LaShanta

This is my absolute favorite soul food place in the DC area!! My favorite!!

Great idea, if my boyfriend hadn't been studying for the bar WITH me, I would have loved that idea!!! Thankfully, you're in one of the BEST cities for picnicking!! I think that anywhere along the water in East Potomac Park world be nice, especially over by The Awakening statute. There's a very nice water view there. Also, almost anywhere around the Tidal Basin is cool, near where the paddle boats are. Also, for food, definitely pick something up from Breadline or Marvelous Markets on 7th street. Yummy!!!! for more ideas about locations AND food choices, check out this link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/enter...nts/picnics.htm Have fun!!! One more helpful link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?p...p;notFound=true

I visited this fun establishment for dinner last night. I had the ginger salad and the mango salad and the mixed noodle dish. We ordered the mixed noodle dish medium and it was just fine (spicy-ness). It was served at room temperature but that didn’t take away from the nice complex of flavors and textures. The mango salad was not exactly bursting with flavor, but it was refreshing and tasty. The ginger salad had a nice bite to it. The food came out extremely quickly (which led me to believe that it was all pre-made). But that did not take away from the authenticity of the food. It was more down-home food than haute cuisine. And that’s just fine with me! The service was wonderful!! Subtly attentive. Not chatty and overly friendly like most places, but my water glass was never less than a third full. It’s a very family run place so there were some kids playing around as they came closer to closing time, but it wasn’t annoying. And the prices absolutely can’t be beat!!! I definitely want to go back and try more dishes!!! Highly recommended!!!! Peace & Blessings, LaShanta

I've never done BYOB before, but with a $200 dinner, this may be a good time to try it. So let me understand....... I can go to a liquor store, get a 10$ bottle of wine that is made in the US and bring it in the restaurant with me? Will they open and serve it for me or do I just ask for 2 wine glasses and do the pouring myself? This sounds great!!

Anyone been here recently? I'm going tonight and I am looking for advice on any "don't miss" items. I'll be sure to report back on Monday! Peace & Blessings.

Went to Circle Bistro last night… OK, here’s what we had. appetizer - me - Maine “Blue Johnny” Mussels; my BF-duck confit with carrot slaw entree - me - sea bass; my BF-wild Alaskan halibut dessert - napoleon, sorbet & berry shake small bits; my BF-strawberries w/ Sabayon As usual, the food was wonderful!!!! But as I am coming to anticipate, the service was just average. My before drink cocktail was the best drink I have ever had!!!! It was the Silly Goose and was so smooth that you could barely taste the individual, separate ingredients. Everything in the glass blended together seamlessly!!! I love it!!! Mussels were just as great as they were last time. The duck confit was the winner in this category though. The duck absolutely melted in your mouth!! And the slaw with the fresh crunch of the carrots was a nice texture compliment to the tender duck. This time, my entrée was much better than my friend’s. I loved the pureed potato and the light tomato-based sauce. The sea bass was very fresh the skin was just crispy enough. The sauce totally complemented the fish. The sauce was not the slightest bit overpowering. And the sliced peppers in the sauce added a nice texture contrast to the smoothness of the sauce. My friend’s halibut was good and very fresh too. It didn’t have the same complex mix of flavors as my sea bass entrée, but still very yummy. Dessert this time was the only place that I think the kitchen fell a bit short. This is not in the quality of the items, they just weren’t particularly to my taste. We really had to work to find something that appealed to us. The apple napoleon was just OK. A very light dessert. I can’t remember what the sorbet flavor was, but it was very, very strong. The berry shake was my favorite. Very simple but yummy. I love the idea of a verity of small dessert bites on one plate! Great idea!! I would probably have chosen a more subtly-flavored sorbet though. The strawberry dessert was pretty good. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I could have done with some type of sweet whipped cream or ice cream or something else on the strawberries. But if you like light, refreshing and simple desserts, this was a good one. There were tiny slivers of what I think was dill in the dessert. This was a pleasant surprise! The strength and power of the dill balanced well with what may have been an otherwise bland and boring dessert. Fantastic job Chef Cox!!!! You never disappoint!! However, our server was not fabulous. He did a great job of explaining some of the food items and how they are prepared and presented, but he was very disappointing in the wine area. See, either my boyfriend nor I know much about wine so we rely a lot of the sommelier. We know what we like and that’s about it. We expect to be able to explain what we like and have a sommelier put that with what we have ordered and bring us something great. Our waiter knew about as much about wine as WE did. But that is not the problem. The thing is, if you don’t know something, just admit that this is not your area of expertise and go find someone who knows, in this case it was the host. The waiter seemed unsure of his suggestions and unfamiliar with the wine list. Just as last time, the host came to the rescue!! He admitted that the suggested wine was NOT at all what we were looking for. The host offered another wine and then he personally bought it out for us to taste. If my boyfriend hadn’t gone to the host and checked his recommendation on the wine, we would have been very disappointed. So kudos to the host for being sooo helpful and concerned about out happiness. Also, we closed the restaurant section down and we did not feel rushed at all. We were able to finish our desserts leisurely in what became our own private dining room. OVERALL – CB is a gem!!! (I do not understand why this place isn't constantly packed!!) I do love the food here and I adore the creativity that Chef Cox breathes into his seasonal menu. I would still DEFINITELY recommend the restaurant. Again, they still need to step up the service just a notch. Peace & Many Blessings.

I definitely vote for some juicy, grilled burgers and almost burnt hot dogs. A picnic isn't a picnic without them!!!

So I see! wow!! You guys (and gals) are the greatest resource!! And yes, my Dad will be very hpapy with whatever we do. As of now, I'v enarrowed it down to The Palm and Charlie Palmer. Thank you soooooooo much for ALL your help!! Peace & Blessings.

Good Morning Foodies! I am trying to find the best steakhouse (or restaurant with the best steaks) to take my Dad for Father's Day. We did Capital Grille last year and he absolutely loved it! I am thinking either The Prime Rib or Charlie Palmer, but I really wanted to stay under $200 for everything, including tax and tip. I think that monetary limitation may put me out of the range of both of these places. I also considered Ray’s The Steaks but I have never been there and it sounds like the atmosphere may be too casual for a special occasion celebration place. Please let me know if that is an improper or mistaken characterization. Since no one knows food like the DR.com crew, I hope you have some sage advice to offer. Gratefully, An eager-to-please daughter.

I'll be going by myself and I've never been to any dr.com events either. None at all. And since we're both new posters, I understand your nervousness. So we'll find each other at the picnic--so we won't be crying in our mango molds. And I agree, wearing a DR T-shirt will definitely up the inclusion factor.

I went to Johnny’s Half Shell last night. I’ll say what my boyfriend and I both had, because of course we had to share! (my cardinal rule of dining out) Appetizer – mussels & fried oysters Entrée – wood grilled halibut & fritto misto (fried shrimp, calamari & sea bass) Dessert – chocolate angel food cake & strawberry shortcake I had been to Johnny’s about 2 months ago, had the grilled swordfish and LOVED it!!! I fell so in love with the restaurant that I was telling everyone about it. However, this time, it was just not the same. The mussels – very yummy and plentiful. perfect seasoning and just enough broth to go with them. Fried oysters – blander than they were when I had them last time. Maybe I didn’t use enough of the relish this time. They were good but I would try something else next time. Halibut – kind of bland as well. Not exactly bursting with flavor like the swordfish was last time. It was still really fresh and the mushroom sauce was very good—I shouldn’t have needed it. wouldn’t order it again. Fritto Misto – Good, but again it could have done with some Old Bay seasoning. But the batter was perfect and not a drop of discernable oil on any of the pieces or on the fries!! That was certainly commendable. Portion was very, very generous and I could not finish it all. This entrée was very good value for the money. Angel food cake – nice and light and a not-too-sweet end to the meal. I have a insatiable sweet tooth so I could have done with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it, but it was light, airy and passable nonetheless. Strawberry shortcake – Their version is done with biscuits and not cake—(I know it is more authentic, but I don’t like that version). The biscuits were fairly sweet and moist so I was able to enjoy it. the trawberries were perfect as was the homemade whipped cream. A very nice and delectable end to the meal. Service was very, very good!! Attentive but not intrusive. Waiter offered good suggestions on wine and promptly removed plates as soon as we were finished. This was definitely the highlight of the experience. OVERALL – they still have good cooking technique and I would definitely go back and I would still recommend it to people. But next time I would splurge a bit more and try the soft shell crabs that people rave about. The only thing I would order again from this bunch would be the mussels. Peace & Many Blessings, LaShanta

I will bring barbequed chicken and some cupcakes. I'm not sure what flavor cupcakes I'm bringing yet. I'm open to suggestions/requests..... Create a great day!! LaShanta

My experience at Chef Geoff's last night was terrible. The best thing about the night was the iced tea. OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but the entrees were terrible. I ordered the paella and it was swimming in saffron. WAAAYYYY too overpowering. Also, my boyfriend got the duck special, which came with a bunch of peppers and some green guacamole-type of sauce on it. The duck may have actually tasted OK if we could have actually TASTED it—if it hadn’t been overwhelmed by piles of vegetables. There was so much going on on the plate that I couldn't make head nor tails of any of it. Highlights -- calamari/shrimp appetizer and the caramel apple cake (actually the cake was a bit dry, but the ice cream and the candied walnuts compensated). My advice -- stick to the happy hour and don't venture into the more substantive dishes, especially not for the prices they charge. To management's credit, they did send someone out and ask why I was not eating my entree and they ended up taking it off the bill. (I literally had 2 forkfuls.) I would have gladly ordered something else if I had the time, but the waitress did not come to check on me until everyone in my party had already finished their meals! Also, though the happy hour menu and discounts seemed promising, it is terribly, terribly loud in there. So if you do go, be sure to bring your outside voice. Overview -- Highly disappointed and would never recommend to anyone (even enemies). Peace & Blessings, LaShanta

Greetings fellow Foodies!! (Wow, I'm really getting the hang of this whole posting thing! It's almost addictive!!) Anyway, I’m being dragged to Chef Geoff’s tonight for dinner before going to the National Theater. Haven’t been there before. Any suggestions on things I must have or things to stay away from? Peace & Blessings, LaShanta

I vote for Sunday, May 21. But I can make it if we choose June 4. How exciting!!! My first DR picnic AND an excuse to bake something!! Wooo HOOOOOO!!!!! LaShanta

Went to 21 P on Saturday night. Beautiful restaurant!! Very nice outside seating area with the symphony of life to keep us occupied. But the food...... uh.. yeah. The food. Unless you are desperate for outdoor dining in Dupont Circle, don't bother. Now everything wasn't horrible, just not fabulous. The crab cake appetizer served on top of the red pepper soup was very yummy. And the scallops were passable, even if the grits served with them were bland and just barely room temperature. The pineapple chutney was a very nice burst of flavor that dressed up the scallops nicely. The salads were very tasty. With just enough dressing to enhance the flavor of the fresh field greens. However, the main course of halibut was very average and totally failed to impress. The side of steamed zucchini and squash was terribly trite and uninspired. The rockfish was not very good either. To serve fish this bad within a rock's throw of the amazing Johnny's Half Shell is a deadly sin. They should just take the fish off the menu all together. It is an embarrassment. And for dessert, the chocolate Diablo was too rich and it needed some ice cream or even whipped cream to balance out the density of the flourless cake. The heath bar bread pudding was pretty good, but not worth a second trip. Prices were pretty reasonable - a 4-course dinner for 2 with 1 bottle of wine was $150 before tip. Other than for a great happy hour menu and al fresco dining, skip it. There are too many amazing restaurants within a stone's throw of this place. LaShanta

I work next door to B. Smith's and I would say, dining room opulence notwithstanding, don't bother. B. Smith's is good, but nothing to write home about. Georgia Brown's is MUCH better if they are in need of soul/southern food and the dining room is just as buautiful, albeit smaller. If you ARE dragged to B. Smith's, then get either the Swamp Thing or the catfish. Those are the best options. If you HAVE to be in the Union Station area, I would second the suggestion for Charlie Palmer. AMAZING food!! (just stay away from the lobster corndogs at the bar). Happy eating!!

I was there at the bar at Charlie Palmer last night. I LOVE their regular dining room food, but I would avoid their bar if you're hungry. I had a crab cake that was pretty tasty, though it had too many breadcrumbs on the outside. However, word to the wise: AVOID THE LOBSTER CORNDOGS!!! They were absolutely disgusting. The cornmeal breading is very, very oily and thick and TOTALLY incompatible with the succulent lobster inside. Also, the salmon dish was not good either. The hickory smoked salmon was a bit dry, but passable. But the salmon tartare was totally masked by the mayonnaise-laden potato salad that the tartare is served on. A very bad mix of flavors. Salmon tartare is too light to be paired with such an overpowering potato mixture. The lounge area is very comfortable and inviting (unless you hate cigar smoke) so it is a good place to relax after work. But just stick with the standard lounge food fare of mini burgers and calamari (there’s no seasoning on the calamari; but it’ll do in a pinch). Leave the more sophisticated gastronomic delights to the main dining room. Peace & Blessings, LaShanta

Cafe Milano in Georgetown is open until 4am on Wednesday through Saturday. I know many people feel it's overrated, but for a meal at 2am, it IS at least a step above The Diner. Just down the street from the Pizza Mart in Adams Morgan is the yummy El Tamarindo which is open till 3am during the week and 5am (!!!) on weekends. Someone may have already mentioned this, but Sette Osteria is open until 1 during the week and 2am on weekends. Happy eating!! LaShanta

I am planning a very nice brunch in Baltimore on Sunday before I go to the matinee show of August Wilson’s Radio Golf. I have reservations at both Hampton's and Pisces and I cannot decide which one to go to. I'm worried that Pisces may just be all hype about the view but just mediocre food. Please help oh marvelous foodies!! LaShanta

Went to Circle Bistro last night appetizer - Maine “Blue Johnny” Mussels entree - rockfish dessert - lemon lavender pound cake with honey sorbet The food was wonderful!!!! Mussels were divine!!!! The perfect temperature and plumpness and the sauce was subtle but not bland. Rockfish was really good, but my friend's ducking with the steamed spinach and chopped almonds was much, much better. The duck was SOOO flavorful and tender!! Rockfish was good, but the potato and tomato puree surrounding the rockfish was too soupy for my tastes and it masked the flavor of the rockfish. I normally don't like lavender flavor in my food, but it was just enough of a hint in the pound cake to be very tasty and new and exciting. I just wish there had been a larger scoop of the sorbet because pound cake tends to be pretty dry. Again, my friend's dessert was fabulous. She had the chocolate parfait and it was just light enough that you did not feel like a total glutton for indulging. And the layers in the glass made for an extra special visual appeal. My only issue was with the service. After having several drinks at the bar, we were only drinking water with dinner. The server NEVER came to refill our water. It was not until our glasses were completely empty did we have to actually get someone's attention to fill the water glass. I was very unhappy with this since we were one of only 6 occupied tables in the smallish dining room. Also, we had to ash for fresh pepper. Fresh pepper should be offered if not immediately after your food is served than surely after a bite or two. So the servers were nice enough but they left a lot to be desired in the actual serving area. The host was very gracious though and he did come by and ask if everything was OK. And he cleared our appetizer plates. Humility goes a long way for me in restaurants. One other concern. The website lists 3 seasonal prix fix menus (http://www.thecirclehotel.com/ut_bistro_prixfixd.htm ) But not only did they not have this as an option, but the server and the host did not even know what I was talking about when I asked. Please, please restaurateurs, keep your online menus updated! I understand if every single dish that you are currently serving can't be listed on there, because you want to use the freshest, most available ingredients of the season. But there is no reason that an entire prix fix option is listed online but not even heard of in the restaurant! But I would DEFINITELY recommend the restaurant. They just need to step up the service just a notch. Peace & Many Blessings, LJ "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." --Virginia Woolf