In Bethesda/NW in the midrange I like Et Voila, Mon Ami Gabi, Fish Taco, Praline, Jaleo, Raku, Food Wine & Co., Rosa Mexicano.

Love Cava and Nando's but that's more fast casual (so's Fish Taco but its a little pricier).

For sandwiches/lunch - Fresh Baguette.

great american restaurants

District Taco

London Curry House

Momo Sushi

Cava.

Sad list!!

Chipotle, really?

I'd say Amsterdam Falafel, Bullfrog Bagels, and I can't think of anything else. DC restaurants are over priced for what they are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will be the first to respond.

I really like Central in downtown DC. Great food, that is often simple but delicious. Same prices at lunch and dinner except that there is 3 course lunch every day for about $21. Chef food like cheese puffs, great bread, lovely onion soup, Brussels sprouts. Wow, I am getting hungry.

Central Michel Richard? I went there once but it was 10 years or so ago. I don't remember anything standing out about the experience, but I would give it another shot.

I wasn't impressed by the food either.

One thing that does stand out: Be careful at Central if you have food allergies. My husband has a severe reaction to tree nuts. When we dined at Central, we asked the waiter if the "lemon eggceptional" dessert contained tree nuts. It was not marked on the menu as having nuts, but we like to double check, just to be sure. The waiter confirmed that it did not. Minutes after digging into the dessert, my husband felt the beginnings of an allergic reaction and ran out of the restaurant to the local CVS to get medication. Coincidentally, we had forgotten the Benadryl and Epi-pen that day. When the waiter asked what had happened, I told him that the dish must contain tree nuts because it had triggered a reaction and my husband had left to get medical attention. The waiter continued to insist it did not, stating the there were no "tree nuts" in the dessert, only a "tiny bit of hazelnut". WTF. Poor training of the wait staff could have killed my husband.

I agree on Sweetgreen and would also add Shophouse in Dupont Circle for consistently good fast food. I like Rice (Thai) and Estadio (Tapas) on 14th street and Sichuan Pavillion (K Street) a lot as well--none of these are particularly expensive.

Mia's is pretty good. Paradiso did not impress me at either location (Georgetown and Dupont).

Any restaurants that aren''t corporate owned/chains?

Pete's apizza

Sweetgreen for salads, Mia's or Paradiso for pizza, Ruan Thai for Thai. We've had good experiences with Ikko Sushi in DTSS; $50 will buy a *lot* of good sushi for two.

Anonymous wrote:A little more but worth it:
Bistro Provence
Blacks

I would classify Blacks as "good" but not "great" and I think their food is overpriced. But they are still better than most restaurants in the Bethesda area.

Anonymous wrote:Fish Taco
Olazzo
Wild Tomato
Geppetto (they deliver!)

Olazzo?! I've been there many times and their food is so mediocre it hurts. It's a better price point than other places but could never in a million years pass for authentic Italian.

Cedar is very nice.

Black Market Bistro.

For a little more $$ and a white tablecloth, Vidalia. But you can save money with their 3-course prix fixe every day. (19.90 for lunch, 29.90 for dinner, often with upcharges for stuff like foie gras.)

Vasalis in kentlands. It's sooo good.