I go to the Source on a regular basis for their Saturday dim sum brunch. It's fantastic and really reasonably priced for what you get. Cocktails options are tasty, but expensive.

I second Leslie's Fancy cakes. the cake actually tasted better at the wedding then it did at the tasting. We were very impressed. Not to mention she made our cake look like the US Capitol.

the only decent crawfish I've had around here is at Acadiana in downtown DC. It's not on the regular menu, but during the summer they generally have it on the patio.

See if Rustico on Wilson Blvd is open.

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Rustico
827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22314

If you are ever in DC on a weekend go back, Eastern Market is a great experience. They just don't have any of the outside vendors during the week - I could see it being quite boring, it's really only for locals. On the weekends the street is closed and the entire block is full of farmers and vendors as well as in the parking lot across the street. Market Lunch and Monmarte are quite tasty, but unfortunately the Hill is not a real culinary experience.

I almost forgot, almost all of our Mexican restaurants in DC are Salvadorean. My husband calls it Mexidorean.

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Market Lunch
225 7th St SE Ste 12, Washington, DC 20003

That explains the $20/per person. Maybe someone can give you an idea of the food. I've only had the happy hour buffet and that was years ago. But it's a really beautiful place right on the St Charles streetcar line. I wouldn't recommend staying there though, the guest rooms can be a little rundown.

I take it you went to Eastern Market on a weekday?

Your pricing is probably not very realistic, especially given the amount people are likely to drink in NOLA, but maybe try the Columns Inn. I haven't had the actual food really, but you can't beat the atmosphere and location.

Terrible was an overstatement, you're right I've had terrible in my life and this was much better. Maybe it was an off night, but there was a group of four of us who love good food and this just didn't do it for any of us. I was only embarrassed because my friends had never been to NOLA before and were looking to me to provide the best culinary experiences. At least when we got back home to DC and went out a few weeks later, they took us to a truly terrible place they were trying for the first time (terrible=microwaved mexican) and joked it was revenge for the Pelican Club. It also may have been because I had taken them to August the night before and that was truly fabulous.

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Pelican Club Restaurant & Bar
312 Exchange Alley, New Orleans, LA 70130

Wow, you seem a little defensive. I was looking forward to the Pelican Club, it opened when I used to live there and had a good reputation so I was quite surprised to dislike it so.

Starting off, I thought the soup was dreadful. I had the corn and crab bisque and it was very dark in color and had a grainy texture and no discernable flavor, maybe even a little too fishy. My husband had the gumbo, which he is a big fan of and said it was pretty tasteless and seemed unseasoned. My appetizer was pretty good, it was the crab and mushroom ravioli. I forget what others in the group had, but they said it was pretty forgettable. We all decided I had the best entree of the group and I certainly didn't think it was great. I had the lobster stuffed with scallop and a beurre blanc sauce. The scallops seemed poached and were pretty flavorless, the beurre blanc sauce was nice, but very sparingly applied. The waiter was fine enough, but when I asked for some drawn butter to compensate, instead of just saying OK, he felt the need to mention in a rather snide tone that it was already sauced. Two others had the panneed gulf fish and said it was rather soggy and the meuniere sauce seemed burnt. Everything seemed poorly seasoned. The desserts were fine but nothing special. We had the coconut cream and pecan pies.

I'm sure if I had this meal in any other city it would have been fine, there are just too many other choices in NOLA, and yes it was probably the most disappointing meal I've had there in the 20 years I've been in or visiting the city. My guests said they would have rather eaten more at Jazz Fest and skipped. for comparison our other meals were August, Bayona and Brightsen's. We had reservations for Emeril's as well, but were rather full by this time and ended up at Domenica which was right in our hotel and really enjoyed. The stuffed squash blossoms and the pork pizza are really nice.

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Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Emeril's Restaurant
800 Tchoupitoulas, New Orleans, LA 70130

Pelican Club Restaurant & Bar
312 Exchange Alley, New Orleans, LA 70130

Domenica
123 Baronne Street, New Orleans, LA 70112

I highly recommend skipping the Pelican Club. Went over Jazz Fest and thought it was just terrible compared to other places we could have gone. I had people with me who had never been to NOLA before and I was actually embarassed.

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Pelican Club Restaurant & Bar
312 Exchange Alley, New Orleans, LA 70130

We used Leslie's Fancy Cakes. She made a Florida Gator for a groom's cake that was spectacular and a US Capitol for the main cake. The cake actually tasted better at the wedding then at the tasting...I highly recommend at least going to check her out.

I had the same experience with the sweetbreads at Brightsen's, although one of mine was actually overcooked to the point it was almost inedible.

I was very sorry too, because the food was quite good. I'm willing to give them another try, but my husband is not.

I went to lunch at Bayona not that long ago, and they didn't seem to have a problem seating us in the courtyard when we asked. It was about half full at the time.

Much surprised about the August experience. Every meal I have had there has been memorable. Actually won't be back to Stella after they rushed us through a full dinner with cocktails in less than an hour (we clocked it at about 50 minutes after we left). Nobody came to ask if we wanted another drink, if the meal was OK, etc. It was quite disappointing after all the raves I've heard about it - and certainly not what I expect in terms of NOLA service..

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Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112

I'm not sure if it's the real DC dining experience, but if he's looking for a power lunch I suggest Charlie Palmers Steakhouse. View of the Capitol too from the right seats.

I love Easter brunch...Season's at the Four Seasons, but it's pretty expensive and probably too late to get a reservation (I'm in town for once and made mine about a month ago). I've been to both Ritz-Carlton (Pentagon City and downtown) and although everyone seems to rave about Pentagon City, I found it pretty mediocre - downtown was better.

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Four Seasons Cafe
50 S Pickett St Ste 23, Alexandria, VA 22304

I never really cared for this restaurant, although it does seem to be pretty popular. I think the mussels at Granville Moore's are defenitely superior.

I've recommended this before for a rehearsal dinner, as it's where I had mine after alot of searching. Bucca di Beppo in Dupont Circle, your guests would have to take a metro trip (changing trains), but it fits your budget and was alot of fun. You couldn't get alcohol included for that price though...

Your experience pretty much exactly mirrors mine. We won't be going back. Mediocre food, poor service...

Although I love Brightsen's, I must agree with the same mashed potato/veggie combination that comes with every dish...

Your itinerary sounds an awful lot like mine, also for the 1st week at Jazz Fest, down to the 7 pm reservations on Thursday at August.

I went to Brightsen's last time I was in town so will be doing Emeril's this time. I'm not sure which I would recommend over the other. My overall best meal was at Brightsen's, but sometimes I think the kitchen gets a little overwhelmed which can be reflected in the food. Emeril's has always been very consistent. But of course at Brightsen's, you can always walk over to Maple Leaf after.

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Emeril's Restaurant
800 Tchoupitoulas, New Orleans, LA 70130

I actually haven't seen this discussed on this board before. What does everyone recommend for food at the Fair Grounds during Jazz Fest? I'm going down for Jazz Fest for the first time in probably about five years (the crowds finally got to me, but I've decided that I really have missed it).
Fond memories of the Crawfish Bread and it's hard to resist Crawfish Monica...so many options, any opinions about the not to miss?

I also have to vote for K-Paul's, I went with a rather large, boisterous group once and it was a great time. I agree Mr. B's is also a little on the stuffy side, and despite the ever fabulous BBQ shrimp, I've never been really impressed by the rest of the food there. I went to GW Fins the last time I was in town, and maybe because it was the end of our stay and we had probably eaten ourselves to the max at that point, I won't be returning. Not that the food wasn't good, but there are just so many other places I prefer. I don't think the ambiance is quite what you're looking for either unless maybe they have a private room.

I'm trying to finalize my Jazz Fest reservations as well. I was given the recommendation of Clancy's that seems to fit what you liked previously. I had actually discounted Upperline myself since the long-time chef left, but according to recent reviews it seems to be going strong. Brightsen's also, if you can get in - I'll be trying myself today.

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Upperline Restaurant
1413 Upperline St, New Orleans, LA

Thanks for the advice. We're bringing friends who have only been to NOLA once, so we're staying in the Quarter and I know how scarce cabs can be during Jazz Fest so wanted to stay down there for the most part and maybe only venture Uptown once in conjunction with the Maple Leaf. I also have reservations at August and Emerils. I haven't been to Clancy's in years though and according to the board it seems Upperline has gotten on quite nicely despite the departure of the chef.

La Foret looks fantastic and I've never been, so I think I might try to substitute that for the Pelican Club, but I thought they just lost their chef as well?

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Emeril's Restaurant
800 Tchoupitoulas, New Orleans, LA 70130

Pelican Club Restaurant & Bar
312 Exchange Alley, New Orleans, LA 70130

Upperline Restaurant
1413 Upperline St, New Orleans, LA

Also a big fan of the chicken fried steak at Ted's Bulletin, although I wouldn't describe it as traditional per se...

My friend from Arkansas used to drag me to Black-Eyed Pea on occasion for their chicken fried steak, she loved it. I thought it was pretty dreadful.

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Ted's Bulletin
505 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003

Marcels, although as previously noted at $150 they would probably have to contribute a bit to the final bill.

Yes, she was definitely in the Kentlands. This was back in 2007.

I hate to age myself, but I was at Tulane when this place opened and was pretty highly regarded. I went once and remembered enjoying it myself, but that was about 15 years ago. Just decided to go down for Jazz Fest and considering making a reservation here to add some variety to my usuals...any thoughts?

Also, since I've never tried for special events, does anyone know when Brightsen's starts taking reservations for Jazz Fest and how hard it would be to get in there? I have a reservation already at Patois, which I've never tried. Is that a good substitute?

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Pelican Club Restaurant & Bar
312 Exchange Alley, New Orleans, LA 70130