Washington Food
Washington has, as you might expect, some of the most high-powered restaurants in the world. Full of suits with powerful sounding job descriptions, the restaurants of DC are the place to see and be seen.
It is also worth noting that this can happen at any time of the day - lunch is just as important a meal as dinner, but could be indulged in at any time, so you are almost certain to need to book ahead if you want to brush shoulders with a governor or two.
Restaurants are mostly located in the Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Georgetown and Downtown areas, but the most exclusive haunts are around Foggy Bottom, Woodley Park and Capitol Hill.
The Capitol Hill restaurants are a perfect place to start and also provide a hearty range of fare from across the states and the rest of the world. This being America, all the restaurants ? even the top-notch ones ? tend to be themed.
Bistro Bis is an old favourite with the politicians and their entourages. It describes itself as a French-style "dining staple". Think waterfowl with carrots, but well cooked and with extravagant sauce.
Try the Acadiana on New York Avenue for a cuisine from Southern Louisiana and a menu that "reflects the bounty of the Big Easy", but in a contemporary setting. Their New Orleans style barbeque shrimp was named one of USA Today's top 25 dishes last year.
The Banana Cafe in 8th Street won't stretch your pocket too far, while also being the hub of local bustle, with a Cuban and Puerto Rican menu that you can wash down with mango margaritas while listening to the tunes wafting out from its piano bar.
For a little bit of Belgium, you can't beat the Belga Cafe. A good lunch venue rather than the best bet for a hearty evening meal, the cuisine is described as "Euro-Fusion" and is made in an open kitchen at this little 8th Street venue with pavement seating.
If you're really heading for the all-American experience though, make time to try the Capital Grille on Pennsylvania Avenue. The steakhouse serves up the kind of stakes only usually seen in a cartoon character's daydreams, so don't plan on doing much for the rest of the afternoon!
It's not all about the food though. Capitol Hill also boasts its very own brewery on Massachusetts Avenue. It's not quite pub-style food, because it's rather more up-market. Perhaps 'inspired by a pub menu' would be more fitting. Besides, the beer is the star of this restaurant. Its in-house brewery makes a good selection of ales, lagers and pilsners on the premises. Not only that, but they come freshly brewed to your table.
With so many mouth-watering potential dining-out experiences at your fingertips, it might be worth noting that Washington DC also has a Summer Restaurant Week, which runs from the 14th to 20th August. More than 150 restaurants participate in this event, during which they offer three course fixed lunch menus for just $20.60.
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Eating & Drinking
