Now that I’ve been there enough times to go to a bunch of places (some multiple times), I think I have a decent list of favorite places to eat in DC:

• Jaleo (Spanish, Chef José Andres) – delicious traditional tapas as well as some good modern twists, out-of-this-world gazpacho
• Ping Pong (Chinese, dim sum) – very modern dim sum, much more expensive than your traditional dim sum, but totally worth it
• La Madeline (French, bakery) – tasty tomato soup, decent croissants (not as good as Clear Flour in Boston of course)
• Bistro Francais – typical French bistro with service to match, nothing out of this world (not as good as Les Halles in NYC) but quite good
• Legal Sea Foods – yes, it’s a chain, but when you’re craving your chowda from Boston, here’s where you can get it!