Lauriol Plaza

Area: Dupont Circle (Red Line Dupont Circle metro stop)
Location: 1835 18th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009
Cuisine: Mexican
Cost: $$

Lauriol Plaza has had a LOT of hype. Ever since I have been in DC all I ever hear about is everyone going to Lauriol Plaza for happy hour to order their famous pitchers of margharitas. I must admit, they are DELICIOUS! I can probably finish one alone. But it is always more fun to share. Anywho, I'm transgressing. I've always heard so much hype about Lauriol Plazas drinks and their food. Now I definitely agree with everyone on the drinks part, because like I said the margharita's are a must have. They also offer some pretty decent selection of beers, if you are a beer person. Me, not so much.

Lauriol Plaza has outdoor seating outside, which is where I usually like to sit because I love people watching. There are two floors, a bar at the front of the restaurant, and an outdoor deck upstairs on the second floor. It is almost always a long wait to get a table. Oh, and parking is usually pretty bad, they have valet, but they usually fill up pretty quick. My suggestion, park far and just walk, use public transportation, or just save the Earth and walk.

The service can be iffy. Sometimes the waiters take forever but they are usually so on point you don't even notice it. As long as the margharitas are flowing I'm not complaining. They serve you salsa and chips to tide you over while you wait, which is always nice and I almost always end up asking for a second batch. The food itself, well it's pretty average. I'm not really a fan of the entrees. The mussells are pretty amazing, which is why I'm constantly being dragged to dine there, even against my will. The avacado salad is pretty good as well. Healthy, but fills you right on up. The tamales and enchiladas are okay, but your safer ordering the quesadillas. There is more hype to this place than the food is really worth. But hey if your the type to follow the hype, this place is definitely it, as it's always packed (all floors including the outdoor seating), and the drinks and mussells can con you into coming back time and time again.

Belga Cafe

Location: 514 8th St. SE, Washington, Dc
Neighborhood: Barracks Row
Cost: $$$
Cusine: Belgan

I had an informal business meeting at Belga Cafe one evening. Reservations are strongly suggested as this place tends to fill up fast. It's small and quaint with romantic dim lighting and the chef's corner is visible in the back. I can't lie I was a little skeptical because I was very naive about Belgan food, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Well I'm glad I didn't have any reservations. I may have found a new love that evening. French fries with mayonaise? Absurd! But, AMAZING! The fries are hand made and they add a little something to the mayonaisa but, man those things were so good, maybe even better than my moms homemade fries. Next up for the appetizers were the mussels, and man Belgians sure know what the heck they are doing with mussels. I mean the creamy white wine sauce that the mussels simmered in made you want to keep digging for more mussels in the pot after you had already ran out.

The menu had a good variety. Duck, lamb, scallops, chicken, beef, were all offered on the menu. But the way they were presented and the sides they offered with the entrees had to have been carefully crafted by the chef gods themselves, because it took me forever to reach a decision on what I would order. I had the lamb, my date for the evening had the duck. I think I may have even offered to swap plates because his duck was sooooooo good. I have actually had cravings the past couple of weeks for this particular duck dish. The lamb was pretty good, perfectly seasoned and grilled to perfection. But I can't stop raving about the duck. For beer lovers, Belga Cafe has a pretty lavish list of Belgian beers on tap.

Don't be surprised if I take advantage of Belga Cafe and restaurant week, just hope my duck is as I remembered it...

Famoso

Location: Chevy Chase/Friendship Heights
Nearest Metro: Redline Friendship Heights
Website: http://www.famosorestaurant.com/

This is what you call a place that has Hollywood Swank. How could you not when the restaurant is located next to Tiffany & Co. & Barney's Co-op. Don't be surprised when you see plenty of famous and infamous people here. On the warmer days the patio is available for seating. Decorated with a grand style bar and white formica chairs and tables. The servers and waiters/waitresses are decent.

Now onto the juicy good stuff, the food! I strongly suggest this place for brunch. It's perfect with an Italian menu crafted with pizza, pasta, salads, foccaci, and paninis. The brunch menu also includes breakfast items such as omelets and waffles, which are all very delectable. The food isn't as pricey as you would expect, but the presentation of the food would make you think that your pockets would cry when you walk out, but quite the contrary. The pizzas are AMAZING. Thin crust, fresh ingredients, you cannot go wrong ordering one of these creations. The other day for brunch I had the salmon and baby goat cheese foccaci with arugala. I must say not only was it larger than I expect, but it was awesome. I might have to sneak back and grab another one this weekend.

Sei

Location: 444 7th St. NW, Washington DC, 20004
Penn Quarters
Nearet Train: China Town (red, yellow, green line)
Website: http://www.seirestaurant.com/

Sei is a new restaurant in Penn Quarters, that just opened in late January, by the same people who have produced Oya. When you walk in, you can have the same expectations of Oya. It's clean, modern, upscale, and has awesome service. The white walls and contemporary decor really take you outside of Penn Quarters and put you somewhere else. It's definitely noticeable that the management puts a lot of emphasis on customer service and it shows, good job. The bartenders were pretty good at making great drinks, and the saki menu is pretty extensive. The waitress was quite personable and so were the runners.

The menu is creative and keeps the basics of sushi with a flare. I enjoyed the appetizers they offered. Sei is a little pricier, but not unreasonable. I would strongly suggest this place for a happy hour or for a romantic date. Definitely need to check it out. I think it's the next IT Sushi spot.

Hank's Oyster Bar

Location: Dupont Circle (Q & 17th st)1624 Q St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Metro: Red Line Dupont Circle Metro Stop
Cuisine: Seafood
Website: hanksdc.com

So a couple of friends of mine planned a surprise birthday dinner at Hank's for my roomies birthday. It was a Sunday night, and they don't take reservations, you just have to get there to get your name on the list and wait. Since it was a Sunday night they weren't particularly busy, so it wasn't long before we could get a table. However while we were waiting for the rest of the group & the birthday girl to show up, we decided to grab a few drinks at the bar. Everything was going fine, UNTIL, a little bug decided to run around our drinks and nearly attack us. I grabbed a napkin and quickly killed the little fellow. I was HIGHLY disappointed with how the bartender reacted, he didn't even comp our drinks or grab a manager to let them know what just happened. It was a BUG on the bar!!! Right near our glasses. I was SHOCKED that the bartender didn't go out of his way to correct this one. This action made me skeptical about the rest of the dinner, but I was put to ease once we were seated to our table and we had the most patient waitress ever!

The restaurant is pretty small and fills up pretty fast. We had a party of 10, and I know from my own experience as a waitress, that waiting on large parties can be ANNOYING. You constantly have someone asking for something or making changes to their order, and it takes a lot of patience to work with. As the waitress gave us a chance to look over the menu (which isn't that extensive but sufficient) we were given goldfish crackers to snack on. I ordered 12 Malpeque oysters on half shells (@ $2/oyster, it's not bad although I wish I would have selected a variety of oysters), the lobster bisque, and a side order of collard greens. The oysters were pretty good, the lobster bisque had nice chunks of lobster and was seasoned pretty well. The collard greens were a bit on the sweeter side, but the quantity was pretty large, a dash of tobasco sauce was the solution so it wasn't too bad.

Anytime we needed anything the waitress was excellent at being attentive and quickly solving the problem. I like this place, and would definitely try it again. Everyone enjoyed the oysters (the toten's and sister oysters are pretty good) and the sauce they serve with it, are EXCELLENT! I strongly recommend this place, it's modern, casual, and cozy perfect for these cold winter days.

Hello Cupcake!

Location: 1351 Connecticut Ave NW, DC
Cuisine: Desserts, Cupcakes
Price: $
Nearest Metro: Red Line Dupont Circle

So lately I've been having this sweet tooth and annoyingly haven't really had anything that would satisfy it. So I found out about this little spot in one of my daily email alerts from www.dailycandy.com saying that Hello Cupcake! was opening up. Well I figured why the heck not. A girlfriend of mine, her 18 month old son, and a mutual friend of ours decided to try this place out. Well when we got there (a Saturday afternoon around 3), it was a LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG line leading out the door! Once we got inside there were clean pastel colors decorating the walls, and everything looked so clean and crisp and just made you feel so happy. So we patiently stood in line, unfortunately they were out of most of the cupcakes that I wanted to try (for you vegans and Gluten free dieters they also have something to accommodate you), so I decided to get real exciting and went for the hc Original with buttercream icing. I love white cake with triple coconut (I REALLY wanted the dulce de leche cupcake but I was told they weren't going to sell it until the owner perfected the recipe), but nonetheless I was not let down. I ordered the 24 carrot (carrot cake, get it) for my friend whose birthday it was (I did sneak a taste and it was AMAZING. I will caution you, these minicakes are pretty rich and you may need a glass of milk to top it off, so be prepared. They are so goood! Oh a little thing I forgot to mention they change the menu daily so try checking out the website before you make your way over there, some of the flavors are sold daily and some are sold on certain days. So if there is a particular flavor you want to try make sure you are visiting this cute clean shop on the right day.

http://www.hellocupcakeonline.com/flavors.html

Mourayo

Location: DuPont Circle. 1732 Connecticut Ave NW, DC, 20009
(Red Line DuPont Circle Metro)
Website: www.mourayos.com
Cuisine: Greek Seafood
Price: $$$

During the month of Ramadan I caught up with a friend for dinner at Mourayo. Let me just say that during Ramadan, when you have a taste for something you will have great expectations of the food you eat when breaking your fast after a long day of stomach growls and hunger pains. My grandmother was Greek, and so I'm use to having really good homemade Greek food, and haven't had any Greek food in a while. So I figured on this particular day I would like to have some Greek food. So I called and made reservations that afternoon for 6:30 on a Tuesday. When i got there I fell in love with the seaman theme. It made me feel like I was really dining in a captains cabin for the evening. I almost felt like the restaurant might start swaying with the ocean =) I had to remind myself that we were still on land. Being that it was a Tuesday evening the restaurant had a few tables.

The wait staff was VERY efficient and friendly, the head person in charge (I want to say it was either the owner or the manager) was very attentive and hands on with the customers. Our glasses never went empty. So we were given the menus and the menu was pretty narrow, but everything looked so good, we couldn't make up our minds, but the staff remained patient. We finally chose the Ouzo Meze for the appetizer (seafood variety plate), there was octopus, mussels, anchovies, and a few other treats. The seafood was slightly salty and it was good, but definitely had that fresh seafood taste, so it kept its original flavor and taste, you could really taste each crustacean and fishes flavor and could distinguish them. For the entree we selected the Branzino fish (for the whole grilled fish you could either get it baked salted or grilled), we selected salted. I must say that it was an interesting display. After the fish came out it was displayed on a plate entirely covered in salt (looked pretty similar to the salt that you sprinkle on your driveway on snowy days). But it was quite a presentation, the manager/owner brought the fish to our table and began using a pic and axe sort of thing to chip off the salt from the fish. Once the branzino was finally revealed it was very moist and was tender, and surprisingly wasn't very salty. The appetizer and entree selection were pleasant for our break fast.

If your in the mood for some real seafood (not those super over seasoned and over cooked seafood), then I highly suggest this place. The fish tasted like it had just been caught on a line and was made by the fisher who caught the fish, and you can't get any fresher taste than that. There are also an extensive Greek wine selection to flush down your food with and to end your meal.

Station 9

Location: 1439 U St. (U st. between 14th and 15th)
Nearest Metro: U St./Cordoza Metro Stop on the Green/Yellow line
Cuisine: American, Soul Food
Price: $20-up
Website: http://www.station9dc.com/

When you walk in Station 9 the first thing you notice are the massive light fixtures that accent the dark turquoise hues of the large restaurant, that are made of clear solo cups. Creative. Makes me wonder what else I could make out of Solo plastic cups!

Any who you are quickly and kindly greeted by a host at the host stand. Usually there isn't too bad of a wait unless it's a Sunday afternoon for brunch or a Saturday evening, than you may want to call in advance and get a reservation. I haven't really had any of the dinner meals, but the Sunday brunch, is pretty damn good. There are a variety of items that are apart of the brunch buffet. Make sure you don't forget to order the Chef T's bottomless mimosa's. They are so tasty, but be careful they will sneak up on you, and if get a little too rambunctious he will cut you off. So make sure if you order these, you won't be driving.

The brunch spread consist of a salad/fruit bar with a variety of breads and spreads. There is a whole cakes, pies, and desserts spread, which I always avoid because I always end up eating so much of everything else my tummy ends up being so full. The brunch station is where I stock pile my plate. There are cheese grits, which are my ultimate favorite, I don't even have to add anything to make them tasty. There are spiced apples, sausage, a seafood dish (I can't think of the name of it, but it is SO DAMN GOOD), rice, fried chicken (One of Chef T's specialties), and an omelet station. I know I'm missing a few other items that are included for brunch, but there is so much that is offered it's hard to remember it all. I really enjoy Sunday brunch here, for $25, you will definitely get your moneys worth. I normally go for smaller quaint little homey places for brunch on Sundays, but when I want to splurge, I hit up Station 9. You cannot go wrong. Usually it's pretty packed on Sundays, full of families, church goers, and post party people. It's a nice mixed up crowd and the atmosphere is really comfortable so you can loosen your belt a bit.

The lounge is really nice as well. The only bad thing is they are only open until 2am on the weekends, which can be a doozer, but appropriate if you want to get dressed in your best and look and feel sexy in an atmosphere that is as such.

Lavandou

Location: Cleveland Park
Cuisine: French Bistro
Price: $$$
Website: http://www.lavandoudc.com/
Nearest Metro: Red Line Cleveland Park metro stop

I've lived in Cleveland Park for the past 2 years and walk past this restaurant almost daily. Lavandou is a rustic French looking bistro painted with oranges and yellows. When it's warm outside the windows in the front are open and inviting. The easel that sits outside the door invites you in with their daily specials, the one that stands out to me is the Tuesday special - $16.99 for all you can eat Mussels, prepared one of three ways. Finally I rounded up my roomie, her sister and a friend to try out this neighborhood icon that looks as if it should be housed on street with a brick road. The hostess and waiter were wonderful, they were patient, uber friendly, and very helpful in guiding us in our decision making. The waiter brought out bread that we devoured mercilessly. We chose a couple of appetizers, and what would a French dinner be if you did not order the Escargot Beurre d'Ail. There was plenty to go around. The sauced that housed these lovely little snail edibles was quite good, not too salty, not too bland, just right. The ratatouille was good, nice and hearty. I decided to go ahead and try out the L'Assiette de Frommage (assorted cheese plates). Although I'm not quite sure which cheeses were actually on the plate, they were pretty good (I think it was 3 or 4 different cheeses), I do know there was a brie that I just couldn't stop eating. The cheeses varied in flavor from the very salty to the more subtle. Being that everyone at the table decided to go ahead and order the all-you-can-eat mussels, I went ahead and tried the Jaret d'Agneau au Romarin (lamb shank in a rosemary sauce and pasta) which was great it wasn't overwhelmed with the flavor or the sauce and the meat was cooked perfectly. The mussels came in a variety of sauces (Provencale, pices et Basillique, and Safran et creme) I would have to say the Safran et Creme was THE best. The Basillique was okay but wasn't necessarily favored by the table.

I would have to say that this place is nice for getting together a few friends to grab a couple of glasses of wine and enjoy some nice homemade (the food was pretty fresh I must say), or even to go on a table and pretend that you are at a bistro on the French Riviera. The ambiance takes you out of DC and takes you to France and encompasses the nice things about France. I definitely would recommend at least checking it out once (suggesting that you go on Tuesday for the All-You-Can-Eat mussels, but if you want to take advantage of it stay away from the appetizers and go straight for the mussels, because they will really fill you up)

Bodega Spanish Tapas & Lounge

Location: Georgetown 3116 M St. NW
Cuisine: Spanish Tapas
Website: http://www.bodegadc.com/

So one of my best friends decided to randomly tell me he was in town and we couldn't find anywhere to eat because it was Friday around 11ish or midnight. Everywhere else had pretty much stopped serving food for the night. But we were fortunate enough to happen upon this lovely little Spanish masterpiece. The walls were decorated with bold red and black designs and bullhorns on the wall. Lo and Behold! The kitchen was still open and our stomaches could calm their cries for nourishment. We were quickly greeted (there were a few couples and bar patrons present). The waiter was very very welcoming and seemed to be intuitive to our needs. He quickly filled our glasses with water and gave us a plate full of lemons upon our request (I only asked for one, but hey the more the merrier, I like when they give more for my refills).

After several attempts to get our order, because of course me and my best friend needed time to catch up, or shall I say he needed to brief me on his crazy love life status and all the players involved, we finally glanced at the menus. For our appetizers we ordered the Calamares Fritos con Ali-Oli (Calamari), Pulpitos a la Plancha (octopus fried and sprinkled with paprika). Both were really good, especially the Pulpitos a la Plancha. The presentation wasn't super amazing but it was literally piping hot when it was served and the waiter and busboy were very accomadating. They also served us some really good bread with an aioli sauce. For the entree we both split a Paella Marinera (seafood paella). I was happy because they didn't put chorizo in the paella! Woohoo! The appetizers were pretty great, the entree was a bit bland, but wasn't bad.

Definitely recommend this spot for a date if your on the way to the last movie in Georgetown.