AKB: Best upscale restaurant in metro DC area....

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Additionally, if your brother and SIL are interested in a WH visit, let me know. No guarantees, but I have a good friend there and she's a Penn Stater. Would take some planning, but could be a nice bonus.

 

[psuro]

Additionally, if your brother and SIL are interested in a WH visit, let me know. No guarantees, but I have a good friend there and she's a Penn Stater. Would take some planning, but could be a nice bonus.

Wow thanks.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Wow thanks.

Just let me know. Dates, etc. Visits are during the day and it would be East Wing. But, might work out.

 

[VirginiaLion]

I've been in Washington DC for nearly 40 years now, and I've eaten everywhere.

Ignore all recommendations for chains -- The Palm, Joe's, etc. You can eat at these in a lot of other cities.

Inn at Little Washington is worthy of its 3 Michelin stars, but is a trek out of town and probably comes with an $800/night room at the Inn.

Fiola Mare is the best seafood restaurant in Washington DC right now. Marcel's has the best service of any restaurant in Washington DC. Komi is one of the best restaurants in Washington DC, with Johnny Monis as Washington's best restaurateur.

Washington's best chef is probably Eric Ziebold, who was chef de cuisine at The French Laundry. His Mount Vernon Square restaurants are not to be missed -- Metier and Kinship. But if they are to be missed, miss them for Corduroy, Tom Power's excellent and not-to-be-missed restaurant.

I have not yet been to Pineapple and Pearls, but it is getting national acclaim.

If you have some time, join www.donrockwell.com and do some research. It is a powerful source of information, and all of Washington's best chef's are on the board most of the time. If you're nice to Don Rockwell. he'll connect you with any of the chefs.

Agree with the props to Marcel's...my favorite of all of these in D.C.

 

[PSU2UNC]

I remember when Frederick used to be known as Fredneck. Cuz it was kind of a rural area.

It's less rural now, but still order of magnitude more rural than most DMV 'burbs.

 

[PSU2UNC]

Here is a tip - almost all of it is overrated. It is not a fun city. The restaurants serve their purpose and they are extremely overpriced. The actual good ones are in places you wouldn't expect

Different strokes for different folks, but I strongly disagree that DC is not a fun city. Not sure how you define "fun", but there is a great bar scene, great restaurants, great breweries, a couple of cool distilleries, cool music venues, and that's before you even get into the recreational and cultural options.

Then again, you've chosen to live in Fairfax, so I question your world view anyway. ;-)

Out of curiosity, what city would you consider fun?

 

[BrucePa]

Different strokes for different folks, but I strongly disagree that DC is not a fun city. Not sure how you define "fun", but there is a great bar scene, great restaurants, great breweries, a couple of cool distilleries, cool music venues, and that's before you even get into the recreational and cultural options.

Then again, you've chosen to live in Fairfax, so I question your world view anyway. ;-)

Out of curiosity, what city would you consider fun?

I follow the food scene in the US quite closely. I'm in touch with chefs and food writers all over the USA, from New York to LA. Washington is now easily in the Top 10 of the nation's food cities, with quite a few destination restaurants.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Browsing the twitter feed and this popped up - these are more in the 'hot/new' mold as opposed to DC standards, but some are very well regarded and are interesting concepts.

https://washington.org/visit-dc/hot-new-restaurants-try-now-washington-dc

 

[jughead212]

could be anything - Japanese, Italian, Steak, Seafood, etc.

Looking for a top end restaurant that will let me purchase a cert for my brother and SIL 50th Birthday.

If you can get a reservation send them to Pineapple & Pearls. Cool place, great food and service. Just got a makeover. Expensive, but the price includes tip and drinks so its not as bad as it seems. Also, you pay in advance so when you are done, you just get up and leave.

 

[Aardvark86]

Best in "area" is Inn At Little Washington, 3 star Michelin, but it's a 70 mile drive from DC. Great experience though.
2 star Michelin: Minibar and Pineapple & Pearls
(All VERY pricey - $250 and up without booze).)
There are 13 one stars at various price points.
Look up Washingtonian Magazine Best Restaurants 2018 for ideas and price points.

Also consider Palladio in Barboursville though not in this cost bracket.

 

[psuro]

If you can get a reservation send them to Pineapple & Pearls. Cool place, great food and service. Just got a makeover. Expensive, but the price includes tip and drinks so its not as bad as it seems. Also, you pay in advance so when you are done, you just get up and leave.

I looked at the website for Pineapple and Pearls, but frankly - it's a bit avant garde - I know it's tasting and chef's menu, but at least give me a hint of what you serve at your restaurant.

Did just read a review that pretty much said worst 2 star Michelin experience - but I take the reviews like that with a grain of salt.

Right now, I am leaning to Marcels.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

Different strokes for different folks, but I strongly disagree that DC is not a fun city. Not sure how you define "fun", but there is a great bar scene, great restaurants, great breweries, a couple of cool distilleries, cool music venues, and that's before you even get into the recreational and cultural options.

Then again, you've chosen to live in Fairfax, so I question your world view anyway. ;-)

Out of curiosity, what city would you consider fun?

The quality of life here is low, in my opinion. For the first several years it all seems very fascinating and fun; then you realize that the only good things about the place are what you listed above, which are very shallow things, and this city/area basically sucks compared to almost any other large, medium, small city or rural area in the country.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

The quality of life here is low, in my opinion. For the first several years it all seems very fascinating and fun; then you realize that the only good things about the place are what you listed above, which are very shallow things, and this city/area basically sucks compared to almost any other large, medium, small city or rural area in the country.

What about great schools and the highly educated population? Not to mention the wonderful aggotourism business in Loudoun and to the South/West. Tons to do here but it is expensive and traffic is awful. Those would be my big hang ups. Cultural activities, museums, quality restaurants, entertainment - DC and the surrounding area doesn’t lack at all for any of those.

 

[jughead212]

The quality of life here is low, in my opinion. For the first several years it all seems very fascinating and fun; then you realize that the only good things about the place are what you listed above, which are very shallow things, and this city/area basically sucks compared to almost any other large, medium, small city or rural area in the country.

Maybe you should move.

 

[cool1099]

Maybe you should move.

If he likes nature, he is fairly close to the mountains and a couple hours from the ocean. If he is into culture, he has the best collection of free museums in the world and a great arts and entertainment scene. If he likes sports, DC and nearby Baltimore have MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA, plus a number of minor league and college teams.
If he is willing to commute, he can find nearby small towns (Frederick, Annapolis, Leesburg) or live in the country, with access to the city .So maybe he should move - to Peoria or Little Rock or Pittsburgh (a bigger version of those), all in the middle of nowhere and nothing.

 

[N&B4PSU]

Tiber Creek, in the old Bellevue Hotel. Been there many times, too many!!!

We loved that place. Still have pics around someplace.

 

[N&B4PSU]

Is L'auberge Chez Francois still worth the drive? A happy favorite for me for a long time... but it's been about 15 years now.

And maybe someone will know this... back in the 80's there was a restaurant/bar that resembled a small castle. dupont circle area.. maybe?

TIA

 

[fairfaxlion2]

If he likes nature, he is fairly close to the mountains and a couple hours from the ocean. If he is into culture, he has the best collection of free museums in the world and a great arts and entertainment scene. If he likes sports, DC and nearby Baltimore have MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA, plus a number of minor league and college teams.
If he is willing to commute, he can find nearby small towns (Frederick, Annapolis, Leesburg) or live in the country, with access to the city .So maybe he should move - to Peoria or Little Rock or Pittsburgh (a bigger version of those), all in the middle of nowhere and nothing.

Yes thank you, o fountain of knowledge, for telling me what I might like and what I should do, and where I should live.

 

[cool1099]

Is L'auberge Chez Francois still worth the drive? A happy favorite for me for a long time... but it's been about 15 years now.

And maybe someone will know this... back in the 80's there was a restaurant/bar that resembled a small castle. dupont circle area.. maybe?

TIA

L'Auberge is still very good - great classic French food, romantic atmosphere, pricey, They now have a brasserie there as well, with lower prices.

 

[cool1099]

Yes thank you, o fountain of knowledge, for telling me what I might like and what I should do, and where I should live.

You're welcome, glad to help.

 

[ralphster]

Was in DC for a conference in November. Ate at Blue Duck Tavern, Red Hen and The Dabney. The Dabney was outstanding. Check it out.

 

[PSU2UNC]

The quality of life here is low, in my opinion. For the first several years it all seems very fascinating and fun; then you realize that the only good things about the place are what you listed above, which are very shallow things, and this city/area basically sucks compared to almost any other large, medium, small city or rural area in the country.

You are entitled to your opinion.

Just curious, if what I listed (bars, restaurants, music, museums, outdoor recreation) are "very shallow things" what are the "deep things" that you find lacking in DC that every other large, medium, small city or rural area has?

My only complaints about this area is how expensive it is (but I believe that almost any large city that people want to live in is expensive) and the traffic (but I rarely drive, so that doesn't affect me much). Then again if I lived in Fairfax rather than in the city, I would probably hate it here (not a dig, I just hate the suburbs).

 

[Kmase21]

David Chang opened up a Momofuku about a year or so ago. I have that on my list for the next time I visit DC

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

David Chang opened up a Momofuku about a year or so ago. I have that on my list for the next time I visit DC

Yes! Finally! Unfortunately, tons of imitators have beat him to the DC market, and some are better than others (which is funny since he's from NoVA). Still, Momofuku tries to differentiate itself from other ramen/pork bun/KFC places by pushing 'fusion' farm to fork cuisine instead of relying on past successes (for example, I don't think they have ramen or pork buns at all on the menu this season). I've been once and it was as good as the original when I went in NYC.

I will say I'm a bit stunned at how fast Mike Isabella's empire fell - unreal that he went from having the entire top floor eatery at Tyson's Galleria and several restaurants throughout the DMV to filing for bankruptcy in less than a year. First celebrity chef sunk by #metoo (and a drinking problem).

 

[fairfaxlion2]

You are entitled to your opinion.

Just curious, if what I listed (bars, restaurants, music, museums, outdoor recreation) are "very shallow things" what are the "deep things" that you find lacking in DC that every other large, medium, small city or rural area has?

My only complaints about this area is how expensive it is (but I believe that almost any large city that people want to live in is expensive) and the traffic (but I rarely drive, so that doesn't affect me much). Then again if I lived in Fairfax rather than in the city, I would probably hate it here (not a dig, I just hate the suburbs).

Oh, thanks for allowing me to have an opinion. That is great. I wasn't sure I could have one until PSU2UNC confirmed that I deserved it.

 

[psuro]

David Chang opened up a Momofuku about a year or so ago. I have that on my list for the next time I visit DC

Momofuku? How exactly would I pronounce that?

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Momofuku? How exactly would I pronounce that?

Moe moe foo koo

 

[psuro]

Moe moe foo koo

Oh! Foo. Koo.
Not fuk. U.
Ok got it.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

Momofuku? How exactly would I pronounce that?

"waste-of-money"

 

[psuro]

"waste-of-money"

Ok.

I wasn't going to engage in this but-rather than gripe about this why not just bug off the thread? I simply wanted to know a good place for my brother and SIL for dinner on their birthdays. If you don’t have anything to add-bug off.

I get it. You don’t like DC. But since my bro and SIL are in that area it makes sense for me to ask about restaurants in that area.

So just bug off and let the rest of us enjoy finding out about restaurants in the DC area.

Jeebus. It’s. Not. Complicated.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

Ok.

I wasn't going to engage in this but-rather than gripe about this why not just bug off the thread? I simply wanted to know a good place for my brother and SIL for dinner on their birthdays. If you don’t have anything to add-bug off.

I get it. You don’t like DC. But since my bro and SIL are in that area it makes sense for me to ask about restaurants in that area.

So just bug off and let the rest of us enjoy finding out about restaurants in the DC area.

Jeebus. It’s. Not. Complicated.

Fine. In all honesty, Siroc is a great restaurant.

 

[Overthereguy]

Rose's Luxury, Komi, Pineapples and Pearls, minibar, Blue Duck Tavern...

We still have a gift card to Komi from about eight years ago - hard to find the time. All of the above are great IMO (and most have at least one Michelin star).

I'll second the Blue Duck Tavern. Unless you've had it before or have adventurous taste buds, I don't recommend the bone marrow. My wife liked it though.

 

[PSU2UNC]

Oh, thanks for allowing me to have an opinion. That is great. I wasn't sure I could have one until PSU2UNC confirmed that I deserved it.

I asked a legit question (what "deep things" DC lacks that other places have?) and your respond with a d*ck answer. I'd be cranky too, if I lived in Fairfax instead of the District.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

I asked a legit question (what "deep things" DC lacks that other places have?) and your respond with a d*ck answer. I'd be cranky too, if I lived in Fairfax instead of the District.

Oh, yeah. I am the one giving "d***" answers. Meanwhile all of your answers have been completely condescending and insulting, a fact to which you are oblivious. It's not what DC lacks, it what it contains -- lots of people like you

 

[PSU2UNC]

Oh, yeah. I am the one giving "d***" answers. Meanwhile all of your answers have been completely condescending and insulting, a fact to which you are oblivious. It's not what DC lacks, it what it contains -- lots of people like you

You started the condescending answer with "DC sucks". It doesn't (in my opinion) and so I asked why it did, in your opinion. Saying that you don't like the people here is a fine answer, but that's not what you said originally. If you dislike it so much, I'd suggest moving. Life is too short to be unhappy with where you live it.

 

[cool1099]

Oh, yeah. I am the one giving "d***" answers. Meanwhile all of your answers have been completely condescending and insulting, a fact to which you are oblivious. It's not what DC lacks, it what it contains -- lots of people like you

Too many young educated open-minded people, and you would just be happier among older rednecks and hicks. Got it.