NW (202/265-6688) and the old neighborhood standby, Childe Harold, on 20th Street between Q and R streets NW, which has a tendency to attract different crowds to its different floor levels, and which gets the arty, low-key types downstairs (202/483-6700). In and around Dupont Circle, there are a number of possibilities, including the fine Italian Sesto Senso at Connecticut and 18th Street NW (202/785-9525) the audience-conscious but not too trendy Trumpets at 17th and Q streets NW (202/232-4141) the bustling City Lights of China at 1731 Connecticut Ave. If you tried to eat all you could at Red Sage, 14th and F streets NW, you'd be washing dishes for the bill - but it might be worth it (202/638-4444). On 15th Street between G and H streets NW is Benkay, best known for its all-you-can-eat sushi bar (202/737-1515). NW (202/822-6000), the cavern club for the cigar aficionado crowd and Euro-sleek tapas heads. Smokers should check out Ozio at 1835 K St. It also does not include cafeterias or carryouts, which turn over frequently, or establishments that are primarily nightclubs rather than eateries.)ĭowntown on 16th Street NW, in the basement of the Capital Hilton where Trader Vic's used to be, Fran O'Brien's is slinging steaks and martinis (202/783-2599) the Meeting Place (202/293-7755) and the Ascot (202/296-7640) go head to head, or rather stairwell to stairwell, on L Street between 17th and Connecticut and a half-block away is Muer's Seafood over the Farragut North Metro stop at Connecticut Avenue and L Street (202/785-4505). And it only lists a few notable hotel restaurants, the sort you would be likely to want to visit even if you were nowhere nearby. (This list does not include food courts in the lower levels of some shopping malls such as Chevy Chase Pavilion or the complex in the lower level of Union Station. Most lower-profile restaurants are in the District, the heart of the rowhouse architecture region but these older places may not be wheelchair accessible, so be sure to call first. In the heat of August, I go underground.įortunately, there are plenty of places, in nearly every flavor and price range, to descend and dine - although the two most extravagant basement-level restaurants in the area, Le Lion d'Or and Jean-Louis at the Watergate, both closed permanently before the kitchens had to take the summer heat. Rooftop dining strikes me as perfect for the occasions that warrant driving with the convertible top down: May, October and even the first snow shower of the year.

THERE ARE TWO kinds of people: the ones who want to eat outside, and the ones who don't.

Buffalo billiards metro stop