I'll second the suggestion of PAUL even for breakfast. Its near the Newseum too.

How is Plan B doing in DC? It originated in CT and I really like their burgers / beer selection.

Less expensive than Fiola Mare is Casa Lucca which is very good and not noisy--or has not been the couple times I've been there. On Capitol Hill Montemarte is always good and not noisy.

Had a ***great*** meal at the Mango Tree last weekend ... new, quiet, elegant Thai place at City Center DC. Pricey but well worth it.

<i>Seamus Takes One for the Team: Crane and Turtle (Petworth) French/Japanese</i>

Well, if that doesn't sound perfect for St Patrick Day, what does? Let me see what my colleagues have to say, but I'm certainly game!

If that doesn't fly Le Chaumiere should.

Thanks so much for everyone's suggestions - all go on the list for future dining adventures in DC.

bookmarking

I wanted to mention a new restaurant I tried the other night, China Chilcano, Jose Andre's latest venture in Penn Quarter. The restaurant offers a variety of tapas from Peru, China, and Japan and two of us shared four dishes and each one was excellent as were the Pisco Sours. I've been to Jaleo a number of times but this may be my new favorite.

We were there early Sunday night after the theatre and it was busy and although the space is quite large, it was not at all noisy.

China Chilcano is on my list to try too. Bookings are at least a couple of weeks. Sounds great.

Jose is opening a fast casual veggie place called Beefsteak in Foggy Bottom sometime in the next couple of months. 22nd and I on the GW campus.

Heard good things about China Chilcano, but every time we try for res they only have very early or very late, even on a Monday.
We did get to Le Diplomate and had a table off to the side which wasn't too noisy. More toward the center it gets pretty loud. I thought the food was okay, but not great.

We like the Old Ebbitt Grill. We were in D.C. last month when the ground was covered with snow and ice. We were happy to be able to walk to this place which was right around the corner from our hotel (The Willard). It became our hangout. Some of our other favorites were Rasika for Indian food, Zaytinia for Mediterranean food, Central, and the Blue Duck Tavern. Snowstorms stopped us from doing some things that week but they didn't stop us from eating well.

Another vote for Ben's Chili Bowl for very casual (and historic).

<i>Some of our other favorites were Rasika for Indian food, Zaytinia for Mediterranean food, Central, and the Blue Duck Tavern.</i>

The discussion has morphed a bit from the original topic but it's probably still worth mentioning for anyone referencing this post at a later date that while Central and Blue Duck Tavern are 2 of the city's finest restaurants, they are quite expensive and not in the least bit casual.

<i> Trist. It is the best known location insights app which can provide you the information you are looking for about events and places quickly and accurately. Past visitors to the best casual restaurants in DC share their views why a specific restaurant is good and what you can expect from there.</i>

Trist is an app with no reviews at iTunes and a 17+ age rating. DC isn't mentioned as one of the covered cities.

That poster is just posting about trist. I already reported her for advertising.

obxgirl, we liked Central a lot, and it certainly doesn't fall in the same "casualness" category as Ben's Chili Bowl :-), but I would say it's just "business casual", certainly not a place you would dress up for.

Depends on your definition of casual. You can go to Ben's in work clothes. Personally I don't understand its popularity. Central you can certainly go to in jeans and be comfortable. Casual to me doesn't =inexpensive.

I don't think Ben's Chili Bowl is the gauge for casual dress. It basically only requires that you <b>be</b> dressed.

<i>Personally I don't understand its popularity.</i>

I get that. But Ben's is cheap, the divey vibe can be fun and it's got a history. I can see the appeal for a visitor and for someone rolling out of the 9:30 Club or after the bars close.

Volcanogirl, if you know which Nats game you are looking at, look at Stubhub. I found cheap tickets for our games (~$10 a piece that are $26 on the Nats site) that were not there last week so you may get lucky. There is a 3D Seat viewer on the Nats page under Nationals Park that helps with seat selection.

Do they have an outlet of Ben's at Nationals Park? That might be something fun to try there.

sf, I agree with you that the atmosphere at Central is business casual. I probably wouldn't wear jeans there (well, maybe nice jeans with a blazer or something) but IMO overall the clientele is more conservatively dressed there than in many of the places discussed on this thread.

I also agree that casual doesn't necessary mean inexpensive. Again, IMO, most of the restaurants mentioned here in are in the moderate or lower price category.

Yes, Ben's is at the park.