DCA

Thank you all for great suggestions. We went to the Bistro at Restaurant Eve last night, and she loved it. Everyone was very nice and hostess and server wished her "Happy Birthday." She especially loved the nonalcoholic Eamonn's Cocktail with all the froth on top. At the end, she declared that when she's grown up and has a child, she'd like to take her to this restaurant for her 10th birthday!

These are great suggestions. Sorry, DanielK--when you wrote RTC, I thought RTS. That's why I thought it wasn't fancy enough. We live in Arlington, so a Maryland place is kind of out of the way. All the suggestions so far are great. I'd forgot that Eve Bistro had birthday cake. That's definitely a point in their favor.

Thanks, but I'm looking for for something fancy--tablecloths, full place settings, the works. Naturally we want good food, but I also want her to remember this evening for a long time as the first time she went to a special-occasion restaurant. When I was very young, my mother took me to the Crown Room at the top of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The maitre d' was very attentive to a shy little girl, and I have remembered that day as my entry into the "real" restaurant world.

My daughter is turning 10 at the end of the month and has said she wants a low-key, family-only celebration. To make this milestone birthday a little special, I thought it might be nice to take her out to a "special" restaurant, someplace where she can wear her nicest dress and feel grown-up. She's been going to restaurants since infancy and has even taken a dining etiquette class(!). What would you all suggest as a nice place to go without going too extravagent? She has a tiny appetite and would probably be satisfied with an appetizer and dessert. Dad & I have been to the Tasting Room at Eve and wonder if the Bistro there would be appropriate. Thanks in advance!

Thanks, Pat, for the encouragement. After I posted, I realized that my tone may have come across not quite as I intended, and I hoped no one would take it as snarky. I love all the tips I get from this board, even if family schedules don't let me try all I'd like.

OK, OK, I'm finally going to post just to make sure my membership remains in good standing. I've lived in the area for about 25 (!) years, and I first starting reading this board when it was mentioned in a Tom Sietsma chat. I've picked up a number of good recommendations in the restaurant discussions and been able to impress friends and family with my knowledge. Thanks, everyone. (But I'm still too intimidated to try Ray's--one day I'll get the courage up, but my husband and 9-year-old hate waits and hassles. It sounds too much like an "in" place, and I just wasn't in that crowd in high school.) That's probably it from me for a very long time.