My wife said, as she returned to the car with the takeout, that Birdsong was not crowded. To stay…read moreby the side of our elderly dog, we are foregoing the experience of dining out, more and more. After we finished eating, she remarked we needed to visit the restaurant sometime. We'll have to look for an opportunity when we are around the dog all day, so she can be on her own for a couple of hours, likely sleeping. Birdsong already is acclaimed. This is much more Thai and Thai American. Like Chinese or Italian cuisine before it, Thai flavors have assimilated to a palate not accustomed to the true strength of the spices. Birdsong is a remedy. They do not offer the pad thai that has become a staple, no longer exotic but to its detriment. (A digression. The history of pad thai, with contested origins, is fascinating. As you delve into these matters, you see how syncretic culture is. You also are exposed to the efforts to fashion a unifying mythology.) We ordered the chicken, the shrimp, the crab fried rice, the papaya salad, and the enhancement. The chicken and the shrimp were quality ingredients, prepared well. Although both proteins were fried, they felt clean. The crab fried rice was one option of many with the rice base. The papaya salad was fresh. The enhancement was radish with "fermented daikon, garlic, red onion, cilantro, palm sugar, and fish sauce scrambled with eggs for a balanced savory and sweet flavor," and the portion was generous: we put it on the rice, then I finished it off in an omelet the next morning. We have traveled to Bangkok. Thai spiciness exceeds what I would endorse, and I love hot dishes. Birdsong was much milder, though with sufficient pepperiness my wife, who does not share my preferences, remarked it was closer to her limit. They will work with you in this respect, and I'm confident I could request something that would test my capabilities. That is, in my book, all positive. The dishes that were mild according to the menu, were mild, but they were flavorful. If you do not like fish sauce, for example, you may not appreciate the offerings, which if they don't have fish sauce have something along those lines. I hope Birdsong fares well.

We were looking forward to eating at Birdsong, which has gotten great reviews. A few friends said…read morethat they went and loved it. But we thought only one of the four dishes we ordered was especially good, I wouldn't order the other three again. The Basil Shrimp - described as "Battered and golden fried" seemed more like tempura. I wouldn't have ordered if I knew. The Tom Yum soup was good, but very pricey at $25. For comparison, a similarly sized, likely an even larger entree Tom Yum soup at Bambu is $14. It had lots of noodles. We were sharing, and asked our server for recommendations- she suggested a second dish with the same noodles. Usually a server points out if diners are ordering two dishes with the same base ingredient (noodles) but our server actually suggested the second one. Seriously? And unfortunately, it was underwhelming, just blah. We left most of it. We got the chocolate crème brûlée, the presentation was very nice, with gilded peanuts on top. The taste was just so so, sweet but not much chocolate flavor. We liked the decor and the atmosphere was nice. We loved the bird mural. Service was mixed. Our server was friendly, but could have been more helpful. First, the recommendation for a second dish with the same noodles was not a good one. We asked if we could share everything, including the soup. We specifically asked if they could put it into bowls for us. They brought two bowls, but we had to wait a while for a spoon to divide it ourselves at the table. She ended up bringing us one of those small soup spoons that you often use for soup at Chinese restaurants. It was around the same size as a regular soup spoon. Apparently they didn't have anything that is more like a ladle, and it was not very useful for portioning out the soup. We thought we'd love this restaurant, but it was a miss for us tonight. Not only that, and this is on us, the only dish with any real nutrition or healthy ingredients was the soup. For one "small plate" appetizer, two entrées and one dessert, the total was just under $100.

Alonso was our server. He provided us nice recommendation. You guys should try the pisco punch that…read moreone is pretty good.

Jasmine and I stopped in for brunch on a beautiful weekend afternoon and this place delivered on…read moreevery level. We did three courses for $34 a person. First up was the anticucho de pollo and tuna tartare tacos. Strong start. Then the lomo saltado and traditional ceviche for the second course. The ceviche alone was worth the trip. We wrapped up with arroz con leche and the buenazo, which was the perfect way to finish. Our server Alonso was attentive, professional, and made the whole experience feel effortless from start to finish. As someone who works in the DMV helping people find homes in this area, I love discovering spots like this that remind me why the community here is so special. Pisco y Nazca is exactly the kind of place that makes this area worth putting down roots in. 10/10. Will be back.

This place was okay, I will openly admit I miss Chadwick's. That place held a lot of good memories…read morefor me. My friend and I came to try it out. We got nachos and I got the shrimp wrap and she got the fish and chips. Food was fine, nothing mind blowing. It wasn't busy at all and there was only one person working. Fun that they have games. Not sure if I'll be back, but that's not the restaurant's faults, that's friendship heights. It's just kind of dead up there.

Walked in midday on a cold Wednesday. Place was completely dead. Ordered a Smashburger and tots to…read morego. A pretty solid burger IMO. Some of the other menu items seem a little overpriced tho. Gives off Cheers bar vibes as in it's a cozy place to warm up over a libation from the cold. I know this place has had a lot of turnover in recent years. Aura looks promising tho.

Delightful speakeasy with remarkably cozy vibes, super friendly service, and delicious cocktails…read more This small, no-reservations-allowed space is hard to snag a spot in (unless you're willing to wait in their multi-hour-long waitlist), but it's 100% worth the hype and effort. I'd recommend trying to come a bit earlier in the night or on a slightly off day -- we came by around 8 PM on a Thursday -- and you might be able to slip in with no or minimal wait. We were initially placed at a standing table, then relocated to a proper table when one opened up after about 30 minutes. It is a smidge loud, but still manageable, and I love the cozy, homey atmosphere created by the dim lighting, almost industrial architecture mixed with old fashioned bookshelves (which double as bathroom doors), and candles. They have a short menu of custom cocktails you can choose from, or you can also ask for any of the classics and/or tell the bartender what you typically enjoy and let them come up with a good fit. We tried a smattering of cocktails, including two from their menu, a whiskey sour, and a bee sting (which the bartender selected for us based on our general preferences). Each one was expertly crafted and extremely tasty, and made so much better by the ambiance.

OKPB is a popular speakeasy, a pretty small space. You show up and use the ring doorbell to connect…read morewith the host. They will add you to the waitlist and give you an estimated time. I generally will add myself to the waitlist and then head out to grab dinner. If you are called before dinner is finished, they are generally good about moving you further down the waitlist. For drinks, they have a small cocktail menu but the whole appeal is to let the server know your typical preferred drinks/flavor profile and they will create a drink for you. I generally always go that route and have been happy with my drinks. I even requested a non alcoholic drink once and I felt like i got the same fun experience.

This is a great neighborhood spot, we usually go once a month. Pasta is great, chicken Parm and…read moreMilanese is delicious, it's a great spot. Owner is Italian Italian (from Rome) and the menu is fun (half Italian American, half Italian Italian, eg the 4 roman pastas). They used to have some consistency issues, but they fixed those a while ago bc for the last 3-4 years I haven't had a bad meal. The neighborhood restaurant feel is sadly rare in DC, so it's always nice to find one.

I was thinking Italian. I'm Eddie Cano comes up in a lot of searches of 'best Italian restaurants'…read morein the district. I went Saturday evening, made a reservation. I have been to the neighborhood before but not this particular location. I arrive a bit early and get a table immediately. The restaurant is on the dark side so you have to tip your menu toward the table light. I was in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs ( not on the menu) but the waitress took the order without a problem. I also ordered garlic bread. She brought a glass of water and I decided on a glass of wine, pinot noir I think. The garlic bread and wine arrive quick. I'm enjoying the first piece of garlic bread and sipping the wine. Nice! The spaghetti and meatballs came out shortly thereafter. I was a disappointed with this part of the meal. Meatballs lacked flavor. No garlic, no parmesan cheese. The pasta was fine but the sauce was watery and didn't taste like gravy at all. I ate most of it, the garlic bread accenting the meal with the wine. I will probably go back. I like the small mom and pop restaurants like I'm Eddie Cano. Service was very good. I was able to get a reservation. The place was clean. It's coming up on comfort food season and I'm always in the mood for Italian.

My dinner at Buck's Fishing and Camping was the best I have had in a long time....by a long shot…read more This is one of the few restaurants in the area where I can truly feel that the kitchen cares about food. And what a joy that is. Although it has been around for decades, Buck's has adapted deftly to our current inflationary environment. Perhaps a luxurious dish like steak au poivre is not longer affordable? Well then, how about Burger Au Poivre? With top quality toppings creatively prepared: grilled oyster mushrooms, gruyere and white cheddar cheese, and grilled vincotta marinated onions. Oh my word. All of it was beautifully plated on a bed of cracked peppercorn sauce. Of course the meat itself was of excellent quality, perfectly cooked to order at medium rare. At $31 it is not cheap, but I think a bargain for a meal that sends you over the moon. An equivalent quality steak would have been exorbitant. We paired it with asparagus tempura (also excellent), a nice bottle of Montepulciano de Abruzzo, and for dessert, apple crisp. I also truly appreciate that the portions are generous. Another thing that has become rare these days. Given the service and unique ambience, this is a special occasion restaurant that is fantastic bang for the "Buck," while also casual enough for date-night any day of the week.

360 degrees of excellence: from service to ambiance to cuisine. Bucks hit on all the notes! (A few…read moreextra items and this would be a 5-star review) Visited for a client dinner and enjoyed superb service and great food and drink -- the wine menu is nice (for any pallet) and the menu is deep (from Starters to Mains). HITS: NY Strip Steak w Fries: Vickie's Famous onion rings (truly awesome). MISS: Burrata wasn't as creamy as we'd desired, but the Pesto makes up for it.

This is a beautiful lounge! Drinks are well thought off and the food choices are perfect for a bar…read morestop (or something in between bar and dinner). The bartenders are awesome and k ow their specialty. We have been here for happy hour and regular after dinner hours - and everything was fantastic!

Great place to study since they are open late. Not my favorite service.... My friends and I came to…read morestudy here and we did not get approached to ask if we wanted to order anything until we got up and went to the bar. Not sure if that's normal? We also didn't get our water refilled for a hot hot minute. The server did check in a couple times and seemed nice enough but I wasn't impressed. The food itself was ok. I would come back here to study again because I love the late hour but would try to bring my own food or stop by Trader Joe's first. Bathrooms are clean and nice though!

Great place for both a quiet and fun-filled dinner! Exterior has a country home vibe. Interior is…read morejust as inviting, with dark wood floors, flowered wallpaper and warm tone decor. Dining areas are in several room spaces, instead of 1 big cavernous hall. There is a bar room as well as a tavern in the basement. Outdoor lawn has plenty of tables and lush greenery, perfect for a good weather day picnic. Our group was in a bigger room and a few steps downstairs from the bar area. Waitstaff was professional and helpful. We first ordered drinks, then starters. We ordered entrées after drinks and starters arrived for good pacing. Several of us shared a Skyfall Cabernet Sauvignon. It was smooth and fruity. We shared pimento cheese dip with veggies and bread triangles, bread basket, burrata and spiced cauliflower. All were excellent, Star was the burrata, so creamy and had pesto with it. My entree was a prosciutto sandwich with fig spread. The sandwich was on ciabatta bread. It held the sweet fig spread, savory prosciutto and soft Brie . Very filling and yummy, and came with crisp fries. Everyone loved their food. Some had dessert and coffee afterwards which was also top notch.

Took colleagues out for a happy hour that turned into us shutting the place down. We had such a…read morelovely time listening to the live music until 7, then settled into great conversation over delicious food and drinks. The tables in the Tavern were a little close together, and we apparently bothered the group beside us -- once a booth opened up, they moved, and honestly we were relieved the duds were gone. As for appetizers, the mussels, meatballs, and burrata were all top notch. The bread basket was just okay, and the chicken wings could've been much crisper. The wine, however, was divine. Great vibe overall. We will be back.

Had a great time at Hip Flask Rooftop Bar. Just went there for drinks so didn't get to try out the…read moregood. The drinks were well-crafted and the vibe was relaxed yet lively. Had stunning rooftop views that make it perfect for unwinding. Definitely a go to spot for a chill evening with friends.

Came here for the first time with my best friend. This is the rooftop bar on the Marriott which…read morehas a special elevator near the entrance of the hotel. It had a chill vibe. There were a good amount of seating but I easily see this spot getting filled up quickly. It was cold outside so the only outdoor seating was under the heated domes (there were 2). The waitstaff were great and the drinks were reasonable (on par with most places). Would love to come back when it's warmer to sit outside.

This is a busy little sandwich shop that has a small dining area and some seating out front on the…read moresidewalk. There is metered street parking and commercial lots/garages within a reasonable walking distance from here. They serve wraps, salads, and cold and hot sandwiches. I ordered the Korean Steak Sandwich. It took them about 10 to 15 minutes to prepare my sandwich. They should use a number system for order pickups because people, including myself, had difficulty determining which order they were serving. Many of the sandwich names sounded alike. My sandwich was kind of small for the price, and it wasn't very filling. It was, however, very good. It was flavorful and packed with flavor. The service was ok. It was nothing special. They did their job and did not go beyond or be overly friendly. All in all, I would recommend checking this deli out for some really good sandwiches. They really do live up to their name, the Best Sandwich Place.

3.5 stars! This is a…read moregreat location and they are super quick with making your food & checking you out! I came here after seeing a lot online about their Chicken Caesar Wrap. Personally, don't think the hype meets the expectations. But with that said, it's still a good wrap and I'd get it again but I don't think it's the best wrap I've had or worth going out of your way for. If you're hungry and near by, sure go get it but don't make any special trips just for this wrap. Id love to try their other options on the menu at some point!