Macao

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions - really appreciate it and will post after my next trip.

Just remembered another place we really liked - Gerard's Place.

I don't know. Seems like the communication is not very good there IMO. I'm not sure if I would trust the staff to make sure any food restrictions were met. Language barriers didn't help either.

Taberna is an old favorite - and I'm from the Dominican Republic, so language wouldnt' be an issue. Just hoping to try some place new.

Edit - and I remember the tall waiter - David? - being excellent - and the somellier remembering our wine choices each vist.

Thanks! My wife did know Gephettos from her Georgetown days - so we did try the real Mendocino's - but about 4 years ago - will check into!

BTW - is there a place for newbies to post dumb posts about how the site works?!? Thanks!

Four or five years ago Mendocino was owned by the former Gephetto Pizza (which occupied that space) owner. It is totally different and truly upscale now. Check out its website

Thanks! My wife did know Gephettos from her Georgetown days - so we did try the real Mendocino's - but about 4 years ago - will check into!

Welcome Macao. Dino is great but if you want to consider other options -- and I'm not sure if you have a particular part of town that is preferred -- but Mendocino in G'Town has a small room off to the side of its main dining room, which itself is not all that large -- with a table that could accommodate your group. The menu at Mendocino does include pork, but also fish, beef, sometimes lamb or something like rabbit. The wine list is great and reasonable, and the service is outstanding. You need to make a reservation, however.

Interesting idea - thanks - when we lived in DC , we tried Mendocino twice, but weren't so impressed but, to be fair, that was four or five years ago now. I'll look into it - thanks for the suggestion! We also like La Chaumiere(sp?) nearby - but that was v. traditional French, which I don't think would work for this group. They are big clients, so I'm trying to keep them happy - ha ha.

Oh - and neighborhood doesn't matter - will try to stay at the Four Seasons - used to stay at the Jefferson, but I gather they are closed - but I know that cabs are easy in DC.

You can simply PM Dean Gold (Dino's owner) who is a member of DR. He should be very helpful.

Thanks - sorry to be ignorant - what does PM mean? Not very tech saavy (sp??).

I think Dino can be a gteat place for a buisness dinner, especially if you can get into a quite corner upstairs. I would caution about the pork issue, not just at Dino but, most upper tier restaurants intown. Pork can find it's way into some mighty odd places. A simple request for Muslim freindly dishs should do the trick. And, oh, the wine list at Dino would be the one thing I would need on a desert island

Should I contact someone ahead of time about this? Money is not an issue, I just want to make sure my clients have some options. Wine list sounds great!

Any other suggestions? We also used to like Zaytina - but I'd prefer to do something other than middle Eastern if I can.

Whether Dino will work depends on your guests. If this is your first business dinner with them and you know they don't eat pork, I don't really think I would pick Dino. Don't get my wrong, Dino is one of my favourite restaurants in DC and its outstanding, but I took a few guests of mine there a few months ago who do not eat pork and they found the menu a bit overwhelming with pork products. One ended up with a mushroom risotto, one with fish and one with the roasted chicken, so it worked out and everyone was happy, but it made for a few uncomfortable minutes as they perused the menu. I honestly find Dinos menu to be a bit heavier on the pork/boar/bacon side than other places in DC. That being said, their wine list is superb and if your clients love wine, there are a lot of interesting bottles to impress them with. If you've eaten with your business guests before, and this isn't your first meal together, then by all means go to Dino and have a great time.

Thanks! I've heard great things about Dino - and may get to come down with my wife as well, so it might be a better option for the two of us. It's not my first dinner with these people, but I'll check out the menu online as well. Any other suggestions? Does Dino's tailor menus to vegetarians - that might help? We've had good luck with Italian food in NYC with them in the past, which is why I thought Dino's might work.

Thanks again - appreciate the feedback!

Hi Macao, and welcome.

I went ahead and retitled this for you to encourage various responses. Thanks for joining!

Cheers,

Rocks.

Thank you1 Still figuring things out here!

Hi -

This is my first post, so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to start a new topic or post on an existing one. I'm a businessman living in NY, but often have to entertain in DC. I used to live in DC and some of my favorite places were Palena, Taberna, Yanyu, and Bistrot Lepic - though not all of those for business dinners. I've been reading about Dino's and wonder if you would recommend it for a business dinner for a party of six or eight? Also, some of the guests are from the Mid-East, and so don't eat pork. Would Dino's still work for us? And, of course, they don't drink - though I love good wines, so think it would be a good choice for me?

Thanks for any help - sorry if I've posted in the wrong place. Am enjoying checking out this site.