Macao Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Hi Macao, and welcome. I went ahead and retitled this for you to encourage various responses. Thanks for joining! Cheers, Rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macao Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtymartini Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam23 Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macao Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macao Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 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!You can simply PM Dean Gold (Dino's owner) who is a member of DR. He should be very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macao Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 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??). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Thanks - sorry to be ignorant - what does PM mean? Not very tech saavy (sp??).It means to send a private message. Either search for Dean by clicking on the word "Members" in the upper right hand corner, or go to the Dino subject and find one of Dean's posts, on his name and a menu will drop down. Click on "send a message", the rest should be easy to figure out (but make sure to include a title, it will not let you send a message without one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunnyJohn Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macao Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunnyJohn Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macao Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 If you want to keep them happy and impress them, you might consider CitiZen as an option. They should have no problem getting pork free dishes (even though the pork dishes are pretty amazing). Another option might be Le Paradeau, I would not call it traditional French, but still quite French. You could also take them across the river to Restaurant Eve for some very good food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saycheese Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 While I love Dino, I would say it's pretty casual and sometimes noisy. It's not clear how formal your business associates are or whether they would be more comfortable is a quieter environment. You could consider Spezie. More upscale Italian. I posted about it in a separate topic yesterday or the day before. (Sorry, I don't know how to put a link in). That being said, I think the menu at Dino offers a pretty good variety of foods for non-meat eaters. The last time I was there, they had some really good fish dishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Corduroy has plenty of pork less items on the menu and the chef is more than willing to work around any other dietary restrictions you might have plus the room is quiet enough for a good business dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acevedo81 Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 I think taberna del alabardero would fit your needs here. It's quiet, elegant, classic service and good wine list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pressley Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 I think taberna del alabardero would fit your needs here. It's quiet, elegant, classic service and good wine list. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macao Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deangold Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Right now 10 of our dishes contain pork, 15 are vegetarian, there are 2 fish entrees and a pasta entree. There are 2 dishes each with lamb and beef, one with chicken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lackadaisi Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 I have enjoyed my visits to Dino, but it would not really be in the running for me for a business dinner. Just too casual; not business-like at all to me. Certainly not what I would consider an expense account place. But, then again, I don't know what type of business you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kibbee Nayee Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 If you want to keep them happy and impress them, you might consider CitiZen as an option. They should have no problem getting pork free dishes (even though the pork dishes are pretty amazing). Another option might be Le Paradeau, I would not call it traditional French, but still quite French. You could also take them across the river to Restaurant Eve for some very good food. Being of Middle Eastern descent myself, I second CityZen. I had the good fortune of sitting in the private nook next to the kitchen with a group of about 8 or 10. Call ahead and reserve that area for your party, and ask for a special menu that adheres to Middle Eastern requirements -- no shellfish, too. I have no doubt they'll take care of you if money is not a problem. And they have great tea there, and that will go over well with your guests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walrus Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Or you could eat at Hook, which is all seafood -- though you'd want to suss out the accompaniments for each dish, as some do contain, for example, ham. The downstairs is noisy, but the upstairs seemed quite reserved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macao Posted October 18, 2007 Author Share Posted October 18, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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