the Good by the Washingtonian:

Best dishes: Seared foie gras with huckleberries; burrata-filled ravioli smothered in Robiola cheese; just-creamy-enough clam chowder; madai snapper with ginger beurre blanc; duck with polenta, acorn squash, and grapes; any Wagyu-beef preparation; chocolate mousse spiked with Baileys Irish Cream; a decadent take on s’mores.

the Bad by Sarah D:

The by-the-glass wine list was seriously lacking.  The waiter has taken my menu but I believe there were 10 options at most if you only wanted a glass.  Sorry, but even if I were on a date, I STILL wouldn’t want to finish an entire bottle of wine with one other person unless it was a truly special occasion and we were cabbing it.  So the total lack of selection here wasn’t a plus.

the Yummy by Picture this:

The menu listed the ingredients of my main course — Nantucket Bay scallops, sweet potato puree, romaine hearts, bacon vinaigrette — but the list doesn’t do the dish justice. The scallops were luscious, and the red-tipped romaine added color and height to the plate.

the Good by Capital Spice:

If carbs are your weakness, Filomena is your crack den. This Georgetown institution is a house of excess , from the enormous portion sizes to the over-the-top decorations for every single holiday. Filomena serves up Italian fare like roast chicken and veal scallopine but the pasta is the scene stealer as far as we’re concerned. Not only is it made in-house, you can actually watch the “pasta mamas” in their tiny workroom delicately pinch gnocchi and flour surfaces to roll out dough. I imagine this is what Santa’s workshop would have looked like if he were from Tuscany instead of the North Pole.  Even if you can’t manage to save room for dessert or coffee, be sure to enjoy their closing tradition: bottomless decanters of both amaretto and sambuca, served gratis with three coffee beans signifying health, wealth, and happiness.

the Bad by DC City Blog:

The tiramisu was disappointingly soggy in my opinion. The lady fingers were dripping with the espresso-liquor mixture and made the dessert too wet and unstructured. I wasn’t sure if I was eating or drinking my dessert. The caramel cheesecake was much better than the tiramisu and the chopped walnuts in the crust were definitely a nice surprise.

the Yummy by TwoDC

The sauces are all fresh and it shows. These are not one dimensional flavors gooped onto a pile of noodles. You’ll also notice that the ingredients justify the prices. If it says shrimp, we’re talking fat and juicy shrimp. Crab or lobster, same thing… no bits so small that you forget they’re there. Instead, giant chunks everywhere.

the Good by Jon E.

My partner and I decided to do 2009 christmas dinner here. We weren’t aware of the limited menu and prix fixe that they do on the holiday, but that didn’t prevent us from enjoying a brilliantly conceived arrangement of dishes and wine.  What captivated me more than the elegant presentation, or sublime and inspired tastes was the delicate balance of all the flavors. Nothing fought or wrestled, nor did they blend away. I was especially surprised by their sommelier’s selection: for our Christmas meal, a pinot noir from the Wilamette valley in Oregon. As i’m only just in my 30s I’ve hardly experienced the world of wine – so I was unaware of the richness of Oregon wines. Desert was the figurative icing on a sumptuous and truly special meal. While I love a good Christmas meal with family, it was nice to take a break and appreciate the finer things in the relaxed and inviting atmosphere at Hook.

the Bad by L S.

The pretty good food was totally overshadowed by the abysmal, laughable service. We arrived at 8:40 for our 8:45 reservation, and were seated at 9:20. I understand it’s Restaurant Week, but a half hour wait for a late reservation is ridiculous. Once seated, we were served by no less than 4 different staff who clearly were not communicating with each other at all. We had to request wine twice, and two different waiters brought two different glasses to our table and were not even gracious about the mix-up. Requesting bread was also pulling teeth, after several tries a small plate of bread emerged. Food was decent–highlights were smoked fish salad and butternut squash soup, but nothing truly stood out. The service persisted in it’s complete chaos the entire night, it was about 1/2 wait between each course. I’m usually a really good tipper, and was disappointed to have to leave the worst tip of my life. The host came around and apologized to some groups for the wait, but never even made it to our table. My boyfriend and I decided it was probably for the better, as we didn’t have anything nice to say.

the Yummy by Tom Sietsema

Hook, the Georgetown hot spot, makes that mantra easy to follow by serving fresh ingredients with minimal enhancement. Your waiter will encourage you to start with crudo (think sashimi by way of Italy). Following that lead might land you a creamy-tasting dab of yellowfin tuna tartare hinting of citrus and basil, sheer slices of barracuda sparked with lemon and capers, or mackerel garnished with almonds and golden raisins. Seaver is a purist who keeps the flavor of his fish intact but isn’t shy about adding a twist. Thus an appetizer of crisp, interlocking anchovies arrives on a bright red bed of tomato-orange marmalade, and wreckfish (similar to grouper) sits on braised cabbage. Fresh and abundant ingredients from the water aren’t the only lure: The wine list is a winner; desserts include such beauties as lingonberry Linzer torte with tellagio cheese ice cream (but also the occasional dry sprinkled doughnut); and the dining room, with its arched ceiling and creamy colors, is warm, welcoming and teeming with the beautiful people.

the Good by Kevin M.

Was in DC for a conference recently and wandered into Paolo’s with a few friends/coworkers. I am so glad we did.  It was rainy and cold outside but the atmosphere was warm and inviting inside. It was crowded so we had to wait but the bartender was amazing. She was on top of all of our needs even though the bar seemed to have more people than the dining tables. She never let us run out of drink. THANK YOU.  The food was delicious and the portions were appropriate. It is a little pricey but not enough to run me off. I love tiramisu and Paolo’s may have the best I have ever eaten. Seriously. It was to.die.for.  I dream about it now. 
 

the Bad  by Lucy Z.

I came for a friend’s birthday dinner and I don’t think I would return again if I had the option.  I honestly don’t understand how this place is consistently packed. The service was completely inattentive.  When you do get the attention of waiters, they would ask what you wanted and completely ignore the request of other parties at the table.  My friend had to get up and seek out the waiter at one point because he kept missing our table (which seemed like quite a feat since we had a party of at least 10).  The portions were inconsistent and unpredictable.  For some reason, the Margherita Pizza was almost twice the size of the Pesto Pizza, despite similar prices.  The waiter didn’t tell us this when we told him several people were splitting. 

 
 

the Yummy by peggy w.

Their wraps under the panini sandwich portion was SUPER  good…he got the chicken and mortadella wrap (mortadella is neither a cheese, nor a mushroom, but actually an Italian bologna) and the wrap’s flatbread came out nice and warm, just the way I like it. The Caesar salad that came with it was also really good.    Their tapenade (of garbonzo beans, kalamata olives, garlic, and salt and pepper) with breadsticks was also really tasty….definitely better than your traditional bread and butter, and it came out warm! Our server was also sweet and friendly. Their pasta dish, the rigatoni con vodka prosciutto ham, peas, garlic, shallots, black pepper, parsley and basil in a vodka scented rose sauce was SUPER delicious. Just the right amount of cream. This is one of the better restaurant experiences I’ve had in Georgetown so far, that didn’t break my wallet and leave me disappointed and hungry.

the Good by Jeremy D.

1789 is a Georgetown institution located in a beautiful Federal period house.  It is a true Washington DC experience, and it has a reputation of being one of the finest restaurants in DC.  We were seated in the John Carroll Room and I felt like I was transported back in time.  All the furniture was antique and the silverware was also original to the era.  I thought the atmosphere was intimate and perfect for a special occasion.  The salad was decent.  After the first course, the new chef presented us with complementary scallops that were very good.  I had a filet mignon for the main course and it was very tender.  Overall the dinner was a good experience.

the Bad by Doug W.

Well, I hate to be a grump, but I’ve never experienced such a combination of good food and horribly bad service as we had last night at 1789 in Georgetown. Our party of four sat in the front “bar room,” to the left as you come in the door, and our waiter, a pudgy young white guy, was just short of being a cartoon caricature.  1789 is a serious (for Washington) and even stuffy restaurant, but this person tried to assume the sort of familiarity that you’d expect from a waiter at, say, the Palm who’s known you for years, combined with an “upsell” schtick that would have been hilarious if it weren’t so annoying.  The poor service was a shame, because the food itself was quite good – approaching five-star quality.

the Yummy by Foodie F.

It offers Georgetown charm, excellent food and service, and well-balanced wine list. I can rely on 1789 to serve sweetbreads on nearly every visit, probably one of my favorite food, along with a nice selection of seafood.  The sweetbreads are perfectly seared, not overcooked retaining their succulent and savory goodness. The servers are super knowledgeable about the wines and have impressed me more than most sommeliers in town.  They have recommended some phenomenal wines in all prices ranges, and it is 1789 that  opened the world of Oregon Pinot Noirs before they were in “vogue”.

the Good Rachel M.

I’ve been here during happy hour a few times, which is perfect for Zaytinya because mezze (or tapas) is what they specialize in.  I just love Mediterranean food, and it’s done right here.  I had the BEST beef tartar ever here – try it, don’t be scared!  And not to worry, they have lots of vegetarian options as well, such as yummy falafel, my favorite vegetarian creation of all time.

the Bad Heather G.

Out of the 9 different items we ordered (we both ended up with the same dessert), I can only say that two of them were decent. The kolokefthides (I know I am butchering that) was outstanding, as was my braised short rib. The hummus was meh, the falafel way overdone, spanakopita bland, lamb underwhelming, and scallops were too salty. I’m forgetting a dish – clearly it didn’t leave that much of an impression on me. The greek yougurt with apricots was pretty good, although I didn’t like the consistency of the apricots – the yougurt itself was delicious and probably the best part of the meal. I see everyone raving about the pita pillows and while unique, were completely lacking flavor – even the oil/vinegar dip didn’t improve on it.

the Yummy by Gayot

Whatever the noise level and however long a wait for a table, it’s hard not to be won over by the garides me anitho, shrimp flavored with dill, shallots, mustard and lemon juice, teasing the palate with every bite. The seared salmon is crispy in its preparation that combines herbs in the marinade and with a roasted garlic yogurt to add a soothing, savory component. And for the price of a small plate, you get fine dining-caliber garnishes, like micro cilantro. Dessert may not be the first thought after a dinner of small plates that became a full meal, but the black cherries soaked in Muscat and served with Greek yogurt and a house-made cherry sorbet is always a welcome finale. The wine list includes an extensive Greek selection along with white wines from Château Musar in Lebanon and a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Judean Hills in Israel.

The Good by Rina Rapuano

Aside from the seasonal menu options, the kitchen will offer nightly themes that are a sort of upscale blue-plate special: meatloaf on Monday, Paris bistro on Tuesday, Little Italy on Wednesday, Lacoste’s famed rack of lamb on Thursday, and fish on Friday. Saturday is “date night,” which may include steak and potatoes and crème brûlée.

The Bad by Capital Cooking Show

Ris was on my list of new restaurants I’d like to try so we made our way there for Restaurant Week. While the food was good, the ambiance feels like you are in a hotel restaurant…carpeted floors, generic decor, etc. I tried the lamb shank which was flavorful, but heavy. It was a huge slab of meat with a yogurt sauce and chick peas. Interesting flavors and almost enough meat to share. Corey got the pork chop which was also large and delicious. The gnudi appetizer was delicate and satisfying. The butterscotch pudding was rich and creamy. Overall, I’d describe the food as upscale comfort food. Good service, tasty food, mediocre atmosphere.

The Yummy by Tom Sietsema

Maybe the crowd has heard about the gnudi, soft ricotta dumplings treated to a tangy tomato sauce and crisp prosciutto, and very easy to finish. Perhaps the congregation knows it can find a braised lamb shank here that bears a delicious resemblance to the entree of braised lamb, creamy labneh, bright pomegranate seeds and baked pita chips found at the one of the many Lebanese Tavernas around the area.