Comments on: Thrifty District: Dine Like a Congressman on an Aide’s Budget

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:22:22 +0000

Tiffany, do you go to a seafood restaurant for the steak dinners? Or to Indian for the burgers?

If you do, do you tell the people who like seafood that they should tolerate so-so food because you don’t want to pay a lot for your steak?

Wow. That was lame. ;-)

By: Don

Don — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:44:35 +0000

I actually had one of my worst dining experiences of the year when we went to brunch at Tallula last week….

By: KatieT

KatieT — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:18:22 +0000

I have what I call “food fear” after I had a bad stomach virus or food poisoning this winter, and I actually would really trust Eat Bar’s raw beef. Eat Bar is in Tallula, which is much more upscale and pricier, and has a great “foodie” reputation.

Then again, Noah, I’d say better safe than sorry, and stay away from totally raw beef in general. ;0)

By: Noah

Noah — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:11:58 +0000

A six dollar steak tartare probably comes with card giving instructions for treating salmonella poisoning. Seriously, if there’s one thing you should probably spend a little more money on, it’s raw beef.

By: Tiffany Bridge

Tiffany Bridge — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:23:45 +0000

…and then there are people like me who think that sushi as an entire class of cuisine is highly, highly overrated and wonder why their friends would want them to spend twice as much on food they just can’t get excited about. :D

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:46:59 +0000

It’s hard being a sushi lover (read “snob”) in DC. There are a lot of sushi restaurants out there. The problem is that most of them are only so-so.

So I feel compelled to point out that – with regards to real sushi – Wasabi has decent sushi (but it can be touch and go sometimes) but Sushi-Ko never fails to disappoint.

If you are starting someone out for the first time, go with the more expensive Sushi-Ko. The subtle flavors in the better sushi are worth the extra price. Then you can start to compare restaurants based on your tastes.

By: KatieT

KatieT — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:45:39 +0000

@Dan Miller, oooh good suggestions! That could be fun, head-to-head neighborhood comparisons? Very controversial, I bet, people feel strongly about their neighborhoods, so it could definitley get the conversation started. I’ll toss it to the group.

@Matt, Ruth Chris’ plate cooked my medium rare steak to well-done. My boyfriend and I were dismayed. Rays, all the way.

By: KatieT

KatieT — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:41:44 +0000

Fixed, Stacey! Our mistake. Your photo is great, and yummy, and we appreciate you letting us use it! :)

By: Stacey Viera

Stacey Viera — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:35:51 +0000

The burger photo from Matchbox was shot by me and has the wrong link attached.

By: Jenn Larsen

Jenn Larsen — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:32:24 +0000

Love it love it love it.

($5.50 for miso soup at Sushi-Ko???? good grief!)

By: Dan Miller

Dan Miller — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:21:56 +0000

Neat article. Can I suggest that the next one be about housing/neighborhoods?

By: Tom Bridge

Tom Bridge — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:21:20 +0000

Matt, I’ve been to the Ruth’s Chris around here, and I’d say Ray’s compares very, very favorably. It’s lighter on the décor, for sure, but it’s definitely one of the best steaks I’ve had, ever, and I can’t say the same for Ruth’s Chris.

By: Tiffany Bridge

Tiffany Bridge — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:07:42 +0000

I loooooove Naan & Beyond. I go to the L Street location when I don’t get a chance to have lunch until 3PM; they cook all day so the food is still fresh even at that time of the afternoon.

By: jasmine

jasmine — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:02:45 +0000

brilliant new feature! perfect for those of us who love good food but also happen to be on a budget/broke as a joke.

By: Tom Bridge

Tom Bridge — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:44:23 +0000

I’m a hug fan of El Pollo Rico, as well. Same great pricing, tasty tasty chicken.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:43:29 +0000

This is an interesting read. It’s definitely going to inspire me to eat out a little more this winter. I haven’t been to Charlie Palmer, but I wonder how Ray’s compares to Bobby Van’s or Ruth Chris’; from what I remember both had similar prices to Charlie Palmer. I’m now really looking forward to trying out Ray’s soon. And I think that you could also have gone with Eat Bar when talking about cheap desserts. Every dessert I have tried there has been absolutely amazing, and well under $10.