From what I heard it is going to reopen late summer /early fall.

I am a Washingtonian and I have never heard of this before. Thank you for sharing something new with me!

Citronelle for dinner will blow your mind. But get reservations now if you are interested.

And prepare to pay like $500 for a dinner for your whole family. If you want a mind-blowing Michel Richard dinner, make reservations at Central - much more affordable, and from what I hear, every bit as good.

Next time in DC I want to stop by there. The rector of my old church is the current Dean of the Cathedral, and he always does a great service.

Does anyone have recommendations for good, moderately-priced restaurants within walking distance of the Capitol area? No Mexican food though, because my stepdad refuses to eat East-Coast Mexican. He's a zoo AND a Mexican food snob.

Lastly, are there any fun things for my 17-year-old brother and I to do at night?

Bullfeathers is close to the Capitol, and is reasonable. Every other place I (personally) know of is either Mexican or a bar.

Whoever suggested the night tour of the monuments was spot on - they look so different, almost majestic, at night. There are a lot of ghost tours, too, in both DC & Old Town Alexandria.

I thought the ghost tours are only in the fall?

There are probably more ghost tours than there are ghosts, and NOT just in the autumn!

If you have a car and chance to travel outside DC, consider Annapolis, Maryland, if you've never been. The City Dock water front and cobblestone streets are beautiful, and you can take a guided tour of the U.S. Naval Academy most days. You can get crabs (Maryland blue crabs) at Cantler's or Buddy's, and there are several pub style restaurants downtown.

Spend some time hanging out in Adams Morgan, or maybe grab brunch there at the Diner. It's awesome.

Yeah, around the Hill most place are bar/burger type places. I'd consider eating at the office building, the food is actually pretty good.

How is that a constructive or intelligent comment? I just made a suggestion and the poster can research and make that choice if she wants.

Have you been to Central? Can you make a comparison based in personal knowledge?

As for $500 for a family- if you do Citronelle right that will just barely pay the wine bill... :)

You suggested a very expensive restaurant that most people probably would not be able to afford. I pointed out the expense and made an alternative suggestion. I'm not sure how that's not constructive, and I'm not sure why you were offended by it. :)

$500 was an estimate. I've only eaten at Citronelle on the company tab, so I'm not that sure on costs. I tried Central this week and it was amazing - I actually liked it quite a bit more than Citronelle.

Just a question of interpretation probably- so no worries. Eating out big at least once on a trip is key for me, and so that is usually the first thing I recommend anytime someone asks me about travel plans.

As for company tabs- dang I miss those! A few years ago I was on a team that had to do a major save for some consultants in New Orleans who botched a big job. We worked to 3AM for a week leading up to Christmas holidays.

We were coming home on the 24th and finished early on the 23rd, so on the company tab we had a big night in New Orleans including one of the most extravagant meals I have ever had!

We earned it, but man I miss those times. One of the downsides of having my own business now- there really is no such thing as a free lunch anymore...