Washington DC recommendations

We are going to be going to Washington DC in a few weeks and will be there for about 2 weeks. Hubby is going for training for work, I'm going for pleasure. I finally get to enjoy the famous Cherry Blossom festival and should have time to check out all the Smithsonians!!

I was wondering if anyone knew of any good places up there to check out (food or fun)? Or maybe know of a good blog for the area? I've been googling but haven't found anything really good so far. I'm looking primarily for lunch spots and cheaper entertainment during the day since hubby will be in class. We are staying right by the mall/smithsonians so I'd prefer something in that area.

I already have a trip planned to the Neuhaus store...any suggestions on what to try? Everything on the website looks so good, I'm sure I could spend a small fortune in there, but my budget would not approve!

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I'm heading that direction as well. I asked for some recs a few weeks ago.

If you happen to end up in Fairfax, VA, go to Captain Pell's Fairfax Crabhouse. The crab was SOOOOO good!

http://www.captainpell.com/

oh neat! I just stumbled on all sorts of good finds by looking up places I wanted to go and several of them had recommendations for restaurants nearby. Ohhhs and Ahhhs was one of the places highly recommended by several places...pretty sure I'll be visiting them!

Not sure if your a history/art person, but the Terra Cotta warriors will be in DC until the end of the month before they return to China. If I wasn't excited enough before, now I'm a thousand times more ecstatic! I love Chinese culture and history...I can't wait to go!!! Tickets are $12.

I recommend going to the Washingtonian magazine website, and looking at the Food and Dining section. They have a variety of recommendations, but the best way to find a restaurant is probably to look at their 100 best lists- 100 best restaurants, 100 best cheap eats, and then the dirt cheap eats recommendations. You can limit by area of the region. There's not a lot of good cheap eat places in the mall area. Concentrate on the Penn Quarter area- that's close, and there are tons of places to eat there, from reasonably prices, to not.

If you are driving, you might want to check out Hillbilly Hotdogs. It was on DDD and #15 on the Travel Channel's show 101 Tastiest Places to Chowdown. Looks very interesting.

http://www.hillbillyhotdogs.com/

It's about an hour or so from DC, but if you have a chance, don't forget to check out The Inn at Little Washington. I've never eaten there, but they have a world-class rep. A friend of mine from culinary school used to work there.

If I'm remembering correctly, there is a neat little neighborhood called "Adams Morgan District" that has a lot of cool little stores, restaurants, etc. I love a place called Amsterdam, where they only serve Falafels and French Fries. You build your own Falafel sandwich, so it is fun. A half block down is a great coffee shop called Tryst...

Also another neat place for food, drinks, and books, is called Busboys and Poets.

There is a great veggie Soul Food place too. By Howard I believe...Checked - here ya go http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/resta ... 05832.html

Oh, I keep thinking of more. Depressing what we lack here. Here is an amazing vegan bakery..soooo good! http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/resta ... 95633.html

Have fun...Don't forget to walk the halls of congress. Free, easy and certainly an experience!

Washington DC has a great Metro system...Take the Green Line to College Park and walk around the beautiful University of Maryland campus...If you like chicken wings then you are gonna love Cluck-U Chicken...In fact, there is a location very near the campus...Also check out Union Station...A good place to people watch and the food court has many ethnic eateries that won't break the bank...

When I lived in DC WashingtonPost.com was my go to for restaurant searches. They had a full time restaurant critic.

A few suggestions from a couple of my favorite neighborhoods:

In Penn Quarter (North of the Mall - near Archives, Museum of Art):

Teaism - great bento boxes, and tea (get a salty oat cookie - mmmmmm!)
Jaleo - Spanish Tapas
Zaytinya - One of my faves! Meditteranean/Turkish tapas great drinks and a fun happy hour scene
MiniBar (inside Cafe Atlantico which is also tasty) if you want to splurge call ahead and see if you can get into minibar - it is Jose Andreas' homage to Ferran Adria. They have two nightly seatings with only six people per seating. A fantastic food experience

In Dupont Circle:
Raku -Pan Asian
Bistro Du Coin - French
Thai Chef - My favorite Thai in the City (which is saying a lot)

In Cleveland Park

Vace - tiny take out pizza joint (if you go will you bring me some Pizza?)
Palena - I suggest eating at the bar - affordable and amazing. I still dream about their truffle scented burger and roasted chicken. Anne Amernick (former white house pastry chef) was working her magic there when I was last in DC. If she is still there save room for dessert.
Indique - Delicious Indian Food


If you want specific cuisine/neighborhood suggestions just let me know. Enjoy!

Lucky you. We stayed in Georgetown last year and had some memorable meals. La Chaumiere was a great French bistro.
http://www.lachaumieredc.com/
Some locals started a thread on Trip Advisor about 5 years ago and people keep adding to it. It's called 'hidden gems for tourists" and contains some brilliant info. Here it is:


http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g2 ... umbia.html

Thanks for the many suggestions! I can tell now, I'm going to need to make a return trip! This time I have to keep it cheap, but it doesn't seem like I'll be limited.

I would suggest Perry's in Adams Morgan. Excellent sushi with a rooftop dining area. If memory serves me right it's a $30 minimum sushi order to get seated on the rooftop.

If you get a chance, go check out Eastern Market (at the Metro station of the same name). It's across the street behind the middle school.

The original building burned down a few years ago, but I think they've reopened. They have a whole bunch of local vendor stalls and a great seafood lunch counter.

Also, Independence Avenue (east end of the Mall- by the Capitol/Library of Congress) has a variety of inexpensive places.

If you have access to a car, drive down into Northern Virginia. Alexandria has a whole bunch of great places, including:

Top Thai (on 23rd Street in Crystal City)
Los Tios (on Mt. Vernon Avenue in the Del Ray neighborhood- it's sort of like Frankfort Avenue Jr.)
A La Lucia (the north end of Old Town on Madison Street)

Enjoy!