The Washington Post - 06.09.2019

THE WASHINGTON POST

.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

PG

6

Ask Tom

Excerpts from Post Food Critic

Tom Sietsema’s online discussion

Q: My grandparents are coming

to D.C. for a weekend and I

honestly don’t know where to

bring them. My grandpa is a real

meat-and-potatoes kind of guy,

and he struggles with a lot of the

amazing cuisines D.C. has to

offer. Sadly, steakhouses are also

complicated because of my

sister’s vegetarianism. Any help?

A: Both your grandfather and

your sister should be happy with

the whimsical Unconventional

Diner, whose menu features

meatloaf and steak and eggs for

him and kale nachos and

chickpea stew for her. Fun food

from a serious chef: David

Deshaies, who worked under the

late Michel Richard.

Q: Caveat for the grandpa

suggestion: Unconvential Diner

is really loud — almost as bad as

Le Diplomate (which is in a class

by itself ). I love both places, but

FYI, if the grandpa has any

hearing problems, you may want

to look elsewhere.

A: Fair point. Best to go on the

early side, when the dining room

isn’t as busy (or noisy).

Q: My friend is celebrating a

milestone birthday. I would like

to take her to dinner. Proof used

to be my go-to place. What

would you recommend?

Restaurant must have good wine

list, take reservations, and is

accessible via Metro.

A: I haven’t returned to the

Pembroke in Dupont Circle

since Harper McClure came

aboard as executive chef, but he

has a good track record: his last

jobs included Le Diplomate,

Brothers and Sisters and Vidalia.

The hotel restaurant is near the

Dupont Circle Metro and pours

some nice wines — just what you

want, I think.

Q: We hope to celebrate our

50th wedding anniversary. But

where? We’re hesitant to book

something out of town, like the

Inn at Little Washington (where

we have celebrated past annivs),

because we can’t predict the

weather. Do not want to drive

anywhere in snow/sleet/ice. So,

we’ll stay in D.C. Suggestions for

a place worthy of such a

milestone? Nothing too

adventurous but open to most

cuisines.

A: I vote for Marcel’s in the

West End, one of the most

civilized restaurants in the city.

The ambiance is swell, the

service is tops and the French-

inspired menu is as good as ever.

Plus, you can hear one another:

My sound meter recorded

64 decibels recently, making for

easy conversation.

Q: Where in Rosslyn could one

find a tasty, moderately priced

dinner on a Sunday evening?

Love to find a place that permits

reasonable conversation and

wine list. Coming from church

in Georgetown on the way home,

Rosslyn is convenient. Diners

are open to most cuisines as

long as it is well-prepared.

A: That’s a tough question.

There aren’t a lot of good

choices in Rosslyn, and on a

Sunday night at that. If it were

me, I’d probably go to Nando’s

Peri-Peri for flame-grilled

chicken.

Q: I have a work schedule where

I am frequently able to take a

longer lunch on Mondays. The

problem is, many (if not most) of

the more exciting restaurants in

town are either closed for lunch,

closed Mondays or both. Can

you think of anything new/hip/

SEE ASK TOM ON 7

SCOTT SUCHMAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Unconventional Diner can please the meat-and-potatoes crowd

with meatloaf and vegetarians with its kale nachos.

S0743 3x10.5

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