From old staples to newcomers, Tom Sietsema's 40 picks reflect a changing culinary scene in the District, Maryland and Virginia. Below are his picks and tips for each.
1330 Maryland Ave SW (at 12th St SW), Washington, D.C.
Restaurante Neo-Americano · Southwest Employment Area · 17 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: If you want to see what separates the good from the great, book a table at this coolly elegant restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and get a master class in the good life.
Restaurante Indiano · Penn Quarter · 192 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Rasika in Penn Quarter could easily rest on its considerable laurels, but instead improves on what it does by every year adding fresh reasons to drop in.
1511 17th St NW (at Church St NW), Washington, D.C.
Restaurante Tailandês · Northwest Washington · 58 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: This underground, 28-seat restaurant specializes in the hot, sour and herby notes of northeastern Thailand, doesn't take reservations and offers only a seven-course, family-style menu.
501 9th St NW (9th St NW between E and F St NW), Washington, D.C.
Bar de Coquetéis · Penn Quarter · 74 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: If you want a taste of tomorrow today, reserve a seat at this futuristic lounge adjoining Minibar, the daring dinner theater from Spanish ambassador Jose Andres.
Restaurante Neo-Americano · West End · 203 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Handsome quilts create a restful backdrop to the assured, farm-to-table cooking of the Texas-born, French-trained Sebastien Archambault.
Washington Post: You don't have to like meat to warm up to the city's best steakhouse. While grilled beef is the centerpiece, chef John Critchley stocks his menu with all sorts of temptations from field and stream.
Restaurante Italiano · Logan Circle - Shaw · 43 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: The big talent at tiny Etto in Logan Circle is Cagla Onal-Urel, a Turkish native whose Italian small plates underscore the idea that simple can be sublime.
Restaurante Francês · Logan Circle - Shaw · 313 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Le Diplomate, under the care of executive chef Adam Schop, executes a perfect omelet, an expert steak au poivre, a divine apple tart, everything delivered by some of the best servers in the city.
1813 Columbia Rd NW (at Biltmore St NW), Washington, D.C.
Restaurante Neo-Americano · Adams Morgan · 94 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Cedric Maupillier is a master of turning familiar recipes into quiet sensations. His menu is French but also American, which means he incorporates ideas from around the world.
1099 New York Avenue NW (11th Street NW), Washington, D.C.
Restaurante Italiano · Downtown-Penn Quarter-Chinatown · 44 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Chef Fabio Trabocchi comes from a four-star background -- the late, great Maestro in Tysons Corner -- evinced here by the way he approaches even basic food.
Restaurante de Ramen · Chinatown · 284 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: There are two ways to experience this restaurant: Stay on the ground floor to sip the broth and slurp the noodles of Sapporo-style ramen or go upstairs to order from a menu small plates.
Restaurante Judaico · Connecticut Avenue - K Street · 74 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: DGS is no standard-issue deli. For starters, the Dupont Circle outpost comes with a bar. Further, the kitchen is more respectful than reverential regarding tradition.
Restaurante Asiático · U-Street · 89 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Part Thai, part Vietnamese, Doi Moi is pleasure. Mark Kuller (Proof, Estadio) and chef Haidar Karoum returned from Southeast Asia to create flavors that some foodists compare to Little Serow.
1520 14th St NW (at Church St NW), Washington, D.C.
Restaurante Espanhol · Logan Circle - Shaw · 159 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: True to its name, this Spanish retreat in Logan Circle can be noisy as a "stadium" at full tilt. But good small plates and sherry cocktails are worth any ruckus.
Restaurante Belga · Palisades · 27 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Every neighborhood deserves an Et Voila!, a source of Belgian steamed mussels and beer-based beef stew that is priced for regular workdays.
Bar ao Ar Livre · U-Street · 87 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Every day feels like Oktoberfest at everyone's favorite beer garden. The fence-enclosed picnic tables on 14th Street NW are some of the most prized seats in the city.
Restaurante Japonês · U-Street · 62 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: With its small plates and fresh fish, this serene Japanese restaurant, just 40 seats on two floors, attracts Japanese speakers in droves.
Restaurante Grego · U-Street · 114 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: The latest and perhaps greatest idea (yet) from "Top Chef" veteran Mike Isabella. At this Greek restaurant, the familiar flavors are all accounted for, but the presentations are up to the minute.
Washington Post: The trendiest Korean barbecue around is a group-friendly and thoughtful place to feast on meat that's grilled at your table and comes with a swarm of tasty side dishes.
Restaurante Indiano · Glover Park · 6 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Introduced in February by the owners of the steady Heritage India above it, the offshoot makes a great compromise for diners who eschew meat and those who embrace it.
800 Connecticut Ave NW (at H St NW), Washington, D.C.
Restaurante Neo-Americano · Connecticut Avenue - K Street · 23 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: The second-most-famous oval room in Washington is the one owned by Ashok Bajaj. Top gun Tony Conte delights in slipping surprises into his cooking.
Restaurante Mexicano · Penn Quarter · 324 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: This Mexican playground from creator Jose Andres is a trailblazer. Thanks to recent expansion next door, it's also more comfortable than ever.
1822 1st St NW (at Seaton Pl NW), Washington, D.C.
Restaurante Italiano · LeDroit Park - Bloomingdale · 86 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Intriguing wines at user-friendly prices make this bustling newcomer in Bloomingdale worth crossing town for, but so, too, does the relaxed Italian cooking from Michael Friedman.
Restaurante Neo-Americano · Cleveland Park · 56 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: It would be easy just to drink dinner at this dashing attraction in Cleveland Park, where the sophisticated cocktails and carefully curated wine list elevate Ripple.
523 8th St SE (btwn E & G St SE), Washington, D.C.
Restaurante do Leste Europeu · Capitol Hill · 75 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: The rustic, two-floor room is no mere novelty act. Influenced by Greece, Turkey, Austria and Hungary, the robust food is good anytime, fall and winter best of all.
Washington Post: How does chef-owner Patrick O'Connell do it after all these decades at one of the most famous addresses in the food world? I believe in magic.
Restaurante Italiano · Cathedral Heights · 23 dicas e avaliações
Washington Post: Roberto Donna cooks dinner for a mere four diners at a kitchen counter at Roberto’s 4, a restaurant-within-a-restaurant inside Al Dente.