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LaShanta

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My father-in-law-to-be is coming into town for the weekend and he wants us to get together for dinner on Saturday. But he is an avid basketball fan so we want good food but we don't want to miss any of the games. Where can I take him so that we can watch the game but still be able to eat more than wings & nachos? Some place that's kind of comfortable too (more than just bar stool seating options). Please, please help. All suggestions are welcome!

LaShanta

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I do work there part-time (so take that into consideration), but Bourbon might be an ok spot. The one in adams morgan has five tvs.. three easy to watch from tables, two from bar (not sure how many now exist in the glover park location)... i wouldn't say it is a food revelation but for bar food it is pretty good. The menu should be online at www.bourbondc.com.

My other guess is restaurants in china town area... most in my expierence have tvs for those who can't make it to the games at the verizon center... would prob play the games, but in the bar area.

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I do work there part-time (so take that into consideration), but Bourbon might be an ok spot. The one in adams morgan has five tvs.. three easy to watch from tables, two from bar (not sure how many now exist in the glover park location)... i wouldn't say it is a food revelation but for bar food it is pretty good. The menu should be online at www.bourbondc.com.

My other guess is restaurants in china town area... most in my expierence have tvs for those who can't make it to the games at the verizon center... would prob play the games, but in the bar area.

I don't work at bourbon and the food is excellent for comfort/bar food.

Crystal City Sports Bar : Blech

Bailey's: Worst bar in the general area + Blech

TS Mutleys: Double Blech

Ugly Mug: Used to have good mini burgers, now blech

Porters: Used to have decent food, now blech

Summers: Would be an insult to all things blech to call it blech

Ragtime: Not terrible, but not far from blech

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Summers: Would be an insult to all things blech to call it blech

I don't think Summers is THAT bad, but it's certainly just plain old bar food.

And I can't speak for NCAA BB, but they're consistently rated one of the top bars in the COUNTRY for watching international football (soccer for the language impaired).

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I don't think Summers is THAT bad, but it's certainly just plain old bar food.

And I can't speak for NCAA BB, but they're consistently rated one of the top bars in the COUNTRY for watching international football (soccer for the language impaired).

Oh I think it's that bad. I won't rate it's soccer showing abilities as I hate soccer. I'll leave my negative soccer commentary out of this since this is a food board.
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I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but your requriements are a tall order to fill. I can't think of a single place where you can watch a game ona big screen that does not suffer from the either bar stool or wing-nacho syndrome. Shelly's Back room has nice sofas to sit on but the fare probably falls in the wing-nacho area. Central has the screens and good food, but barstools. Same with Rustico (but it would be my choice because of all the good beer and the number of screens).

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Central, albeit not a sports bar, has a flat screen at the far end of the bar and it would surprise me if they didn't have the games on on Saturday.
While this is certainly true, I have it on good authority that loud and raucous cheering may be frowned upon. So if your FILTB is really an avid fan (something that I most certainly do not judge, as I've been known to yell and shake my fist at the tv quite a bit during late March/early April :o ), you may prefer to choose another venue...
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Junk food goes better with sports, anyway. I suggest any restaurant that considers chicken wings a specialty.

Once, back when my wife was a regular at the Palm, my parents were in town wanting dinner the same night GWU, our alma mater, made it to the sweet 16 for the first time in 50 years or so. My lovely wife asked politely and smiled nice at Tommy and lo and behold we had a fine lobster and steak dinner, many martinis and much solid red wine at a table for six with a color TV set up at one end and tuned to the game (damn you, Michigan!).

It may not be the best steakhouse in town, but it ain't bad. And the Palm takes care of their own.

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While this is certainly true, I have it on good authority that loud and raucous cheering may be frowned upon. So if your FILTB is really an avid fan (something that I most certainly do not judge, as I've been known to yell and shake my fist at the tv quite a bit during late March/early April :lol: ), you may prefer to choose another venue...
WITH GEORGETOWN IN THE GAME????
The crowd at the bar at Central on Friday were gracious enough to let the rest of us know that Georgetown had won with a /cough cough/ polite cheer.

I have the same delima as LaShanta but we have a vegetarian thrown in to the mix for added fun :o I'm thinking Central is our best bet (we had planned on going to Pesce before Georgetown got in the game) but their vegetarian main course options are somewhat limited. I think the tuna burger is the only non read meat or chicken option on the menu.

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A La Lucia in Old Town has a small bar with a large flat screen tv. We caught the end of the Georgetown game there after our dinner last Friday night. There seemed to be a small group of regulars who were watching the game. It is fairly separate from the restaurant, so there was a fair amount of cheering going on.

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Does Clyde's have TVs that you can see from any of their dining areas? That might be a safe choice. I do like Shelly's atmosphere though. Very grown-up.

The Palm. Hmmm..... Steak and potatoes goes VERY well with basketball. Any more steakhouse suggestions?

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Does Clyde's have TVs that you can see from any of their dining areas? That might be a safe choice. I do like Shelly's atmosphere though. Very grown-up.

The Palm. Hmmm..... Steak and potatoes goes VERY well with basketball. Any more steakhouse suggestions?

I think they just set us up at a table because everyone there loved Stephanie, so that might be tough for a non-regular. On the other hand, Georgetown has the early Game and there will likely be a bar seat of two open if you get there at 5:30.

Why not a fine lunch at Bistro LePic or Montmartre (I think Sietsema had a list of good Saturday lunch places in his last on-line chat) dinner at some sports bar where dad can snack and you can avoid junk?

(Jake, there may be one or two tables at Temperance with a view, but if you want ry with your hoop, I'd get there for a bar seat.)

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Does Clyde's have TVs that you can see from any of their dining areas? That might be a safe choice. I do like Shelly's atmosphere though. Very grown-up.

The Palm. Hmmm..... Steak and potatoes goes VERY well with basketball. Any more steakhouse suggestions?

the bar at palmer's has a reasonably sized tv and is relatively sedate on a saturday night. cap grille has two large tv's that are visible from most seated positions in the bar, however, they tend to get obstructed by the standing room only folks.

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Bar Pilar was fun for the Gtown game last night.

I like Bar Pilar for game watching (I've been known to drop in on Sundays for football), but you really have to have the right seat. Those pillars at the bar are really good at interfering with your line of sight ...

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My father-in-law-to-be is coming into town for the weekend and he wants us to get together for dinner on Saturday. But he is an avid basketball fan so we want good food but we don't want to miss any of the games. Where can I take him so that we can watch the game but still be able to eat more than wings & nachos? Some place that's kind of comfortable too (more than just bar stool seating options). Please, please help. All suggestions are welcome!

LaShanta

District Chophouse, down the street from the Verizon Center, has tables that seat four in the bar area, and they have decent food. I'm not sure how easy it is to see the TVs from the tables, though.

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If you have a car, try Grevey's in Falls Church. I watched some of the round 1 games there and it was a great place to relax and watch the games. The food is nothing to write home about, but the wings are not bad. If you avoid the main bar area and opt for the "dining room", each of the tables has a flat-screen television. Plus, they have an outdoor bar with televisions if the weather is nice.

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I am thinking we may do Capital Grill. Danny is right, there are many tables in th ebar area there. Or maybe the bar area at Ruth Chris. (I am still stuck on the steakhouse theme, apparently.) Luckily, the game is at 6:00 so I can be the first one in the door for restaurants that open at 5:30 and I can just steak out the bar before the Saturday night masses descend.

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I am thinking we may do Capital Grill. Danny is right, there are many tables in th ebar area there. Or maybe the bar area at Ruth Chris. (I am still stuck on the steakhouse theme, apparently.) Luckily, the game is at 6:00 so I can be the first one in the door for restaurants that open at 5:30 and I can just steak out the bar before the Saturday night masses descend.

Indeed.

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Although I think that any good reliable neighborhood restaurant would be a good venue, I'd favor the steakhouse bar idea as well. Noise levels tend to be at a semi-sports bar level anyway, and with Georgetown in the Final Four, I can't imagine cheering violating any standards of conduct.

Let me make one suggestion. Get there earlier than you think you should. The first game is set for 6:07. There are a number of people (like me) who consider the Final Four Saturday much better than the championship game itself (two games so less a chance of two blowouts, Saturday night so there's Sunday to recover). I've made a regular habit over the years of taking myself out for a fine dinner on that evening and going the distance at the same bar: a before-dinner drink (or two), an appetizer, a full meal, a decent amount of wine, dessert, and maybe a late-night drink to finish off the (hopefully) tense moments of the second game. Everything's done by 11 (except the cab ride home), and I feel that I've had a really special experience. I've often found that business is brisk for that first game, and the chances of getting a seat improve if you're there before 5:30 p.m.

I speak as a general basketball fan rather than as a fan of any of the teams playing in Atlanta and as a general fan of a fine evening out rather than any particularly grand culinary experience. I abhor sports bars for the most part (at a sports bar, the person sitting next to you or your dad is much more likely to provoke a conversation you may wish you had avoided) and much prefer to watch my sports in an atmosphere where the patrons aren't uniformly drunk or on the prowl.

If you intend to watch both games (and it sounds like you might or might not), two more pieces of advice: the type and length of evening I'm describing may be pretty expensive at a steakhouse bar so that explains my thoughts behind a good neighborhood restaurant where you can keep the bill more reasonable; and whether you end up at Capital or such a neighborhood place, I think the bartenders will find it especially appropriate if you sweeten the tip a bit (my theory--no matter how much you order, the seats would have turned at least once and probably twice in a five-hour period, meaning that the bartenders and servers would have made more in tips despite your high bill; compare 20% on one $300 bill with 15% on three $150 tabs).

Enjoy yourself; even if you're not a sports fan, I've always thought there was something a bit electric about the Final Four!

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Are there any sports bars with decent food beyond burgers and sandwiches? I worked late the other night, was on my own and ultimately ate at the bar at Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church. At a long bar with people watching games, chatting, drinking beers, sandwiches, and various burgers...I had trout almondine and was supremely disappointed. Dabs of intense salt were discovered on various bites...and none at others. Service was fine and friendly.

With two large screens in front of me and being alone, the TV watching was great even if the results were disappointing. I got to see Mariano Rivera get another save and be wildly applauded in Boston (no less) and saw the Nats load the bases with only one out and fail to score. #ThisIsNot2012.

BTW: There are some excellent suggestions above, though steak houses are not sports bars,

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What used to be the smoking side of Ramparts is a true sports bar, and their menu has some decent non-burger and non-sandwich items. I've had good game watching experiences at both Samuel Beckett's and William Jeffrey's. Not as many TVs as Ramparts, but better food and less divey atmosphere.

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