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Austin Grill
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 t ...
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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!!
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Teatro Goldoni
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 ...
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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!
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Chevy's Mexican Resturant
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 (P ...
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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.
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Tenpenh
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 ...
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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.
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Flat Top Grill
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 ...
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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?!).
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Jandara
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 ...
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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.
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Meiwah
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 worl ...
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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.
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Planet Hollywood
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 ...
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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!).
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Nora
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 accomp ...
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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!).
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Kinkead's
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Washington, District of Columbia
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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 o ...
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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/
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