I’m a big fan of the “Not for Tourists” Guides. They have them for a lot of the major cities and I have the editions for Los Angeles, San Francisco and now Washington DC. They are almost a blog in book form and they give opinions on everything from restaurants to tourist attractions. Some of them are quite funny. I hope it benefits someone, but here is my restaurant review from DC. My hotel was in the DuPoint Circle neighborhood, so obviously a lot of the entries are from that area. I’ve also included the Not for Tourists Commentary.
J Pauls – Georgetown
This was a fun bar/restaurant that claimed to be one of the oldest breweries in DC. I sampled some of their house brews and I was not impressed or disappointed. As for the food, the east coast seems to be infatuated with “The Sliders”. To me, this is restaurant marketing that allows them to give the appearance of more, with less of the expensive ingredients. I had the pulled pork sliders and they were fantastic. The only problem was, 3 hours later I wanted to eat the $4 Snickers in my room’s mini-bar.
N-F-T Take: Wanna feel like a pompous Georgetown loudmouth? It’s kinda fun!
Bua – DuPont Circle
This Thai restaurant has turned me on to a new favorite. I’ve always loved Pad Thai, but here I tried Pad Gai. Basically it’s the same, but a little spicier. By far this was the best place I ate at and in fact I went there twice. Now I need to go chat with Blue Orchid here in town and see if I can get it locally.
N-F-T Take: The food far outclasses the décor, as it should be.
Kramerbooks & Afterworks Café – DuPont Circle
This was the most unusual place I went to and I’m thinking it would do well in Lincoln. It’s split into 3rds. 1/3 Restaurant, 1/3 Bar, 1/3 Bookstore. I went there on the recommendation of the hotel staff and it was definitely fun. I had a great tenderloin sandwich with fantastic red beans and rice. I didn’t make it back, but I guess it’s a hit on Friday and Saturday nights as they are open 24 hours.
N-F-T Take: Restaurant? Bookstore? All-night pancake joint? A must-visit