Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Glendale, CA

Glendale, CA

Lodging: $135.00
M&IE: $71.00

Lodging

Hilton Glendale
100 West Glenoaks Blvd
Glendale, CA 91202
818-956-5466
http://www.hiltonlosangelesglendale.com/

I was able to reserve this room with one week advanced notice for $199.00 a night (please keep in mind that I don’t qualify for the government rate). I was able to get my room for about $15.00 less a night than the neighboring Embassy Suites. I got a fantastic AAA package that gave me free internet and free breakfast every day of my stay.

The hotel was clean, the staff was friendly, and I had a view of the downtown from my large picture window. The beds were not too hard which is one of my issues with hotels. Overall it was a great experience, although I am not sure why they get fewer cable channels at a Hilton than at a Hampton Inn. My Netfilx didn’t stream all that well at the Hilton Glendale. I usually had to wait about 15 minutes for the movie to buffer.

The room service was fine but nothing to write home about. If you do not get a guest package that includes the breakfast buffet, I wouldn’t pay the $18.95 to eat at the Trofi Restaurant buffet. The hostess always looked slightly perturbed that I wanted to eat there, although the wait staff was delightful. The food is not of high quality or flavor but it is edible and passable if it is free. I must admit I was disheartened when the omelet chef pulled out a giant bag of pre-processed egg mixture from the refrigerator. It just shattered the illusion for me that my omelet was made with fresh eggs.

Dining

Spark Woodfire Grill
11801 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
818-623-8883
http://www.sparkwoodfiregrill.com/

Spark came up on some Urban Spoon-esque website as a one of the top ranking places to eat in the area based on cuisine, decor, quality steak, and service. Since the majority of my dining experiences in the LA area (I am from Northern California originally) consisted of homemade sandwiches and the food at Disneyland, I am by no means an expert on dining in SoCal.

I liked Spark, although it took forever for the waitress to take my order as she was under the impression I was waiting for someone (ah, the woes of the lone diner). I ordered the special asparagus and onion soup that was quite good (and dairy free if you care). According to Spark’s website, they specialize in woodfired steaks. I had just been to a steak house a few weeks before and I wasn’t in the mood for steak. I ordered the Potato and Rosemary pizza. It was wonderful and I ate the whole thing. The potatoes and rosemary blended well together and made for a nice earthy flavor. I was worried about the pizza being a bit carb heavy, but the potatoes were thinly sliced and the pizza crust was so thin it was almost transparent yet still delicious. With the soup, pizza and a Diet Coke, I spent about $26.00.

Parking is terrible, so plan on using the valet service. It is only $3.50 per car. Just make sure you have the cash on you because it took me 20 minutes to find an ATM.

Porto’s Bakery & Café
315 N. Brand Blvd
Glendale, CA 91203
818-956-5996
http://www.portosbakery.com/

Porto’s was a wonderful discovery. It is a Cuban bakery and café, and I do love Cuban food. It was so good, that I went there twice. I would highly recommend trying their potato balls – which is like a ball of mashed potatoes stuffed with seasoned ground beef. I swear it is scrumptious. I also had a Cuban sandwich which was good, but I don’t recall it being pressed, like a traditional Cuban sandwich. For the side they serve plantain chips. I liked them, my dad did not. My one issue with Porto’s that it was a bit confusing to tell the pastry purchasing lines apart from the sandwich purchasing lines. The place is so packed at lunch that it was a chaotic process of placing the order and finding a table. I spent about $8.00 for a sandwich and a drink.

The pastries are delicious and the lines are long, so give yourself enough time. I happened to strike up a conversation with the manager and he gave me two of their famous pastries, the cheese and the cheese and guava, for free. They were heavenly.

¡Lotería! Grill
12050 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
818-508-5300
http://www.loteriagrill.com/

My dad loves the show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Network and he wanted to try some of the places he saw on the show. Word on the street is that ¡Lotería! Grill is famous for their chicken mole. While the restaurant featured on the show was Hollywood location, we found a location in Studio City.

Finding ¡Lotería! Grill turned out to be a challenge. My GPS kept taking me to a small strip mall containing Trader Joe’s, PinkBerry but no ¡Lotería! Grill. I must have driven around the block multiple times with no success. ¡Lotería! Grill is on the backside of the strip mall in another shopping complex. To complicate matters it is on the second floor and the signage is hidden by palm trees. Just go to the corner of Laurel Canyon and Ventura and it is the white, two-story shopping complex with free underground parking.

Strangely enough, my dad didn’t end up ordering the chicken mole. He ordered the Burrito Carnitas, which he said was average. The nacho appetizer was one of the best I have had as the cheese (and not the fake orange nacho cheese) was nicely melted and the tortilla chips were a bit toasted by being under the broiler. I ordered the “Probaditas,” which was a sampling of the 12 taco varieties on the ¡Lotería! Grill menu in mini form (think of silver dollar pancake size). It was a fun way to sample the taco varieties and I enjoyed the experience and was totally full. I will say the Chicharron en Salsa Verde taco looked disgusting (I don’t like chicharron anyway, but this looked like a dollop of slime on a tortilla). My dad took one bite and spit it out. Because of his culinary bravery I let him have the famous chicken mole taco and he said it was good (he didn’t use a lot of his words on that description).

Go and try the Probaditas and plan on spending about $30.00 for an appetizer, soda, and entrée.

In-N-Out
119 S. Brand Blvd
Glendale, CA 91204
800-786-1000
http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp

There are not words to accurately express how I feel about In-N-Out. It is a SoCal institution and beloved by Californians. Now that I am on the East Coast I find myself craving an In-N-Out burger. If you want a popularity comparison (although the styles are completely different), Five Guys is like the In-N-Out of the East Coast.

Just ask any Californian and they will tell you what and how to order. In-N-Out has a “secret” menu. If you hear someone at In-N-Out referring to “Animal style” do not assume they are a pervert. Go to the In-N-Out website to see the secret menu and see for yourself.

This particular In-N-Out does not have a drive thru, so plan to park in the garage behind the building or find street parking. Plan on paying around $5.00 for a cheeseburger, fries and soda – what a deal!

BJ’s Brewhouse
101 N. Brand
Glendale, CA 91204
818-844-0160
http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/locationdetail.aspx?lcID=77

To be perfectly blunt, the food here was no better or worse than Chili’s, TGI Fridays or Olive Garden or any miscellaneous chain restaurant. I will say that they were able to quickly accommodate a party of 6 without a reservation at lunch. The service was quick and we were able to sit down, eat, and pay all within about 45 minutes. So with speed in mind, I would probably have lunch there again.

Lotus Chinese Cuisine
511 N. Glenoaks Blvd
Burbank, CA 91502

I am very picky about my Chinese food and have yet to find an adequate place back East. So by way of a review, Lotus isn’t bad Chinese food. I really liked their potstickers. I don’t know if I would go out of my way to eat there, but it does the job of the neighborhood Chinese restaurant.

They do not accept American Express.

Round Table Pizza
321 E. Alameda Ave, Suite A
Burbank, CA
818-842-9888
http://www.roundtablepizza.com/rtp/hi/

When I go back to California I always want to eat at the chains that I love. Round Table pizza is one of the chains. They have a fantastic gourmet vegetarian pizza that I wish I could replicate (and I am not a vegetarian).

Most Round Tables have an all you can eat pizza and salad buffet for lunch. Ordinarily I would order my favorite pizza, but I was pressed for time and I got the buffet. It was full of pizza goodness, but they usually serve their most popular pizzas as part of the buffet so I didn’t get my gourmet vegetarian. The buffet and a soda runs about $9.50.

Koi
730 N. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
310-659-9449
http://www.koirestaurant.com/home.html

I had been craving sushi for a while so I though LA would be just the place to quench my hunger. I went to Urban Spoon and Koi came up as one of the Top 10 sushi places in LA. Somewhere, somehow I had heard of Koi so I decided to go there. I called ahead and I was able to get in (as a party of 1) with no reservation on a Friday night.

Koi turned out to be way fancier than I was prepared for. I eventually figured out that I had heard of Koi because celebrities go there. That being said, I did walk in and immediately had a table at the sushi bar. The waitress recommended the Crispy Rice – which is rice that has been fried in butter and topped with spicy tuna. It was fantastic – it has been several weeks and I still fondly think about that dish. Since I didn’t want to get a California Roll, I decided to order the Koi Dragon Roll. I have no idea what was in the roll, but it was the best sushi I have ever had - hands down! The panko topping really made a difference in the taste and texture and was a welcome addition. Go to Koi.

Koi is a per diem buster. I could have ordered more food, but it is pricy. Two dishes, a soda and tip cost me $46.00. The valet is $8.00.

Gladstone’s
LAX International Airport

It is the only option in the terminal except for Burger King and Starbucks. It was very, very overpriced. I had to wait an inordinate amount of time before I finally tracked someone down to seat me as the hostess completely disappeared.

Gladstone’s is open for breakfast, but they don’t serve breakfast food – which should explain my dining choices. The clam chowder has a nice creamy texture, but the fish and chips were absolutely forgettable. I won’t eat there again unless I have a crazy long delay.

A cup of clam chowder, fish and chips and a soda cost me $37.00. I am mad that I spent so much on such mediocre food. When all was said and done I wish I would have eaten at the Burger King.

Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives

The same awesome person who put together the Best Thing I Ever Ate map has done the same for Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.


Check out the site at Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives map

The Best Thing I Ever Ate map

Those of you curious to try the places featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate should check out the link below.  An awesome person has put together a Google map listing names, addresses, and websites of all the restaurants featured on the show along with their signature item.


Check it out at The Best Thing I Ever Ate map

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Dallas, TX

GSA Per Diem

Lodging = $117.00
M&IE = $71.00

Lodging

Hyatt Regency Dallas
300 Reunion Blvd
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 651-1234
http://dallasregency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

This is one of my favorite hotels. It has a lovely interior, comfortable beds, and satisfactory dining options on site. I actually ate several meals at two of the Hyatt’s restaurants, Parrinos and Centennial Café. Room service provided a well-rounded menu and was of high quality. This is important because downtown Dallas tends to die after 5:00 pm and I didn’t feel all that safe wandering around after dark.

For internet they have two different bandwidths available for a 24 hour period: Economy and Business. Economy is $9.95 and Business is $12.95 with a faster bandwidth.

Parking is relatively inexpensive for a large metro area like Dallas. I used the valet and had no problems with the service. According to the Hyatt website:

Valet Parking:
Available at hotel entrance. In and out privileges for hotel guests only.
Overnight Valet: : $19.00 plus tax
Daily: 0-3 Hours $10.00, 3-6 Hours $14.00, 6-24 Hours $18.00 plus tax, operated by Ace Parking.

Self parking:
Self parking in the outdoor Radish Lot is conveniently located on the north end of the hotel at the intersection of Hotel Street and Reunion Boulevard West. No in and out privileges. Operated by Ace Parking.
Maximum $10.00 per day (including tax)*

Dining

Pappdeaux Seafood Kitchen
3520 Oak Lawn
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 521-4700
http://www.pappadeaux.com/location/?id=18

Pappadeaux is a famous restaurant chain in the South. I have been to Pappadeaux in several different cities in Texas and Georgia and the quality has been excellent across the board. I had the Citrus Crusted Tilapia and it was amazing and that is saying something as I don't care much for seafood. The building itself has a lot of character, which always seems to make my experience infinitely more enjoyable. Expect to spend around $37.00 per person.

For alcoholic drinks, they are famous for the “Swamp Thing.”

El Fenix – Downtown
1601 McKinney Ave
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 747-1121
http://www.elfenix.com/

El Fenix was recommended to me by some members of the Dallas PD. It is everything a Mexican food restaurant should be (according to a Mexican food snob from California): murals on the walls, lots of chips, more food than you can eat, and a family atmosphere.

I would happily go to El Fenix again, especially since I left absolutely stuffed for about $23.00.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Las Vegas

GSA Per Diem
Lodging = $109.00
M&IE = $71

Lodging

MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
877-880-0880
http://www.mgmgrand.com/

The MGM Grand was the best hotel that I have stayed at in Las Vegas.  It is one of the few casinos that doesn't reek of cigarette smoke.  The MGM also has amazing restaurants so you don't have to leave the hotel every time you need to eat, like some other hotels in Las Vegas (J'accuse Flamingo and the Riviera).  It ran about $114.00 a night in June, which was only $10.00 more than the Flamingo.

I stayed in the West Wing portion of the hotel.  The West Wing is the "boutique" section of the hotel designed especially for the single traveler (aka loser?).  The rooms were pleasant and well proportioned, if a bit small.  I loved the shower, as it was large and had excellent water pressure.  There were also plenty of electrical outlets around the room for my phone, iPod, computer, etc.

My big complaint was that there wasn't enough counter space for all of my toiletries.  As a girl, I need a nice counter to spread out my make-up, hair products, and miscellaneous toiletries.  Every morning turned out to be a bit of a juggling act, but I did manage.

The Internet access runs about $14.95 a day, but is very fast.  I was able to log onto my VPN and stream my Netflix without any problems.

The Monorail is also attached to the MGM Grand, which made commuting from the Flamingo to the MGM a simple process.  The Monorail runs $12.00 for an unlimited day pass.

Flamingo Las Vegas
3555 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
http://www.flamingolasvegas.com/casinos/flamingo-las-vegas/hotel-casino/property-home.shtml


My company has a contract with the Flamingo hotel so I have to stay there. The Flamingo doesn’t seem so bad initially. It definitely lacks the charm of the Bellagio or one of the newer hotels, but I was hoping it would have some the old Vegas charm. It does not. I have been told, however, not to insult the Flamingo – “That’s Bugsy Siegal’s place.”

Here is the deal with the Flamingo, if you don’t wear your glasses or look too closely at anything, than it isn’t awful. The second you start looking at the walls or the carpets or the furnishings you become sadly grossed out and start wearing sandals in the shower. The price varies, but I got my rooms for $77.00 a night. They do charge for internet, $13.99 a day, but it allowed me to stream my Netflix without any problems.

If you do stay at the Flamingo, ask for a “Go” room and do not settle for anything less. Go rooms have been remodeled and compared to the non-Go rooms, the Go is a presidential suite in comparison. I do like that there is a TV in the bathroom mirror so I could watch the “Today” show while showering. The bed wasn’t bad and I like having a flat screen TV in my room. The hallways do have a tendency to smell like diapers after a few days, so beware.

Whatever you do, do not eat at the Flamingo. Every meal I had made me sick for hours afterwards. I hear that Margaritaville isn’t bad there, but I wasn’t willing to risk it.

The Riviera
2901 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(800) 634-3420
http://www.rivierahotel.com/

The first, and only time, I have ever had bed bugs. Enough said.

Dining

Postrio Las Vegas
3377 Las Vegas Blvd South (The Venetian)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 796-1110
http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3821

Postrio is a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. I ate several years ago at Postrio in San Francisco (which is now closed – I thought the food was good but according to chowhound.com it was “80’s”) and I though I would give Vegas a try. I didn’t find the menu as diverse as the San Francisco one, but I did enjoy the food. Any place that serves gnocchi is fine by me. A salad and entrée set me back $41.00. To be honest, I don’t feel all that compelled to return during my next Vegas trip.

Mario Betali has a restaurant right next to Postrio. If you don’t like the menu at either place, take five steps and you will have another option.

The Buffet
3600 Las Vegas Blvd South (The Bellagio)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(888) 987-6667
http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/the-buffet.aspx

I tried The Buffet at the Bellagio because I had been told it was excellent. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. Everything was okay it just didn’t seem to be better than any other buffet. I guess I had higher expectations from the Bellagio. Word on the street is that the Wynn stole the Bellagio’s chef away and now the Wynn has the best buffet.

Make sure you arrive early. I arrived at about 5:00 pm (keep in mind I live on the east coast) and I had to wait in line for over 20 minutes. By the time I left, the line was 4 times longer than when I arrived. Expect to spend about $32.00 per person.

Mesa Grill
3570 Las Vegas Blvd (Caesar’s Palace)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(877) 346-4642
http://www.mesagrill.com/lasvegas/

I spent days deciding if I would eat at Mesa Grill as it is a bit pricy and there were so many items on the menu I wanted to try (I ended up spending $53.00). I enjoyed my experience at the Mesa Gill a lot. The creamy wild mushroom grits appetizer is fantastic. I also ordered the cornmeal crusted chile relleno and it was very flavorful but a bit too spicy for me. The hardest part of the Mesa Grill was trying to figure out what to eat, as most menu items had some ingredient that interested me.

Le Creperie
3655 Las Vegas Blvd South (The Paris)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 946-7000
http://www.parislasvegas.com/casinos/paris-las-vegas/restaurants-dining/la-creperie-detail.html

I love crepes, especially the sweet and savory crepes at Crepes-a-Go-Go in the San Francisco Bay Area. Le Creperie was fine, but they didn’t have the selection I was hoping for and it was $10.00 for a sweet or savory crepe. So you order both, but you just can’t eat both. It was a nice change of pace from the heavier and more expensive food I had been eating all week.

Craftsteak
3799 Las Vegas Blvd South (The MGM Grand)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/craftsteak-steak-house.aspx

Craftsteak is owned by Tom Colicchio of Top Chef fame and I have been wanting to try his food since I walked passed his restaurant, Craft, in Chelsea, NYC. The sweet smell of steak filled the air and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. The food was amazing. The homemade rolls had a sprinkle of sea salt on them – who knew that would make such a big difference in flavor? The warm frisee salad that initially sold me with all the blue cheese was also full of bacon. I had to force myself to stop eating the potato gratin so I could save room for my steak. My NY Strip was perfectly done and didn’t need any steak sauce to make it flavorful. It was one of the best meals I have ever had. It was also one of the most expensive. I made it out of there for just under $100.00. Worth it.

Mon Ami Gabi
3655 Las Vegas Blvd South (The Paris)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 944-4224
http://www.parislasvegas.com/casinos/paris-las-vegas/restaurants-dining/mon-ami-gabi-detail.html

Friends recommended Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris for breakfast. They have a very good eggs benedict and the French toast also looked delicious. I spent $24.00 for breakfast, which is about what I was spending on room service at the Flamingo but the quality was infinitely better.

Entertainment.

http://www.travelzoo.com//

Since it is always changing so much in Las Vegas I can’t keep up here.

I would recommend using TravelZoo.com as a way to get discounts on shows. They typically offer 30-60% discounts on certain shows.

Garden City, NY (Long Island)

GSA Per Diem
Lodging = $161.00
M&IE = $66.00

Lodging

Hampton Inn Garden City
1 North Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 227-2720
http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=JHCGCHX

I had a typical Hampton Inn experience for about $159.00 a night. I did like that there was plenty of parking although the flood lights in the parking lot and the blackout curtains in my room were in a struggle to the death every night.

Warning: if you are using your GPS to find the hotel there is an issue with how GPS has been programmed for Garden City. If you plug in 1 North Ave you end up at a school. You have to type in 700 North Ave and that will get you to the hotel. It totally worked, although I never had a problem using my GPS for any other location.

Dining

Waterzooi
850 Franklin Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 877-2177
http://www.waterzooi.com//

I found Waterzooi when I was lost in Garden City. I had never been to a Belgian bistro before and thought it sounded interesting. I had a nice baby green salad for starters, although it wasn’t memorable in any way.

My entrée was much more interesting. I had the pork offering – Wastmalle double braised pork belly with brown butter toasted spaetzle, caramelized sauerkraut, and spicy mustard. It was a thoughtful flavor combination, especially the toasted spaetzle, which added a nice crunch to the dish.

I had a Belgian waffle for dessert, although from what I have been told, it wasn’t a traditional Belgian waffle. It was fine, but I had hopes for something more authentic.

I liked Waterzooi for the most part, but I thought it was a bit overpriced as I spent about $68.00 on dinner. Also, the restaurant was so dark that I couldn’t read my book. As someone that eats alone quite often, I like having the option to read my book.

Grand Lux Café
630 Old Country Road
Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 741-0096
http://www.grandluxcafe.com/index.htm

The Grand Lux Café has an air of familiarity to it, as if you have eaten there on numerous occasions, but you just can’t quite remember when. Then you remember, it wasn’t the Grand Lux Café, it was The Cheesecake Factory you visit all the time with your co-workers. It is almost as if someone bought a Cheesecake Factory and just changed the name and made the menu less interesting. It is about the same pricing as the Cheesecake Factory, I made it out of there for around $35.00.

That being said, the portions are huge so don’t expect to power through the entire meal. While I thought most everything was adequate, the dessert was out of this world.

I ordered the New Orleans Beignets with 3 dipping sauces. As a disclaimer, I have never been to New Orleans so I can’t weigh in on their authenticity, but the beignets were fantastic. I was expecting about 3 beignets for a single dessert order, but I was served anywhere from 8 to 12 large beignets. While I was tempted, there was no way I could eat the entire serving so plan on sharing. They were so warm and wonderful – I would gladly eat at Grand Lux Café again just for the beignets

California Pizza Kitchen
1256 Old Country Road
Westbury, NY 11590
(516) 683-3338
http://www.cpk.com/location/costco-plaza-ny

It’s California Pizza Kitchen, so there aren’t any real surprises here. There are several chain restaurants in this area, so if you can’t find something you like, head towards the CPK and you will find something familiar. Try the Pear and Gorgonzola pizza, it is my favorite and you should be able to eat comfortably for around $25.00.

Hale and Hearty Soup
207 Glen Cove Road
Carle Place, NY 11514
(516) 535-1000
http://store5.geomerx.com/hahcarleplace/

With fantastic soups that change daily, I have been a big fan of Hale and Hearty for a while. I wasn’t as impressed with the sandwich offerings, but there should be something there for everyone. It is a great lunch location and it cost me about $13.00 for soup, sandwich and a soda.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Washington, DC

GSA Per Diem
From March 1 – June 30th:
Lodging = $226.00
M& IE = $71.00

Lodging

Mayflower Renaissance Washington Hotel
1127 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-228-7697
Metro: Farragut North/West (Red and Orange lines)
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/wassh-renaissance-mayflower-hotel/

I live in the DC Metro area, so I don’t have a lot of knowledge about lodging in the District. I have only stayed at one hotel in DC and it was the Mayflower. The Mayflower has a great reputation as being a prestigious and swanky hotel near the White House. You may also remember it from the Eliot Spitzer scandal, although the hotel doesn’t mention any of that in their advertising.

I had very few problems with the hotel as a customer. The bed was comfortable, the air conditioning worked, and they offer Aveda beauty products so I was happy. Room service offers the same dining options as any other Marriott so there isn’t anything noteworthy about room service.

Parking is remarkably expensive (as it is in any big city), valet only, and it runs $40.50 a night with in and out privileges. There are Metro stops close by and some parking garages in the vicinity that offer early bird specials, but no in and out privileges.

My company hosted a conference there and we did have problems with the hotel not being able to provided adequate electricity for our computers and the air conditioning never seemed to work in a few of our conference rooms. Air conditioning is one of my hot button issues.

One thing to be aware of, if you pay for internet for one night, the hotel automatically charges you the internet fee of $12.95 + tax for every night of the stay. I only paid for internet service for two nights, but there was an unauthorized (by me anyway) charge for internet on my third night on my bill. When you pay for the internet, there is no indication (that I noticed) that you are signing up for internet service for your entire stay. I called and they removed the charge, but I wager they are counting on people not noticing the charges.

Dining

This is by no means a definitive list and I will update my dining list as needed. These are establishments that I have enjoyed.

Good Stuff Eatery
303 Pennsylvania Ave SE
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 543-8222
Metro: Capitol South (Blue and Orange Line)
http://www.goodstuffeatery.com/

If you are a Top Chef fan, this place is owned by Spike (Chicago season). The hamburgers are fantastic and reasonably priced for being so close to the Hill. I would recommend the “Obama Burger” (no political commentary implied – it is just delicious). Make sure you order “Spike’s Village Fries” because they are topped with thyme, rosemary and pepper. Rumor has it that they make great ice cream shakes as well.

There is only street parking available.

Fogo de Chao
1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 347-4668
http://www.fogodechao.com/home/

Fogo de Chao is a tasty Brazilian steakhouse with a great location in DC. It is definitely on the more expensive side. My seven colleagues and I did not make it out of there for under $750.00 (including drinks and desserts). I don’t think that Fogo de Chao has as many offerings as the Rodizio Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse chain located in Colorado and Utah, but the beef is wonderful.

I would not recommend this place if you are traveling with vegetarians.

Rosa Mexicano
575 7th Street at F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 783-5522
Metro: Gallery Place – Chinatown (Green, Yellow, and Red lines)
http://www.rosamexicano.com/Default.aspx

This is a restaurant that attempts to elevate Mexican cuisine. Personally, I love traditional, simple Mexican food but I do enjoy dining at Rosa Mexicano as well. The table side guacamole is wonderful – but is goes very quickly. I would expect you to spend a minimum of $25-40 a person.

Rosa Mexicano has a great location, right across the street from the Verizon Center, so you can watch the Washington Wizards lose and have some dinner.

Ben’s Chili Bowl
1213 U St NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 667-0909
Metro: U Street-African American Civil War Memorial (Green line)
http://www.benschilibowl.com/ordereze/default.aspx

Ben’s Chili Bowl is a DC institution. The chili was indeed very good and it is different than southwestern-style chili as there were no beans anywhere. I would not recommend the slushees that they have, the one I ordered was so sweet I almost went into a diabetic coma. I enjoyed the chili dogs quite a bit. My friend gave the potato salad a review of “just okay.” You can also get Ben’s chili at the Nationals baseball stadium. $10 should be plenty for lunch.

There is a parking lot with about 5 spaces and no room to maneuver. Your best bet is to take the Metro or find metered parking.

Zaytinya
701 9th St NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 638-0800
Metro: Gallery Place – Chinatown (Green, Yellow, and Red lines)
http://www.zaytinya.com/

Zaytinya is a Mediterranean tapas restaurant. I am usually against tapas because I want more food then just a bite or two. Zaytinya was recommended to me by a friend and I was very happy with the food that was offered.

I would highly recommend the htipiti spread (roasted red peppers, feta and thyme) and anything with lamb in it tastes wonderful. Be sure to eat all the fresh pita bread that you can because it is warm, earthy and hits the spot.

Plan on spending about $35.00 (not including drinks) and $15.00 for valet if you don’t park on the street or one of the near by parking garages.

Panache
1725 DeSales St NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 293-7760
Metro: Farragut North/West (Red and Orange lines)
http://www.panacherestaurant.com/downtown/index.php

Panache is located right across the street from the Mayflower. While they do have wide variety of tapas (which I try to avoid) they have a very nice list of entrees. My favorite is the $30.00 three-course dinner which includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert. I love the hummus and my friends said the grilled calamari was excellent. I had the best chicken parmigiana that I have ever had. My friends enjoyed the salmon risotto and mahi mahi special. It was so good and the location so convenient that we ate there two nights in a row.

The chocolate mousse is surprisingly thick and very rich. I never once finished a whole serving.

Three three-course dinners and drinks cost about $150.00