For a broader assortment of Japanese specialties, try one of the Teaism locations (400 Eighth St. NW, 202-638-6010; 800 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-835-2233; 2009 R St. NW, 202-667-3827; www.teaism.com).
Thai restaurants abound. The quirky Thai Tanic (1326 14th St. NW, 202-588-1795) and Bangkok Joe's (3000 K St. NW, 202-333-4422), with its dumpling bar, are two interesting places to start.
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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Among Chinese restaurants, Meiwah (1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW, 202-833-2888, www.meiwahrestaurant.com) and City Lights of China (1731 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-265-6688, www.citylightsofchina.com) are the takeout/delivery kings.
Other Ethnic
Little Ethiopia is the new nickname for a downtown stretch of Ninth Street NW. Sodere (1930 Ninth St. NW, 202-234-2425, www.sodererestaurant.com) is a gentle way to learn about Ethiopian cuisine. Two better-known Ethiopian restaurants are Addis Ababa (2106 18th St. NW., 202-232-6092) and Dukem Restaurant (1114-16 U St. NW, 202-667-8735, www.dukemrestaurant.com).
Cafe Mozart Restaurant (1331 H St. NW, 202-347-5732, www.cafemozartgermandeli.com) isn't elegant, but many of the pastries it offers are. The German and Austrian dishes are authentic.
Try Park Cafe (106 13th St. SE, 202-543-0184) for Chilean specialties, Mar de Plata (1410 14th St. NW, 202-234-2679) for tapas before or after the theater, and El Tamarindo (1785 Florida Ave. NW, 202-328-3660; 7331 Georgia Ave. NW, 202-291-0525) and Casa Blanca Restaurant (1014 Vermont Ave. NW, 202-393-4430) for Salvadoran.
Neighborhood Favorites
Clyde's (3236 M St. NW, 202-333-9180, www.clydes.com) and Old Ebbitt Grill (675 15th St. NW, 202-347-4800, www.clydes.com) have been Washington institutions for decades. The bar at Old Ebbitt is more than a century old and was moved from the grill's original location around the corner.
Millie and Al's (2440 18th St. NW, 202-387-8131) is one of the few establishments that survived as the Adams Morgan restaurant area became more gentrified through the years. There's little uptown about this hangout. But the pizza is decent, and the crowd is lively.
Another Adams Morgan pioneer is La Fourchette (2429 18th St. NW, 202-332-3077). This quirky bistro can be a hideaway at lunch and a public party at night. Cashion's Eat Place (1819 Columbia Rd. NW, 202-797-1819, www.cashionseatplace.com) is always packed with diners hungry for the homey and sophisticated cooking of chef Ann Cashion, a James Beard award winner.
Chadwick's (5247 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-362-8040) is Friendship Heights' neighborhood bar. The hamburgers are good, as is most of the menu. It's more than tolerant of children, and it's open late enough to eat there after a movie.
Palisades has a jazzy new neighborhood favorite, Black Salt (4883 MacArthur Blvd., 202-342-9101), the most recent addition to chef Jeff Black's growing empire. The front is a seafood market. The back is a sleek restaurant with mini-appetizers (called little plates), appetizers and main courses that feature the seafood upfront. The conception and execution of dishes are stellar. The restaurant is already drawing Washington A-listers nightly.
Ardeo (3311 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-244-6750, www.ardeorestaurant.com) and its sister wine bar, Bardeo (3309 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-244-6550, www.bardeo.com), draw much of their business from the surrounding Cleveland Park neighborhood.
At Lindy's Bon Appetit (2040 I St. NW, 202-452-0055), near George Washington University, the only real place to sit is on the wall outside, but that hasn't stopped students and office workers from cramming inside for big, juicy hamburgers for more than 30 years.
Around the Catholic University campus, Colonel Brooks Tavern (901 Monroe St. NE, 202-529-4002) draws a devoted Brookland following and features jazz on Tuesday nights.
On Capitol Hill, congressional staff members gather for burgers and beers at the Hawk and Dove (329 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-543-3300) and the Dubliner (4 F St. NW, 202-737-3773).
Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe (1517 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-387-3825) was the original bookstore cafe in Washington, attracting the late night literary crowd.
Try Rita's Carryout (3322 Georgia Ave. NW, 202-722-1868) for West Indian. The Tabard Inn (1739 N St. NW, 202-785-1277) has a cozy fireplace in the entry and an interesting menu.
Only in Washington
The view from the Sky Terrace at the Hotel Washington is incomparable, and the drinks and nibbles are good, too (515 15th St. NW, 202-638-5900, www.hotelwashington.com). There is no better place to spend a warm spring, summer or fall evening.
Just next door, the Occidental Restaurant (1475 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202-783-1475, www.occidentaldc.com) displays the history of the nation on its walls.
A Romantic Evening
Greg Lamont's repertoire of jazz and American standards transforms any evening at 701 Restaurant (701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 292-393-0701, www.701restaurant.com) into a night at an elegant supper club. The New American cuisine is satisfying, the welcome is warm and the music is intoxicating. For a treat, have executive chef Trent Conry create a tasting menu just for you.
A block away, Washington's legendary French chef Yannick Cam creates a different kind of romance at Le Paradou (678 Indiana Ave. NW, 202-347-6780, www.leparadou.net). Cam, who more than two decades ago was the king of Washington chefs, is regaining that title in this latest reincarnation. The room is elegant, with light wood paneling offset by dark-toned chairs and banquettes, widely spaced tables and fabulous flower arrangements of orchids or lilies on every table. With food that rivals that of most three-star restaurants in France, Cam creates fantasies such as belon oysters gratineed with sea urchin butter; eggshells filled with complex creations such as lobster roe, corn custard topped with brandade of sea scallops and a crown of caviar; and roasted lobster with wild mushrooms and roasted beets. The prices are princely, but it's still cheaper than a trip to Paris.
