Theatre & Nightlife
Restaurants
Booeymonger
3265 Prospect St. NW, Washington, DC | 202-333-4810 | Delicatessen
Booeymonger deli/sandwich shop with the strange name will brighten anyone’s day with its snazzy selection of specialty sandwiches, such as the The Georgetowner, Gatsby Arrow and the Scheherazade. Or create your own with a whole array of your favorite fresh fixings. They are open 7 days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Bistro Francais
3124-28 M St. NW, Washington, DC | 202-338-3830 | French Cuisine
With vintage posters smiling down upon cozy, warm woods and crisp white tablecloths, Bistro Français offer a relaxing French atmosphere with excellent cuisine to match. Located in the heart of historic Georgetown, the restaurant consistently offers authentic dishes that are sure to please every palate. Whether you are gathering for a relaxed weekend brunch, a celebratory dinner, or a late-night snack, Bistro Français serves genuine cuisine at moderate prices. Executive chef and owner Gerard Cabrol came to Washington D.C., bringing with him home recipes from southwestern France. Today he makes sure that his specialties are as consistent as they were when he opened the restaurant in 1975. These recipes of authentic French cuisine have made Bistro Français an institution in Washington, D.C. and has won the restaurant a few awards along the way.
Their specialties include our famous Poulet Bistro (tarragon rotisserie chicken); Minute steak Maitre d’Hotel (steak & pommes frites); freshly prepared seafood, veal, lamb, and duck dishes; and the best Eggs Benedict in town. In addition to varying daily specials, their homemade French pastries are made fresh every day by the chef. What great French restaurant would be without a great wine selection. their extensive wine offering allows you to travel through various regions of France as well as America. Wine Spectator consistently applauds Bistro Français for its comprehensive collection of wines; the restaurant has received an “Award of Excellence” every year for the past 12 years. If you’re a night owl, Bistro Français is the perfect place to grab a late meal. From lighter fare, like fresh salads and sandwiches, to a three-course meal, the restaurant offers a full menu every night until 3 a.m., and 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Basil Thai
1608 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC | 202-944-8660 | Thai Cuisine
Among the international cuisines making a play for universal recognition in New World of old standards like Chinese, Italian and Mexican is Thai.
Distinguished by its basil and hot pepper seasoning and fresh vegetable and noodle combinations, Thai food has emerged at the forefront of D.C.’s restaurants. Open up a phone book. The number of Thai places dwarfs other would-be stalwarts in the area.
Now Georgetown has a new Thai restaurant, and the chef’s reliance on one of her favorite seasoning figures prominently in the title. Basil Thai opened in mid-February at 1608 Wisconsin Ave.
Three native Thai women run the restaurant: Onie Sorapun, Janet Varee and Weena.
Originally Bangkok, Sorapun said she attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison and spent a decade of learning the restaurant ropes from her mother, Sukanda. Sukanda has operated several Thai restaurants in the D.C. area through the years, Sorapun said.
Sorapun and her friends are ready to take over in the Northwest in their first restaurant venture.
Now the knock on some Oriental food is the high MSG (monosodium glutamate) content. Never mind that if you pick up an honest-to-goodness can of American soup at the supermarket the chances of its being saturated with MSG are fairly good. The chemical tag has stuck on Oriental food like white on rice.
But it will not be a problem at Basil Thai, according to the owners. They make this point right away.
“We do not use MSG here,” said Sorapun.
“We search the kitchen staff everyday,” she cracked.
She and Varee stressed the fresh produce and meats used in the dishes at Basil Thai, and the natural seasonings: fresh chili pepper, minimal oil, garlic, basil and ginger.
Presentation and atmosphere are two more big factors at Basil. Sorapun’s brother Oct designed the décor along with his friend Danny Vaivong. The place contains 11 tables, each one strikingly and individually painted and glazed. The walls are decked with Vaivong’s original watercolor and paintings, featuring the recognizable rocks and waterways of Glen Echo. It’s not a zany interior, by any means. But it has a bold New Agedness to it, underscored by the colorful abstract lines on the table and bar-stool tops.
The bar is in the back, and when the Basil Thai’s liquor license kicks in a few days, Varee and Sorapun said it will be handsomely stocked and it will include Thailand’s own bracing brand of beer.
But it all gets back to the food, of course, and that’s significant when one considers that Basil Thai offers free delivery.
“We even deliver downtown,” said Sorapun. “And accept all major credit cards.”
The owners said a couple can eat here for $20 to $25.
Article From Sky Magazine, Delta Airline
( Magazine Published Jan. 2004 )
1789
1226 36th St. NW, Washington, DC | 202-965-1789
1789 Restaurant is the quintessential Washington, D.C. dining experience. Chosen by readers of Gourmet magazine as one of America’s Top Tables, its inspired creativity is delivered in a relaxed country-inn elegance. Decorated with American antiques, period equestrian and historical prints and Limoges china, its six dining rooms offer comfortable surroundings in a renovated Federal house.
Their menu is presented by primary ingredient. Dishes are listed progressively in each category from starter to main course. Starters are denoted with an asterisk . Selections change daily to reflect the freshest ingredients and flavors of the season.
Elisir
427 11th St. NW, Washington, DC | 202-546-0088 | Fine Italian Cuisine
Elisir offers unique and creative multi course tasting menus nightly highlighting Fargione’s creativity and constant search for taste, presentation and concept. The restaurant also offers a very detailed a la carte menu which changes seasonally. At lunch time the restaurant offers a simpler and faster Bistro concept with an a la carte menu for the main dining room and a dedicated limited Bar menu inclusive of alcoholic beverages for a lower set price.
El Chalan
1924 I St. NW, Washington, DC | 202-293-2765 | Peruvian Cuisine
El Chalan Restaurant was founded in 1975 by Pedro and Elsa Espinoza. The Espinoza’s immigrated from their native land, Peru, in the late 1960’s with a dream to provide a better life for themselves and their family. They quickly acculturated to the customs and traditions of their new land but missed very much their native cuisine. After, a few years in the DC metropolitan area they opened a carry-out in Arlington, Virginia. They initially sold traditional American food such as hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries during the week and Peruvian food was served only on the weekends. Soon, there was increasing demand for the Peruvian menu, and they converted the carry-out to a restaurant and changed the name from Washington Lee Carry-out to El Chalan Restaurant.
El Chalan was the first Peruvian restaurant in the DC metropolitan area, and continues to be one of the most recognized in the area, and has received multiple favorable reviews. El Chalan serves up delicious Peruvian fare every day of the week. Their most known dishes are the lomo saltado, causa, and ceviche. The pisco sours are also very popular.
Old Ebbitt Grill
675 15th St. NW, Washington, DC | 202-347-4800 | American
Old Ebbitt Grill is just steps from The White House and museums in downtown Washington. Established in 1856, it was a favorite of Presidents Grant, Cleveland, Harding and Theodore Roosevelt and is still a popular meeting spot for political insiders, journalists, celebrities and theater-goers.
Its Beaux-Arts facade, mahogany and velvet booths and bars set in marble, brass and beveled glass are Washington at its finest, and The Oyster Bar at Old Ebbitt is D.C.’s most famous.
