Dinner and drinks in DC with the parents

[psulauren]

My fiance and I recently moved down to the DC area (Friendship Heights in particular). Since we're still new to the food and drink scene I was hoping to get some suggestions for places to have dinner and maybe drinks nearby after with our parents on a Saturday night. We're a pretty laid-back crowd, happiest when sipping good beers and cocktails and being able to hear each other talk. I'm a big fan of American micro-brews and Belgian beers, so if that's on tap it's a major plus. We live close to the metro so anywhere along the red line would be great.

Thank you!

[Elyssa]

I would head over to Brasserie Beck. I took my parents there when they were in town a month ago and they loved it...my Dad especially appreciated the Belgian beer list.

It can get a little loud when the restaurant is full though so make a reservation and ask for a table towards the back. You will still be able to get the fun vibe of the restaurant without having to deal with the noise from the bar.

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Brasserie Beck
1101 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

[Raids]

Seconded, particularly when it gets nice enough for the patio. Unmatchable Belgian Beer selection. Better than average food. Metro Center station.

[mjhals]

Thirded. I just went back on Saturday, and was reminded how good BB is. The food was outstanding! I had the sweet bread/risotto appetizer and it was really superb quality. Hubby had the sunchoke soup with chicken confit (a special), and it was great as well. I don't usually order my own dessert- but I couldn't resist since they had my favorite (a bread pudding) on the menu. Totally worth the calories, the vanilla sauce alone was enough to make it a winner in my book. Great service as well. After Saturday, they jumped back up to the very top of my DC go-to list.

[daves_32]

How about Palena cafe? Though not a ton of beers, they do have a few carefully selected taps now. That would be close for you. Though, BB is one of my favorites.

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Palena
3529 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

[Elyssa]

Palena was the first place that came to mind until the poster starting discussing their love for Belgian beer.

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Palena
3529 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

[psulauren]

I went to Brasserie Beck armed with a Living Social coupon a few weeks ago, and it WAS awesome. Definitely in the running. I noticed that opentable says they're already booked this Saturday night though...has anyone ever popped in successfully without a reservation? I feel like the wait could get pretty out of hand.

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Brasserie Beck
1101 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

[Elyssa]

I would give them a call to see what they can do. I've popped in on a Friday night (on the later end) and was able to get a table.

[daves_32]

Beck on a Saturday night would be tough. You could either keep checking opentable as I am sure there are lots of cancellations or take your chances with the bar. you could also try calling them. As for my Palena suggestion, I think they have the typical belgian beers at least in bottles. That would be Chimay, Duvel, and the like. As a note on the semantics of Belgian beer, Beck has become lately much more about Belgian "style." They are serving many beers from the Bruery, Unibroue (canadian), a few Dutch and French brands, etc. The draft list always has several winners. I just wanted to check about how serious you wanted to dive into Belgian beer as a qualifier.

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Palena
3529 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

[psulauren]

I'm happy both with Belgian "style" beers and true Belgian beers. When I went to Brasserie Beck previously I had a Kasteel Rouge and a Belgian IPA (forget the exact name) and I was a very happy girl, and I'm also a Unibroue fan. But regarding my original post I'd just like to find a place with some interesting beers on tap, doesn't have to be specifically Belgian.

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Brasserie Beck
1101 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

[daves_32]

Have you considered Birch and Barley?

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Birch and Barley
1337 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

[daves_32]

Well, I just checked on open table. Birch and Barley would be tough without reservations. I might also suggest Pizzeria Paradiso. They have lots of creative (and some exclusive) taps in there. It is pizza-centric but it is definitely laid back. If you wanted to do Beck, I would recommend an early arrival. you could probably get a table and you would be able to actually hear each other. Rumor had BB was opening its patio the first weekend in April. If it supposed to warm up, it may be worth inquiring

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Pizzeria Paradiso
3282 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007

Birch and Barley
1337 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

[psulauren]

Wow, I can't believe how quickly these restaurants fill up...thanks for all your suggestions. Pizzeria Paradiso does sound good. Maybe we'll try to sneak in somewhere early and hope for the best.

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Pizzeria Paradiso
3282 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007

[agarnett100]

People are in town for the cherry blossoms this week its the peak expect crowds

[daves_32]

A good choice for you and your fiancee to try smoe great microbrews is the Black Squirrel in Adams Morgan. they keep a great tap list. However, that is not necessarily going to be a great food choice for your parents.

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The Black Squirrel
2427 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

[psulauren]

Oooh just checked their website and the beer selection looks great, thanks for the tip. We'll definitely want to try it out sometime soon.

[Elyssa]

Just a reminder, many restaurants do not pull all their reservations on Opentable. So it's always worth calling to see what's really available.

[Teddybear]

I have often found that just because Open Table doesn't have an open table on the day and time you want doesn't mean you can't get the reservation you want if you call.

[lilkimbo]

Brasserie Beck is definitely a great suggestion.

Just to throw one more idea out there, depending on whether you think you/your parents would be comfortable in a "transitional neighborhood," you might want to try Granville Moore's. It's definitely walkable from Union Station, but it is a bit of a longer walk. I took my parents there when they visited and they loved it.

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Brasserie Beck
1101 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005