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There’s a reason that DC is considered one of the most exciting restaurant towns in the country. Just footsteps from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the Penn Quarter section of downtown draws lively crowds to some of the city’s hottest restaurants, including Oyamel and Brasserie Beck, voted two of 2007’s best new restaurants in the country by Esquire food critic John Mariani. As local chefs and home-grown talent make names for themselves, some of the world’s leading chefs have also set up shop in the District. Celebrity chefs like Eric Ripert, Wolfgang Puck and Laurent Tourondel have joined local culinary talents like Jose Andres, Michel Richard and Robert Wiedmaier, opening new restaurants in the nation’s capital. While sleek and stylish hotspots add a new twist to the DC dining scene, you can’t go wrong by feasting on a steak and martini at a classic power dining spot. Rub elbows with a Representative or spot a Senator at award-winning restaurants like The Palm, Sam & Harry’s or Capital Grille. When celebrities come to town, their destination is often Georgetown’s Café Milano. If you’re in the mood for more than just a great meal, you’re in luck. When the sun goes down, DC sizzles with great options for nightlife and entertainment. The DC music scene is best experienced live, and there are plenty of top-notch venues to check out. The 9:30 Club packs in crowds nightly and earns its reputation as the best live-music venue in the country, according to Esquire. In Georgetown, Blues Alley has hosted its share of musical greats as the nation's oldest jazz supper club. For a distinctly DC live music experience, look for go-go, a fusion of African percussion with hints of Latin, jazz, funk, hip-hop and soul that got its start in the District. North of the Convention Center, the U Street/ Shaw neighborhood was once known as “Black Broadway,” a popular touring stop for jazz legends like Miles Davis, Cab Calloway and DC native Duke Ellington, who was born on V Street. Today the neighborhood is a must-see for music history buffs and jazz fans who gather for live sets and jam sessions at Polly’s, HR-57, Bohemian Caverns and other venues. You can experience DC’s international side and travel through a global village of casual, affordable restaurants and lively bars in Adams Morgan, a neighborhood that’s synonymous with late-night entertainment. After dinner, show off your salsa moves or sing along to 80s hits at the bars and clubs that line 18th Street and Columbia Road. Downtown pulses with its own nightlife scene, drawing fashionable crowds to restaurants and lounges like the Park at Fourteenth, Lima and k street lounge for chic cocktails, mellow music, dancing and conversation. There’s more to DC after dark than dinner, drinks and dancing. Theatre lovers will discover that there’s almost always something playing at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts, Arena Stage and downtown venues like the Shakespeare Theatre Company, the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, the Warner Theatre and the National Theatre. If you’re a sports fan, check the calendar at the Verizon Center to see who’s playing. Or, watch the Washington Nationals take the field at the new Nationals Park in Southeast DC. Group ticket rates are frequently available for theatre and sporting events. Looking for more? Visit the Experience DC section of this Website for additional dining and entertainment suggestions.
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Alliance Signature Partners of Destination DC:
