This was my first time at a Carmine's and it was a memorable visit…read more The restaurant is located in the heart of Washington, D.C. and you better have a reservation. From the moment we arrived, the place was packed with happy customers and busy staff members. Our Servers did a fantastic job at presenting our selections, clearing empty plates, and constantly refilling water glasses. I started with a Frozen Peach Bellini Margarita (Sauza blue agave tequila, peach puree, prosecco, lime juice). This drink was sooooo good! Served in a large/deep glass, it was deliciously sweet, and the multiple brain freezes were enjoyed. The entrees were all served family style: Caesar Salad, Chicken Parm with spaghetti, and Tiger Shrimp with pasta. They also served a sourdough bread with melted cheese that was soft, slightly salty, and warm. I am glad to have finally dined at Carmine's and recommend it to every Washington, D.C. visitor.

It was a rainy night last weekend and I booked a reservation for 6 or 6;30. We were downtown at the…read moremuseums and looking for Italian earlier in the day. My dining companion doesn't do the real itlian and Carmine's looks good. We roll in a bit early and have to wait for a table to be cleared. The place is half empty but ok. I respect the hostess and what she says. We were just glad to be out of the damp, cold and rainy night. After maybe 20 minutes we were seated in a small table in the middle of the main (looked like the main dining room) dining room. Ok, immediately we get menus and are asked for a drink order. She doesn't drink and orders a water and I order lemonade. The menu is pretty extensive. They have steak, pasta, chicken, seafood. plus other add ons if you feel like it's something you want. I think out waiter had a bunch of other tables because it seemed he forgot about us. We order rigatoni with sauce, she doesn't eat meat. Lemonade is empty...after a while he resurfaces and fills the water and lemonade glasses. Shortly thereafter the food arrives. It's family style, so it' a lot of pasta and sauce. The sauce is tasty and pasta a bit on the al dente side. It's ok because we're hungry. Plates cleared and no service for a while. He eventually comes back, we get the remaining pasta and sauce to go and we're gone.

Living Social had a deal where you would pay $100 for a personal chef from Insatiable Bites to come…read moreto your home and prepare a 3 course meal for 2 people that included wine. I thought, gee, this sounds pretty awesome, let me give it a whirl. The personal chef, in this case it was the owner Rakita, comes to your home with her own ingredients/food and prepares the entire meal for you. They do use your pots/pans and cooking utensils. The only thing they require of you is a working stove and oven, other than that, you can sit back and relax and have them cook and CLEAN UP for you. Yes, you read that correctly, they even wash the dishes and clean up after preparing the meal. They serve you the wine and all of your courses, so you literally can sit back and relax. Who's the genius that thought of this idea because I can truly get used to this!!!! I was able to choose my menu from her various selections of a prefix menu. I decided on the "Southern/Cajun Influenced" dinner. This included: Appetizers - Deviled Eggs Main Course: Smothered Chicken with Braised Collard Greens and Seasoned Potatoes Dessert: Signature Pound Cake. Everything was delicious! Granted a few issues occured with the potatoes and chicken not being cooked thoroughly, but Rakita promptly corrected the issue. The portions were plenty for 2 people to devour. I would've loved bigger slices of cake (it was jammin' on the one) but I'm a little on the greedy side when it comes to delicious desserts, so what would you expect from me! If you plan on booking this catering company for an occasion, you must BOOK EARLY! Weekends are understandably their busiest time, but if you plan well in advance I'm sure they will be able to accommodate your schedule. Also, after you do book your catering experience, make sure you request a confirmation/reminder email from the staff because I experienced some confusion on the date of my dinner. Keep in mind that they serve Hyattsville and surrounding areas. Check with IB to make sure they serve your area. They not only cater romantic dinners for 2 like I requested, but they also cater private events/celebrations, teach culinary demonstrations and wine/food pairings. IB also has gift certificates available. All and all I enjoyed my personal chef experience. Rakita was a very friendly, professional and down to earth person, who just so happens to be able to cook her tail off! Kudos to Insatiable Bites, a creative idea that I'm sure will continue to grow and grow!

Chef Rakita was wonderful! She arrived on time and was very professional. We learned how to make…read moremuffins which went along with our diet and she tailored the meal to fit our diet as well. She also gave us some great cooking tips. We had a great time chatting with her. The food was delicious and we will be incorporating all of her dishes to our meal rotations! Great idea for a tasty meal prepared in the comfort of your own home. She also did all the cleaning up afterward - leaving our kitchen in better shape then she found it.

Stumbled upon this cute winery right at navy yard and had to check it out. We showed up without a…read morereservation and was able to get a few seats at the bar. The place was very busy! There was a wedding AND a bridal shower occuring at the same time. There is upstairs to the restaurant and the wedding was happening up there. There is also an outdoor porch area where the bridal shower was occuring. Most of the seating inside was high top seating. All the wines are made in house and there was a large selection! Our server (who may also be the manager/owner?) was very kind and explained some of the wines for us. We got 2 of their flights and they were all excellent. The Library Collection has some unique drinks. They do sell most of their bottles to go (pic of pricing in this review!). They also make food and they all smelled great. I would love to go back and try more wines and some of their food!

I'd rate this a 3.5 if I could. It was definitely better than a 3 but not quite a 4…read more Great vibe. The staff were all great. The views were lovely. We got a Chef's Whim board which was fun and filling. We also got the Winemakers and Library flights. Our server was very knowledgeable about the wines. I'm not giving them 4 stars for a few reasons. I wish I could build my own flight because each flight choice had wines I didn't like. I also wish there were more menu items. And, the bench seating cushions were worn through almost to the stuffing which was really surprising that they would let them get that bad at a restaurant like this. That said, we had a great meal with a great server. I don't think we'll be back though.

I was so pleased with my experience and I can't wait to return. The restaurant is In a Federalist…read morehome built in the early 1800s with baroque-esque portraits of late 18th century European figures. It gives a vintage ambiance with chandeliers, low lighting and warm/earthy palettes. Music was like indie soul strong vocals and slow grooves--I enjoyed it but it seemed to clash with the decor a tad. There is a cheaper tasting menu at the bar at $75, but if you go upstairs, which I did, it's $110. I added the non alcoholic drink pairing which is extra $65. Menu changes about 5 times a year with the seasons, this was the autumn menu. As I heard the couple behind me enjoy the wine pairing I was starting to regret my choice--but I was quickly relieved. The zero proof pairing was creative, innovative and delightful. I started with the Amuse aperitif - grapefruit with mint, adequately tart. I thought it was too sweet for me but after trying after the amuse bouche trio it counters the truffle/density of potato pancake. Next course was a White and purple cauliflower soup, topped with cashew cheese that had fermented for 48 hours. Accompanied by a pistachio fig mocktail (with a lot nutmeg). I was already full by the soup! Appetizer was white and green asparagus wrapped in nori. Some asparagus was stringy but I enjoyed the chickpea Parmesan. There was bread with popcorn butter (fava bean base) with caramelized parsnip bread, the bread tasted like Hawaiian roll but 1000x better. Palate cleanser was Cara Cara orange with grapefruit fermented strawberry Main was superb. Pickled baked artichoke. Grilled heart of palm. With onion chip made from onion juice, like the lightness of a funyon chip but healthier. Grilled pear. Cippolini onion hollandaise. Drink was sarsaparilla root with jasmine tea and orange blossom so light but satisfyingly bitter. Love this drink would drink it over ice all day. Even as a syrup to add to a sparkling drink would be great. Dessert was even better. Strawberry and beet mousse on top of some kind of streusel covered in hard chocolate sitting in a balsamic strawberry cacao with pistachio ice cream and fresh pistachios. There was a dehydrated thin sliced apple and a potato/wheat flower cookie. This went with a hibiscus infusion fizzy drink which highlighted the flavors in the balsamic glaze even more. The final surprise was a donut. Lightness of a beignet and mildly sweet. The staff were so attentive and knowledgeable. I really appreciated the helpfulness of my server, Spencer and also got to talk to the beverage director Emma, who worked with the chef to craft all the mocktails specific to this menu. I was also pleased to hear that the hibiscus infusion drink at the last course was in part designed by one of the other servers who is an herbalist. I decided last minute to come and the owner Elizabeth, who is also the hostess, was incredibly gracious and kind. I can't wait to return.

What an amazing dining experience from beginning to end. The staff, the service, the sommelier…read morewho was so incredible with pairing the perfect wine with each course and, the food presentation which was so beautifully orchestrated. It was such an honor to have had the opportunity to experience vegetables prepared with such beauty and above all extremely flavorful. Even if you are not vegan you will be after dining at Elizabeth's. "The great" I am now your biggest fan

My cousins and I took a girls trip for a birthday party and had a great time! Food was delicious,…read moreambience was nice, and it wasn't packed so it was perfect! Waiter was super friendly! The French fries are to die for! I got the New York strip steak and it was phenomenal. Super juicy and full of flavor! I hope to come back here again. :b Please refer to my empty plate bc that's how delicious that steak was. Thank you.

Excellent service and dining experience! The food was delicious and the ambience was great. Awesome…read morevibe. Very welcoming. My rib eye was cooked perfectly and the potatoes absolutely fabulous. Thank you for making my daughter's birthday celebration fabulous!

Had a great lunch at Il Piatto. The restaurant is in a perfect location and the interior has a…read morewarm, sophisticated look with lots of wood paneling and unique, boxy lighting. The bread they bring out to start is phenomenal, perfectly warm and fresh. For my entree, I got the Rigatoni alla Panna, and it was delicious. The sauce was rich and flavorful, and the pasta was cooked perfectly. Our food also came out incredibly fast which was amazing. Beyond the food, our server JP made the experience awesome. Super friendly, checked on us often, and made sure our waters were constantly refilled. Definitely an amazing spot for lunch, and JP killed it. No complaints!

There are a lot of places like this; it's a very downtown environment. It works as a meeting space…read more As a restaurant, I could find no distinctive quality to the food. I appreciated that they had good labeling for special dietary needs, albeit a moderate amount of substantive options. A vegetarian pasta sampler came in small but deep dishes that were kind of hard to actually eat out of. It was a modest amount of good but not great classic pastas. The corner space offered indoor and outdoor seating and was suitable for conversation, which is why I was there.

Sea scallops (succulent) and the Weekend at the Beach cocktail were wonderful as was the grilled…read moreshrimps appetizer. Bread basket contained warm baguette with a side of garlic butter and Boursin cheese, delicious. The asparagus next to the sea scallops was full of fiber. Hard. No longer tender. Probably too old. A pleasant (small) restaurant on the 13th floor of the National Press Club building (inside the Club; the front desk will open the gate for you as you step out of the elevator) with friendly and efficient service. Very attentive. A few guests seem to be regulars, as the host and waiters knew them and were chatting with them a bit. Menu was small but they had a long wine list and several cocktails. The bathroom was small (2 stalls only) but clean and pleasant. Overall it felt upscale. It's interesting they had automated faucets that dispensed soap, water, and then ... even hot air to dry your hands! See the photos. It's an all-in-one unit. Pretty fancy. You'd dry your hand right at the sink. We came at 6 pm on a quiet Tuesday evening. We overheard the other table, they were here because -- like us -- they were going to National Theatre next door for a show afterwards. Convenient location. We counted a total of four tables dining including us, between 6 and 7:15 pm when we left. The atmosphere was civilized, relaxed. Heavy wood paneling. Quite a "gentleman's club" vibe as all the other tables were older couples.

I've been a Press Club member for many years and have always loved The Fourth Estate restaurant, a…read morecrown jewel hidden in DC. I brought guests here even when the restaurant's patronization was significantly reduced for reasons I never figured out why. The restaurant has always been good and I've not had any complaints, nor have my guests. However, tonight's visit was very disappointing from the start. The four of us were give a square table off to the side and near the kitchen area. The table was crowded, smaller than we'd like for comfort and our knees and feet hit or rested against the aluminum structure that held the table up. I thought we had wooden legs? Guess those tables have been replaced? When I saw the round 4-person table in the center being vacated, I asked for our party to be moved to it. I could tell the manager was not happy with the move. I told him I would like to think that members would get a little better treatment than non-members. He simply said most people enjoyed the view from the table we were at. I said the view stunk, it's a view of the interior of the building, I was having dinner with and preferred to view them. Once we relocated, Eberto, our waiter asked for our order. We ordered our appetizers and he asked for our entree orders. We told him we can only eat one thing at a time, so only order one course at a time. He wasn't happy but accepted it. As we were eating the appetizers, the manager came and asked for us to order the entrees. I expressed my dislike of being rushed when eating and he said the kitchen was closing soon. (I don't understand why the kitchen closes at 8:30 pm on a Saturday night, but later on weeknights. Doesn't make much sense to me in DC). When the entrees were delivered we noted the very easily seen lack of consistency between the very same entrees two of us and six guests of ours had the night before. The steak was thinner and lacked the blue cheese crumbles listed on the menu and we had the night before. The crab cakes were much bigger tonight than last night. Consistency is important especially when I'm bringing guests and bragging to them how great the restaurant is. As we were eating the entre our check was given to us. I asked why we couldn't get desert. Elberto then took our desert order. In contrast, last night everything, except the small crab cakes, was great as always. As a side note - Our executive chef (Susan) is fantastic and has created interesting menus for years. The current menu includes roasted rabbit and the soup if "the day," last night and tonight was lamb and goat soup (really?). Those items may be selling well, but I know none of us last night or tonight (a total of 11 people) even considered ordering either item, even though we wanted soup. I see this as a lost revenue potential for the restaurant. Maybe more traditional soup and less exotic meats are best? Bottom line - although very stressful and disappointing tonight, but mostly good last night, I highly recommend this place. Hopefully there will be more consistency in the future.

Drink of choice: French 57 (mocktail)…read more This drink was amazing I had to go back for two. I appreciate a cute establishment that has mocktails that are more than just juice. This was a very well crafted mocktail!

I popped in to get some excellent French cheese (which I can't eat due to my restricted diet) for…read moremy wife. Rose provided excellent, friendly service and I was on my way. Even better, my wife was thrilled! Life is good with excellent cheese - Vacherousse d'argental!