Il Mulino?

Just found out it closed?! haha, oops! I guess not then.. any other recs?

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Il Mulino?

Is Il Mulino worth it? I'm looking for a special birthday restaurant for just me and my husband.. somewhere that would not be part of our normal rotation of dinners out. We are not really foodies and I'm pregnant, so my picky eating is intensified! I have pretty much been living off of Mexican and Italian for the past few months.. any thoughts?

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Restaurant with new all you can drink Mexican brunch.. can't think of name!!

Can anyone help me out? I just read a review a week or two ago about a restaurant that's relatively well known that is now offering a new all you can eat, all you can drink Mexican brunch.. I believe it was downtown somewhere? Does anyone know which restaurant I am talking about?

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

basics in pentagon/crystal city?

Thanks for all of the tips. I will probably pass on Kabob Palace (my husband is Persian and I always get stuck eating kabobs, much more often than I would like.. the last thing he needs is another kabob place to choose from!), but I will definitely try some of the other places that you all mentioned! And yes, we do have a car, so Columbia Pike is fine - i just wanted to try to keep it to a really close drive! Thanks again.

-----
Kabob Palace
2315 S Eads St, Arlington, VA 22202

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

basics in pentagon/crystal city?

I posted a few months ago when my husband and I moved to pentagon city, asking for suggestions. Now that we've been here a little while, I'm realizing that what I need most are just everyday "basic" places that were all over the place in NYC, where we came from.

-Bagel place. Seriously, do they exist around here? I really just want t decent bagel place where I can get an egg on my bagel (and not the fake kind). I have heard good things about Manhattan Bagel in Ballston (or is it Clarendon?) but either way, I'd really like to find a place within a 5 minute drive.

-Fast places for dinner in the neighborhood where I can bring takeout home. Cheaper but not McDonalds type of fast food. I have been going to Chipotle more times than I should admit and am DYING for Chick Fil A to open. I've also been going to Sandella's Flatbread Cafe a lot and am sick of it now, same with CPK. Corner Bakery seems really processed and I didn't like it when I went.

-Pizza place- anything decent? We had two terrible experiences with Cafe Pizzaiolo and I am never trying it again!

-Chinese takeout? We tried tasteful delight and it was terrible.

I know I have to leave this area to get good food, but come on, there has to be some decent weeknight options, right?

-----
Cafe Pizzaiolo
507 23rd St S, Arlington, VA 22202

Chipotle
14925 Shady Grove Rd Unit L, Rockville, MD 20850

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Iranian/Persian Food

My husband is Persian and loves Moby Dick's! We have heard great things about Shamshiry but just moved to the area so we haven't tried it yet. We did get our wedding cake from Yasaman Bakery and it was delicious, the people there were really nice too.

-----
Shamshiry
8607 Westwood Center Dr Ste 100A, Vienna, VA 22182

Moby Dick's
721 S Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

anniversary dinner on july 4

I'm realizing while trying to plan something for our first anniversary that getting married on July 4 may not have been the best idea in terms of future anniversary plans!

I was thinking about doing a fun day in dc, watching the show and fireworks and then eating a late dinner around 9:45 at J&G Steakhouse or Filomena (but prob. J&G Steakhouse unless anyone thinks Filomena would be better).

Or- we could skip the fireworks entirely and have much more freedom in terms of having an early dinner around 8pm when there are more choices.. any suggestions for a place? We are pretty picky eaters and mostly like Steak and Italian.

Thanks!

-----
J&G Steakhouse
515 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20004

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Best Brunch in Arlington area?

I absolutely LOVE brunch (ok, and dinner too) at Carlyle in Shirlington. The Steak and Eggs Benedict is out of this world and they give you the most delicious muffins, donut holes, banana bread etc while you wait.

-----
Steak and Egg
4700 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

pentagon city recs

My husband and I just moved to pentagon city - any reasonably priced recommendations within walking distance (or nearby would be ok too). Really just any places we should know about - lunch recs would be great too - but in particular, weekend dinner places where the two of us could eat for under $60 or so. Thank you!

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

restaurant that seats 60, under $20 p/p in west hartford area

oh wow!! thank you so much!! this is an awesome idea and i really appreciate it! i will call her for sure!

csp84 in Southern New England

restaurant that seats 60, under $20 p/p in west hartford area

Hi -

I am trying to find a restaurant that can accommodate a school group of 55 eleventh graders and 5 chaperones on a Friday night in September around 6pm, for about $20 per person. It would be great if I could find something within walking distance to the movie theater in West Hartford (but am open to other suggestions). I tried calling Cheesecake Factory and they were not able to accommodate such a large group. When we did this last year in another city we went to Brio and it was perfect - I'm going to try the one at Westfarms for our Thursday night dinner. Also, we will only be there for about an hour or so, so we should be out before the big Friday night rush.

Any ideas?

Thank you!!

csp84 in Southern New England

drinks near the met?

Does anyone have suggestions for a wine bar/cocktail lounge within walking distance to the met? I will be with a group of approx. 20 girls and am trying to plan an "afterparty" at about 9 pm on a Saturday in May. I'm having some difficulty finding good options nearby. Bemelman's looks like it could be a good option, but I'm thinking that it would be pretty expensive. I'm not really finding much else within a 10 minute walk besides Uptown, where we had the afterparty last year. We could always go back to Uptown, but if you know of any similar places, please let me know. Thanks!

csp84 in Manhattan

restaurant week 2010

Any places in particular to look out for? I know they don't start taking reservations until tomorrow but I wanted to be prepared so I can get a good reservation! In the past I have gone to Dos Caminos (liked it but I go there normally so it wasn't really "special"), Rosa Mexicano (same), 21 club (liked but I almost felt bad/cheap for ordering off of RW menu), Spice Market (perfect mix of "place I wouldn't ordinarily go" and "not stuffy"), and Smith and Wollensky several times (great but want to try something new).

Thanks!

csp84 in Manhattan

Upper East Side -- Recommendations anyone?

I used to live in Carnegie Hill:

Chinese - Our Place is AWESOME!!! It's fantastic. I also liked Pig Heaven, but Our Place is way better in my opinion!
BBQ - Brother Jimmy's - very good and a fun atmosphere too
Mexican - Sabor a Mexico- this is nothing special but it was the best Mexican in the area
Pizza/Pasta - Nick's. I used to love getting their fettucine alfredo, it was fantastic and a half portion was $10 with tip, came with a great crusty roll and would be enough for both my husband and me.
Italian - Tony's Di Napoli - I know it's family style but I really liked it and they deliver; or Sfoglia if you want something more upscale
American - Square Meal, Fetch were both great
Middle Eastern- Persepolis is good if you like persian food

csp84 in Manhattan

best place for tray of "savory" appetizers or entrees?

I am going to a party on Tuesday and have been assigned to bring a "savory" food. So, I'm looking for a good place to pick up a tray of "savory" appetizers or an entree (like baked ziti, lasagna, etc). It doesn't have to feed too many people (there will only be 15 total at the party and everyone is bringing something). I'd like to spend less than $40 or $50. If I can't think of anything better, I was just going to pick up a half tray of baked ziti or penne vodka from Tony's Di Napoli. I'd prefer to find somewhere in midtown west or on the UWS. Any ideas?

Thanks!

csp84 in Manhattan

best chicken pot pie?

I am a chicken pot pie-a-holic. I really love it and could probably eat it every night for dinner (well, if it didn't have so many calories). Anyway, I am having trouble finding good chicken pot pie in Manhattan. Last week I tried the one at Sarabeth's (which I'd heard great things about) and I thought it was terrible. Too watery. I really like the ones that are pretty thick on the inside and made with white meat. Any suggestions?

csp84 in Manhattan

Hollywood Beach restaurants?

My friend and I are going to Hollywood Beach for four days on a girls' vacation. We will most likely NOT have a rental car (we are staying at the Marriott on the beach) unless someone thinks we really need one... can anyone recommend restaurants that are walking distance or a short cab ride away? We are mid 20s, and probably prefer steak, Mexican, Italian but are open to whatever. We went to Ft. Lauderdale in April and went to a place called H2O and really liked it a lot (for an idea of what we like).

Thanks!

csp84 in Miami - Ft. Lauderdale

visiting from nyc. staying at hyatt century plaza.. recs??

I will be staying at the Hyatt Century Plaza on a business trip from June 22-26. My food budget is about $50-60/day but I can certainly pay more out of pocket if necessary.. though I'd like to keep it reasonable. Can anyone recommend some nearby restaurants? I have a rental car but have heard nightmarish things about LA traffic so I'd like to avoid it if possible.

I love Mexican, American and Italian.. not a huge fan of Asian (Thai, Japanese, Chinese, etc) or Seafood.

Thanks!

csp84 in Los Angeles Area

any prix fixe deals tonight on the west side btw 9th and 50th?

I know that "restaurant week" basically extended for months... is it still going on? Can anyone recommend a place with a decent prix fixe deal for tonight? I am up for anything, nothing too dressy. Thanks!

csp84 in Manhattan

carmines vs. tony's di napoli for bachelorette party?

I think spending $50 or less p/p on food would be ideal. One person is a vegetarian so I think that churrascarias are out. Although I love the idea of the hot Brazilian waiters :)

csp84 in Manhattan

carmines vs. tony's di napoli for bachelorette party?

Could anyone tell me whether they think that Carmine's or Tony's Di Napoli would be better for a bachelorette party? I have been to both (many times as a matter of fact!) but I'm just not sure which would be best. I like the food better at Tony's, but I think the atmosphere is better at Carmine's. We will have a bunch of out of town people who have not really gone out much in Manhattan before.

I know that neither Carmine's nor Tony's is particularly known for their great food, but I don't want anything too upscale. I went to a bachelorette party last month at Jean-Georges and I felt like we were all walking on eggshells the entire time...that is NOT the vibe I want. So if you have any other recommendations, I would appreciate those too. I want to go somewhere where we can just relax and have fun, very laid back.. either close to Times Square or Union Square/Gramercy/Murray Hill area. Also, we don't want to go cheap, but we don't want to spend a ton of money either. Thanks :)

csp84 in Manhattan

low key 30th bday dinner

Can anyone recommend a place for a very low key 30th birthday dinner, where I could stlil get a reservation for this coming Friday (May 1)? There will only be about five of us. It's a long story but my fiance is basically the anti-foodie, and is not into trendy or "nice" restaurants. It's his birthday so I obviously want him to enjoy where we are at!

Ray's the Steaks would be perfect but we are going there on Saturday. Is there anything else along those lines? He also loves Persian food... is obsessed with Moby Dick's but I think that is a little too casual.

Thanks!

csp84 in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

last minute v-day rec. in philly?

Thank you for all the recs. Unfortunately they are all booked according to opentable. I'm starting to get a little nervous! Do you think it's worth calling all of the places, or should we just pick one and try to put our name in that night?

csp84 in Pennsylvania

last minute v-day rec. in philly?

Hi all -

I am making a last minute valentines day weekend getaway to Philadelphia this weekend with my fiance. Can anyone recommend any restaurants for dinner on Saturday night? Any bar recommendations would be nice too. I'd love to go somewhere trendy - think like martini bar and then trendy-ish restaurant? We are good with anything besides seafood and sushi. We are staying in center city, right next to Reading Terminal Market.

Any nearby brunch recs would be good too, or something low key, but still good, for Friday night. We will probably leave from New York around 7 so will not get in until 9 ish... and I know he'll be tired and complaining about not wanting to stay out too late on Friday. Any ideas?

Thanks a lot :)

csp84 in Pennsylvania

trendy places between 14-33rd, park-7th?

Can anyone give me some ideas of fun, trendy (i hate that word, but you know what I mean.. really just somewhere fun that is not a dive), restaurant/bar type places within these boundaries? We like Craftbar, PS 450, Rosa Mexicano, Union Square Cafe, sometimes Gramercy Tavern, Dos Caminos.. somewhere that we can get drinks at the bar and then have dinner. Any ideas would be appreciated!

csp84 in Manhattan

Where to take two 19 yr olds in Manhattan?

My fiance and I need to take out my younger brother and his girlfriend on Sunday night- we just found out about this tonight. My brother wanted to go to Carmine's, but it's too late to get a reservation at either location and I think that waiting for a table could be a pain, especially with the Puerto Rican day parade.

So, any other suggestions? It would be good to take them somewhere that's very "New York," or something that they would think is cool/trendy. Note that a 19 year old version of trendy might be different from our version...

Any ideas would be appreciated. I don't think his girlfriend has ever been to NYC before and I want them to have a nice night!

csp84 in Manhattan

22 and park ave south-need cheap lunch not shakeshack

I used to work at 25th and Park...
-I love the burger place on Park (the name is escaping me) - but if you head north it's on your right side, maybe around 24th. Burgers are amazing, so are the onion rings and the chili!
-Rafiqi's food cart - SO GOOD - this is on the opposite side of the street from the burger place, in front of the Credit Suisse building.
-Pax on 23rd/Park actually has good margherita pizzas
-There's a cheap italian/pizza place on 22nd ish that has ok pasta
-Hale and Hearty Soups

csp84 in Manhattan

California Style Hamburger

Try Maxie's Grill in Gramercy. They have delicious shoestring fries and a whole variety of specialty burgers. No outside seating but the food is really good.

csp84 in Manhattan

SATC Girls Night out in Chelsea, 5/31

Not sure if this is too far away, but PS 450 on 30th and Park is a lot of fun.. they have great food - more than typical bar food, great drinks, semi trendy. It's usually not too packed on summer weekend nights. They have a website so you can look it up.

csp84 in Manhattan