Reasonably-priced restaurants
 

Coming for the weekend with elderly inlaws.I realize D.C. will have "city" prices; however, just wondering if there are any reasonably-priced restaurants downtown; we're travelling around by Metro and will probably spend most of one day in Smithsonian museums.
Any recommendations for lunch and dinner?

This website http://www.washingtonian.com/section...nts/index.html has a restaurant finder, a best restaurants section, and a cheap eats section.

There aren't too many places to eat around the National Mall. The National Museum of the American Indian has a food court people seem to like. A couple of the other museums have food courts also.

The Penn Quarter is a good place to find restaurants in many price ranges.

I agree with the above advice. The Washingtonian magazine's website is an excellent resource for restaurants. Same goes for the Washington Post.

"Reasonable" and "city prices" are fairly subjective terms and while I have a sense of what you are saying, their literal meanings vary from person to person.

I would consider $35-$50 per person to be a moderate price for dinner in a downtown DC restaurant.

Another suggestion. Make a reservation for dinner so the elderly in laws aren't left standing waiting for a table, or worse, hiking elsewhere to find a place to eat. April is a very popular month to tour DC.

If the in-laws are up for some good BBQ, I tried a new place in Penn Quarter last week called "Hill Country". All the food is served a la carte, so you can buy as much (or as little) meat as you like and the sides are large servings, so you could even share if you wanted. I had that day's special of 1/3 pound BBQ brisket, a side dish and 2 pieces of cornbread for $11. At lunch they have a special BBQ beef sandwich for $9.50.

It's not a fancy place--long tables and the meat is served on brown paper--but the food is good. And it reminds me of home.

http://www.hillcountrywdc.com/

Good ideas; thanks to everyone!

If going to the Capitol building, the visitors center has a very nice cafe. It is self-service, but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. It isn't anything fancy, but it isn't a bad option.

The food in the National Museum of the American Indian is good, and one can choose from a variety of styles (Southwest, Plains, Northeast, etc.)

7th St. NW, between G street NW and I street NW has a series of restaurants, from the national chains to more interesting selections. It's also close to Chinatown with a string of Chinese restaurants (but how to choose?).

In the Chinatown area:
http://www.matchboxchinatown.com/ (everything!)
http://www.fullkeedc.com/ (get one of the daily specials)

Close to White House:
http://www.potenzadc.com/ (a little pricey but GREAT!)

On the Mall:
National Gallery of Art - either indoor or outdoor. Best bet for the Mall area. Better than the Museum of the American Indian cafe, IMO.

By the Capitol/Supreme Court/Lib. of Congress:
http://www.goodstuffeatery.com/
http://wethepizza.com/

By the Monuments:
Nothing and I mean NOTHING! (avoid the hotdog stands with hotdogs soaked in trash can water and <b>pack a picnic</b>).
Places to get picnic stuff:
http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/ 919 F St. NW
Whole Foods at 1440 P Street NW
Union Station Lower Level (massive food court)

longhorn -
thanks for the info on Hill Country. Living on the Arlington side we rarely go into DC unless we absolutely have to, but now we absolutely have to! They import Kruez sausage AND Blue Bell!!!!!!! This is gonna be great. So much easier than scheduling a Lockhart run on our trips to Austin to see the family, and now we might not have to be so careful about rationing the Opa's sausage in the freezer (they will ship from Fredericksburg, you know!). Thanks!

I love MAtchbox, but u can have VERY long waits if u go during normal dinner hours. Get there early to avoid a wait.

Living social (you'll have to search for its site on the Internet) frequently has nice deals for newer restaurants. (Pay $15, and get a coupon for $30 worth of food. That sort of thing.) DC has also developed a food truck culture. Since I don't live/work in DC, I'm not sure how to locate them. Maybe on Twitter? The food from some of them is said to be very good. I suspect that you wouldn't have to go too many blocks from the Mall to locate a truck.