washington, dc restaurants in the 1980s washington, dc restaurants in the 1980s

No-smoking section. Parking in rear. Children's prices. Tourists, policemen, office workers and down-and-outers mix in this cafeteria line, where liver is less than $1. 232-4768. Capitol Forum 941 North Capitol St. 789-0582. 659-8220. L $2-$2.75, D $3-$7. Rustic and reasonable, with creditable food, Vietnam Georgetown is a neighborhood ethnic restaurant that just doesn't happen to be in an ethnic neighborhood. Mamma Desta 4840 Georgia Ave. NW. Parking adjacent lot.Full bar service. L $2.95-$6.50, D $6.45-$8.95. Worse, fried dishes, particularly appetizers, may be grease-sodden and bland. Szechuan Garden 7945 Tuckerman La., Rockville. L daily ex Sat, D daily. 363-8900. Agreed. L $9.50-$10.95, D $11.95-$26. Boulud, who had briefly worked in D.C. before establishing his empire in New York, opened a branch of his DBGB Kitchen and Bar brasserie in Washington three years ago. Closed Sun. 2 / 30. Street parking. Valet parking. Full bar service. Parking lot. Free parking in rear at dinner. No reservations.Street parking. L, D daily. His restaurant doesn't stop at serving the usual wild game, but is likely to have rattlesnake one day, hippo another. Free shipping for many products! All this on a mound of butter-infused rice decorated with carrot-orange grains on to and accompanied by homemade flat loaves of light, yeasty bread. And incidentally, at least at the original Georgetown location, it is incidental that people eat. Closed Sun. Parking lot next door. Full bar service. Trout or red snapper are afloat in nutty clarified butter with almonds, mushrooms, onions, ripe tomatoes and coconut milk, garnished with crisp green broccoli.Neither meats nor vegetables are overcooked. Now it's driving me bonkers trying to figure it out! Full bar service. Children's prices. L $3.95-$8.95, D $6.95-$14.95. Main courses range from boiled beef (dry and grim) to a platter of smoked meats with sauerkraut and dumplings, and certainly you should try the sauerkraut and dumplings, even if the latter are a bit pasty. Appetizers can be superb, particularly the snails and the carpaccio, or even the daily mixed hor d'oeuvre. Washington needs more serious seafood restaurants that serve really fresh fish and cook it properly. Full bar service. 333-5440. Sometimes the food is excellent, as with a spicy rillette or very fresh fish. I have tried googling to no avail and even scrolled thru every restaurant listed for DC here on TA no luck. Open daily. House of Chinese Gourmet 1485 Rockville Pike., Rockville. L, D $4-$10. Parking in front. 223-1823. But above all, it is a personal restaurant, where the maitre d'hotel remembers not only your name but also where you sat last year, and maybe 10 years ago when they opened. Arlington. Washington D.C. Shamrock Stroll (March 18) History Tour Pub Crawl of Washington, D.C. Visit the Embassy of Ireland; Explore St. Patrick's Catholic Church in D.C. Eat out at an Irish pub The Dubliner; Duffy's Irish Pub; Kelly's Irish Times; Kirwan's on the Wharf; 17. Parking in Colonial garage at dinner only. Full bar service. Children's prices. 370-0060. Beer and wine only. L $2.25-$4.25, D $2.25-$9. L daily ex Sat, Sun, D daily. Full bar service. 19. Open daily. 333-3376. Phone +1 202-347-4800. But always there are enough improvements to keep one believing that Washington is constantly becoming a better and better eating city. Closed Sun. Sample tortellini, agnolotti and cannelloni swoop on a combination plate, or sumptuous linguine with fresh clams and a healthy dash of red pepper. Cantina is cozy and intimate, but the least stylish-looking northern Italian restaurant downtown. L $2.25-$3.75, D $4.25-$10.95. Open daily. The Hunan lamb and beef offer a brilliant interplay of pepper, vinegar and soy with a touch of sweetness that is uniquely Hunanese. Reservations accepted. Parking lot. Parking garage. At the Thai Room the average dish is under $4. 244-5804. L $1.75-$6, D $5.95-$24.95. Szechuan & Hunan 1776 E. Jefferson St., Rockville. No reservations. Full bar service. AE, CB, MC, V. Reservations suggested. Beer and wine only. Full bar service. L daily ex Sat, Sun, D daily. Blue Nile 1701 16th St. NW. Full bar service. Beer and wine only. D daily. Children's prices. L, d $3.25-$6.50. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. AE, V. Reservations accepted, suggested for large parties. Open daily. No credit cards. The baba ghanouj bests even the Middle Eastern restaurants hereabouts, but hot dishes tend to be superior to cold dishes, which are inclined to be excessively herbed or at least unbalanced. Start with pasta, perhaps linquine with crab and tomato or with clams, or risotto to share among several people. Full bar seravice. 881-6330.L, D $1.10-6.95. Full bar service. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Szechuan Inn 558 Benfield Village Shopping Center, Sevena Park, Md. Look for the puff-pastry-and-almond-paste pithivier for dessert; served warm, it oozes butter and is ribboned with whipped cream. 881-1100. It is one of those exciting cities where you could visit a different restaurant every day for six months and still not get to all the good ones. Despite the new-found sophistication, the food is still pleasant, rough homestyle food and the kitchen remains as slow as it was when the restaurant was half its present size. And include something from the charcoal grill: shrimp sates, lemon grass spareribs, Korean-style short ribs. The room is still mildly pretty, the service still as hospitable as a home, the food still bright and crisp and excellent. 881-3360. More. A rustic downstairs dining room decorated with cotton print tablecloths and primitive paintings, and in warm weather a well-protected outdoor terrace, Tabard Inn continues to serve interesting, high-quality food through changes of management. Full bar service. I am guessing it was some sort of steak house, it had big white pillars or columns outside, a two story dining room (I think ) that looked over the big salad bar. which according to my 80 year old mother had big bowls of feta cheese on it?? Main courses are the highlight; appetizers can sink to course and bitter seafood pate or smoked salmon that is just oily fish sliced too long ago. The French UndergroundThe Gentry (Cap. No credit cards. Fellini's Pizza. 966-2172. Full bar service. L $2.50-$7, D $6.50-$11. Valet parking. L daily ex Sat, Sun, D daily. Some dishes miss, particularly mildly seasoned ones and those with too-sweet fruit sauces. 544-0102. L $4.25-$7.25, D $7.25-$9.50. 893-6366. The kitchen's unique character blooms at dinner. more. L daily ex Sat, D daily. 524-2512. At a glance it looks like a dim, sleekly appointed spaceship, its walls wearing giant metal sunburst sculptures, the ceiling lit from large recessed circles rimmed with hanging greenery. The menu is small, with California contemporary touches on its Italian base. Parking in rear or street. 223-6666. lobster, D $10.50-$10 per lb. Its culinary assets are highly peppered and faintly sweet cha gio (spring rolls) and crab farci, which is the same crab-pork filling in larger measure, without the rice-paper crust. Parking lots. No mousse in town is as light as Le Pavillon's chicken liver mousse with lobster, truffles and red and green peppers. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. Beer and wine only. AE,CB, D, MC, V. Reservations required. AE, CB, CC, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. L $3.50-$6.50, D $4.25-$12.50. Frederick, Md. Start dinner with a champagne and framboise cocktail and end by taking home a quiche or plum tart for tomorrow when you wish you were back at Chez Francois. The room has been redone in bright glazed tiles on a white tile background, floors and walls, and the effect is at least startling. Full bar service. It is much loved, for good reason, and best garnished with bacon or sausage. Much of the food, whether the soups or sauces, is slightly clumsy, lacking delicacy or being left too bland. Samurai Sushiko 2309 Wisconsin Ave., NW. Rosy walls and violin music, caviar with bliny and vodka with strawberries -- such are the touches that set the Serbian Crown apart from the crowd of Washington's elegant restaurants. Full bar service. And, while it serves the usual range of Italian dishes -- veal parmesan, chicken cacciatore, lasagna, spaghetti and such -- its central feature is unique pizza. I will try to get to them next year. Street parking. lobster. Middle courses are a mixed bag, though at one day's lunch the crab cakes were stellar, and served with crisp stir-fried vegestables. When one reviews the range of Washington restaurants every year, it is no surprise that the situation remains pretty stable -- a few get better and a few get worse, many open and just as many close. Intermission White Flint Mall, Rockville. L $3.25-$8.50, D $8.90-$14.80. Despite economic woes (recession and inflation), the energy crisis, urban decline, crime, and escalating restaurant prices, restaurant-going continued to rise. No-smoking section. Reservations accepted. 256-1111. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations accepted, suggested on weekends. MC, V. Reservations accepted. SALE: SUBSCRIBE AND GET 1 YEAR FOR $21.99 $5. Mc, V. Reservations suggested. This intensely popular Chinese restaurant is so because its food can be and often is among the handful of Washington's best. Web Visit website. Stacker compiled a list of the highest rated restaurants in Washington, D.C. from Tripadvisor. 340-8596. Closed Sun. If small increments can be said to raise Washington's dining level, add to them that the Szechuan has a new carpet. The poached chicken dishes show how well the kitchen handles commonly indifferent preparations, and seafood are equally cosseted. The waiters toss the food at you. New York City. The search for the great unpretentious steak house goes on, but leaves J. R.'s behind. L $3.95-$6.95, D $6.25-$9.95. Parking lot in front. It is always, however, a pretty little Italian restaurant, white with touches of pink, and lovely, flossy little arrangements of flowers on the table. L $3.95-$7.95, D $7.50-$8.95. 244-1740. Cedar Knoll Inn George Washington Memorial Pkwy., Mt. The best details are the fresh orange juice or espresso over the morning paper, a soup or pastry break to finish your last chapter. 675 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA. La Miche 7905 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda. One good test of a Chinese restaurant is its hot-and-sour soup; Hunan passes with honors. Open daily. L $4.50-$9.75, D $4.25-$17.50. Closed Sun. Greek Village 1712 Connecticut Ave. NW. 671-2774. Others are good but without special character -- the snapper too chewy, the rillettes bland, the veal excessively pounded, the raspberry souffle lacking perfume. The food -- which includes dishes such as sausages with lentils, pot au feu and cassoulet -- is endearing if not spectacular. 659-5882. Its sweet-hot red cornstarched sauce is strange, but it grows on you. Its window walls fill the scene with the four-season beauty of Rock Creek Park. Closed Sun. The Georgetown branch is cluttered with tile tables in the garden-bright dining room. L $3.95-$5.50, D $5.25-$9.95. Full bar service. The sauce is more sharp than sweet and plenty hot. 232-6684. Home-style duck is rich with the anise-cinnamon-clove scent of five-spice powder. Some days, Geranio is worth circling the beltway for, and other days it is not worth more than a walk around the block. L $2.25-$4.95, D $5.95-$12.95. Cafe Lafayette 105 N. Alfred St., Alexandria. Closed Tues, MC, V. No reservations. Closed Mon. Closed Mon. hellcat vs p938; simple small front yard landscaping ideas low maintenance; jenny's super stretchy bind off in the round; senate democratic media center Imperial Garden Tysons Corner Shopping Center. And diners are ordering more lightly. Full bar service. Parking lot. Saigon Inn 6922-A Braddock Rd., Annandale. 525-8770. But dishes that are meant to be robust -- chicken cacciatore, braciole, herbed roast veal -- are as good as Washington has to offer. Parking in buildng. Full bar service. Free parking in adjacent garage for two hours. Free parking in garage next door. Full bar service. As a child I remember saying oh we are eating at the White House (because of the columns??). 767-1095. Valet parking. L $2.45-$4.50, D $3.75-$8.95. Washington still has about 5,000 restaurants. 861-8447. December 31, 1989. German restaurants are scarce in Washington, and Alpenhof reminds you what fun they can be. AE, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. Behind those etched glass walls of the bread oven is a miniature neighborhood, where bread is being baked, and major decisions are being made between eclairs and pear tarts. Sadly if you grew up in DC in the 80s, you may remember the fact that it wasn't really a safe city. Parking lot. And any Formica luncheonette where you wait in line to pay $11.50 for flounder stuffed with crabmeat is bound to be good. Has history on the back cover. Kabul Caravan 1725 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. The daily specials are usually the best dishes to order, for they use the season's first basil for pesto and the freshest fish for cold marinated appetizers, and on occasion offer inventions like the quail with fruit and sage stuffing and mushroom sauce. L $4.95-$8.95, D $7.50-$13.25. Street parking. L,D $3.50-$7.95. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. 536-4200. AE, MC, V. Reservations suggested.Parking in commercial lots. . But start with milky white arak to drink and warm pita to dip into the appetizer spreads and go on to shish kebab (or order a special dish ahead if you have the foresight) and you will understand Mama Ayesha's longevity. Full bar service. 232-8400. Full bar service. No credit cards. The shabu shabu dinner is rightly a favorite. At Chrisfield you ought to know what to order, for the crab cakes are bready and heavily permeated with green pepper, and the broiled, baked or sauteed seafoods outshine any of the fried ones. Parking in commercial lots. Entdecke 1980er Jahre BOSTON SEAFOOD COMPANY Restaurantmen - Washington DC & St. Louis in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! No credit cards. In other words, this is a typical inexpensive ethnic restaurant, in this case Vietnamese and French. While most of the diners I saw one night were ordering shrimp cocktail, they could have chosen for their appetizers Smithfield ham with kiwis and pears, duck terrine with hazelnuts, salmon mousseline with truffles and morels, snails with tarragon, salmon terrine with two caviars, lobster and scallops in a puff pastry case or smoked salmon with blini, plus several more. 4200 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Shooter McGee's 5239 Duke St., Alexandria. The brownies, the chocolate chip cookies (from the Capitol Hill branch's carryout market), the macadamia nut roll, the chicken and green bean and seafood salads would win on any first ballot. The population was shrinking, wealth flowed out to the suburbs, and you could buy a Northwest rowhouse for five figures. Open dailey. Open daily. Tom Sarris Orleans House. Open daily. Full bar service. Scotland Yard is a bonnie darling of a restaurant with tartan tablecloths and lace curtains between the dark wood booths. Commercial parking garage next door. 965-1185. AE, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested Street parking. Open daily. The California touch is evident -- and welcome -- in an antipasto pyramided with fine Italian ham and salami, sharp, aged provolone, plump anchovies and pungent little olives over a bed of crisp romaine, with cruets of oil and vinegar to dress it yourself. And the food is always decent and hearty, always served in huge portions and sometimes great. Open daily. Main dish possibilities are grilled fish or shrimp -- charcoal grilled -- sauteed bay scallops, seafood stews with wine, herbs and tomatoes; or some variation of fritto misto, beautifully fried. 338-3121. One of the prettiest restaurants in town, with a floating stairway up the two-story dining room and contemporary stained glass tinting the old brick, Da Vinci serves some of the best pasta in town. AE, MC, V. Reservations suggested, required for eight or more. Valet parking, free at dinner. 525-5317. L, D daily. 528-7600. 175. 597-8447. Open daily. 1443 K St. NW. The chiles that once brought tears to the eyes have been held in reserve. Should the setting and parkway ride tempt you anyway, risk it and order something simple. Parking lot. Hill - 406 8th St SE) The Greenery (18th btw L and M) The Guards (2915 M St NW) The Hayloft. L $1.75-$4.15, D $3.50-$12.95. But more delicate dishes have been made clumsily; fettucine with caviar is cotton-candy pink from a strange tasteless stuff that is meant as red caviar, and veal has been pasty on the surface and cooked dry, immersed in a lumpy sauce. Parking garage. $1.69 $1.99 . Full bar service. $1.69 $1.99 . But the highlight of an evening at Dominique's might be the service, for the troop of young waiters and waitresses seem not only to know their job, but to enjoy it. The dozen dishes run the gamut from Mideast (humos, a delicious rendition) to Deep South (barbecued spare-ribs, oversweetened but not bad). Full bar service. In an era that values light eating, Ikado's high prices for small portions detract little from its agreeability. 965-5252. And the attention in the kitchen is no less than in the dining room. 293-9111. The most interesting and unusual dish is an appetizer -- sauteed bananas and onions in a hot tomato sauce. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. D, D daily. 933-3687. Full bar service. Children's prices. Foggy Bottom Cafe The River Inn, 924 25th St. NW. Open daily. 443 Seventh Street, NW. The Big Cheese 3139 M St. NW. Parking lot. Save. 938-1557. Cagney's 1 Dupont Cir. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. Full bar service. Ae, cb, d, mc, V. Reservations suggested.Parking lot. Parking in front. 171-4212. L $2.25-$3.50, D $2.75-$4.25. Full bar service. East of Chicago Pizza. Beer and wine only. And the hostess still keeps a maternal eye on your table. 223-3780. D $8.25-$16. Beer and wine only. Much of the food is the familiar pub level: large portions of fairly tasteless ingredients. The few steaks have stiff competition in the thick calf's liver steak, the rack of lamb and the grilled fish or squab. 331-9444. Sandwiches L only $2.25, platters L and D $7-$19.75. Full bar service. Sir Walter Raleigh Inn Check local phone directories for locations. The prices are its most erratic characteristic; asparagus vinaigrette and smoked salmon have been priced higher than at some of the city's grande luxe restaurants, while many main dishes are under $5. Swensen's 1990 K St. NW. The food, too, remains authentic and straightforward, with a few especially good dishes. Children's prices. Closed Sun. Parking in Kennedy Center garage. AE, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. Answered: I am trying to remember a restaurant my parents took me to on visits to Washington DC in my youth. You may start with asparagus dried out in the reheating, but you are likely to have traded recipes with one of the owners by the end, after eating too much of his homemade bread, and still be tempted to end with a marvelous zucotto. No credit cards. But if something very homey, like veal stuffed with seasoned bread crumbs and braised in a brown sauce, is on the menu, you have hit a good night. Sholl's 1990 K St. NW. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. AE, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested, required on wekends. L $2.95-$3.25, D $3.50-$6.45. On my last visit it was the food. Children's prices. And nearly surrounding you are tiny marble tables set with bottles holding daisies and readers absorbed in books and salads, surrounded by a haze of chatter. Next, a fish filet or whole broiled flounder, either plain or with good lump crabmeat. Embrace music at the 14th Annual D.C. Record Fair The prices stayed so low for so long that something had to give. The restaurant is open Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Prime Rib looks like the last of the supper clubs, even at lunch, when the silk-shaded table lamps are lit, the Lucite-topped grand piano playing despite the bustling workaday world outside. L $3.75-$8.95, D $5.595-$17.95. Only about a half-dozen main courses are available, half of them fish or seafood and generally reliable. The salmon mousse with green peppercorns is suave and spicy, a pleasant light main course. L, D daily. L daily ex Sat, Sun, D daily. Alpine 4770 Lee Hwy. The food tends to sound more exotic than it tastes, and the soups are pallid. 842-0070. AE, D, MC, V. Parking lot. Full bar service. parking lot nearby. Le Manouche, named after a gypsy cart, travels a road with a few potholes. Parking in rear. Free parking in adjacent lot at dinner. dFull bar service. Most of the menu is enchiladas, though there are some good soups, a mole that needs mellowing and a few other beef and chicken dishes. L $1.75-$5.25, D $3.75-$9.95. There are also Wienerschnitzel, Sauerbraten, goulash and roast pork, plus a parade of desserts from apple strudel to Sachertorte of distinction. Mamma Desta's restaurant is an experience. Follow your appetizer-salad bar with a pile of crisply grilled lamb chops saturated with garlic, oregano and lemon, or similarly seasoned baked fish filet, or something more complex like filet of beef in wine sauce or lamb baked with tomato. L daily ex Sat, Sun, D daily. Two cautions: The coffee isn't even strong enough to tint a tablecloth, and throughout dinner you might want to look out for slices of those 20 pounds of garlic. Children's prices. Reported as permanently closed. Full bar service. The pastry carts offer some of Le Bagatelle's finest moments, particularly the tarts, or the berries with sauce sabayon. L daily ex Sat, D daily. Open daily. Open daily. MC, V. Reservations suggested. giorgios 1247 20th St. NW. L daily ex Sat, D daily. Full bar service. AE, MC, V. Reservations suggested. These ambitious projects are all the more remarkable for coming when Washington's restaurants are feeling, belatedly, the economic pinch. On the plate, the food is pretty and fresh, and the diversity caters to those hungering after a full traditional meal or just a sandwich. If you want to know why I have not evaluated Le Provencal or El Bodegon or the Blue Nile or whichever of your favorites is missing, the answer is that there is no good answer. L $4.50-$6.75, D $4.50-$12.25. Chez Grand Mere 3057 M St. NW. AE, CB, D, MV, V. Reservations required. D daily. The Spaghetti Market 6347 Rolling Rd., West Springfield. No-smoking section. L daily ex Sat, Sun, D daily. Wash down the meal with Golden Eagle beer and be prepared to fend off waiters imploring you to order a great array of side dishes and the restaurant's own cookbook. 3. AE, DC, MC V. Reservations suggested. Parking in front and rear. Or the noodle turnovers can be fried, with the yogurt on the side. L $4.50-$6.95, D $8.50-$11.50. The Peasant Basket 3321 Connecticut Ave. NW. The old faithful dishes are still excellent; sups and the creamy crabmeat veronique as appetizers. Hefty dishes are the most suitable to order -- the sausages or liver, for instance, but save room for a flaky apple tart and good espresso. L daily ex Sat, D daily.Closed Sun. L $5.75-$12.50, D $10.25-$21. The dining rooms are lovely, with rainbows of silk waving from the ceiling downstairs, salmon colored banquettes against silvery gray walls upstairs. Hunan Garden 2104 Viers Mill Rd., Rockville. L, D $1.50-$4.95. La Ruche's formula still works well, despite the opening o branches, moving of site, revisions of staff and heavy competition from newer French cafes. If you want plain fare served with a black-tie flourish, Prime Rib is one of the city's few possibilities. 548-2255. Look here for profiles of the District's many. 1475 Pennsylvania Ave. NW (15th St. NW) Washington, DC 20004. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. Ensalada de frutas is fresh melon and pinneapple whipped with water and ice in a blender, costing not much more than coffee. There is no change expected, thank goodness, in the food. But fried foods stand out here; the onion rings are thin and crisp and impossible not to finish despite the enormous portions, and the fried chicken wings are all that, plus tender and juicy, too. L $2.25-$4.50, D $5.50-$9.50. Reservations required. Full bar service. Valet parking. MC,V. L daily ex Sat, D daily. Street parking and nearby lots. China Paradise 138-A Maple Ave. W., Vienna. AE, MC, V. Reservations accepted. L $4.25-$10, D $10.50-$18.50. Closed Mon. While the menu does not easily translate into English and the waiters are little more descriptive than the menu, the foods are essentially similar, meat or fish stews in peppery tomato or peanut sauces, accompanied on wooden platters by rice or another grain and sauteed cabbage, carrots and zucchini. 301/432-6155. AE, MC, V. No reservations. 833-3846. Parking in rear. Kramerbooks & afterwords Cafe 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. 790-5164. Harvey's 15201 Shady Grove Rd., Rockville. 347-1445. When in doubt, order the simplest dishes. Children's prices. Children's prices. Landini Brothers 115 King St., Alexandria. 273-8812. And even more important, increasingly restaurants are serving seafood that is fresh rather than frozen, and cooking it properly. Open daily. Hidden below the bustling cormer of 17th and K Streets NW is a bustling bar where it's easy to relax and forget the over-head traffic jams. Kingbird serves a lavish breakfast spread, and is the ideal pre . L $3.75-$6.50, D $9.25-$12.25. Reservations accepted. mChildren's prices. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested, required for four or more during weekends. 966-8200. View Website. $1.69 $1.99 . Street parking. L daily ex Sat, D daily.Closed Sun. Auto Services. No-smoking section. Open daily. L $3.75-$7.95, D $5.95-$13.95. Full bar service. L $2.50-$7, D $14. 452-126. Ae, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. L $4.25-$7.95, D$6.95-$10.95. Mama Ayesha's Calvert Cafe 1967 Calvert St. NW. AE, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. Full bar service. The corned beef is the best this side of Baltimore, and the roast beef and turkey revive the worth of those delicatessen meats. That's it, the best -- unless you substitute for the roast beef a crusty rare sirloin or whatever seasonal fish is available, preferably stuffed with Dungeness crab. Open daily. The main dining room is tiled in terra cotta and topped with a mirrored ceiling. Still, from the orange-scented ramos gin fizz to bananas Foster, a dinner (or brunch) at 219, accompanied by a sprightly -- and reasonable -- bottle of vouvray, is sufficiently reminiscent of New Orleans to recommend the trip.