Phoebe - Unfortunately, there aren't many of us from the "east side of town" on Chowhound. I've never been there, but I have many friends and neighbors who are satisfied customers. Shoreline Seafood has been in business for a long time. That says something. Check it out and let us know what you think.

This is why CH is better than any other board. I take a passing look at "Near Union Station" because I happen to be around there now and then and get an education on dining out instead. Thanks, guys.

It's a matter of cost -- not materials, but labor. Quality is the same. How hard do you want to work for the same amount of crabmeat? Is it worth a few extra bucks to save you and your dining partners the work? Maybe you enjoy the meticulous "pick" of the crab? Your call. Enjoy.

Right! Stop being "Mom-ish." Your guests, teen or otherwise, will appreciate what YOU enjoy most about DC restaurants -- gimmics or no gimmics. Take them there. Ted's Bulletin is great, if that's "your place."

KBQ is closing its current location in Bowie and moving elsewhere - Columbia Heights in DC is the rumor. Too bad. Another blow to the impoverished dining scene in PG County.

KBQ is leaving its current location. Apparently losing its lease. Columbia Heights in DC is the rumored new location. Can the dining scene get any worse in PG County?

Woodlands, Udupi Palace in Langley Park. Woodlands gets the higher marks. Southern Indian (vegetarian) with a generous lunch buffet.

The G-man is a superior Italian sub in a city with few other alternatives (Taylor, Vace, come to mind). What makes the G-man extra special is the grit and authenticity that go along with Mangialardo's. Enjoy Mangialardo's for what it is, because it's a dying breed. Go for it!

-----
Vace
3315 Connecticut Avenue NW, DC 20008

While odkaty's right, I'll attempt to answer your question: Woodlands (vegetarian Indian) in Langley Park, Jerry's Seafood (Seabrook and Bowie), La Sirenita (as close to real Mexican as you're gonna get) and Franklin's (food's just fine, IMO, tho the beer is better) in Hyattsville, Samantha's (Latin American) on 193, and the joints in "Little Mexico" along Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale, to name a few. Some like Siri's Chef's Secret (Thai) on 193 in Greenbelt. Not my thing. Hope this helps.

-----
La Sirenita Restaurant
4911 Edmonston Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20781

Jerry's Seafood Restaurant
15211 Major Lansdale Blvd, Bowie, MD 20716

Avoid Founding Farmers. Gone way down hill since first opened, in my opinion. It's convenient to my workplace and am often invited there for lunch, but I've been disappointed too many times. You will enjoy Sushi Taro on 17th and P Streets, close to hotel, much more.

-----
Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20006

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

Right! Straight-up Pakistani from family recipes. Didn't mean to imply otherwise, merely to draw a familiar reference for Hounds. Also should have mentioned that "spicy" is in the eye of the beholder here. If you ask for "spicy," you'll get SPICY! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Visiting for the holidays, the eight of us decided we'd step out of our comfort zone and try Seema's, a Pakistani restaurant on Rte 1 in Norwood. http://seemasrestaurant.com

We're glad we did!

Upon arrival, we readily confessed that we were rookies to Pakistani cuisine and made clear we'd welcome any suggestions the restaurant had to offer. The waiter offered to have the chef/owner come out from the kitchen and guide us through our selections. Based on her recommendations, we started with samosas and smoked lentil fritters (pithi walay ladoo), both accompanied by an apricot and white radish chutney, and spinach pakora with tamarind chutney. The lightly battered pakora was a crispy treat and the samosas were deep fried to perfection. Both chutneys were nicely matched and tasty on the tongue - spicy, but not hot.

If you enjoy Indian food, you'll appreciate the Pakistani twist on some of your favorites. We ordered the tandoori fish (fresh cod, on this night), lamb and chicken biryani (huge portions!), chicken gosht (served in a spicy and savory brown sauce to be sopped up with naan flatbread) and a lamb chop dish that the skeptical 80-year old among us devoured. We were also treated to a complementary plate of pan cooked potatoes (aloo) to try.

The restaurant is well-lit and very clean (including the restrooms). Don't expect a lot of atmosphere, however. The dining area was rather cavernous.

Seema's has been open since the spring. The owners are a Pakistani couple living the "American dream." He's a software engineer by day, maitre 'd by night, and she has always wanted to cook her family's recipes in her own restaurant. They've been working in the States for almost a decade to make the restaurant happen. Both are justifiably proud of their establishment, particularly its rating among the Boston Globe's Top 15 Tastiest Restaurants, and delighted to share Pakistani cuisine with their patrons.

This, together with the delicious plates, is worthy of Chow support. Give Seema's a try.

Here are my Bowie recs, taking into account your desires:
Jerry's Seafood may not be within your price range
Grace's Fortune (above average Chinese American, nice ambience) Freestate Mall on Rte 450
Half Moon Bistro (sushi, Thai), High Bridge Plaza, Rte 450 and High Bridge Road
Texas Roadhouse (steaks, ribs), a chain, same location
...and not a bad little Mexican place right behind your hotel - Monterey - if you're done driving.

-----
Grace's Fortune Restaurant
15500 Annapolis Rd # 115, Bowie, MD

Texas Roadhouse
6011 High Bridge Rd, Bowie, MD 20720

Jerry's Seafood Restaurant
15211 Major Lansdale Blvd, Bowie, MD 20716

Franklin's Brewery one Rte 1 in Hyattsville ought to do the trick.
http://www.franklinsbrewery.com/

For a less formal atmosphere, The Chicken Place, east of George Ave on University Blvd in Wheaton, is pretty good. They serve much more than chicken. It's my Peruvian in-laws' "go to" place when they want to keep it simple.

-----
Chicken Place
2418 University Blvd W, Silver Spring, MD 20902

It's great to see the Hounds coming through and that you're exploring the environs. (Keep up the "thank yous," by the way, we need more of that around here.)
Seeing as the thread has gone beyond Crofton and "special occasion dining," and most of the recs are mainstream cuisines, I'll throw out a few ethnic standouts (besides Grace Garden) that I think make this corner of the metro area special:
Nava Thai in Wheaton
The Chicken Place, Peruvian, also in Wheaton (Much more than just pollo a la brasa.)
Woodlands in Langley Park, vegetarian Southern Indian. (Marvelous work with spices.)
La Sirenita in Hyattsville, real Mexican cuisine

Keep exploring!

-----
Chicken Place
2418 University Blvd W, Silver Spring, MD 20902

Nava Thai Restaurant
11315 Fern St, Silver Spring, MD 20902

La Sirenita Restaurant
4911 Edmonston Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20781

Special occasion dining in and around Crofton is hard to find, if not impossible. Maybe Four Seasons in Waugh Chapel? But cheer up, you are located smack dab in the middle of all that Balto, Annapolis and DC have to offer in terms of fine dining. I encourage you to search this board for restaurants in those areas and to be open to all the less than fancy ethnic possibilities your new home has to offer. Welcome!

Hounds can you help?

Burtonsville Market has moved to Laurel, MD, on Rte 198 just east of Rte 197. Don't be fooled by the web address http://www.burtonsvilledutchmarket.com/

There's also another in Upper Marlboro, MD, on Brown Station Road. Have not been to this one.

Maryland has plenty, due to the relatively large Amish community in Southern Maryland. I find not much to dislike at Amish markets, but I never come home without having purchased plenty of butter for the fridge and freezer. There's no compare to what you find in the supermarkets.

On a budget, near Laurel, and iconic:
Ledo's Pizza in Adelphi (Rte 193), not the pizza you're probably expecting, but certainly popular with the locals;
Pa Dutch Farmers' Mkt (Corner Rtes 198 and 197, Laurel), Thurs, Fri and Sat only - plenty of Amish specialties to choose from;
The aforementioned Pasta Plus, though that should chew up much of your daily budget;
The aforementioned Hard Times Cafe for chili and decent wings;
Pho 88, Rte 1 in Beltsville, reflects the large Vietnamese presence in the area;
Franklin's Brewery, farther south on Rte 1, in Hyattsville, no description needed;
...and for crabcakes, you'll find a wide variety of opinions on this board, but I'll suggest G&M in Linthicum (near BWI airport) because of its proximity to Laurel. Again, these are not cheap, but worth busting your per diem.
Enjoy

We own a place and visit often. Best bet is Captain's Galley II off Rte 50 (Golf Course Road). Best crab cakes in town (get 'em broiled), all you can eat salad bar, and a decent view of the harbor.

http://www.occaptainsgalley2.com/

I can recommend Pho 88 (Vietnamese) and Gah Rham (Korean bbq). Both nothing fancy, but delicious and close by. TJ's of Calverton is okay. Greenbelt Metro isn't far either and that opens up a whole 'nother world.

Two other options would be:
Grace's Fortune, a local institution serving Chinese-American fare, and Jerry's Seafood, located in the same commercial center as your movie theater.

Viv -

Most who post here will say PG County is a "wasteland." As a resident, I prefer to think of PG County as "centrally located" to all the fine dining MoCo, DC, Balto, and Annapolis have to offer.

That said, you rightly cite Little Mexico in Riverdale as a gem. I'd also point you to Langley Park for some of the best Indian around - Udupi and Woodlands. KBQ Barbecue in Bowie tops many lists, and you should probably try the original Ledo's pizza in Adelphi - a PG county institution with one-of-a-kind pizza that has spread (less successfully) throughout Maryland.

Other suggestions, Hounds?

La Canela is very good, but a hike for some. Best place closer to DC, according to my Peruvian in-laws, is "The Chicken Place" (much, much more than "pollo") in Wheaton, on Univ Blvd near corner of Georgia.
Been there a million times. Nothing fancy to look at, but I've never been disappointed in the food. Lomo saltado is "just like mama used to make" back in the old country.

Folks say Kaufmann's Tavern isn't what it used to be. True? Have never been and could use another option in the area.

Mrs. Gee likes to dance; I like to eat. We're both nearing 50. Any suitable options in the DC-Baltimore-Annapolis triangle that will please us both? We're not fussy, just looking for a nice place to dine and dance now and then. Thanks.

I think I was the one who wrote that OBTG was overpriced. For its location and the kind of place the Grille intends to be, I still believe food prices are $2-3 above what they ought to be. Nevertheless, for a "festive party of 15 looking for good appetizers/burgers/seafood," I think OBTG is right up your alley and you'll enjoy yourselves. Upstairs is noisy with live music most nights, downstairs is not.

By the way, Jerry's Seafood is coming to Bowie - taking over the failed Bistro Fish (once Tony Roma's) location across from the Bowie Town Center on Rte 197.

Have you tried the Juan Valdez shop at 19th and F? "Cumbre" is shade grown, if you can find it. There are probably others available if you ask.

Where can I find it? Ideally within a reasonable radius of Bowie, Maryland. Will drive farther if I must. Thanks.

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. El Serrano looks like an attractive option among many: we love Peruvian! Your suggestions have stoked my enthusiasm. I'll let you know how things went after we return next month.

Thanks again,
Sal