[ Bangkok Joe's | Bombay
Club ]
[ Cafe Atlantico | Ceiba |
DC Coast | Jaleo | Marcel's | Oceanaire
Seafood Room ]
[ Palena |
1789 Restaurant | TenPenh | Zaytinya ]
 Search
for meetings in Washington, DC
Bangkok Joe’s
Bangkok Joe’s, on Georgetown's waterfront,
marries Thai street food to American home cooking. The result: a
lively presentation of rice, noodle and grilled items in a trendy
but comfortable setting. The oversized windows, high ceilings and
cream-colored walls create an airy feel and the booths on raised
platforms lining one wall offer cozy seating for four and creates
an altogether chic extravagant design to the interior. The must-have
item: dumplings. The menu states that “Life without dumplings is
not worth living” and the innovative delicacies, available from
a menu of more than 12 types, prove the proverb. Choose from such
interesting combinations as lobster and pine nuts with the
fruit plus a spicy ginger soy sauce and tarragon.
Bangkok Joe’s
3000 K St., NW
(202) 333-4422
www.bangkokjoes.com
back to top
Bombay Club
The Bombay Club serves impeccable Indian
food within an upscale atmosphere. With its potted palms, piano
player and leather banquettes, the place feels more like an English
club in the Colonial era than a restaurant. The downtown location
near the White House, as well as its cuisine, made the Bombay Club
a favorite evening out for the Clintons, and it has been the recipient
of numerous awards in culinary excellence and service from such
sources as Conde Nast Traveler, The Washington Post
and USA Today. You won't be able to resist
the Bombay thali, an assortment of seven vegetarian dishes. Cap
off dinner with any one of a dazzling display of desserts including
the gulab jamun, which is a dumpling dipped in rose flavored syrup,
or carrot halwa, an Indian carrot pudding.
Bombay Club
815 Connecticut Ave., NW
(202) 659-3727
www.bombayclubdc.com
back to top
Cafe Atlantico
Officially, Cafe Atlantico dubs its menu
“contemporary cuisine inspired by the Nuevo Latino cooking style.”
That translates to innovative dishes that mix and match the sauces,
herbs, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and cooking styles of the
Caribbean and Central and South America. Beef might be accompanied
by fried yuca with a chile, lime and garlic sauce and a grilled
salmon might have a garnish of tropical fruits. Cafe Atlantico,
just blocks from the Shakespeare Theater, also offers a nicely priced
pre-theater menu as well as an upstairs "minibar" offering
an intimate tasting adventure presented by the chef; advance reservations
are required.
Cafe Atlantico
405 8th St., NW
(202) 393-0812
www.cafeatlantico.com
back to top
Ceiba
At Ceiba, chef Jeff Tunks works his magic on contemporary Latin American-Caribbean
cuisine, especially the dishes of
the Yucatan, Brazil, Peru, and Cuba. Named after the region’s
umbrella-shaped tree, the restaurant has a decor of earth tones—rust,
cream, ice blue, and sage—with splashes of color from Mexican tiles,
murals of scarlet macaws and banquettes upholstered with a palm
frond and orchid print. Standout appetizers include the shrimp,
halibut or tuna ceviches, the carpaccio of smoked swordfish, the
Jamaican crab fritters as well as the duck empanadas with raisins
and olives. Good bets for entrees are the whole crispy red snapper
Vera Cruz topped with tomatoes, olives and pickled jalapenos as
well as the seared scallops La Planacha served with black bean masa
gnocchi and roasted sweet corn sauce. For dessert try the Cuban
flan and cinnamon-dusted Mexican churros served with a hot chocolate
shooter, and top it all off with an excursion into a Latin American
spirit.
Ceiba
701 14th St., NW
(202) 393-3983
www.ceibarestaurant.com
back to top
DC Coast
Known mainly for its seafood offerings, DC Coast remains one of Washington’s favorite restaurants, and under the direction of executive chef Brendan Cox it continues to serve an inventive menu. The classic Beaux-Arts style architecture makes for a sophisticated environment for the lovely meal to come. Start with the steamed Blue Hill Bay Mussels as an appetizer, or perhaps go for the DC Coast Salad, a clever combination of Benton smoked bacon, hard-boiled egg, radish, and tomato all mixed together with blue cheese and Lorenzo dressing. Or try the classic Caesar salad with a twist, a heap of crispy fried oysters. The mains include a Chinese-style lobster, line caught striped bass and plenty of other options. Classic food in a classic setting—DC-style.
DC Coast
1401 K St., NW
(202) 216-5988
www.dccoast.com
back to top
Jaleo
Authentic Spanish tapas, some 60 different hot and cold varieties, are on offer at Jaleo, where Jose Andres directs the menu. In Spanish, Jaleo means “uproar, revelry, merry-making” and that aptly describes the atmosphere of this popular casual, yet upscale restaurant. With Downtown, Bethesda and Crystal City locations, each venue offers a mix of Spanish “little plates” as well as Spanish wines.
Jaleo
480 Seventh Street, NW
(202) 628-7949
www.jaleo.com
back to top
Marcel’s
Elegant, intimate, sophisticated. These words describe a Washington restaurant that brings French cuisine to a city where menus offer visitors and the newly local politicos a wide range of great options. Marcel’s is a quiet spot with cozy, completely elegant red banquettes and soft lighting. The chef prepares all the best sauces, and three-, four-, five-, and seven-course menus are on offer with Alaskan crab legs or medallions of lamb in phyllo with spinach among the tasty dishes. Or try the three-course pre-theater dinner for a great deal.
Marcel’s
2401 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
(202) 296-1166
www.marcelsdc.com
back to top
Oceanaire Seafood
Room
Oceanaire Seafood Room suggests a 1930s ocean liner. Each oversized
entree can easily feed two people. Share a salad or soup such as
the New England clam chowder, then check into one of the signature
items including the pan-roasted Chilean sea bass with cous cous,
pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, grilled yellowfin “ahi” tuna with
wild mushrooms, whole crispy Icelandic Artic char, and a virtually
all-crab Chesapeake Bay crabcake nearly as big as a baseball. The
portions are indeed hefty and the price is in kind, but it's all
so very satisfying.
Oceanaire Seafood Room
1201 F Street, NW
(202) 347-2277
www.theoceanaire.com
back to top
Palena
With its Art Deco-like curvilinear booths, cherry
walls and lighting fixtures, the Palena, located in a strip
mall uptown in Cleveland Park, looks plain on the outside, but walk
in anyway. The Italian-inspired decor features a well-placed table
under a wall fountain in the back room. The restaurant serves a
memorable mix of Italian and French-inspired fare from a constantly
changing menu that features several non-traditional pairings, which
can be sampled with the nightly tasting menu. The gnocchi is to
die for. Other specialties include the Arctic char and lobster served
over lentils and the squab grilled with Moroccan spices.
Palena
3529 Connecticut Ave., NW
(202) 537-9250
www.palenarestaurant.com
back to top
1789 Restaurant
Georgetown’s 1789 Restaurant has an old-fashioned setting, an old stone hearth and inviting meals. But now, with a young chef, Daniel Giusti, and a young pastry chef, Travis Olson, it’s the place to be today. It’s also a great place for a private meal and traditional fare. Try the classic rack of lamb served with crisp zucchini blossoms, roasted eggplant puree, pattypan squash, olives, and white anchovies or indulge in the Chesapeake Bay rock fish served with crispy pork belly, heirloom tomatoes, local white corn, and Belgian endive. A great dessert choice is honey fritters served with raspberry and vanilla ice cream.
1789 Restaurant
1226 36th St., NW
(202) 965-1789
www.1789restaurant.com
back to top
TenPenh
Located in the heart of Washington, D.C. at Tenth
Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, TenPenh is inspired
by the bistro-style restaurants of Hong Kong in the 1930s. With
a bar shaped like an
Asian gate and décor directed by a Feng Shui Master, the
owners of this upscale southeast-Asian restaurant also run three
other D.C. establishments including DC Coast and Acadiana. Try
the signature crispy whole fish with cucumber salad and tamarind
dipping sauce or the five spice chili tea rubbed steak tenderloin.
For savory side dishes, order the jasmine rice or wasabi mashed
potatoes,
and don’t overlook dessert especially the Saigon cinnamon
sugar dusted donuts.
TenPenh
1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
(202) 393-4500
www.tenpenh.com
back to top
Zaytinya
Zaytinya, a Turkish word for olive oil,
is a trendy Penn Quarter restaurant of Mediterranean and Middle
Eastern cuisine built to handle the crowds that come for Wizards
games and rock concerts, yet still manages to feel friendly despite
its large scale. Rows of candles cast a soft glow on diners, and
the place is atmospheric and fun. It's also noisy and boisterous,
especially if you find yourself seated near the bar. Mezze, appetizer
sized portions of Mediterranean-inspired food meant for "middle
of the day" dominate the menu with hot and cold selections
that are both classical and contemporary. The restaurant's rhythm
is taste and talk as you sample plates of eggplant with tomatoes
and olive oil, rice with pistachios and dates, octopus in red wine
sauce, braised rabbit with lentils, spanakopita, zucchini cakes,
and lots more. Outside seating is available during summertime.
Zaytinya
701 Ninth St., NW
(202) 638-0800
www.zaytinya.com
back to top
Search
for meetings in Washington, DC
print this page
back to top
|
