lperry Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 We have a dear friend coming into town tomorrow, and we are meeting for dinner, venue still to be decided. The dilemma is that he will be up in Bethesda at the Naval Medical Center, and we will be in Alexandria city. He has a car, wants to drive to dinner, and will get out of his event at 5 PM. I know zero about traffic in Bethesda, having visited only by bicycle on the Crescent trail, so I don't know if it will be a pain for him to get downtown from there, or if the beltway will be a nightmare. Would it be better for us to head up that direction? He claims to eat anything, but they will need to be able to accommodate Mr. lperry's celiac. We'd also like a place with a quiet atmosphere so we can chat. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 He should come on River-Massachusetts-MacArthur, and you should go to Et Voila! Okay, the tables are a *little* close together, but the dining crowd is genteel, and not at all raucous. Bistro Vivant would have been perfect, but I can no longer recommend it. Of course there's always Amoo's Kabob, a straight shot for you up GW Parkway to Glebe, then Old Dominion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungry prof Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 As a Bethesda resident, I agree with Don's driving and neighborhood recommendation. In the same vicinity, the dining room at Blacksalt would likely be quieter than Et Voila! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Thanks for the recommendations. The MacArthur Blvd area should work best, particularly since we now have our friend's goddaughter coming in from Georgetown. I'll pass along the menu and see what they think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Et Voilà is catching some flack for being too pricey for people who want to do a salad, entrée, and wine, with a few shared desserts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Et Voilà is catching some flack for being too pricey for people who want to do a salad, entrée, and wine, with a few shared desserts. Tell whoever is giving Et Voila flack that they're dead wrong: BlackSalt is, with wine, DOUBLE the cost of Et Voila. Not counting mussels, here are the prices (I didn't double-check the math, so please feel free): BlackSalt's DInner Menu (Appetizer average: $13.22, Entree average: $32.14 = $45.36): BSF_Dinner_Menu_11_12.pdf Et Voila's Dinner Menu (Appetizer average: $9.61, Entree average: $15.75 = $25.36) EtVoila_Dinner.pdf Et Voila's wine list is smaller, *much* better, and much less expensive. In the Dining Guide, I have Et Voila ranked above BlackSalt on absolute terms, in other words, if someone else was paying for it. A close call, to be sure (they're both very good restaurants, and I've probably been to each 5-10 times), but the bottom line is that right now, I'd rather be taken to dinner at Et Voila. Note also that fresh, high-quality seafood - which BlackSalt has in abundance - is simply an expensive commodity which can partially explain the price discrepancy. And now that I've typed that previous sentence, I'm waffling about which restaurant I'd rather enjoy - Palisades is lucky to have both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungry prof Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Yeah, BlackSalt is no cheaper than Et Voila. You could head five minutes the other way up MacArthur and go to Praline, which I think is marginally less expensive than BS or EV. I don't think it's as good as the other two, but I usually leave happy. And if it's a nice night, you can sit outside on the patio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 It wasn't by comparison, so sorry if it came off that way. I wasn't even considering BlackSalt because they are not veg friendly. Thst's not meant as an insult, it's just not what they do. Editing because people are faster typists than I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 It wasn't by comparison, so sorry if it came off that way. I wasn't even considering BlackSalt because they are not veg friendly. Thst's not meant as an insult, it's just not what they do. I was definitely *not* busting on you - the thought merely came to mind to do a comparison, so I did (and it turned out to be pretty surprising to me). By the way, I had a perfectly fine moules-frites earlier this year at Sur La Place. That restaurant gets no respect, I'd never been before, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed my little meal at the bar - good Belgian beers, too. I am not a big fan of St. Arnold's, and would much sooner return to Sur La Place for mussels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 OK, I keep getting messages. We now have our friend, who is retired yet will insist upon picking up the check to the point that he has sneaked off and paid away from the table in the past (probably should have said that up front - sorry) coming from the Naval Hospital, two graduate students starting at Georgetown, and us heading out from around the Birchmere. Maybe I should check on who's playing tomorrow. Edited to ask why Facebook is listed as reading this thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I tweeted my reply here (which gets rolled over into dcdining on Facebook) because I thought it might be of general interest. It's either bots, or something Facebook-internal, but there are always at least two "readers" from Facebook *instantly* after I tweet and point to a post, even in the middle of the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 These guys are driving me, and by extension, you, nuts. In the dining guide, Bistro La Zeez and Passage to India are listed for Bethesda. I'll also throw out Guajillo in Arlington unless someone has recent information that I should not. I've got to give them something because the last time we went out, we ended up having one of the worst meals I've had in this area. Mr. lperry told me if our friend wanted to go back to that restaurant, he wasn't going, and they have known each other for 15 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 These guys are driving me, and by extension, you, nuts. In the dining guide, Bistro La Zeez and Passage to India are listed for Bethesda. I'll also throw out Guajillo in Arlington unless someone has recent information that I should not. I've got to give them something because the last time we went out, we ended up having one of the worst meals I've had in this area. Mr. lperry told me if our friend wanted to go back to that restaurant, he wasn't going, and they have known each other for 15 years. Not true - this is a good, useful thread. Using the tags, people will refer to this conversation in the future. I personally don't like Guajillo as much as most people, and as I write this, I'm questioning why I have it in Italic (hell, I even have it as the #1 non-chain restaurant in Rosslyn which isn't saying much for Rosslyn or, perhaps, for me) - it's largely because the people who work there are friendly to the customers; the food is just not *that* good. I know people, including me, have complimented their moles in the past, but ... meh. There's *got* to be something better than this in Rosslyn - Ray's To The Third, Pho 75, something else perhaps? Even Piola isn't *that* far behind. When I think back to that humongous burrito I had (the *really* big one ... it was just gross - I hate to waste food, and ended up eating the damned thing for days). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 I have no interest in days of burritos. What about Minh? Also, can anyone who has been to Amoo's comment on whether or not they serve alcohol? Edit - that's a no on the alcohol. And for travel, that would send our friend across Chain Bridge, correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I have no interest in days of burritos. What about Minh? My read on Minh's is that it's getting a touch long in the tooth, but it's still a really good option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 What about Al Dente? Once you get to Palisades, it's not much further to Al Dente. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenticket Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Or Me Jana, if you're looking in the Courthouse area (it's a few blocks from Minh's). Plenty of veg-friendly choices in the mezze menu. It's not inexpensive, but service is generally quite good, and they have a very nice patio area. I had lunch there yesterday and really enjoyed the lunch special of spinach and lamb, served with rice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 Thanks, everyone. The call had to be made last night, so we are heading out to Minh momentarily. (Minh's? Minh on their website, Minh's on review sites. Unclear.) I'll report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 Thanks again to everyone's input and to the dining guide. We had a very good meal at Minh's, then walked down the street for sorbet or ice cream at Larry's. A nice visit, free parking in the building's lot after 5, and good food. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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