Georgetown Area

[Mike C. Miller]

Texas Chowhound will be in Georgetown area with high school daughter for spring break trip. Daughter is looking at colleges and Georgetown and GWU are on the list. Daughter, who is a high school junior and a ovolacto vegetarian, will be accompanied by mother and dad. All of whom are foodies. Looking for 1) a place that will give daughter a feel for Georgetown and GWU area, and 2) will provide mom and dad with a decent place to eat and a good wine list.

[demon38]

Leopold's Kafe in Cady's Alley. Great cafe menu and desserts as well as a very good beer and wine list. Also loved the outdoor seating around the fountain.
you may also like Mie n Yu on M st. or Cilantro both pretty loungy with asian fare.

www.kafeleopolds.com
www.mienyu.com

[jpschust]

The bar at Mie N Yu is great, the food is absolutely terrible.

[pomme de terre]

I've always stayed away from Leopold's because I heard the service was just so awful. Has that been your experience?

[tinatuna16]

I worked in the area and couldn't get enough of Cafe tu-o-tu between g-town and GW on M St for lunch--the soups were outstanding, as was everything else. Pizza Paradiso is great too, and for a good cup of coffee hit up Baked and Wired on TJ St. Not to mention the baked goods are the BEST there. I also really like Bangkok Joe's for Thai, down near the waterfront, sure to have veggie options.

[gina]

I second Cafe Tu-O-Tu--they really are outstanding. I haven't been able to find stuffed grape leaves near as good as theirs anywhere else.

[Jacey]

So your daughter (and you) can have a real DC experience, you can try out Clyde's and J.Paul's in Gtown. It's busy and there are a lot of tourists, but it's good, there are veggie options and locals DO go there. Near GWU is M Street Bar and Grill--lots of good veggie options.

[Professor12]

As a junior at Georgetown and a vegan I would highly reccomend Amma's on 33rd and M for some of the indian you'll find in the district (all vegetarian and mostly vegan). You can also find some good mediterranean in the area namely, Fetoosh (lebanese), Cafe Divan (Turkish), and Bistro Med. You might also want to try Curry Club on Wisconsin or even Sushi Ko which does have an assortment of vegetarian rolls and appetizers. Last but not least would be Zed's for Ethiopian. It gets criticized a lot for being overpriced (somewhat deservedly given the competitors in DC) but having tried some of the best Ethiopian places in DC (including Dukem and Etete) Zed's vegetarian offers hold their own and the ambiance/service is unparraleled. Hope your daughter enjoys the visit; Georgetown is a great school even for lonely science majors like me.

[gina]

Zed's is a longtime favorite of mine in Georgetown. I haven't been to Etete, but I've been to Dukem, and don't think they're necessarily superior. I love all of Zed's veg dishes--telba wat (my favorite), mushroom inguday, kaisa, and collard greens are the best.

[caphill2320]

Didn't Bistro Med close a little while ago? Please say I'm wrong! I love their hummus and fresh pita breads.

[pomme de terre]

I also vote for Amma Vegetarian as a good choice for your daughter -- it's right on M Street, and there are lots of vegetarian choices. The food at Cafe Milano can be really uneven, but sometimes it's quite good, and I imagine the wine list is nice. And you can't beat it for DC scene-ster vibe. Of course, your daughter will likely only eat there when you're in town, so I don't know that it would really give her a sense of Georgetown from a student's perspective. 1789 is really nice, and you should definitely check out the Tombs (a sister restaurant/pub that's in the basement and is all Georgetown, all the time). When I was a student, our restaurants of choice were usually the Tombs or Bangkok Bistro (which is on the same block as Peacock Cafe and Cafe Milano). BB is standard Thai stuff, but I always had a good time there.

As for GW, I worked in Foggy Bottom for years and I really wasn't crazy about a lot of the restaurants. I enjoyed a Restaurant Week meal at Dish in the River Hill Inn, and I went to Kinkead's once, which I thought was good seafood but sort of overpriced. But I was dining there as a very young professional after G'town tuition crippled my budget, so you may think differently. Are there any Colonials in the house?

[dcs]

If you want to get zany, head 5 minutes across the Key Bridge to Arlington and check out Guajillo

http://www.waheeyo.com/

or its neighbor Ray's the Steaks.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-...

Be aware that it can be difficult getting into Ray's as it is always crowded and does not really take advance reservations.

Neither will disappoint.

[jpschust]

Good luck eating vegetarian at RTS :)

[dcs]

the hanger steak is not really that much meat. the daughter should be ok with that. or, perhaps she could try the seared scallops. fish is not meat, is it? ;)

yes, indeed, i lost track of the vegetarian requirement in the original post. my apologies. i did warn you that it was a zany idea.

[jpschust]

Back to the OP, I think this reply shows that Ray's isn't the place for you on this trip. I wish it was, but it isn't. Another great place for you to get to in Georgetown is Asia Nora, which was mentioned before. I have heard reports lately of the food going downhill, but I've never had a bad meal there. All the food is organic and the tofu there is maybe the best tofu I've ever had in my life.

[kabrown]

if you're looking for a brunch place in georgetown.. .peacock cafe is delicious ... and has some good vegetarian options...

[Dakota Guy]

I thought Amma was in Vienna, VA. Do they have a Georgetown restaurant now?

[zelda68]

Amma has been in Gtown for at least 5 years. I used to work in Gtown and would go all the time for lunch. Yum!

[Chownut]

do they have a good wine list?

[BookGuy]

For the vegetarian daughter, I recommend Amma Vegetarian Kitchen which has many interesting dishes and an extremely pleasant ambiance. Foodie's will probably like it as an undiscovered treasure.

[zelda68]

I second Amma. Great Indian food and will definitely have lots of vegetarian options. Pizzeria Paradiso would be good as well. Cafe Bonaparte (or Napoleon -- I always get it wrong) has good crepes.
Re Paolo's. I want to like this place, but they try to be too creative with their food and the result is not appetizing. But their calamari is great!

[Chownut]

Georgetown itself is not a great area for foodies. A lot of bars, some grilles, french, etc. Mostly tourist attractions. The school itself is on its own campus isolated but right in the neighborhood of Georgetown, which is great. Georgetown is a high end area with expensive homes.

The last time I was there, I dined at Paolo's, which reminded me of a NYC type of restaurant. Large windows which give a view of the hustle and bustle of georgetown. I also enjoyed Nathan's (not related to the hot dog company) when I dined there. Nathan's is located in the heart of Georgetown (corner of Wisconsin and M). You may also want to consider 1789. A high end restaurant which has gotten some good reviews here. If you want sushi, there's sushi ko, the oldest sushi restaurant in DC and one of the best.

http://www.paolosristorante.com/locations/georgetown.aspx
http://www.nathanslunch.com/restaurant.htm
http://www.1789restaurant.com/main/index.shtml
http://www.sushiko.us/

A good place to get something quick or a good cup of coffee is Dean & Deluca in Georgetown.

http://www.deandeluca.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/store/georgetown.d2w/report

GWU though, has an "urban" campus where the buildings blend into the city. There are some decent restaurants in GWU's Foggy Bottom neighborhood, namely Kinkead's (seafood) and the Blue Duck Tavern (homestyle/country in a contemporary setting). Both of these have been ranked as two of the best places in DC.

http://www.kinkead.com/kinkead/kinkead.htm
http://www.blueducktavern.com/

Definitely would recommend Georgetown over GWU though, depending on her major. Not just the school, but it's a nicer area, and great for college life with a much better campus.

[jpschust]

Nothing too memorable? Citronelle? :)

Anyways- Chownut is right, you want to get out of Georgetown to get to get some good chow, especially on the vegetarian side of things.

Take a cab from Georgetown to Dino up in cleveland park- I know all the other posters are surprised by that from me- but it will be about a 12 dollar cab ride or so and the wine list is incredibly priced with food being very well priced and a ton of options for a veggie.

Some other places you might like- Pizzaria paradiso- good pizza and panini right in Georgetown.

For a fast breakfast I'd swing over to Georgetown bagels.

If you are staying in Georgetown and are up earlier on Saturday or Sunday morning one of the nicest strolls you can take is to walk over the Key Bridge to Virginia. If you are up for a little bit of a hike for a nice view right as you get off the Key bridge on the near side take a left on to the laned bike path and you can walk over to Roosavelt Island where you can look from virginia back at DC- very pretty. Was my refuge when I was at Georgetown for some post grad work.

GWU and Georgetown are like 2 different worlds for schools, both very very good though. Since you're in the area you might have her look at American since it's not too terribly far from these via metro. It's another great school in the area that mixes the feel of both of the other schools. Those were the 3 I was looking at in the area for undergrad. (Who knew I'd get in to GWU and end up at Indiana University?)

[Chownut]

Citronelle is definitely a high end french joint on the outskirts of Georgetown right in between GU and GWU. As of late though, many here have poo poo'd on this place.

I've never eaten there, so I can't comment. Much advanced reservations are recommended if you want to dine here. It's very expensive.

[Dakota Guy]

Citronelle is very expensive; it is also very good. Try th eCitronelle lounge for a casual and far less expensive taste of the best in Washington [we often go there just for a glass of wine and dessert]. Other places in Georgetown (and the West End) to consider are Asia Nora (has vegetarian options), La Chaumiere [French country], Mendocino [modern American], 1789 [modern American with an antique ambiance], Pizzeria Paradiso. No need to cab it out of the area for good food.