Zaytinya DC

I am so happy to say that Zaytinya did not disappoint! So many expectations and no, everything was not spectacular, but overall it was a delicious meal. I particularly enjoyed the seasonal mushrooms, imam bayildi, the spice rubbed sirloin of beef, and tagine. Not so impressive was the calmari and mahanek. With my limited middle eastern/mediterranean cuisine experience, I believe Zaytinya tries to improve the traditional dishes by incorporating extra ingredients and flavors, which I really appreciated. Also, I expected this meal to make a nice dent in my wallet, but surprisingly, it was not bad at all. For stimulated taste buds and a gratified stomach, $30 is a bargain. I can't wait until I have another group of friends that I can bring to Zaytinya.

4/5
http://www.zaytinya.com/

Rustico Alexandria

Mmmm tasty and wide beer selection. Their pizza is unique and has a lot going for it, only downside - it's definitely got that oil that you despise sitting on top. The ragout was fabulous. Pricey, but definitely different and in a good way.

3.5/5
http://www.rusticorestaurant.com/

Dos Caminos NYC

Since I am sooo backed-up, I'm going to make this short and sweet.

Good food, good flavors - lots of sweet, spicy, and tangy going on, definitely spiced up Tex-Mex. Worth the price? No, not really. I am impressed however that one of the Top Chef contestants this season is the executive chef at Dos Caminos. Sangria was real tasty - it was like punch.

3/5
http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/dos_caminos_third_avenue/index.php

Alero U DC

Walking down U Street, and not knowing where we wanted to go for dinner, my friend and I settled on Alero. She thought Mexican/Latin sounded good. The atmosphere of the restaurant was a nice mix of trendy and laid back. We surveyed the drinks first and were impressed with the sangria options. We both ordered a glass of rose sangria, sadly, they were out so I got the red and she got the white. They were both good. The menu had your standard fajitas, burritos, and enchiladas, but it also featured a couple interesting options like duck and crab. I ordered the enchilada con mole poblado and my friend ordered the tacos de cochinita pibil, my original choice. My entree was great. The mole was gooood and I've tried quite a bit of mole. It was a nice balance between sweet and tangy. I loved it. My friend's tacos were tasty, the acidity of the dish definitely made it more memorable. It was a simple meal, but a pleasant surprise and probably one of the better, more interesting, Tex-Mex places I've been to in the district.

3.5/5
http://www.alerorestaurant.com/main.html

Indique DC

So many expectations! My friends and I did a thorough search of DC restaurants until deciding to go to Indique. Indique had been recommended by an Indian acquaintance that also shares a love for food. I always have high expectations when eating out, but this time, my expectations were even higher. Sadly, they were not met. All of the food was good, but none of it great. We ordered the Mussels a la Indique as our starter. Tasty, not fantastic. For my entree, I had the Chicken Chettinad. Surprisingly spicy and very presentable, but jaw-dropping? No. My friends had the Baingan Bhartha, Alu Chole, and Chicken Appam. Everything had great flavor and we all ate too much, but there was nothing that was incredibly delicious. Three of the four of us said we had had better Indian before. I give credit to Indique though, because for once, their entrees were not the same ol' Tikka Masala, Saag, Korma, and Kadai that you can find anywhere. There was a lot more variety at Indique and at times, we felt the flavor mimicked Thai with its sweetness. It was different, which I love. There's no question that I would go back to Indique, but I was hoping for so much more!

3.5/5
http://www.indique.com/Indiquemainpage.html

Kanlaya DC

I've always said that Thai in DC isn't half bad (in comparison to other Asian cuisine out here.)Kanlaya, a trendy Thai restaurant that suffers from a bad location in Chinatown, met my standards. After reading a few reviews from critics, a couple friends and I decided to try Kanlaya. I ordered the duck while one of my friends had the panang and the other had chicken and broccoli with peanut sauce. The food was good, not spectacular, but good. My dish was very flavorful, but one of my slices of duck was pure skin and fat. Major turnoff. Anyway, it was what you expected from Thai cuisine - a mix of sweet and spicy (coconut, basil, peppers,...) but done well and not as oily as some other places. The thai iced tea was okay, overly sweet as usual. Overall, not bad, but from my perspective, it doesn't deserve all its praise.

3/5
http://www.kanlayathaicuisine.com/New/index.php

Café La Ruche DC

Last Sunday, I went to Café La Ruche for brunch with a friend. Normally, I avoid French restaurants; French, being a cuisine that is usually heavy and creamy, does not sit well with me. [Except for this great French-Japanese fusion restaurant back in Campbell.] Anyway, Café La Ruche was wonderful. The small/quaint restaurant had a French feel, exemplified by the waiters that ignored you unless you pestered them. I ordered a toasted bagel sandwich with smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, toamtoes, and lettuce that does not appear on the online menu. I don't even like cream cheese, but this bagel was amazing. All the flavors meshed perfectly and the capers gave the sandwich that extra something. If I could have this every weekend, I would. I declined on dessert at the table, but decided to get something to go. I had heard so much about their pastries and couldn't resist. The fruit tart I got with kiwis, raspberries, and strawberries was worth the $6. The pastry was flakey and delicious; the cream was sweet, but not too sweet; and the fruit was ripe and not sugar-glazed. I shared the tart with four others because it was just that big. The next time I can afford to gain a few extra pounds, count on me heading back to Café La Ruche.

3.5/5
http://www.cafelaruche.com/