DC Restaurants

There are so many good places to eat in DC.  I started trying to think of just a few to post, and took so long that I lost track of the original post.  So, wo rking from memory of what was said : A few good place to eat in DC.

Trumpets on 17th St NW - New American - slightly pricey. Cashion's Eat Place - Columbia Rd in Adams-Morgan - New American, slightly pric ey, and one of the BEST meals I have ever had.  Go early - no reservations acce pted. Meskerem - 18th St in Adams-Morgan - Ethiopian Melati - Connecticutt Ave in Cleveland Park - Malaysiuan/Singaporean. Delicious Straits of Malaya - 18th & T Sts NW - I've been told it's not authentic, but th e food is very good. Ms. Tao - 7th St NW in Chinatown - Chinese.  Small place, good food. Petito's Restaurant- Connecticutt Ave at Woodley Park - Italian, semiformal, ma ke reservations.  Good food.  Also, they have a dessert/coffee place in the win e cellar called Dolce Finale. Cafe Petito - Connecticutt Ave just above Dupont Circle - Good casual Italian C afe.  Best Pizza in the City, best Happy Hour in the City. (Antipasto bar) Bacchus - Lebanese - Just off Conn. Ave just below Dupont Circle - Make reserva tions. Lebanese Taverna - Conn Ave at Woodley Park - Delicious, but go EARLY - no rese rvations, and the  line only gets longer. Skewers -  17th & P NW- Shiskabobs, mostly - midprice, delicious Bua - Thai - right next to Skewers - good Cafe Luna - Directly underneath Skewers - casual pizzza/pasta/sandwich place. Delicious, and reasonably cheap. Carmella Kitty's - 17th & Q (I think) NW - Cajun/Creole - food is variable but mostly wonderful B.Smith's - Union Station - Updated Southern - in the Old Presidential Waiting Room at the Station.  Pretty place, with very nice food, and decent jazz (somet imes)

Ok, this has gotten out of control. There really are many good places to eat he re - so good luck, and have a nice time.

You should be able to eat well (although at the high end of your price range) at the following restaurants in DC proper.  The neighborhoods within DC are provided to help you make your decision.
      Bistro Francais   Georgetown
      Il Radicchio      Dupont Circle
      I Matti           Adams Morgan
      Miss Saigon       Georgetown and Adams Morgan
      Tony Cheng's      Chinatown
           Mongolian Restaurant

If you have access to a car (or are willing to take metro to the suburbs) the choices become greater.  Here are some additional suggestions:

      Carlyle Grand Cafe         Shirlington, VA
      Haandi                     Falls Church, VA
      Peking Gourmet Inn         Falls Church, VA
      Red, Hot and Blue          Arlington, VA
      Union Street Public House  Alexandria, VA

Paolo's is a sort of California-Italian hybrid and would make a reasonable choice.

Since you appear to be feeding young men with a presumed healthy appetite, Tony Cheng's is a fun, off-beat and economical choice.  For the basic price of an entree (approx $20) you have an all-you-can eat situation.  Diners go to the central grill area and fill their plates with raw materials which they then hand to several chefs with the longest chopsticks and the most amazing chopstick dexterity skills seen anywhere.
 The chefs cook your food and return the finished product to each diner.
 Diners can keep coming back and experimenting with various meats, vegetables, and condiments.

Il Radicchio is another all-you-can eat situation with a twist.  You pay for a bottomless bowl of spaghetti and you can select a variety of sauces with each sauce priced diffently.  What makes this a choice I'm willing to recommend (as opposed to The Olive Garden) is that one of the most talented chefs in the city, Roberto Donna of four-star Galileo fame, is the driving force behind this concept -- although clearly not the gentleman behind the stove!

I hope something on this list speaks to you.

Karen Selwyn