Washington DC Restaurant Recommendations

And some italian... just for the fun of it, Graffiato. Bibiana also good. Have been hearing good things about new Fiola, but haven't been.

Last summer we had two delicious dinners in the Capitol Hill area. Bistro Bis is an updated French bistro. We LOVED it!. Art and Soul (owned by Art Smith who used to be Oprah's chef) is a modern Southern bistro. Food is not heavy as one might suspect. We really enjoyed them both. Prices not too bad, but then I live in New York, so maybe I'm not the best judge.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to help me out with this! You are the best! Anyone ever need restaurant recommendations in Charleston, SC, I'd be happy to help! I knew the folks at Food52 would be the ones to ask! xoxo

When we visited DC recently, I loved few places The Blue Duck Tavern is great place but little pricey .
Then, as lot of others have suggested Georgetown is a must visit place , with riverside views it has lots of nice eateries like Crepe Amour, and DC Cupcakes for cupcakes, then Comet Ping Pong for pizza..Blue Moon Cafe...etc

Komi! My favorite - and Washingtonian magazines too. You might have a challenge getting reservations but the tasting menu is worth it.

The above are good choices. All Jose Andres' restaurants are great: Oyamel as well as the already mentioned Zaytinya and Jaleo. Rasika is quite good but a very hard reservation to get unless you book way ahead. Those are all near the Verizon Center. I also like Birch and Barley 14th Street for brunch but have not been for dinner. For the true old time DC experience Ben's Chili Bowl.

Founding Farmers is one of my favorites--great scene, local ingredients (the skillet cornbread is a treat), and wonderful cocktails, but you'll have to make reservations in advance. I'd also recommend Minibar and Jaleo by Jose Andres. Westend bistro, if you are in the foggy bottom area, is always a good meal/nice and quiet setting. In Georgetown, there are many places along M street and Wisconsin avenue. Citronelle is your classic tasting menu. I've heard good things about Rasika too. And if you want the best baked goods/baked shop, skip the line at Gerogetown Cupcakes and head to Baked and Wired.

See the Hotline question-and-responses from seven days ago at: http://www.food52.com/hotline/12456-washington-d-c

For up-to-date and reliable information, I find Eater Heatmap (http://dc.eater.com/archives/2012/02/02/updating-the-eater-dc-heat-map-february-2012.php) and Essential 38 (http://dc.eater.com/archives/2012/01/04/the-38-essential-washington-restaurants-january-2012.php) lists quite helpful.

Personally, I love:

1. ESTADIO (http://estadio-dc.com/) for amazing Spanish food and drinks. (The only thing is, they don't take reservations, but they do have a great bar where you can wait.)

2. ZAYTINYA (http://zaytinya.com/) for middle eastern small plates in a sophisticated, vibrant setting and JALEO (http://www.jaleo.com/) for great tapas. (Both of those are Jose Andres restaurants.)

For brunch, I love CAFE DUPONT (http://www.doylecollection.com/restaurants/caf%C3%A9_dupont.aspx).

For anytime, but especially late night on the weekends, I love KRAMER'S (http://www.kramers.com/), which is attached to a bookstore.

For sushi, I love CHOPSTICKS (http://www.georgetownsushi.com/) in Georgetown.

I know there are more, but that's what I have off the top of my head. Many of my college friends still live there, and love going out to eat, so if you want a more rounded list, let me know and I would be happy to ask around!