Baby Shower time! Need great food, nice atmosphere...

[Beth K]

I'm on the hunt for a restaurant to host a baby shower luncheon for my sister-in-law anywhere between Springfield VA and Washington DC/Georgetown.

She's a fabulous cook and loves restaurants like Oyamel, Zaytinya and Paolo's. Are there other places with similar quality of food and atmosphere I can consider?

Budget: approx. $20-25/person (many guest won't drink, so higher food costs are a-ok)
Group: 10 or less
Hoping for easily accessible parking and a place that takes reservations.

Looking forward to finding some new gems in the NOVA/DC area!

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Zaytinya
701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

[c oliver]

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/752975

We adored Bodega on M in Georgetown. They have an upstairs also. I'm sure they could meet your budget. Great service and great food.

[Beth K]

Thank you c oliver! Still researching...

[bkanderian]

In the end we went with Zaytinya. We learned that they offer 2 price fixe menus for groups (arranged ahead with signed contract, guaranteed minimum guests, single payer), which was fresh, delicious, imaginative. Although we selected the $22/person option which was the less expensive of the two menus (and of course did not include alcohol, but no one drank), everyone was full before the desserts arrived. There were 10 courses, including 2 dessert courses. We were seated at the top of the stairs to the right, perfect atmosphere for us. My sister-in-law was beaming with delight the whole time...success!

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Zaytinya
701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

[katecm]

So glad to hear it! I think they do a great job with set menus there. I've been to dinners that have turned skeptics into loyal Zaytinya fans.

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Zaytinya
701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

[Steve]

Lyon Hall in Clarendon. Alsatian. Quality is sky-high. Hard to have a bad meal there.

If you are willing to something more exotic, then Maizbon (Afghan) in Alexandria is a beautiful restaurant (a bit Disneyfied in decor) with very high standards and gorgeous plating. The 'Delicacies' section of the menu is particularly interesting.

http://www.lyonhallarlington.com/

http://www.maizbon.com/

[Beth K]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the advice! Time to start investigating. I'll post later with the final decision and outcome. Cheers!

[Beth K]

She's a fan of great thin crust pizza as well...ideas?

[katecm]

That's not a super-generous price point, but if she loves Zaytinya, you may want to give them a call and see what they can work out for you. I've been to meals on the second level, which would be the perfect semi-private spot for a group of 10. The meals I've had have been several courses, with two or three options presented to the whole table for each course.

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Zaytinya
701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

[Elyssa]

In Georgetown Il Canale has great Italian pizza. They also serve salads, pasta etc, so everyone should be happy. I bet they could set you up upstairs so it's more private.