Where to Eat in Washington
Merrill, Jill
Where to Eat in Washington Jill Merrill GEORGETOWN There are more restaurants and different kinds of restaurants here than in any comparable area in Washington. None is truly outstanding so we...
...weekdays...
...Expensive, Le Pescadou is to fish what Le Canard is to duck...
...Open 7 days until 11 :30 weekdays, midnight weekends...
...One can eat the same food here until later (2:30 weekdays, 5:OO a.m...
...This restaurant started out with a bang...
...In an attempt to westernize the entrees, a certain blandness emerges...
...No credit cards, open 7 days until 3 a.m...
...No credit cards...
...Martin’s, 1264 Wisconsin Ave., 333-7370...
...Children’s dishes are offered in addition to an extensive Indian cuisine...
...Trudie’s, 3299 M St., 338-3200...
...weekdays, 4 a.m...
...No reservations...
...weekends...
...La Potagerie, 3207 M St., 965,4710...
...The combinations are imaginative, the ingredients fresh, and the portions ample...
...The first of the Georgetown cafes to come, it has been the first to go off...
...midnight on Sundays...
...midnight weekends...
...While some of the seafood dishes are good, the food and service are, generally, indifferent, unless you are a regular...
...Although an excellent idea, it seems awkwardly executed...
...Dino’s has been around a long time and deserves to stay...
...The prices are surprisingly moderate for well-prepared and well-served American cuisine...
...As the name implies, the cuisine here is like Trader Vic’s, but with the exception of the tempura shrimp and spareribs, not as good...
...However, at least half of these restaurants deserve to be called good, and as our comments will make clear, are well worth patronizing...
...Caribbean specialties which, by all accounts, are good and moderately priced...
...weekends) in a simpler cafe setting...
...The mushroom lover will wallow in the extensive and well-prepared offerings of this restaurant...
...Very reasonable prices for most of their steak platters, there is also a children’s menu and an understanding staff...
...Open 7 days for lunch and dinner...
...A smart, attractive bistro in the best French tradition: a few dishes prepared and served well, good wines, reasonable prices...
...There is a fied price offering of steak-with a splendid sauce-french fries, afld salad, with a variety of desserts...
...No credit cards, open until midnight Monday through Thursday, until 2 a.m...
...Always crowded and swinging, the pasta used to excel the noise level...
...Part of the Georgetown Inn, there are four different rooms with different decor and menus...
...American Cafe, 1211 Wisconsin Ave...
...Expensive...
...Wonderful crepes for dessert...
...This is a pub with good pub food...
...Dinner served 7 days, lunch and dinner on weekends until 11 p.m...
...Dinner only from 6 to 11 pm...
...7 days...
...but, since the average age of the clientele is about 22, the food is probably irrelevant...
...Geppetto, 2917 M St...
...at corner of 30th, 333-1033...
...Not really worth the cost...
...Smaller and slightly cheaper with better soups and spring rolls but less crisp fried shrimp than its next door neighbor...
...there is a “package deal” so it’s not so cheap as it first appears...
...This delicatessen/cafe is the last word in sandwiches...
...midnight on weekends...
...Very crowded so plan to wait in line...
...Excellent simple Italian food at reasonable prices...
...Publick House, 3218 M St., 333-6605...
...Rive Gauche, Wisconsin Ave...
...Expensive...
...Expensive but worth a trip for those who like delicately-prepared and well-served tempura and sukiyaki dishes...
...A big restaurant with lots of rooms and noise...
...Since this no longer seems to be the case, there is really little to recommend Nathan’s unless one is more interested in acting single than eating...
...weekdays...
...Guards, 2915 M St., 965-2350...
...Guncher’s, 3403 M St., 965-5065...
...The foad, while also pleasing to the eye, is at its best at its least ambitious...
...Although curries are offered, they are not incendiary, unless requested...
...Good people watching...
...Jour et Nuit, M St...
...Carriage House, 1238 Wisconsin Ave., 333-5400...
...Pinball machines, games, loud music, the odd birthday party, all make this a cheap, amusing place to eat-if you’re 16 and under, or with same...
...to 11 :30 p.m...
...Expensive...
...Dinner only Sunday and Monday, lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday...
...weekends...
...but kitchen closes at 11 :30...
...Still, La Potagerie is far superior to other fast food joints and the soups are delicious...
...The service is poor which, at these prices, is unforgivable...
...The menu is not too ambitious so the quality of the entrees is good to excellent...
...Unusual offerings, such as reindeer, and a collegiate, but civilized, ambiance make this a justifiably popular place...
...Dinner only, 7 days...
...Open 7 days for lunch and dinner until 3 a.m...
...Open 7 days...
...Under new management with a new chef, Rive Gauche is trying hard to rid itself of its Gallic disposition while retaining the best French cuisine...
...Near Georgetown University...
...Open 7 days 11 am...
...Reasonable and worth a trip...
...Viet Huong, 2932 M St., 337-5588...
...Clyde’s, 3236 M St., 333-9180...
...A handsome restaurant with subtle accommodations to Western tastes...
...This is an attractive place to eat if you are shopping in this handsome square...
...The prices are reasonable and, while other kinds of foQd are available, it is the mushroom dishes that deserve attention and praise...
...The food here is good, basic French (excellent ratatouille, for example) and goes somewhat beyond pig’s feet, although they are good, too...
...No credit cards, no reservations accepted...
...Au Pied de Cochon, 1335 Wisconsin Ave...
...closed Sundays...
...weekdays...
...An extensive salad bar and reasonable prices make this a good stopping-off place...
...Closed Sundays...
...Expensive but, by all accounts, very good and unusual...
...weekdays and 4 a.m...
...Open 530 to 11 p.m...
...M St., 333-6440...
...to 3 p.m...
...Open noon to 11:30 weekdays, noon to 1:30 weekends...
...Inexpensive...
...Very popular SO plan to wait in line...
...Expensive...
...Cafe de Pans, 3056 M St., 965-2920...
...Canal Square Complex), 338-6600...
...In addition to the flamenco dancey, Ti0 Pepe offers some excellent Spanish dishes in a charming setting...
...Open noon to 10 pm...
...Expensive...
...Dino’s Steak House, 1227 Wisconsin Ave., 333-0393...
...No credit cards, no reservations...
...An attractive restaurant with a “country” atmosphere, La Chaumiere offers classically simple French food at reasonable prices...
...to 11:30 p.m...
...Closed Mondays...
...Open until midnight Tuesday through Sunday...
...Handsome, “uptown” decor with expensive Chinese cuisine...
...Diamond Head, 1010 Wisconsin Ave., 333-3940...
...On Sunday, a champagne brunch is offered from 11 a.m...
...Apana, 3066 M St., 965-3040...
...This is the grandmother of French restaurants in Georgetown, offering traditional French cooking at reasonable prices with consistently good service...
...La Nicoise, 1721 Wisconsin Ave., 965-9300...
...No credit cards, open 7 days a week until midnight...
...Under the same management as Pied de Cochon, the menu here is strictly fish...
...Buffet lunch of soup, salad, sandwiches for only $3.50...
...Open for brunch on Saturday and Sunday, dinner 7 days...
...Totally unpretentious, the fare is standard American, and the prices are moderate...
...dinner only on weekends...
...Hot Diggity Dog, 2833 M St...
...El Ti0 Pepe, 2809 M St., 337-0730...
...Maharaja, 1639 Wisconsin Ave., 338-4692...
...the food and service late American...
...Closed Sundays, open for dinner only until 11 p.m...
...weekends until 3 a.m...
...Open 11 a.m...
...Crowded and noisy but, altogether, a pleasant place to eat...
...Expensive...
...Open 7 days until 11 :30 weekdays, midnight weekends...
...As popular as Pied, but less frenetic...
...Open 7 days for lunch and dinner...
...Sort of a Clyde’s (see...
...Martinique, 3107 M St., 338-1080...
...This is a cafeteria with good, fresh soups and sandwiches...
...A very good meal for a moderate price...
...La Ruche, 1206 30th St., 965-2684...
...Le Canard, Le Pescadou (see below), and La Nicoise share the same management, but their cuisines differ widely...
...preservative-, dye-free dogs with imaginative garnishments...
...Although smaller in size than its neighbor, the service is better and the food subtler...
...There are three sections: a bar with backroom where the noise level is 8bout 90 decibels...
...Four Georges Restaurant, 1310 Wisconsin Ave., 333-8900...
...daring Cross, 3027 M St., 338-2141...
...weekdays...
...Expensive, with excellent food -French and American-imaginatively prepared...
...weekdays, midnight weekends...
...no reservations accepted...
...Closed Sundays...
...weekends...
...Moderate prices...
...Last Tycoon Saloon, 3057 M St., 337-3096...
...The atmosphere is positively vaudevillian: the waiters wear roller skates and there is a floor show (apart from the waiters...
...Open 7 days, dinner only...
...Cheap...
...Inexpensive...
...weekdays, 3 a.m...
...Vietnam Georgetown Restaurant, 2934 M St., 337-4536...
...Handsomely decorated, this new restaurant serves basic American fare at relatively reassnable prices...
...Like its twin in New York, this restaurant does one thing ve9 well...
...Big Cheese, 3139 M St., 338-3314...
...The lines are long but the wait is worth it...
...The efficiency of the senrice and the consistency of the excellence of the food is a model for all restaurants...
...A meeting place for all types, it has survived many an imitator and even more competitors...
...Open 7 days until 1 :30 weekdays, 2:30 weekends...
...The surroundings are very attractive, if you can see through the people waiting in line...
...exotic coffees...
...Monday through Saturday...
...Expensive...
...No credit cards, open 24 hours, 7 days...
...Inexpensive...
...Tandoor, 3316 M St., 333-3376...
...sandwiches and salads, for example, are excellent...
...None is truly outstanding so we have not used our usual ssterisk to indicate the best...
...It 1s also crowded-as the name implies-so reservations are recommended...
...Le Canard offers duck with a variety of sauces as well as chicken...
...Come back, Julia, and give this place a malediction...
...Port O’Georgetown, 1054 31st St...
...Open 7 days...
...If you like dining out on New Year’s Eve, you’ll love this place...
...Music and dancing in the evenings...
...No credit cards or reservations...
...Open 7 days until 11 pm...
...Bar remains open until 2 a.m...
...Sundays dinner only...
...Open 7 days until midnight...
...Adjacent to the Bistro is its more casual sister, Pam Pam...
...One cannot simply buy a bowl of soup...
...e Steak, 3060 M St., 965-1627...
...Monday through Saturday...
...No credit cards...
...a very pretty “Atrium” where, fortunately, the plants are as numerous as the people...
...7 days...
...Inexpensive...
...No credit cards...
...The hot dogs are dry and the service stinks...
...In a handsome new complex by the Canal, the Foundry is a delight to the senses...
...Booeymonger, 3265 Prospect St., 3334810...
...Le Pescadou, 3280 M St., 338-0900...
...Although the dining room is civilized and small, this is a good family restaurant...
...Not open for lunch Sunday...
...Open 7 days until 11 p.m.;dinner on@ on weekends...
...Marvelous ice-creams and light salads and sandwiches served here to a patient and dogged clientele...
...Attractive surroundings and reasonable prices make the American Cafe a bargain...
...Open 7 days for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...
...No credit cards, closed Mondays...
...Swenson’s, 1254 Wisconsin Ave...
...men, sad to say, Julia Child gave it her benediction (a hot dog is named after her in gratitude) which turned out to be the kiss of death...
...A new cafeteria offering about 10 freshly-made soups...
...NO credit cards...
...This restaurant, which is on the second floor of an historic house, has a lovely terrace and two charming dining rooms...
...midnight weekends...
...Le Golden Champignon, 1079 Wisconsin Ave., 955-3392...
...While some of the “deli” offerings remain palatable, the more ambitious dishes fall substantially short of excellence...
...Gate Soup Kitchen, 3338 M St...
...To go or to stay-there are a few tables-Booeymonger is becoming an institution, and justifiably so...
...weekdays, 3 a.m...
...by all accounts, a tremendous bargain...
...Le Canard, 3288 M St., 338-3121...
...Washington’s original natural food restaurant still offers good food at moderate prices...
...One of the oldest establishments in Georgetown, Martin’s is favored by Washington denizens...
...This is an expensive restaurant where one pays for the atmosphere...
...weekends...
...Saturday and Sunday until 2 a.m...
...Open weekdays until 1:30 a.m...
...Inexpensive...
...The first restaurant here to serve Indian food cooked over charcoal in a clay pit (Tandoor...
...Reasonable...
...Open 7 days for dinner only...
...Yes, 1039 31st St., 338-6950...
...The sauces are sublime, however, and the ambiance is elegant, right down to the red rose on the table...
...The pasta is fresh and many of the’dishes are excellent...
...Expensive...
...Expensive...
...Open 7 days until 11 p.m...
...Open from 11 a.m...
...The menu is a bit too ambitious, perhaps, but the specials are good and the wines excellent...
...Expensive...
...The building is early ,Ampican...
...Open 7 days from 11 :30 to 11 :34...
...A very popular restaurant with expensive food ranging in quality from excellent to atrocious...
...No credit cards, open 7 days until 2 a.m...
...This restaurant is rather inappropriately named since the specialties are Italian, not English...
...to 11 p.m...
...There is a fascinating noodle-stretching demonstration and a Sunday buffet-all one can eat-for only $4.85 served from 3 to 8 p.m...
...above) for children, this place is a circus...
...until 10 p.m...
...weekdays until 2 a.m...
...Haute Indian cuisine cooked delicately and presented attractively in handsome surroundings, Apana represents a new approach to the usual heavy Indian fare...
...7 days...
...Formerly “Blimpie’s” and before that “Britt’s Cafeteria”, this cafe offers good, clean, healthy American food such as salads, sandwiches, and soups, in imaginative and palatable combinations...
...La Chaumiere, 2813 M St., 338-1784, Closed Sundays...
...This is an excellent restaurant which offers a variety of beef, pork, chicken, and shrimp dishes at moderate prices...
...Aux Fruits de Mer, 1329 Wisconsin Ave...
...This is an absolutely charm$g cafe with excellent food and pastries...
...aparp Inn, 1715 Wisconsin Ave., 337-3400...
...An old stand-by with a loyal an$ dogged following...
...Reasonable...
...Expefisive...
...Garden in back...
...Chez Odette, 3063 M St., 333-9490...
...1789, 1226 36th St., 965-1789...
...Open 7 days until 2 a.m...
...Bistro Francais, 3124 M St., 338-3830...
...Although originally the fare here was strictly “cheesy”, the menu is more varied now and, like some cheeses, has improved with age...
...Open until 11 p.m...
...and, an “Omelette Room” where both the atmosphere and food are morp civilized...
...There is definitely a new kindliness in the air but our food was tepidly served at a tepid temperature...
...The food is mediocre...
...Closed Mondays...
...The space is well-planned and the decorative arts well-executed...
...Open 7 days until 1 a.m...
...Open 7. days, no lunch served on weekends...
...Excellent mussels, chocolate mousse...
...Open 7 days until 1 a.m...
...Foundry, 1050 30th St., 337-1500...
...3:30 on weekends...
...Nathan’s, 3150 M St., 338-2000...
...Lunch and dinner served Monday through Friday...
...Open 6 days until 11 :30 p.m...
...Expmsive and crowded but worth the cost and the wait...
...Attractively decorated, the Publick House offers both substantial and light dishes, all very American...
...weekends...
...Closed Sundays...
Vol. 9 • November 1977 • No. 9
