JMiller

I've eaten at Dish twice. The first time about a year ago or so, the second a few months ago. Unfortunately I don't remember what I ate at either meal. All I remember the first time was that it was cold in the restaurant (from someone who is rarely cold), and the food wasn't that good. My G/F dragged me back there a second time since she lives in the area and we were hungry, and I was pleasantly surprised (it's possible that my expectations were sufficiently low, but I remember thinking the food was very good). The menu is mostly "comfort food", and I'm pretty sure I had the meatloaf at one of the meals. The decor is kind of lacking (it's a fairly small dark room, and lower than the ground outside so there isn't much light), the restaurant was mostly empty both times, and it's kind of expensive for what you're getting, but despite all this, not a bad meal if nothing else is available. The unfortunate truth is that Foggy Bottom has very few decent restaurants, likely due to all the undergraduates who live there.

The 6 of us had an excellent dinner at Corduroy Saturday night. Several people had the excellent softshell crab appetizer (the same as the entree I believe, but only 1 crab). I started with the red snapper bisque, because I had heard Chef Powers makes an excellent soup. I think of the 6 of us, we only went through a couple of unique dishes: the bisque, soft shell crabs (either appetizer or entree portion), the lamb, and the steak. It was a couple of days ago and I didn't take any notes, so that's the best I can do. But, thanks to everyone who encouraged me to go here. Everyone liked it, and it earned a coveted spot on my mom's "This is one of my favorite places" list. Josh

Hi all, Graduation was Friday night, and I just wanted to post what happened. I finally called the school, and found out I was supposed to be there at 6 pm, and family at 6:30. So we skipped dinner before hand, and had a late dinner (10 pm) at Hunan #1 in Clarendon. Not one of the best restaurants around, but a staple as a local, late night Chinese place, in my opinion (I live in Courthouse, and parents were staying at a hotel in Ballston). Josh

Good point - I've got the table at Corduroy, and that's what I'll go with. I've only been there once, for RW, so this will be a fresh look at it. Eve is going to the top of the list though. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll post with how the meal goes. Josh

Oops. Eve is fully booked that night (both the Bistro and Tasting Room). That's what I get for waiting so long on a busy weekend - but I figured that no one in DC ever goes to Virginia, so I'd be safe. Palette is booked as well (according to OpenTable). I have a table booked at Corduroy, but I think I'd rather try some place new. Anyone want to throw out some more ideas? (Serves me right for waiting to the last minute)

Right now, I'm leaning towards Eve. 1st, we're having Tabard Inn for breakfast the next day, which (iirc) has a southern feeling too (like Palette), and 2nd, i've never been a huge fan of hotel-restaurants. It always feels a little odd to me.. like they're catering to a captive audience, so it won't be as good as place that is _only_ a restaurant. I'll wait until after the lunch rush at the restaurant (and for more replies), then call for a reservation. I appreciate the posts, and I'll keep everyone posted with the final decision and the results of the meal. Josh

Hi everyone, I posted last week about dinner around GMU's campus in Fairfax before graduation. Thanks for everyone's help on that one. Now, I'm planning dinner in DC (or VA) for the next night. Without a need to be anywhere, we can go pretty much anywhere, and the budget is extremely flexible (no Inn at Little Washington or Citronelle, but otherwise, it's limited only by the guilt I'll feel when my parents get the bill). During Restaurant Weeks of the past couple of years, I've eaten at most of the area's big name restaurants, but I rarely go there when I have to pay full price. There will be 6-8 people, including an 82 year old who will eat most things, but will probably prefer to avoid the extremes of ethnicity (eg 4 sisters). I've taken family to Galileo and DC Coast, and didn't really like either meal, so I feel somewhat pressured to have a good time (I felt the food was only okay, and not worth the price tags). We aren't big wine drinkers, so no need for a good wine list. Without listing everyone I've been, here are some places I've eaten at (during RW) but am thinking of going back to: Ceiba: liked the meal during RW. Occidentale: LOVED the meal during RW, but their non-RW prices are questionable. These places I haven't tried (except for Palena's Cafe), but have been on my (too fancy for anything except a special occassion) list for a while: Palena Taberna Del Alabardero Restaurant Eve Acadiana Some of these are pretty expensive too, so if people can suggest places equally good without the unfortunate price tag, that would work. This is kind of haphazard, because there are so many restaurants to choose from. Please don't limit yourself to those I've listed. I'll also pre-emptively say no to the following: 1789: I don't want to make people get all dressed up. Tabard Inn: we're going for brunch Sunday. Palena Cafe: they don't take reservations, i've been there, and someone would order the chicken and my 82 yr old grandfather probably wouldn't want to sit around for 45 minutes waiting for it. Corduroy: been there, but wasn't blown away enough to go back. Thanks Josh

Is that 10 minute drive gonna turn into 30 with rush hour? That's my biggest concern.. with all the family in town, I don't want to end up stuck in traffic and showing up late for the ceremony. BUT.. I also don't want to eat crappy food.

Thanks Catherine! I'll check these out.

Hi all, This is my first post, so I apologize in advance for my inevitable faux pas. I've been lurking on the board for the past couple of months, and I've really liked reading about people who enjoy food as much as I do. On to my question: I'm graduating from George Mason in a couple of weeks (Masters program, nght school). The commencement ceremony is on a Friday night at 7 pm. I need a place to eat close to the campus, so I can drive out there early and miss the worst of the traffic. There's going to be 8 or so people, all of whom like to eat well (no one's picky, but one is on dialysis, and his doctor told him not to eat Chinese food). Price can be anywhere from cash only to expensive (but not very expensive). From a friend who lives out that way, I've heard that the choices aren't very good, and I may want to look at Sweetwater Tavern. Any opinions on that? I live in Arlington, and almost never venture that far West, so any help would be great. Thanks Josh