Clyde's (DC - Gallery Place)

L got sick here. That's really all we need to say.

Cost
$$$

Minuses
Steak didn't seems to be NY strip...

Overall value
L got sick after eating here. What else is there to say.

Cafe La Ruche (Georgetown) [CLOSED]

Visited under the advice of a friend.  Pretty much the online reviews are on target.  A little expensive for what it is and definitely for poor service.  The greatest sin though was the thrown-together nature of the food. It's a casual cafe/bistro, so we understand that the presentation may be more...leisurely.  However, there is a line. Putting a Caesar salad on the same gravy-covered plate as the main dish is one way to cross that line.  It brazenly expresses laziness on the part of the preparer. It screams, "We don't think you care about your food. You'll eat anything on your plate, you stupid American. Now, give me your money." Or, "We've only got one waitress, and we're not buying or washing anymore plates than we have to. You'll take it and you'll like it." It's a shame, too, because supposedly the desserts are excellent (we didn't try any), and the food overall was okay (though not a value). The cordon bleu was tasty. The Caesar dressing was tasty (the pieces sans GRAVY, that is). However, the filet mignon seemed more like hanger steak...and likely was. And M would not prefer any respectable place ask how we want the filet mignon. The potatoes were fantastic, though.

Cost 

$$-$$$ (borderline, so read this be at least $45-50 w/tip for two)

Cleanliness
Clean

Service
Not good. Good luck getting refills on something as simple as water. Also, we had to wait to be seated when the place was at most half full outside and almost empty inside. The place was not that busy, but we were definitely not the only ones who had to wait. It's not that the waitress was horrible (she was pleasant enough), but there was only one of her.

Pluses 

Another patron noted the place is almost never packed, so seating is rarely a problem -- though expect a wait nonetheless.

Minuses 

Lack of contentiousness.

Poor service, despite staff.

Overall value

Poor. The theme here is "laziness". The food wasn't bad but seemingly slapped together. We could spend 25-50% less somewhere else and eaten food just as good. Or spent just as much elsewhere and received much better service and a slightly better meal.

The Warehouse Bar & Grill (Old Town Alexandria)

Steak and seafood place in the middle of Old Town, white tablecloth, yadayada (pricy).  The tables are tightly packed.  Mostly steak or seafood fare.  Bottom line:  This place is NOT a destination point...

Caesar salad -- bland bland bland.  Leafy, but no tang or zest. Adding table pepper just made it a black pepper salad...
Baby Spinach, Gorgonzola & Spicy Glazed Pecans salad -- probably the highlight of the night.  Slices of Granny Smith apples made nice sweet and sour contrast, though sweeter apples may have been more appropriate (or have both).

Surf-n-turf -- Medium rare filet top sirloin came out medium well, dry, dry, dry.  Crab cakes were good enough, though likely a Cisco special.
New York Strip -- Medium was medium(-ish).  14 oz. "cab" strip with cracked black peppercorn bordelaise and creamy potatoes ---  More like cracked black peppercorn on a bed of steak and hardened potato dome with negligible creaminess (though, the potatoes were a'ight because of their "potatoyness").

To remember:

• Either the cook doesn't know how to cook steaks or else the server does not want to bother with clarifying if the order was "medium rare" or "medium WELL" like confusing the two is not a problem...
• Everything is in a sauce!
• And the sauce was like thickened drippings (to use an actual culinary term would validate it).  The research chefs at Cisco would be proud.

Cost
$$$ > $50 WITH a free entree...

Cleanliness
Not notable...though, the better half said it best: "It felt like there was 'secret dinge'."

Service
** - Notably sub-par
It is unacceptable at a fine dining restaurant like this one that the server who brings water would not only reach over the food while pouring (heaven forbid he use his other hand to pick up the glass...it's not THAT fancy of a place by any means), he didn't care when his pitcher was millimeters from the food. 

That neither steak were cooked "to order" either goes on the server or the cook, but I give the benefit of the doubt to neither.  Both were sub-par.




Pluses 
Crab cakes were edible enough, but there are much options elsewhere.  The pecan salad was very tasty.

Minuses
Nearly everything else.

Overall value
A bargain at twice the price...  Ugh!

The Carlyle is much more consistent, with better service, spacing and much better steak-n-cakes(TM) (<< I've claimed this!).  Old Ebbitt's crab cakes blow these out of the water.  Grace (Ft. Worth, TX) is on a whole 'nother level in terms of...well...everything.  The Carlyle is much better at the same price point.