In article , [email removed] (L.A.Z. Smith) wrote: > I'll be spending a week in the Washington, D.C., area in late May, > and expecting to be spending time in Baltimore and Hagerstown, Md., > and Northern Virginia, as well as the capital. > > I'm interested in hearing about the absolutely-not-to-be-missed > restaurants in these areas (esp. any in the Crystal City and Vienna > environs), but I'm also curious about any really interesting food > markets. Is there a Washington equivalent of such New York > landmarks as Dean & Deluca, Balducci or Zabar's? Anywhere offbeat > like Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati? Ann Arbor's Zingerman's Deli? > > And what, besides crab in Baltimore, is the "native" food of these > areas, unique to or at least the best there? That is, what are the > local equivalents to Chicago pizza, Buffalo wings, Philly steaks, > etc. > > Thanks for any input. > > Leah Smith [email removed] Woo Lae Oak in Rosslyn (within 2 miles of X-stal City) is a very fine Korean Restaurant. Grills on the tables, extensive menu, private rooms available, reasonably priced. The Cajun Bangkok in Alexandria (about 4 miles South of X-stal City) is very good. Menu items are split into 'Cajun' and 'Thai', but sometimes they are combined into interesting dishes. In fact, there are about 30 fine restaurants in Alexandria. Too many to mention. If you give me info on what kind of food you'd like to try, I can give you better advise. The fish market on Maine Ave in DC is an 'interesting' food market, as is 'Eastern Market' (one block North of the 'Eastern Market' METRO stop on Capitol Hill in DC). Eastern Market has open air fruit and veggie stands on Saturday, and is a Flea Market on Sunday. The inside of the Market (an old rail station), always has greengrocers, fresh meat, fresh fish, bakeries, flowers, etc). There are dozens of 'ethnic' markets in Northern Virginia. Alexandria City, Arlington and Fairfax Counties all have diverse populations and some markets are hard to catagorize . If you look in the Weekend Section of the Washington Post, or get the free City Paper at any METRO station, many will be advertised. You have to read both carefully though, 'cause sometimes the best things are buried on page 37 of the 'On The Town' section, one line and an address. cheers, Brendan Perry
Washington, DC
Good food, markets, in D.C., Md., N. Va.?
L.A.Z. S. wrote: L> I'll be spending a week in the Washington, D.C., area in late May, L> and expecting to be spending time in Baltimore and Hagerstown, Md., L> and Northern Virginia, as well as the capital. L> I'm interested in hearing about the absolutely-not-to-be-missed L> restaurants in these areas (esp. any in the Crystal City and Vienna L> environs), but I'm also curious about any really interesting food L> markets. Is there a Washington equivalent of such New York L> landmarks as Dean & Deluca, Balducci or Zabar's? Anywhere offbeat L> like Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati? Ann Arbor's Zingerman's Deli? There are a couple Dean & Deluca... I wish there was a Zabars here! I enjoy all the Viet restaurants in the area; my favorites are Queen Bee on Wilson Blvd (Arlington, VA) and Pho 75 (Adelphi, MD; just pho). All kinds of other ethnicities, too -- except Polish as far as I can tell. :-) Bunches of Ethiopian places... send email if this is what you're after. Also some good beer joints in DC; Baltimore Brewing company has very good German-influenced fare an excellent beer (Maibock recently released). L> And what, besides crab in Baltimore, is the "native" food of these L> areas, unique to or at least the best there? That is, what are the L> local equivalents to Chicago pizza, Buffalo wings, Philly steaks, L> etc. Ha -- this is DC, land of transplants!
There are a number of great restaurants in DC. Red Sage is very hot... Mark Miller from Coyote Cafe opened it. It is rather expensive, though. I've been there and highly recommend it. ( I also know the owners, but I swear that's not why I'm stating this) My wife took me to very nice place called Morrison Clarke Inn which was an elegant restaurant with superb food. Too expensive for frequent visits, though.... By the way, there is a dean deluca in Georgetown which has great food. Sutton Place Gourmet is an original Wasshington Dean and Deluca which isn't quite as excessive, but still is rather expensive. Have fun..... this list could go on forever... Ralph
L'Auberge Chez Francois. About an hour from D.C., though it used to be in the District and moved out. You have to call for reservations exactly n amount of days ahead (call to find out). I'd tell you exactly where it is, but my cousin always takes me there when I'm in town. Virginia? Someone on the net will know.
In article , [email removed] (L.A.Z. Smith) wrote: > I'll be spending a week in the Washington, D.C., area in late May, > and expecting to be spending time in Baltimore and Hagerstown, Md., > and Northern Virginia, as well as the capital. > > I'm interested in hearing about the absolutely-not-to-be-missed > restaurants in these areas (esp. any in the Crystal City and Vienna > environs), but I'm also curious about any really interesting food > markets. Is there a Washington equivalent of such New York > landmarks as Dean & Deluca, Balducci or Zabar's? Anywhere offbeat > like Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati? Ann Arbor's Zingerman's Deli? > > And what, besides crab in Baltimore, is the "native" food of these > areas, unique to or at least the best there? That is, what are the > local equivalents to Chicago pizza, Buffalo wings, Philly steaks, > etc. > > Thanks for any input. > > Leah Smith [email removed] Hello, Leah, Haven't I seen you on rec.gardening? We have to stop meeting like this! But seriously, Try Vietnamese food: In Rockville, MD: Vietnam Taste/China Noodles In Arlington, VA: Pho Cali Near Crystal City, a Japanese restaurant called The Bonsai Grill (excellent BUT pricey!) For food markets, definitely try Sutton Place Gourmet, in various locations in the burbs and the city. For a wacky good time, try Generous George's Positive Pizza Place in Alexandria, VA. For a real gourmet experience, try Cafe Nora in Dupont Circle. Make a reservation and bring plenty o' cash. The best deli food: Parkway Deli in Silver Spring, MD. Send me email if you want more! Happy eating - this area really is blessed with an overabundance of good restaurants! Diane B.
Although I have no relationship with the place, Davis' pub in Annapolis has the best crabcake sandwich around. It's actually in Eastport, across the Spa creek bridge from downtown. John O'Brien (215) 897-7215R
Jessica L. wrote: > Leah Smith [L.A.Z. Smith ] asks: > > >Is there a Washington equivalent of such New York > >landmarks as Dean & Deluca, Balducci or Zabar's? Anywhere offbeat > >like Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati? Ann Arbor's Zingerman's Deli? > > Washington is not yet a foodie's paradise. We have our own branch of > Dean & DeLuca (in Georgetown, M Street west of Wisconsin), and two > local gourmet stores, Sutton Place Gourmet (branches in the District, in > Alexandria, and in Bethesda -- e-mail me for addresses/directions), and > Fresh Fields, which is is a natural and organic and good-for-you grocery > with very pretty fruits and vegetables and cheeses and deli items (branches > in various Maryland and Virginia locations). Any of the three is > surely worth a visit, but they aren't in the same class as Balducci, Zabar > or Zingerman's. (Although Dean & Deluca has a pretty spectacular collection > of cookbooks.) > > On the restaurant front, we have some excellent Italian restaurants, > some very good Japanese restaurants, and a fair complement of very > expensive auteur-chef places and inexpensive ethnic (especially Thai) > places. Those of you out there who subscribe to Compuserv can get > access to the Zagat Restaurant Guide listings for DC (any any other > US city that Zagat publishes a guide for) at no extra charge -- the > DC and Baltimore listings are fairly reliable. > > > Georgia Brown's is an absolute Can't Afford to Miss eating delight! If you get up to Harve D'Grace try McGregors and watch out for the 7 foot native Amerindians! Relana
In article , [email removed] (L.A.Z. Smith) writes: Try Kinkead's, described as an American bistro. Located at 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, it is a wonderful combination of inventiveness, informality, superb cooking , and good value. You can have full meals, snacks, or any combination thereof--all of it delicious.