The newest and most spectacular is Charlie Palmer Steak (101 Constitution Ave. NW, 202-547-8100, www.charliepalmer.com), which is about as close to the U.S. Capitol as you can get without a congressional pass. It doesn't look much like a typical steakhouse, with a small bridge over a stream that separates the entry from the dining rooms, a crystal tower for the wine and a wall of glass that showcases the view of the Capitol. All that doesn't come cheap, but judging by the sea of suits gathered for lunch, that doesn't seem to be a problem.
Sam & Harry's (1200 19th St. NW, 202-296-4333, www.samandharrys.com) is Washington's locally owned steakhouse. Opened by Michael Sternberg and Larry Work and named for Sternberg's grandfather Sam and Work's Uncle Harry, Sam & Harry's draws customers from the legal and lobbying offices nearby for prime steak and to sample the impressive wine list.
Bread Line owner Mark Furstenberg does some early morning baking at his downtown store to prepare for the day. The restaurant features great sandwiches on its flavorful bread.
(Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)
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Sam & Harry's also runs the Caucus Room (401 Ninth St. NW, 202-393-1300, www.thecaucusroom.com), which has lots of private rooms for deal-making and lush, upholstered booths for rendezvous. You'll probably recognize someone here, and there's a lunch deal that doesn't require an expense account to finance.
Rowhouse Dining
Huge office buildings have replaced most of the old rowhouse restaurants, but a few survive.
Obelisk (2029 P St. NW, 202-872-1180), which seats fewer than 40 on one floor of a Dupont Circle townhouse, is a premier example. The tables line the walls, with a massive farm table in the middle of the room on which are dozens of bottles of grappa, a smooth Italian firewater. Cabinet members and power brokers may be pressing your elbow at the next table. The menu is prix fixe, with several choices for each course. It's worth planning ahead to snag a table.
1789 Restaurant (1226 36th St. NW, 202-965-1789, www.clydes.com) occupies a large townhouse near Georgetown University. The first-floor bar is fashioned like an English pub, one of the dining rooms is lined with boards from a Maryland barn, and the largest dining room, named for Georgetown University founder Archbishop John Carroll, is dominated by a large fireplace.
Chef Ris Lacoste's menu is mainstream enough for any visitor and includes such staples as rack of lamb and filet mignon and such great-tasting follies as salmon cocktail and crispy shrimp. It's one of the few restaurants in the city to require a coat for gentlemen, yet it is enormously accommodating of well-behaved children, offering burgers and other light fare from the Tombs, its sister restaurant in the basement.
La Brasserie (239 Massachusetts Ave. NE, 202-546-9154, www.labrasserie.com) is a longtime French favorite in a Capitol Hill townhouse, and Otello (1329 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-429-0209) is a rustic Italian favorite just below Dupont Circle.
On The Road to. . . .
Some of Washington's most attractive new restaurants look or feel as if they aren't in Washington, none more so than Zaytinya (701 Ninth St. NW, 202-638-0800, www.zaytinya.com). The whitewashed walls evoke the white towns of the Greek Isles; the deep blue accents recall the color of the surrounding sea. Although it's in Pepco's new headquarters building, the restaurant makes you feel thousands of miles away.
Taberna del Alabardero (1776 I St. NW, 202-429-2200, www.alabardero.com) sweeps you away to Madrid, with formal service and a regular clientele that is as apt to speak Spanish as a mother tongue as English.
Andale (401 Seventh St. NW, 202-783-3133, www.andaledc.com) has the food and atmosphere of an upscale restaurant in the Yucatan. The Oceanaire Seafood Room (1201 F St. NW, 202-347-2277, www.oceanaireseafoodroom.com) has the sleek curves and clubby feel of an elegant ocean liner, with the menu of an old-time seafood house. And the Bombay Club (815 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-659-3727, www.bombayclubdc.com) has the sultry atmosphere of a rajah's palace in old India.
Minibar at Cafe Atlantico (405 Eighth St. NW, 202-393-0812, www.cafeatlanticodc.com) is a trip to the future. It's food chemistry and food entertainment more than dining pleasure. It's an eye-opening experience that showcases cutting-edge cuisine à la Spain's ultimate laboratory restaurant, El Bulli.
Asian
Sushi lovers have several wonderful choices. Makoto (4822 MacArthur Blvd. NW, 202-298-6866) might be the smallest full-service restaurant in the District. Jewel box doesn't begin to describe it. Leave your shoes by the door, perch on a box that serves as seating and just wait for the 10 courses of the tasting menu to begin arriving.
Sushi-Ko (2309 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-333-4187) and Kaz Sushi Bistro (1915 I St. NW, 202-530-5500, www.kazsushi.com) serve traditional and contemporary Japanese cuisine. Japanese diplomats are apt to be seen at Murasaki in Tenleytown (4620 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-966-0023, www.thebestsushi.com). The room is all pale wood and has little decoration. Some Japanese specialties aren't on the English menu. But if you ask for them, the chef will be happy to oblige.
