to refill glasses of wine, the steward left it alone in the decanter. They had the art of anticipating what we wanted down to an art. We were never rushed, but we never had to wait either. <br> All in all it was a great experience and this is definitely a destination restaurant. Service is everything you could expect in this type of establishment. The food is spectacular and the presentation glorious. The town is very pretty and the countryside around it beautiful. Was it worth the money, probably. I could get as good a meal in DC for less, but not much and it wouldn't have been quite the same. I am not going to complain.

My wife, son, and I spend a great evening at Equinox with 22 serious wine drinking friends for wine/tasting/dinner last month. Todd Gray and his staff prepared a tasting menu for us that was exceptional. <br> We started with canapes of lightly fried oysters and asparagass with a lovly dipping sauce. <br> Our first course was was seared Maine scallps. Served with a creamy polenta, appplewood bacon, and citrus butter. They were wonderful. The sauce complemented the scallops with just a hint of citrus to bring out the freshness of the shellfish. The presentation (as it was with every dish) was beautiful and very tasteful. <br> Second course was a red snapper filet with wilted spinich, saffron coulis and roasted shallots. Very good, the spinich and shallots making a wonderful counterpoint to the coulis and the snapper cooked perfectly. It was firm yet flaked easily and was delicious. <br> Third were medallions of Cervena venison served with caramelized root vegetables and a Cabernet wine jus. If any course was a disappointment, it was this one. The venison was cooked perfectly, medium rare and very tender. The vegs. were nicely caramelized but the sauce was just not quite there. It seemed a little salty and didn't quite have the oompf that it needed to complement the venison. Of course it may have just lacked by comparison. Not to say that it wasn't good, just not as good as the other courses. <br> Next was a pinenut crusted rack of lamb. This was perfect. It was served with a white bean ragu, red swiss chard, and roasted garlic. Nicely rare, it was so tender you could cut it with a fork. Absolutely delicious, the second best course of the night. <br> The fifth course was the killer. A frisee salad with lardons and crispy duck confit. It is by and far one of the finest duck confits I have ever been privilaged to eat. So tender it just fell apart as your fork touched it. Perfectly flavored with a slight smokeiness. My son declared that we had to come back as soon as possible just so he could order the duck again. Every bite melted in your mouth and made you want more. <br> Next we had a sorbet course of tangerine sorbet and red wine soaked pear. It was exceptional. Absolutely the perfect way to clean the palate for the sweet course. Last was a mocha Napoleon with hazelnut meringue. It was very good, if just a little cool. However, by this time we were so stuffed and had consumed so much wine, with several dessert wines to come, it may have been more me than the dessert. <br> The main focus of the meal was the wine. Each participant brought Bordeaux inspired blends and we tasted them all blind thruout the meal. Chef Gray's menu had been designed with that in mind and he did a great job. <br> Service couldn't have been better. The lot of us were there from about 6:30 to midnight and the staff kept the pace just right to fit the wine tasting. Considering that we tasted about 15 different wines (9 Reds tasted blind, a wonderful Champagne, two Chablis and 3 dessert wines) this was quite a feat. <br>

They have billed this as "a restaurant reminiscent of the classic restaurants and clubs of Chicago and New York in the mid-fifties to early-sixties" and in that respect they have done a pretty good job. The kitchen is deliberately open, so being seated near the kitchen is supposed to be a good thing here (besides it is away from the bar and the noise and smoke associated with it) <br> The food was very good and reasonably priced, the service tried hard and was very friendly (if embarrassed - another story), the restaurant itself very nicely decorated and comfortable and well laid out. <br> Steaks are very good, and large. Mine was cooked perfectly as asked for (very rare) and my wife's pasta shrimp diablo was excellent. Appetizers are well done, and the salads are large and very fresh. <br> I had only on complaint, the wine service. The list is mainly American and Italian, but there are no vintage dates. The server did not know what years the wines were and had to keep going back to get info. For a description of the fiasco that resulted, go to: <br> http://www.vinocellar.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=AboutWine&Number=31312&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=31&fpart=1 <br> Otherwise, it was a very nice place and we had a very good meal.

Excellent Cuban food. Loved the roast pork. Nothing fancy but it is cheap, large portions and fast. A must for Cuban food lovers.

We were there in August and they were begging for customers. They had a very nice three course fixed price mean for $27. The salads were extremely good, the deserts sublime. I loved the black grouper but the grilled pork tenderloin was a little overdone and tough. The wine list, while fairly long is somewhat expensive. Service was very attentive and the diningroom is very nice, dark wood beams, mirrors and lots of windows. All in all a nice experience.

Nice location right on Duval St. However, I was underwhelmed by the food. The shrimp was excellent, but the salads only ok. The iced tea btw was awful. We sent it back and drank coke (ugh) The winelist is overpriced in relation to other restaurants. The service was good and friendly.

Absolutely wonderful breakfasts. The choices were extensive and prepared just right. Love the bakery, we took crousants for the plane ride home and made everyone on the plane envious. Service was efficient and it is a very nice outdoor dining experience. Sit in the back under the tree where it is cooler (we wwere there in August) or sit in front and watch the people walk by.

The food here is excellent. The pastas are made in house and the service is very friendly. I loved the Tuscan Duck and the escargot is to die for. While the menu is not extensive everything was delicous. But the best thing about Mangia Mangia is the wine list. It is very long (you have to ask for the reserve list) with Italian, California and French wines well represented. The prices are the best I have seen anywhere. Unlike most places, they do not jack up the price for older wines so you can often get an older, well aged wine for less than it costs to get a newer one that isn't ready yet. I had a wonderful 93 Borelo one night and an excellent 94 California blend the next. This place should be on the list of every serious wine drinker. Many first growths at very reasonable prices (for 1st Cru) Great Italians like Gaja, large list of CA Zins. I plan to return every time I am in Key West.

Huge breakfasts. Inventive and delicous. One of the in places to hve breakfast in KW. We were there off off season so the service was very fast.

Wonderful meal. The exotic mushroom and goat cheese chili relleno was very good. The flavors distinct and went well together. The "buffalo" crispy fried oysters were superb, the bleu cheese and onion nest complemented them perfectly. The asparagus, prosciutto and mozzarella salad was a piece of art in presentation and tasted wonderful. The grilled ribeye was cooked perfectly and came with a mound of crisp onions that were a treat in themselves. The pan seared sea scallops were perfect, tender, juicy and delicious. The mushroom crusted halibut came with a protibello mushroom and truffled potatls and was just right. The deserts were also very good, the chocolate three ways was a hit as was the homemade mint chocolate chip icecrem. The binyets were so good, who needs to go to New Orleans to get them. Service was efficient and friendly without being intrusive. The wine list is very good, tending to botique wines, but reasonably prices. There are quite a few wines by the glass (look there even if you want a bottle since they aren't on the other part of the list but are available by bottle or glass) There is aslection of half bottles and large formats too. We had a wonderful meal. The suprise was the menu, having told them that we were celebrating a birthday when I made the reservations, the menu was printed up special with Happy Birthday, Robert on the top and they gave me a copy to keep. We will go back, that is for sure.

Exceptional. Even worth a drive up from DC. The seafood is very good. The crab cakes are light, flavorful and full of large lumps of crab. The steaks are cooked exactly as you order. I ordered it rare, and told the waiter I wanted it to moo. It came just as I asked. Try the Salmon Wellington for something a little different. The trout with shrimp and brie was a delight. The deserts are also worth saving room for. I love bread pudding, and the version here is one of the best I have ever eaten. The key lime pie was as good as any I got in Key West. The service was attentive, friendly and never obtrusive. That said, the best thing about Mealey's is the wine list. It is large, varied, and extremely reasonably priced. There are wines from all over the world. There are about 15-18 wines available in half bottles, and there are wines on the list that some restaurants can only dream about. There was a 1997 Cinq Cepages for $90, I've seen it for more in retail stores. The 97 Tapestry was going for $75. There are also some very good wines in the $22-26 range too. A lagre selection of Spanish wines are features. Most restaurants would kill to have a wine list like this and would charge twice what it costs here. The dining room is pretty, with brick walls and beamed ceilings. We have been back twice and will go again. (and it is a 45 minute drive from where I live.) A wonderful restaurant in a antique shoppers heaven. Make a trip of it to shop and have a great meal.

Small place in the bottom of a strip mall on Rockville Pike. Good northern style dim sum. The pot stickers were excellent. This is a very good place for soups. Many kinds, large portions, and well done. Nothing fancy, just good at what they do. Don't go looking for steamed dumplings, and nothing is very spicy.

A good Spanish restaurant with very authentic food. Lots of seafood, well prepared. They use lots of olives, capers, etc. Good place to get Spanish wines. Reasonably priced. Very pretty dining room, not too crowded, and the service is efficient and friendly. Not the easiest place to find, but worth looking for. I've never been disappointed, and if anything, suffer from going too often.

Comeon folks. This place is a good value, but "mouthwatering", great, etc. I don't think so. It is a good value at $10.95 per for dinner. It is all you can eat and there is a lot of food. There is a good selection of shellfish and sushi too. Service is obviouslay self serve, but they make sure the oldd plates are cleared away and they bring the drinks. It is a good value if you want to eat a lot for not an exorbitant amount of money. However, as Chinese food goes, it is average. The deal here is stuff yourself on relatively good food (for a buffet) and don't break the bank.

Unfortunately the restaurant is now closed as the shopping center is being redone and a big box store is going in where the restaurant was. Does anyone know if Eric has opened someplace else?

This is one of the nicer restaurants in Laurel, but as seafood restaurants go, it is good but not great. It is a little overpriced compared with other seafood restaurants of its caliber. There is a lot of baked fish, but not much broiled. I guess I could have asked for the fish broiled instead, but didn't. The fried oysters nice and plump, but the breading overwhelmed them and was not that good. I found a large piece of shell in the last one. The crab cakes were tasty, if with a little too much filler for my taste. Service was friendly, attentive and efficient. Can't complain at all about that. The wine list was not bad, but only CA wines. Prices were not bad for bottles, but the half bottles were overpriced. At least there was a good selection of half bottles however, something you don't always find. I wish they would use better wine glasses however. I didn't see any wines by the glass offered, but again, I have never asked if they had them. The steak was very good, cooked just like I ordered. Bottom line, a very nice restaurant compared to what else there is in Laurel, but not as good as some others in the DC area for the price. If you are in Laurel, it isn't a bad choice at all and I will go again.

A nice menu based on locally available fish (the menu is mostly fish in spite of the name) Some of the best crabcakes I've had. Very good grilled squid and fried oysters. Accompanying dishes are straightforward and very good. Great french fries with the crabcakes. Desserts change with the season, the blackberry crisp was wonderful. This place can be quite loud, but the service is good, and the people friendly and the food first rate. Nice choice of wines. If you have a hankering for fish and chips, this is the place to go.

Excellent breakfasts. Service was very friendly and efficient. Lunch was pretty good, the sandwiches were tasty and had some interesting choices. Reasonably priced and nicely decorated.