New and Worthwhile in Downtown D.C.?
Anyone know of any relatively new restaurants downtown that would be a good idea for lunch? Butterfield 8? TenPehn? Been to Equinox already; and, of course, I'm a regular at Chowhound favorites such as Full Kee, Kinkead's and Jaleo.
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Have you tried Johnny's Half Shell on P Street, just west of Dupont Circle? From the owner of Cashion's Eat Place, it has good New Orleans style food. The appetizers are terrific.
Also near Dupont Circle, Etrusco is a very good Italian restaurant, run by Francesco Ricchi--at the corner of 20th and Q.
Buon appetito.
Jim Zurer
Washington DC›1 Reply-
re: Jim Zurer
Yeah, I've been to Johnny's, and I agree with your assessment. Perhaps the best hot dog in town, too -- and at a seafood joint, no less!
Have been wanting to try Etrusco; and I probably should have yesterday. I ended up at TenPenh, Jeff Tunks's (he of D.C. Coast) new "multi-Asian" place. It's only the restaurant's second week, so it's not fair to pan it just yet; but I found it to be a waste of money. It doesn't know what it wants to be, except that it's trying to be as hip as possible and (nominally) to cover as many, undifferentiated Asian cuisines as there are Asian nations. You can see exactly where all your money is being spent, and it's not on the food: elaborate and trendy decor; extensive (but uninformed) staff; presentation, presentation, presentation. As for the food, well, not much was *poorly* done (although my shrimp dumplings were filled with a tasteless mush) -- indeed, my halibut was cooked perfectly, which is unusual around here outside of Kinkead's/Pesce. It's just that none of the tastes was even notable, let alone inspired or memorable.
Marty L.
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