Ristorante Piccolo

I bought a LivingSocial coupon to Ristorante Piccolo and I finally got a chance to use it a couple of weeks ago. The restaurant is in a tiny but cozy building in Georgetown. My friend Chris and I especially loved the violin player that visited each table. The service and food was impeccable, it's obvious that the pasta is made in house. We shared a delicious tiramisu for dessert. This place is on the pricier side (perfect if you have a coupon) but definitely worth it. They also have some really great deals listed on their website.

Ristorante Piccolo

1068 31st Street, Northwest

Washington DC, 20007

www.piccolodc.com

Fado

Meredith and I stumbled across an sweet Irish pub Friday night in Chinatown. They had an awesome U2 cover band playing ... I think the dude thought he was Bono... and I was almost convinced myself. I would go back just for the drunk CAPS fans and the music.

FADO

808 7th Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20001

www.fadoirishpub.com

U Street Pizza Kitchen

I ordered a delicious Margherita Pizza from the U Street Pizza Kitchen last night. It was right out of the oven and covered in fresh ingredients.

I also discovered you can order online/on your phone. Perfecto!

U Street Pizza Kitchen

1110 U St. Northwest

Washington, DC 20001

www.italianonu.com

Banana Cafe & Piano Bar

After shopping the Eastern Market Saturday morning, Lindsey and I decided it was time for some brunch. We were immediately attracted to a bright yellow building with outdoor seating on 8th street. After further investigation we discovered it was a Mexican/Cuban/Puerto Rican restaurant called the Banana Cafe & Piano Bar. Lindsey ordered an omelet which she reported was very good. I ordered the special of the day, banana pancakes. They were absolutely divine. I think I might go back to the Eastern Market again next weekend just as an excuse to have them again. Yum!

Banana Cafe & Piano Bar

500 8th Street Southeast

Washington DC, 20003

www.bananacafedc.com/home.htm

Estadio: YUM!

I've been eyeing Estadio since it opened a few weeks ago, and last night I finally got a chance to check it out.

It was love at first taste. The food was delicious, though I could only pronounce about 10% of the Spanish words on the menu. The menu is primarily tapas, which was an excellent excuse for trying several different dishes. As far as the drink menu went, everything looked enticing, but we settled on the berry slushie drinks. They were bangin'.

The service was great and the food came out super fast. Our server was very knowledgeable and everyone was super attentive with clearing dishes, filling waters, etc.

Things you should know:

- They don't take reservations after 5:30.

- The tables are "communal" which means you may be seated with another party.

- Their website is still under construction. They need to man up and get a menu on there.

Estadio

1520 14th Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

www.estadio-dc.com

Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse

Once again, it's that time of year... Restaurant week is here! Jenny and I carefully took time to scour through the list of restaurants, finally settling on Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse. Unfortunately, Jenny was unexpectedly pulled away on a business trip so Meredith accompanied me instead. For the $35 charge, we received a full 3 course meal. I liked that instead of choosing a several things off the menu and only getting tastes.

The food was pretty good. The Wollensky salad and the gazpacho soup were pretty standard... The way I see it, a salad is a salad. The steak was really good, though not the best I've ever had. The mashed potatoes, on the other hand, were amazing. Definitely a must. For dessert we had the chocolate cake and the cheese cake. Both were delicious, and the slices were massive... In fact, they seemed a little out of proportion to the rest of the meal.

I really wasn't thrilled with the service. When we sat down our sever was mumbled his was through the menu descriptions. There were a lot of "Ums", "You know..." and "I can't remember what it's called"s. Not impressed. A restaurant of this caliber should have knowledgeable waitstaff. Later, after we had finished our first course the same server came back and stacked the plates in front of us on the table. It may sound uber picky, but it really left a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm not sure that I would go back to Smith & Wollensky. For the same prices I would rather go to Morton's where the food is a bit better and the service is more on par.

Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse
1112 19th Street, Northwest
Washington, DC 20036
www.smithandwollensky.com

The Dupont Italian Kitchen

I grabbed dinner at The Dupont Italian Kitchen last night with a friend. This place has a real Mom and Pop feel, casual and comfortable. There's a large covered patio outside with lots of tables which is great for people watching. As for the food, it was hearty, the portions were huge, and everything was surprisingly inexpensive. This place would be ideal for a casual Sunday lunch.

The Dupont Italian Kitchen

1637 17th Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

www.dupontitaliankitchen.com

Bar Dupont

This is an awesome place for people watching. Grab a seat on one of the orange couches outside and enjoy the bustle of Dupont Circle. The service is a bit slow, so plan to settle in and stay a while.

Bar Dupont

1500 New Hampshire Avenue Northwest

Washington, DC 20036

Zola - Get the Scallops.

I went to Zola with a friend for an early lunch. The food was amazing. If you get a chance to go there get the scallops for a main course. The lobster mac and cheese was very good and has been on the menu since the beginning but once you taste the scallops and linguine you will never go back! The restaurant also has a great location near the Chinatown metro.

Zola

800 F St NW

Washington DC 20004

http://www.zoladc.com/

Bar Louie. Never Again.

Jenny and I dropped into Bar Louie yesterday for a late lunch. Though the restaurant was empty, our service was absolutely terrible.

This morning I checked my bank account and my card had been charged 4 times. I'm not happy.

Bar Louie

701 7th Street, Northwest

Washington, DC 20001

Bon Chon!!!

If you like hot wings this is the place is the meca of hot wings!!

Bon Chon is an adventure to get to all the way out of the city in the country (Annandale, VA) BUT it is well worth the journey!

Bon Chon serves Korean double fried chicken the length of your (well mine at least ) hand. Wings come in 2 flavors hot and sweet, I recommend getting some of both. The only other food option i saw was fries (which I recommend they compliment the wings very well). As for drinks the only kind we ventured with was beer, you can get it in 1,000cc; 2,000cc or 3,000. Of course we went with the 3,000cc which came in a huge oak barrel with a spigot. My last bit of advice is call ahead to reserve a table; order your food it will be ready when you arrive otherwise you will have to wait 45min for them to cook the wings and be ready to eat!

Over all this place is AMAZING and just writing about it makes me start craving it again.

For more explanation on Korean double fried chicken see this site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonchon_Chicken

Bon Chon Chicken

6653 Little River Tpke
Annandale, VA 2200

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bon-chon-chicken-annandale

( The restaurant is located in a shopping center in between two garden stores.)

SEI - lunch

SEI is amazing sushi! I love the atmosphere, the staff is very welcoming I had to wait for my lunch mate while i sat at the bar they were very nice chatting to me. Once my lunch partner arrived they notified me and we were sat immediately. The sushi was fantastic! I loved everything we ate (at times we did't know exactly what we eating but it was great). It was a little expensive, I would go back if I had a suga daddy buying. :)

SEI restaurant & lounge

444 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004

http://www.seirestaurant.com

Cava Mezze - DC

I went to Cava Mezze - DC with some co-workers for lunch last week. The atmosphere was nice nothing to special but there was an outdoor patio. We decided to sit out on the patio, which was great for people watching on 8th street but that caused the service to be slow. The hummus was amazing and the fresh pita bread was great when we actually got it. Overall it was okay I may go back just for the hummus but not for the service. Oh and DON'T get the sangria, it was horrible.

Cava Mezze - DC

527 8th Street SE
Washington, DC 20003

http://www.cavamezze.com

Ulah Bistro

This gem is found right atop the U St Metro (13th street exit). there are plenty of tables outside to sit amongst the flowers on the patio. The food is really good, homey at times and don't pass on the fries if you help it. They have great dinner specials and 1/2 price bottles of wine if one person at the table orders a dinner special. The dinner special includes a salad, main course and a desert! I have been here many times now with my family and friends and have had an amazing experience every time! This place is turning into one of my go to restaurants. :)

Ulah Bistro

12 14 U ST NW

Washington, DC 20009

http://www.ulahbistro.com/

Thai Tanic

Last night Danielle and I had a delicious dinner at Thai Tanic in Logan Circle. Everything was tasty and inexpensive, from the house drinks to the entrees. AND, the portions were huge, which makes for a great lunch today. My favorite.

Note: There is also a second location in Columbia Heights.

Thai Tanic

1326 14th Street, Northwest

Washington, DC 20005

www.thaitanic.us

The Greek Spot

Jenny and I ordered from the Greek Spot (located next door to Chix) for dinner tonight. I'm certainly not an expert on Greek cuisine, but I'd say it was a pretty legit Greek food. Everything was really delicious and filling. I had the spanakopita which came with orzo pasta and green beans for $9. Not bad! Jenny had a falafel which she reports to be divine.

The Greek Spot

2017 11th St NW
Washington, DC 20001

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-greek-spot-washington

Cantina Marina

I headed to Cantina Marina last night to celebrate Stoner's birthday. It was the perfect place for for a hot summer evening. Cold beer, roof decks, and hanging fish galore. We somehow managed to snag a table, which was a very good thing, because let's be honest, no one likes to eat standing up... Generally this is seemed more like a drinking place than a dining place.

My neighbor mentioned that there's a nice, clean public pool at Hains Point, which is nearby. Next time we'll have to combine the margaritas and bathing suits into an afternoon adventure.

{Note to self: Cantina Marina will insanely crowded before, during, and after Nats games}

Cantina Marina

600 Water Street, Southwest

Washington, DC 20024

www.cantinamarina.com/

I Scream You Scream!

U-Scream for Ice Cream may be my downfall this summer. Delicious + local!

U-Scream for Ice Cream & Treatery

1301 U Street Northwest

Washington DC 20009

Odeon Cafe

Friday night my OpenTable app introduced Danielle and me to Odeon Cafe. Located 2 blocks from the Q Street Metro exit, it was a super easy walk and a very convenient stop after work.

The food was amazing. Danielle ordered the Vitello con Funghi and I went with the Fettucinne al 4 Formaggi. It was to die for. A-mazing. We were also suckered into buying an expensive Pinot Grigio, but I think by the end of the night we would both agree that it was a good choice.

Also: Shout-out to the superb wait staff which was extremely professional and attentive.

Odeon Cafe, Italian Bistro

www.odeoncafedc.com

1714 Connecticut Avenue Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

Rain Rain GO Away!

It always makes fro an interesting kickball experience when its raining. Get ready to get dirty!

Chinese food- Xie xie!

After 5 months I've found my go-to Chinese place! If you check it out, just plan on getting your deliciousness to go... There are only 2 tiny tables inside.

Peking Express

1338 U Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

http://sites.google.com/site/pekingexp/

Bird Man

Since joining the fabulous Vida gym last week, I've been making it a habit to wake up early and hit the pool before work. For the past 2 days I've noticed a funny thing while taking my early morning walk. Both yesterday and today, there has been a man standing on the corner of S and 13th and feeding pigeons and misc other birds. And he is not messing around. He shredded at least half a loaf of bread for those guys. Weird. I wonder if I'll see him tomorrow...

On that note: Mary Poppins "Feed the Birds"

Could this be true???

A Waffle House just blocks from my house?

This could either be very good, or very, very bad.

Read More >

Trattoria Italiano

After a nice afternoon at the zoo, Danielle and I randomly stopped in Trattoria Italiano for dinner. It was the best Italian food I've ever had. Strong words, I know. What can I say, homemade pasta just does it for me. In addition, great outdoor seating, the perfect portion sizes, and the appetizers were to die for. I can't wait to go back.

Trattoria Italiano

2651 Connecticut Ave Northwest
Washington, DC 20008

... And the people behind me got more than their money's worth

The wind tunnel at the bottom of the U St. metro's escalator is seriously out of control. I'm not a mathematician, but I would say the air is shooting up the escalator at at least 300 mph.

Note to self: not even knee-length skirts are safe from being blown up.

On a happier note: Love this song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGnNlQ-KNv4

Baseball Season is Here!

Lots of red hats on the metro last night. About 98% of those hats had P's on them.

I thought the song went "root, root, root for the HOME TEAM"!! Sheesh.

Ulah Bistro: Brunch

I hit up Ulah Bistro after yoga Saturday morning for brunch. Open table has it listed as "comfort food"... I think that's a bit of a stretch – but it was delicious. I tried the "farmer's omelet" which was filled with mashed potatoes, red peppers and bacon. Yuuuum. (Ok, I realize that sounds like comfort food, but really, that's about as close as it got. They have goat cheese ravioli on the menu for crying out loud!)

We sat out on the patio which was great for the fresh air, but little else. It's right on U St. so we were surrounded by honking cars, metro commuters and tourists taking photos of Ben's Chili Bowl.

Ulah Bistro

www.ulahbistro.com

1214 U Street, Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

Dukem

Well, I finally ate a full meal at Dukem this weekend. Even though it is only 2 blocks from our apartment I've never really gotten past the bar.... But really, that's a story for another time. Anyway, it was my first experience with Ethiopian food, so I really have nothing to compare it to... But I'll venture to say that it was pretty good. The meat had a great flavor, and there's something satisfying about eating with your hands. But all in all, it's probably not something that I would go out of my way for. It's fun to try new kinds of food, but when it comes to eating I have a tendency to keep with what I know. I will say that the place was packed – so they must be doing something right!

Dukem

www.dukemrestaurant.com

1114 U Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

Cheescake

Kelly and I found ourselves on a search for cheese cake around 8pm last night. We were sad to find out that Bar Pillar did not have cheesecake anymore since their pastry chef left so we were forced to adventure back out into the rain and to go to Cafe Saint Ex. Our search was over we ended up having an AMAZING piece of pumpkin cheesecake at Cafe Saint Ex. :)

Oh, and did you know...

that the Big Hunt has a little outdoor patio upstairs?

Score.

The Darlington House: As appealing as its name

Last night I walked to Dupont Circle to meet Meghan for dinner at the Darlington House. Ammaaazing Italian food, pricey cocktails, and a really a adorable atmosphere.

We were sitting in the (more formal) dining room upstairs, but there is also small bar downstairs and an even smaller patio outside. Patio is first come first serve – good luck with that one on a gorgeous night!

This would be a great place to take parents.

The Darlington House

http://www.darlingtonhousedc.com/

1610 20th Street, Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

La Tasca, Chinatown

Last night (Thursday) I went to La Tasca in China town with a friend. We had a HUGE pitcher of VERY good sangria for 1/2 price. They do this every Thursday!! It is a such a great deal! There are other deals every night of the week. I encourage you to go and experience this place. I am not sure if they have the same specials at all their locations but the Chinatown location has the specials on lock down. Our whole meal was less than $45 total including tax and the MASSIVE pitcher!

Here comes the sun- LA LA LA LA!!!

It's going to be 76 degrees on Saturday!!!

I could die of happiness :)

"The rats around here are huge."

Yesterday I saw a rat in our trash can. It was large and in charge.

Barf.

El Tamarindo

Last night Jenny and I hit El Tarmarindoto celebrate my new job at the Discovery Channel. With our Groupon our meal came out to a whopping $13 a person. Loves it!

Also loved the:

- Original margaritas (a 1/2 pitcher is certainly enough for 2 people)

- Chili con queso which was super thick and creamy; I hate runny cheese.

- The veggie enchiladas were the best I've had in a while, but the side of beans left something to be desired.

- Jenny's chimichanga came with a side salad, which I think I'll sub in next time

By the time we got home we were so full that we were literally running/tottering for our sweatpants.

El Tarmarindoto

http://eltamarindorestaurant.blogspot.com/

1785 Florida Avenue, Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

Sorry I'm not home right now – I'm walking into spider webs...

Did you know they play Gwen Stefani on Spanish radio stations?

They do. And the men working on the shop below me know every word.

AY YI YI!!!

There is construction going on in the space below my apartment. Though I can't wait for the hip little smoothie shop to be finished, I'm paying the price now.

It literally sounds like the construction workers, and their hot latin music are in my living room. Jake is enjoying this more than I am, considering that he can speak Spanish.

Marvin

Marvin =

1. Great food

2. Crowded but cozy "bistro"/dining room

3. Chic, high-ceilinged lounge

4. Year-round beer garden on the rooftop

Note: Don't sit in the bistro if you don't plan on ordering food... This still applies after dinner time!

Marvin

www.marvindc.com

2007 14th Street, Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

Blizzard # 3 of 2010

Thank you for not happening last night!!!

Thats it. Have a great day!

Gazuza

Last night a group of friends and I hit Gazuza, a hookah bar in Dupont Circle. Despite conflicting reviews online, I can confidently say that we had good drinks, great service, and good sheesha. The patio was closed due to the snow, which made the bar a little bit more crowded than it normally would have been, but it wasn't terrible. Sean, the manager, was super friendly and very accommodating to our large group of 9. This is definitely a place I will go again, especially when it's warm enough to sit outdoors.

Gazuza

1629 Connecticut Avenue Northwest

Washington, DC 20009

Oh hello, Blizzard 2010

The snow gods have dumped even more snow on D.C. (and practically the entire east coast). Our grand total for the season has now reached 52 inches. Dayyyummm.

Let's just say we're all beginning to suffer from severe cases of cabin fever. Honestly, there's only so much Jameson and 2-Buck Chuck that one can drink.

Snowbound Mid-Atlantic Faces Monumental Shovel-Out

Chix: Eat Responsibly

Well, Chix's tagline is "Eat Responsibly", and I have to tell you, my mom would definitely be proud of my well balanced dinner. Jenny and I both ordered the dinner special which included a quarter piece of chicken, 2 sides and a drink for less than $9. Chix prides itself on having natural, healthy, quick meals and it definitely lived up to that. The food was delicious, filling and served in about 7 minutes.

Extra Perk: Free delivery for lunch and dinner. Bingo!

Chix

chixdc.com

2019 11th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20001

Bar Pilar... Delicious

Blizzards can be fun, especially if they open up a few tables in the normally packed Bar Pilar. Jenny and I have both enjoyed a couple beers at Bar Pilar, but Friday was our first chance to sit down and check out the food. If you ask us, the calamari and steak appetizers both earn an A+. Portion sizes were small, but so were prices. Even if you don't feel like eating, or paying for the pricier entrees, I would suggest at least stopping by to grab a beer. The atmosphere is perfect if you're looking for a casual, cool place to hang out.

Side note: Our neighbor informed us that Tuesday night's are "Family style" meals. Will report back on this in the near future!

Bar Pilar

1833 14th Street, Northwest

Washington, DC 20009