With apologies to all who abhor chain restaurants, we did a limo and dinner at Oceannaire for my sister's bachelorette party. They have a private room that can accommodate 15 people and did a focused and reasonably priced menu for us. They were quite attentive and easy to work with for both pre-planning and on the night of the dinner. The food was also quite tasty. We then took the limo to Canton and Fells Point, and I'm sad to say I don't remember much else of the evening. :-) Enjoy your celebration!

You may want to try Sushi Taro in Dupont Circle. http://www.sushitaro.com/ And, if needed, your kids' aunt may be able to babysit. :-

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Sushi Taro
1503 17th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036

Bistro Blanc in Glenelg is about 10 minutes from Columbia
http://www.bistroblancmd.com/

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Bistro Blanc
3800 Ten Oaks Road, Glenelg, MD 21737

For my sister's bacherlorette, we got a private room at Oceannaire (http://www.theoceanaire.com/locations...) and then made the rounds of the bars in Canton (had a limo to make the trip). While Oceannaire isn't the rowdiest of places, the food and drink were wonderful and the private room allowed us to get as boozy as we wanted. They even let us bring in a cake (don't ask what was depicted on it) from an outside bakery. Very easy to work with. Have fun and be safe, wherever you decide to go.

For good, non-chain, inexpensive Italian in Laurel, check out Pasta Plus. Yes, it's in a strip mall. Yes, it's worth it. http://www.pastaplusrestaurant.com/

For BBQ, try Red, Hot, and Blue on Main Street in Laurel. http://www.redhotandblue.com/

Enjoy!

I would echo the recommendations for 208 Talbot and Bistro St. Michaels as your two fine dining experiences for dinner. I was there two weeks ago and had an outstanding meal at each restaurant.
208 Talbot (www.208talbot.com) has been getting a lot of regional press, so I suggest reservations. They are closed Mondays. I had a delicious back porch lemonade cocktail, outstanding fried oysters for an appetizer, a yummy whole roasted bronzino with anchovy butter for dinner, and the best pecan pie I've ever had. The service and ambience were lovely.
Bistro St. Michaels (www.bistrostmichaels.com) is open Thurs-Mon for dinner only. The atmosphere is a bit more casual than Talbot, but just a bit. No one seemed in a rush to dress formally for dinner at either place. I enjoyed very fresh oysters on the half shell, quite good crab cakes (jumbo lump with little filler) and tabouleh salad for dinner. Again, quite capable service.
Enjoy your anniversary!

Family celebration on Saturday night, July 25. Started outside, but the impromptu thunderstorm caused a major rush inside. The staff did an exceptional job to get every outdoor table reset in the side dining room, offered to refire any meal that we thought had gotten cold in the transition, and comped dessert (that may have been the multiple celebrations or the weather issue). Cocktails were unique and tasty, oysters on the half shell were a great start, soft shell crab special was outstanding, side of cheesy potatoes decadent, and the malt ice cream was to die for. All in all, it was a wonderful evening for food and service.

For cakes, try Cakes Plus in Laurel (www.cakesplus.com) or Sugar Bakers in Catonsville (www.sugarbakerscakes.com) for great cake and real icing. Catonsville is closer to B'more than Laurel, but they both have great cakes.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Heading out this Thursday; any last minute additions? Many thanks!

Coming from Howard Co. to GWU in May to see a show. Likely taking the metro into the GWU/Foggy Bottom stop. Seeking recommendations for places close by to grab dinner before the 7:30 show. My dining companion is a strictly meat and potato guy, while I love seafood but don't eat red meat or poultry. Quality of food is more important than price, so we can go for steak or burgers for him. Thanks for the help!

Grace Garden for Chinese food. See http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/520156 for a zillion reasons why. I was there right before Christmas - amazing! Have fun!

My deepest apologies if I was unclear. The "park there" referred to the parking at your table, as they go quickly. Certainly, if you are drinking, do not drive. The bus is a great deal.

While I agree that O.C. isn't your best bet for Chow-ish type food, I was disappointed to see two negative reviews of Fager's Island. Don't eat inside at Fager's; it is overrated and overpriced. The real story is to get a table on the deck around 6pm and park there. Drink delicious adult beverages. Get some appetizers and a soft shell crab sandwich. Then enjoy the show as the 1812 Overture plays while the sun goes down at sunset. O.C. doesn't get better than that! (aside from Thrasher's Fries, a malted at Dumser's Dairyland, and donuts at the Fractured Prune...)

If you head over the Eastern Shore, don't forget Dumser's Dairyland in Ocean City. Fantastic flavors and just the right thickness.