First of all, this is another suburban restaurant review, so let’s just get that out of the way. Second, yes, we went to the steakhouse and got the chicken. Third, this is a time of upheaval for Ray’s the Classics, so we can’t make any promises. Executive chef Michael Hartzer left after New Year’s Eve to do his own thing (though we presume that, of course, had absolutely nothing to do with much beloved owner…

With its upper floors now dedicated to live entertainment – in the former Erico Café – we thought we might be able to dine downstairs at Café Nema in peace, away from the bustle. We were wrong. Before the expansion, you got food and great jazz at Nema, but you also had to fight for tables, play musical chairs to get your party seated together and step over an amp to get to the restroom….

If you aren’t in the mood to cross the Potomac for Thai (us), or if you have not yet jumped on the Bangkok 54 bandwagon (us again), then consider The Old Siam a low-key alternative. Since opening early last year in the old Mickey’s Patio location, it’s remained very much a neighborhood haunt. It’s a little out of the way for us, too, but when we’re heading toward Barracks Row, we stop in for…

While I can’t yet rank it against the city’s other offerings, Bukom Café seems as good a place as any to acquaint yourself with West African cuisine. Despite its location below The Reef’s upper levels, it’s far from sceney as it offers refuge from the drunken mayhem lurking just outside its doors. The sunken dining area offers semi-seclusion in the rear, while the tables on the main floor provide a view of the house band….

Breakfast at Dos Gringos feels like–and kind of is–dining at an eclectic friend’s place. Signs in the converted Mount Pleasant row house gently remind company that it’s a cell phone-free zone. Mismatched tables and chairs make it feel homey. Fresh squeezed juice is served in soda fountain glasses, and the coffee in house mugs. Thankfully, though, the café stops short of getting too cutesy. The fare isn’t completely vegetarian, but it’s definitely a wee bit…

Our snack prayers have been answered. After studying vending operations in New York, Chicago and other cities, D.C.’s Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs is ready to give our street carts another go. Intimidation tactics–mob-style, we imagine–led to the 1998 moratorium on licenses, which finally ended Oct. 15. Under the city’s phase-in program, currently licensed vendors get first dibs so they can keep their current locations. New applicants can apply for spots within the Downtown…

If anyone asked us about D.C.’s signature dish, of course we’d say wings with mumbo sauce. If they asked where to get it, we’d send them to Howard China. This teeny carryout is a favorite of Howard students, and it was a friend from Howard who introduced us to it when we visited him as undergrads. He walked us across Georgia Avenue at two in the morning and ordered us the same thing we…

Since opening in 2004, Oohhs and Aahhs has put the smackdown on encroaching U Street soul food competitors. A combo of first-mover advantage and superior cooking scared Brown Sugar off the block last summer and sent A Taste of Carolina packing from 9th and U a few weeks ago. (A sign in Taste’s window reads, “Closed for Relocation.”) The place is small, so much so that a line of four customers is enough to make…

What was the hullabaloo at Ben’s Chili Bowl last night? Sources tell us it was a video for Capitol Records artist J. Holiday, an R&B singer from D.C. determined to rep his city on screen. Passersby report they got the cold shoulder from the video shoot’s official sidewalk blocker and were sent car-dodging into U Street to get around. From DCist Andrew: Andrew: “What’s going on?” Sidewalk Lady: “What does it look like!?” Andrew:…