Maison was excellent all around. It lived up to the hype…read more We visited on a Sunday at 5 PM, with a reservation we made a few weeks in advance. The space was gorgeous, with a striking staircase near the entry, a bright bar area, and a small, dark dining room in the back. I liked the light-dark transition a lot. The food was also gorgeous and tasted great. We split 6 dishes. The tomato salad (Heirloom Tomato, Whipped Feta, Raspberry Vinaigrette $21) was amazing, although the feta disintegrated quickly and I wish it came with two pieces of bread instead of one. The escargot (Escargot, Yellow Chartreuse, Hazelnut $24) is a dish that seems to stay on the menu even when other dishes rotate out. The escargot already have shells removed, and are served hidden under sauce and a puff pastry. Another great dish. I was a little worried it would have anise flavor from the Yellow Chartreuse, but it did not. The eggplant dish (Fairytale Eggplant, Ricotta, Tabouli, Pomegranate, Za'atar $24) was good, but our least favorite of the night. I wanted it to have textural variation -- perhaps served with some crunchy chips as a dip. The entrees were both successful. The chicken (Brioche Stuffed Chicken, Artichoke Barigoule, Jus Gras $36) is another menu mainstay. Every element was delicious. I do think it could be larger (I read online that a lot of work goes into it, which perhaps explains the smaller portion size). The lamb loin (Shenandoah Lamb Loin, Au Poivre, Confit New Potato $48) was their take on steak and potatoes. The lamb was perfectly cooked and the potatoes nicely crispy on the outside. In retrospect, I should have ordered a more adventurous dish, but I still enjoyed it. For dessert, a cheesecake (Basque Cheesecake, Vin Jaune, Wildflower-Honey $15). Excellent, especially with the bit of honey. We had a few glasses of wine, which were all good. Service was also great. They did a great job giving us space but also being attentive, and had lots of good service touches like folding napkins if someone got up, wiping the table, replacing plates and cutlery, and suggesting how to course the meal. When I asked about the two orange wines, they gave me a taste of both so I could decide. I have two small quibbles: 1) our waiter was a little difficult to understand through his accent 2) a few slices of complimentary bread would have been great to soak up the delicious sauces. We visited for a special occasion, which they acknowledged at the host stand, with a candle on the dessert, and two gratis glasses of sparkling wine (one for each of us; a nice touch, when most restaurants only give you one glass). They include 20% service charge.

a delightful wine bar where we did not get wine, but we did get food…read more the menu rotates by season and is mostly a list of ingredients, so if you don't know what a "jus gras" is me neither... but maybe i'm just uncultured the dishes were presented beautifully and ornately, often in unexpected ways. i love a good artistry moment, but some of the dishes fell flat or at least couldve been balanced out in how umami they were. - beef tartare came out in little tacos and was quite good - loved the refreshing summer squash - escargot came out as a piece of flakey bread shaped as a shell with the unshelled escargot underneath. i would rather have shelled escargot with the bread on the side - brioche stuffed chicken was just chicken with a mushy brioche on the side... certainly not worth the $35 and a bit lackluster. sorry for ordering it - the mussel itself was good but the olives were SO briney. in hindsight we shouldve gotten bread on the side lol A+ ambiance: mostly bar seating (which I favor anyway for shared small plates) and a few tables upfront and in the back. the bathroom was one of the most beautiful at a restaurant. and a great yap session with dalia!!

Retrobottega just happened to be a hop, skip, and a jump from our hotel…read more A friend recommended it, and as soon as we sat down I understood why-everyone is so friendly and accommodating. A gentleman who worked there offered to take a photo of us, after watching us struggle with a selfie, the staff quickly grabbed an extra chair when we had a 5th guest, and our waitress was attentive, knowledgeable and sweet. While waiting for the rest of our party I tried two drinks. I can recommend both- retro passion and bourbon ginger beer concoction. We followed that with arancini and fried artichoke. Yes and yes. For the main meals, they generously let us slip large portions. I tried the short rib parpadelle, and although a tad under seasoned, everything was prepared properly and my pasta was perfectly al dente. Out of the 5 who visited 3 did not care for their meal, but I think we could all agree that the drinks, apps, and portions were on point. *So, we ended up grabbing dinner here two days after our initial visit- I can't say I recommend the octopus, and the beef carpaccio was "take it or leave it", but the gnocchi was pillowy perfection...just know that this is a heavy dish!

Finally a restaurant in Adam's Morgan that I would actually want to come back to!…read more Food exceeded our expectations- I had the ossobuco w veal shank - melted off the bone and the only bad part about the risotto is that there wasn't enough of it! The complimentary bread was absolutely divine. One of us got the bruschetta and it was beautiful (and delicious). The space is small but doesn't feel cramped. What really stood out though was the service. We were a little early on our Resi before the restaurant opened. Rather than have us wait in the rain, the staff let us in. They don't split checks, but they did it for us anyway. It's those kinds of little gestures that really make a difference. Bonus- great leychee martini.

The place is cozy and the services excellent. The food was…read moredelicious. I love the mix drinks.

Dinner for a party of 7 for Restaurant Week: sheer perfection!!!! I rarely leave a place with…read moreliterally zero to critique!!!! Water refills were constant, drinks were food, the wide variety of food we all partook in was all amazing, great service. I tried the leek tart everyone mentioned in previous reviews. It really is delicious. It does have some flavor of greens but is mostly creamy and pastry. The rice pudding is flavorful. The chocolate cake melts in your mouth. This place lived up to the hype.

Reveler's Hour may be a little dark on the inside with all the dark wood and…read morelow lighting but the service and the food bring a light to your meal. Firstly, I really have to commend the staff.  They were so attentive and thoughtful.  Our server, for example, brought an extra little light to our table when she saw we were struggling to read the menu in the low light. They were great about checking with us, keeping the water glasses filled and anticipating other needs such as a bag when we wanted to take some of our meal home.  Everyone was very kind and this added so much to our meal.  We enjoyed our progressive meal which reflecting the chef's heritage from both Italy and Brazil.  Our starting mocktails of the ploughman's surprise and the fermented peach soda were good.  The peach soda had a great amount of fizz but could have used a little more peach.  Maybe the nectar just sunk to the bottom and by the time we drank that far, the ice had diluted it.  We preferred the ploughman's surprise, which, coming with no ice (yah!) stayed flavorful to the very end.  Our app of grilled peaches and burrata was tasty but we actually preferred it eaten as its separate components rather than together where the burrata seemed to overpower the other flavors.  Special shout out to the sourdough crisp on top.  Super crunchy and delicious!  The bread was also a stand out in the panzanella.  This dish had a great kick from the jalapeno and was fresh and refreshing.  For our third dish - the bread also was really good.  This time it was garlic knots which everyone looked forward to the moment that garlic aroma arrived at our table.  The summer lasagna came with a very light and slightly sweet tomato sauce which only made us wish we had even more bread!  The main entrée was the picanha steak.  It was very well cooked and though not as hot temperature wise as we would have liked, it was really good even just warmed.  The oven roasted potatoes were just right and the chimichurri sauce was very good (anther longing for more bread - can you see a theme?...)  Dessert was a soft and custardy on the inside corn cake with  mascarpone and espresso dulce de leche.  Although I couldn't taste much of the coffee flavor, the dish was another example of Reveler's Hour comfort food wheelhouse.  The food and the service at Reveler's Hour are definitely worth coming back for.  Next time, we might try to sit towards the front where there is more light from the windows.  There is a small outdoor public lot a block away.

Reveler's Hour is dark, cozy, and intimate, the kind of restaurant that's great for date night or…read moredinner with friends. The front bar has a nice mix of high tops and booths if you're stopping in for drinks, while the dining room in the back is filled with smaller tables. The food absolutely lives up to the atmosphere. Absolutely start with the garlic knot. You can tell the pasta is homemade. The pappardelle is my favorite but you can't go wrong with any of the pasta dishes! Between the warm ambiance, thoughtful service, and incredible food, Reveler's Hour is a great spot in Adams Morgan.

Listen, when it's still 95 degrees at 9:30 p.m. in DC, any restaurant requiring outdoor seating…read moreonly is automatically disqualified. After striking out at two other spots, we landed at Barcelona Wine Bar, and honestly, it ended up being a pretty good save. As expected on a Thursday night, there was a wait for indoor seating, so we did what any reasonable adults would do: grabbed a drink at the bar and waited it out. I started with a Sauvignon Blanc while my friend ordered an espresso martini made with tequila, which was surprisingly delicious. Since we'd already survived happy hour elsewhere and had plans to continue the evening, we responsibly switched to water during dinner. Hydration is self-care, ladies and gentlemen. For food, we ordered the garlic shrimp, crispy mushrooms, chicken thigh, patatas bravas, and branzino. The stars of the evening were definitely the garlic shrimp and the patatas bravas. The chicken thigh was also flavorful and well-prepared. The crispy mushrooms, however, didn't quite do it for us. The flavor itself was good, but there was so much breading that we felt like we were eating the concept of a mushroom rather than an actual mushroom. Now for the plot twist. Everything came out fairly quickly except for the branzino. After waiting about 30 minutes, our server kindly informed us that it would be another 30 minutes before the fish arrived. At that point, we collectively decided that while we enjoy seafood, we do not enjoy it enough to wait an hour for it. So, we politely waved the white flag and called it a night. The service throughout the evening was genuinely good. The hostess was friendly, our server was attentive and communicative, and the bartender was cool despite operating under what appeared to be combat-level crowd conditions. It was packed, so ordering required decisiveness and a strong sense of purpose. The restaurant itself isn't huge, but it's a great size with a lively atmosphere and plenty of outdoor seating--which I'm sure is wonderful during the approximately three weeks of the year when DC weather is actually pleasant. Would I return? Absolutely. I'd just skip the mushrooms, order strategically, and maybe avoid arriving after spending several hours participating in Happy Hour Olympics beforehand. As I always say: I'm not difficult to please. I just have standards.

No matter what city I'm in Barcelona does not disappoint! We have visited Barcelona in three states…read moreand always have a great meal and great service. They are a great spot for celebrating a special occasion because of the atmosphere and decor, liveliness, and complimentary desserts and drinks. At our last visit, we were celebrating a graduation and our server made sure our guest of honor felt celebrated. There was something for everyone on the menu, even our pickiest eater. Some of my favorites are the whipped sheep's cheese, croquetas, pork belly, and gambas. And we always order a pitcher of red sangria. :)

Tryst kept me afloat. The lovely service I have always received, whether at the bar, a table, or a…read moresofa, has been consistent though a decade of visits, as has the engagement of this charming bijou of a cafe with the surrounding neighborhood. Although probably first established while Friends was still on the air, Tryst has kept up with the comings and goings of Adams Morgan, reiterating itself with changes in the local culture and the arts, which are often on display. The building itself has a narrative to it, but it's the centrality of this respite from 'everywhere else' that makes Tryst stand out, lets it occupy memories of comfort and hospitality in my mind, keeps pulling at me to visit time and again. If it wasn't for Tryst, I doubt professional and personal lows would have turned out so rosy, in the end, for me.

A lovely little cafe with super friendly staff and unbeatable vibes! Open until midnight Thursday…read morethrough Saturday (and until 10 PM every other night), Tryst is a sanctuary of peace in the heart of the otherwise lively -- and often chaotic -- Adams Morgan neighborhood. With their extended hours, expansive food and drink selection, and cozy vibes, you can easily hole up in Tryst for the entire day. Personally, I've visited Tryst more time than I can count, and at literally all time of the day. I've definitely taken full advantage of Tryst's extended hours to fuel many, many late-night study and work sessions. I love how cozy the space is, with their slightly worn but super comfy couches and armchairs, dim lighting, and ambient cafe music. The staff is super friendly; you can either order from the counter if you're taking your order to go or just snag a spot and wait for the servers to make their way to you.

Love the ambiance of this place with the decor, live vinyl dj, and a pool table upstairs. They have…read morea pretty standard cocktail menu but a whole lot of wines to choose from. I enjoyed my drink and it was the perfect bar for catching up with a friend. I'll definitely think about trying the food next time however, like the drinks, it's very expensive for "bar food" and an automatic 20% fee is added to every check regardless of your party size. The music gets louder later into the night and the crowd seems to be more in the mood to dance so just keep that in mind when deciding on what time to go! Overall if you're in the area Le mont royal is worth stopping by.

History of Present Indulgence: We came for dinner in a group…read moreof 8 to celebrate our friend's birthday before heading out for a cabin weekend in West Virginia. I was very excited about the French-Canadian, always-changing menu. Physical Exam: Taste - The Prime Rib Sando was a preemo sandwich of balanced cheese and meat between two slices of toasty sourdough. The Cheeseburger Americain was a standard 3.5 out of 5 American cheeseburger that beats the average suburban chain restaurant burger with its double patty and sesame bun, but isn't gonna knock your socks off like a steakhouse burger. The poutine kept my socks on too (I was particularly excited about the poutine and ended up a tad underwhelmed). The biggest disappointment was the mozzarella sticks, which...... I'll just get to in the service part. Cocktails were mid. All interesting concepts, but most missed the mark. the Polar Express was a little too sweet, I forgot what the name of the riff on an old fashioned or Manhattan I had but that was okay, and the Fleur de Citron tasted like when you ask for a Sprite and they ask, "Is Sierra Mist (now Starry) okay?" and you reply, "yeah that's fine," but then what you get is actually a flat 7-Up. Ambiance - This place runs on vibes like America runs on Dunkin'. Live DJ, neon lights, feels like a place you wanna eat a little, dance a little, drink a little. Fun place. Tanked by the service. Skip to the Assessment/Plan if you don't want to read this novella retelling of our evening. Service - Relatively early for the dinner service, we were the largest and one of only a few tables in the restaurant. I counted 3 other tables seated (small parties of less than 4 each) and a few patrons at the bar. It took about 20 minutes before we first got our menus and the guy who handed them to us didn't say a word just dropped them off. Then it took another 20 minutes before he came back to get our drink orders, and 1) seemed like he was having a bad day, which... fine, but 2) was rolling his eyes when some of us were a little between some options and wanted a recommendation, which... alright my guy let's chill. We weren't talking loud, we weren't drinking before and being obnoxious, we just wanted to ask about what some of the drinks were like on a very cool menu of cocktails we haven't tried anywhere else. Upon returning with our drinks, he accidentally spilled a not insignificant amount on my friend sitting across from me, and while we reacted and started handing him extra napkins, he just glanced at him, finished giving out the drinks, and walked away. No "oops", "my bad", "oh let me get you some paper towels", nothing. So at this point, we're all staring at each other like "Did we do something? Do we smell?" Whatever, friend's birthday, we've been talking about this cabin weekend for several years and it's finally happening, let's just vibe. Now another 20 minutes went by and we were getting antsy because we wanted to order our food but it looked like there wasn't a lot of staff, and we didn't want to upset anyone by hurrying them. Another man came over who we thought was going to take our orders. Nope. He starts picking up our menus so I say, "Oh, hey we haven't ordered yet." To which he replies, "OK, but I need the menus." Alright cool, yeah, that makes sense if he needed them for other tables and can leave us with a few to share. Nope. He just took them and placed them back at the host stand. Awkward stares across the table again. Whatever, we had enough, I guess. Tick tock, tick tock. A third guy came over, and when he smiled and asked, "Hi are you all ready to order?" I was like "Oh finally a human being!" Food took another 20-ish minutes while we nursed our drinks and really had no interest in ordering another round (not that anyone asked us). We ate. We chatted. We had an okay time. We were super ready to get out of there. Oh right, the mozz sticks. Le Mont'zarella sticks. They had one order left of four sticks for $18. We were one of the first diners. You can imagine after all the above, that's just a major facepalm emoji. Assessment/Plan: Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God pray for Le Mont Royal to improve their service, now and at the hour of ASAP, because the place has so much potential, and maybe it was just an off night, or the staff just finished arguing with each other in the back so they took it out on us, but dearly beloved Lord it was like we offended nine generations of their ancestry from the moment we walked in. With "a 22% service charge has been added for your convenience," I thought we were getting Punk'd. The always-changing French-Canadian menu is a cool and unique concept, but it's a lot of bark with very little bite. It didn't make the disappointing service worth it. "This life hasn't turned out quite the way I want it to be." -Rockstar, Nickelback

Moody, dim lighting, and may I say, better than the vibes in Chez Billy Sud itself, the sister wine…read morebar is the move. It would be a great place for pre dinner drinks or a moody date. There is a bar area and some couch seating but come early, it does get busy and it is hard to find places to sit. They have the same menu as Chez so you can get some appetizers. The bar service is always fantastic and they make a great cocktail- both French 75 and old fashion or dirty martini was fantastic.

Cozy interior but no place to seat really, very tight. Staff are pretty nice though as they helpful…read morewith finding us seat when they see us struggling. I didn't order food here but it seems pretty goods recommend for a drink. Maybe not filling dining experience since it's too tight

This place has been here forever, and I have walked by it so many times. A friend finally invited…read moreme out and it was such a blast! Every wine I tried was something totally new. They were on the tail end of their winter menu, and the sparkling wine that my friend was super excited about was phased out. But I just told the staff what kind of wine I was in the mood for and they chose something wonderful for me. I took pictures of the bottles, I'll track those down and post them later. I'm glad I managed to find red and white wines that I enjoyed. I also noticed that they had a crunchwrap on their menu and I had to try it. It was smaller than I thought, but the flavors going on?? Spectacular. There will also these dumplings... SWEET POTATO DUMPLINGS! And they had sage and candied walnuts. Ultimately they tasted more like a dessert, but I was obsessed with those and loved how unique they were. I'd return here, there's just too much good stuff to try! Can get pricey if you want to try a lot of wines, though.

I only give one stars to places I won't return to. Someone said a year ago the portion sizes were…read morelaughable and I found out last night nothing changed. One meat and one cheese is $7 each. I don't eat much and felt like a snack. When I got my cheeseboard, I got 1 slice of cheese and 3 thin slices of meat. Not even full slices, they were shaved and tapered off at the end. They charged me $18. I guarantee the entire block of cheese was probably $7-9. I eat a lot of charcuterie and that was by far the smallest portion I've ever received. I didn't feel for wine after that. They have a very small cozy place that's probably more enjoyable buzzed off wine. Maybe the review would've been outstanding if I came for wine. But if the quality and service doesn't match on the other items on the menu ... just remove them

What a delightful brunch! I met coworkers here and was able to share some appetizers and more. We…read moreagreed to share escargot and this goat cheese ball. We received two lovely bags of bread... I will say, I thought there was more in the bags than there actually was, but I loved that presentation haha. I decided to branch out from brunch norms and get this Manhattan ... The Ba'Nanhattan. The notes were very nutty and it had dried bananas in it, I loved it! I tried my coworker's cucumber drink, and as someone who does not like cucumbers, I couldn't deny how refreshing and summery that was. I was on the fence about a couple of entrees, but I decide to get the BECC... Bacon egg & cheese croissant. WHEW! That thing was so flaky and every ingredient was simply delicious. I was the only one at the table that didn't get potatoes with my entree... I went for the fruit instead. Little did I know that it was going to be all melons. I only started liking watermelon last year, and that was fine, but the cantaloupe?? I still don't like it. I could have asked to swap out but I didn't want to be difficult. And I didn't ask what kind of fruit it was, so that is on me. After this brunch experience, I'll be curious to come on other occasions. Happy hour, dinner.... I usually don't go for French food, but I liked what I had and I would definitely return.

Very loud inside. Not great for an intimate date night but def check them out. The bread basket…read morecomes out in a sack and is full to the brim. Make sure to ask for butter because they don't automatically give it to you. Me and my friend shared these items: - Artichokes: 8/10. Good but nothing memorable. $14. - Cauliflower: 10/10. My favorite dish of the night! The sauce pairs excellent with the toasted cauliflower. I basically licked the plate. $14. - Steak Frites: 7/10. Decent. We ordered medium rare and should have gotten medium. It was a little chewy and could have used seasoning. Not worth $39 imo.