Washington D.C. Restaurant Tips by Dabs

Zebra Lounge: Quick snack

We had tried stopping by Brickskeller which was closed so we ended up here to grab a quick snack and a drink. In the mid afternoon there were few people here, so we chatted for a bit and then headed back out to tour a bit. I really liked the lounge atmosphere of this place, it's a good place to relax with friends with comfy places to sit.

Favorite Dish: We order a chicken quesadilla appetizer which was pretty good.

Address: 3238 Wisconsin

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Local

Pizzeria Uno: Chicago pizza in Washington DC?

After several failed attempts to find a spot for the second VT meeting with Matcrazy1 and 0, we settled on Pizzeria Uno located in Union Station. Since it was Saturday night and we had a larger party, we had to wait for about 20 minutes to get a table.

Kent (kentbein), Tania (skye820) and me who had been touring together in the afternoon joined up with the other party of Matt (matcrazy1), Urzsula (matcrazy0), Chris (Balfor) and Kathy (Kodi01)

Favorite Dish: Well, of course, Chicago style deep dish pizza is MUCH better if you eat it in Chicago, but the pizza here was good. After eating some appetizers, we ordered several pizzas and I stuck with my favorite, the Chicago Classic with sausage and fresh tomatoes.

Chris (Balfor) introduced us to a drink called the Sneaky Bast**rd, tastes just like fruit punch but has three shots of liquor!

Address: Union Station

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Pizza

Old Ebbitt Grill: Power dining near the White House

Old Ebbitt Grill was nothing like I expected it to be. I guess from the word Grill I was expecting more of a greasy spoon/diner type of establishment but this wood paneled restaurant reeks of power lunches the minute you walk in the door and see all the folks dressed in power suits.

Since I was dining solo, I bypassed the 20 minute lunch time wait for a table and sat at the bar where they serve the full menu.

The service was prompt and friendly.

Favorite Dish: I asked the bartender/waiter what their speciality was and he said crab cakes, one of my favorite foods. I ordered just one, knowing that I would be eating heavily later in the day. It was very good, lightly fried with big chunks of crab meat but it was a little small for $14.95. I was still hungry after I ate it so I actually ate some of the green beans that came with which will come as a shock to my friends and loved ones as green vegetables rarely pass my lips. But the orange mushy stuff beneath the crab cake was still left on my plate :-)

The guy sitting next to me at the bar was having a burger and it looked rather tasty and much more filling than my single crabcake.

Address: 675 15th Street, NW

Comparison: about average

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: American

Website: http://www.ebbitt.com

Jaleo's: Spanish tapas Jaleo's Review

Jaleo's is where we decided on for our 1st VT meeting to welcome Matcrazy1 and Matcrazy0 to the nation's capitol. Since we were all staying in Arlington, we chose the newer Crystal City location, a huge loud colorful restaurant. We went on a Friday night around 8:30 and although it was busy, they were able to seat us right away.

Favorite Dish: We tried a bunch of different tapas, I enjoyed the calamares a la romana (fried squid with alioli), croquetas de jamon y pollo (ham and chicken fritters) and Solomillo de cerdo con salsa de anranja (pork tenderloin in an orange sauce). Other dishes tried included quail, rabbit, dates wrapped in bacon and soft shell crab.

In the picture left to right:

Nat (b1bob), me, Matt (Matcrazy1) looking at his ever present camera, Matt's lovely wife Urzsula (Matcrazy0), Kathy (kodi01), Chris (Balfor)

Address: 2250-A Crystal Dr., Crystal City

Comparison: about average

Directions: Other location: corner of 7th St. and E St. NW, near the MCI Center.

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

Pizzeria Paradiso: Wood oven pizza in DuPont Circle

Even though I didn't have my husband, the pizza nut, with me, I still stopped and tried this small pizza joint right near DuPont Circle. It's a very small restaurant so if you go at a busy time you might encounter a wait. But since I was by myself, I went and sat at the counter right away.

Favorite Dish: I tried a 8 inch pizza with salami and red onions and it was delicious! There are plenty of non traditional ingredients on the menu such as mussels, eggplant, pine nuts and you can also substitute fresh buffalo mozzarella and fresh sliced tomatoes on any pizza.

The menu also includes some paninis which looked pretty tasty as they passed by, salads and several dessert choices including gelato.

Address: DuPont Circle, 2029 P St. NW

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Also another location in Georgetown at 3282 M St. NW

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Pizza

Lebanese Taverna: Middle Eastern near the National Zoo Lebanese Taverna Review

I stopped by here after visiting the zoo, there's a stretch of Connecticut Avenue just after the Woodley Park/zoo metro stop that has a myriad of different cuisines. I had read about Lebanese Taverna so I stopped here after reluctantly bypassing French and Italian.

But it was a good choice, it was still warm enough to dine al fresco, the service was prompt and friendly.

Favorite Dish: I couldn't decide what I wanted to try so I tried three appetizer portions (2 would have been enough food). The calamari was fried with a yogurt dipping sauce, the chicken shawarma was chicken with tomatoes, onions and a yogurty dip.

Address: 2641 Connecticut Avenue NW

Comparison: about average

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Middle Eastern