Most overrated restaurant you've eaten at recently

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whoever thinks the DC area has good restaurants hasn't travelled at all.

Yeah, apparently every Midwestern city blows DC's restaurant scene away.

You'll pardon me if I take all of these claims with a large grain of artisanal salt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a theory about DC restaurants:

I think when they first open they are usually legit good. But then after that they quickly go downhill. But everyone still goes based on the hype and nobody will complain about it because "everyone else thinks it's good". And so it goes.

Honestly, I can count on one hand how many truly amazing meals I have had here.

+1

Nailed it.

ITA.

the first time I went to the Dabney and Casa Luca, they were great. I haven't been back to Dabney yet, but it's been over a year so I'm sad to hear posters here saying it's mediocre. but that fits PP's post about everything going downhill quickly.

Casa Luca was really bad on my second visit. Like, I was legit pissed I wasted my birthday date-night/baby-sitter night on it.

[Anonymous]

We had an anniversary dinner at Iron Gate. While the setting was romantic (outdoors with lights and fireplace), the service was atrocious and the food was not great either. I would not return. We went because of Tom Sietsema's recommendation in the WP. I could have overlooked the quality and temperature of the food, but the arrogant and condescending service is what really bothered me. We sat close to two other couples and only one of them received good service from a waitress. Our waiter was totally in the wrong profession. He didn't make eye contact, wasn't good at conversation and seemed very canned with absolutely NO personality. The restaurant has great potential though in my opinion. They just need better food and better servers. Location is fabulous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest, I'd say The Inn at Little Washington. It's perfectly fine (if you ignore the price), but the hype doesn't match reality, imo.

BTDT, don't need to go back.

Have to say I agree. Food was good of course. Just did not seem memorable to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought all purpose was prerty mediocre

I did too. Did not understand the hype.

[Anonymous]

Volt.
Service was okay. Food was fine. Just don’t understand the hype.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoever thinks the DC area has good restaurants hasn't travelled at all.

Yeah, apparently every Midwestern city blows DC's restaurant scene away.

You'll pardon me if I take all of these claims with a large grain of artisanal salt.

Pretty sure this PP isn’t saying Midwest restaurants are better. Maybe NY, SF, etc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoever thinks the DC area has good restaurants hasn't travelled at all.

Yeah, apparently every Midwestern city blows DC's restaurant scene away.

You'll pardon me if I take all of these claims with a large grain of artisanal salt.

Pretty sure this PP isn’t saying Midwest restaurants are better. Maybe NY, SF, etc?

Some of you need to travel more. Most major metro areas in this country (not just NY or SF and including many in the Midwest) have better food scenes than DC. Sorry if that disturbs your worldview.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oceanaire.

+1. Went there for a special occasion. Nothing about it was wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Founding Farmers. Mediocre food, marginal service, pretty boring menu (and I like boring sometimes!). Just so blah.

+1

+2. And the service is the absolute worst.

Your best bet at better-than-mediocre service is to sit at the bar. But, admittedly, my last visit while sitting at the bar also sucked. Still, nowhere near the general ineptitude of the serving staff who wait tables. We once sat in a booth and our waitress never returned after taking our drink order. Ten minutes later, we went and found a new waiter but never saw the first waitress again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoever thinks the DC area has good restaurants hasn't travelled at all.

Yeah, apparently every Midwestern city blows DC's restaurant scene away.

You'll pardon me if I take all of these claims with a large grain of artisanal salt.

Pretty sure this PP isn’t saying Midwest restaurants are better. Maybe NY, SF, etc?

Some of you need to travel more. Most major metro areas in this country (not just NY or SF and including many in the Midwest) have better food scenes than DC. Sorry if that disturbs your worldview.

Examples?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoever thinks the DC area has good restaurants hasn't travelled at all.

Yeah, apparently every Midwestern city blows DC's restaurant scene away.

You'll pardon me if I take all of these claims with a large grain of artisanal salt.

Pretty sure this PP isn’t saying Midwest restaurants are better. Maybe NY, SF, etc?

Some of you need to travel more. Most major metro areas in this country (not just NY or SF and including many in the Midwest) have better food scenes than DC. Sorry if that disturbs your worldview.

LOL. Sure. The person bragging about Skyline Chili and the rest of the fine dining in metro Cincinnati is well travelled, as are you, you precious little thing.

People enjoy trashing DC food because they are negative, awful people who trash everything and are so painfully unoriginal and without taste that they think trashing stuff leaves others with the impression that they are knowledgeable and superior. It doesn’t. If you can’t find exceptional food in DC you are a stupid, boring person. And in all likelihood you heard about DC food like 15-20 years ago and don’t actually go to restaurants.

You don’t disturb my worldview. You annoy me with your presence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Founding Farmers. Mediocre food, marginal service, pretty boring menu (and I like boring sometimes!). Just so blah.

+1

+2. And the service is the absolute worst.

Your best bet at better-than-mediocre service is to sit at the bar. But, admittedly, my last visit while sitting at the bar also sucked. Still, nowhere near the general ineptitude of the serving staff who wait tables. We once sat in a booth and our waitress never returned after taking our drink order. Ten minutes later, we went and found a new waiter but never saw the first waitress again.

I am convinced that all founding farmers does is take regular food and just douse it with butter. No technique, just lots of butter. Everything is tasteless. And I agree the service is just plain awful. Why do people still eat there?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Zaytinya, hands down.

Bland (except for overly salty falafel), non-authentic and really just underwhelming. Mediocre ambiance and service.

OMG yes. My husband is always recommending it to visitors because he can walk there for lunch. I always glare at him and mouth “stop. Just stop.” It’s only good if you are visiting from Ohio and think it’s exotic.

Omg. The Cleveland food scene blows DC's out of the water.

I agree! I don’t even bothering going out here any more.

My hometown of Milwaukee blows the DC restaurant scene out of the water too. I dream about dishes and restaurants there. We don’t even go out here anymore either. Overpriced, bland, and disappointing. And why no restaurateur in this area can’t put together a decent sandwich or bake an edible loaf of bread has always baffled me. Plus, no good diners, Italian, Mexican, delis, bakeries, funky coffee shops and bars that serve great food. Ahh, I am homesick.

Milwaukee? Cleveland? Why don’t we throw in Pittsburgh also since people rave about the food scene there too. I travel to all three frequently and there is nothing in any of them that would cause me to rave about any of them.

Seems like you haven’t ventured out much when visiting those places. I can give you multiple recommendations in Milwaukee that blow most DC restaurants out of the water. There is great food outside of DC. In fact, that’s where most of it is.

+1000. We spent last summer vacation in upper lower Michigan, and almost every podunk restaurant was better than DC.

Unless you’re talking about Middle Eastern food in the Detroit burbs, this is simply not true. Having lived in Michigan, the food is blah. My husband and I even used to call it “Michigan good.”

A fresh "Michigan Good" whitefish sandwich still beats DC!

[Anonymous]

The comments regarding poor service made me think of Mintwood Place. Overpriced, mediocre food at best. The shade from the servers is unbelievable.