Washington, DC - 3 Great restaurants & a Dud

[mbooth]

We just returned from DC, a favorite city we visit regularly. We always check out CH for any city we visit. This time we ate at 3 excellent restaurants & one true dud - the good ones first.
Our first night was at our all-time favorite, Obelisk. It never disappoints! Fabulous cheffing! Wonderful food, & they don't take themselves too seriously. Amazing flavors, and we are always blown away by the burrata cheese. Still our very favorite restaurant.
Our second great restaurant was a return to Bistro du Coin, a casual French bistro off DuPont Circle. The last time we were there my husband had major back spasms, so it wasn't optimal. But we had a truly fun time with excellent, very casual food.
The 3rd "winner" was our first time to the Blue Duck Tavern. We had read reviews & gave it a try, & we WILL return. This chef also knows how to cook farm-fresh foods! The bone marrow appetizer was fab, and the soft-shell crabs truly fantastic. Entrees of scallops and fluke were superb. Desserts of chocolate & cinnamon ice cream & strawberry rhubarb crumble with creme frache absolutely amazing. Beautiful room, well-trained staff. We loved the entire experience.
OK, now for the disappointing experience. Despite positive recs on CH, we found Tabard Inn to be decidedly sub-standard in every way. Poor service. Lack of attention from the time you enter the door (& you wend your way on your own thru a "lounge" a bar, into the dining room). NO ONE seemed to care about anything with the customers. (Personally I don't care if the staff "really" cares, but they need to act as if they do!) The main dining room is pretty, and that's the most positive thing I can say. All the food was mediocre at best. The single male-female bathroom way down in the basement was grungy and "disturbing". It was a really yucky experience - not cheap - & one that we warn everyone else against.
Overall, 3 out of 4 isn't bad! And we HIGHLY recommend Obelisk and the Blue Duck Tavern.

-----
Tabard Inn
1739 N St NW, Washington, DC 20036

Blue Duck Tavern
1201 24th Street NW, Washington, DC 20037

[emcentar]

I'm disappointed you didn't like the Tabard Inn, but it is true that it's a much better brunch destination than dinner. I have had very nice dinners at the Tabard Inn, but I do tend to think of it as more a funky DC refuge (our nice restaurants often have a very 'business lunch' feel that's not very romantic) than out-of-towner destination.

[VaPaula]

Bummer about the Tabard. I love it for drinks, but we recently had dinner there for the first time. The service was very good (but it was a slow weeknight - not that it should matter) and I really enjoyed the sauteed calamari app and gnocchi entree. Not crave-worthy in the future, but I was pleased, especially since we ate there out of convenience. I love the space.

Thanks for the reviews. Bistro du Coin is next up on my list when I'm jonesing for Frenchness.

[dinwiddie]

Tabard Inn is fine for brunch, drinks on the terrace, and not much else. It's reputation is made on its romantic setting and breakfasts. I've never been impressed with it for anything else.

[Jay F]

Obelisk was my favorite restaurant when I lived in DC (until 2000).

Did you have dessert at the Tabard?

[Raids]

Great to hear your thoughts - thanks for posting. I've never had great service at Tabard Inn either, but the lounge is, IMO, a great place to grab a cocktail on a chilly day.

I've never felt compelled to have dinner there, and the one brunch I did have was pretty good for a city that lacks brunch options, but not amazing.

I also love Blue Duck - glad you had a great time there.

[mbooth]

All of these were for dinners.

[woodleyparkhound]

Did you go to the Tabard Inn for brunch?

-----
Tabard Inn
1739 N St NW, Washington, DC 20036