Best Wine Bars in Ivy City

Had an amazing evening at Chez Billy. Food was delicious, fabulous ambiance and impeccable service! Thank you for a memorable evening and birthday celebration!

We had a lovely dinner at Mallard last night. The food was outstanding, very creative, very tasty. My wife started with an appetizer of Sea Island pea dip with duck-fat saltines that she loved, and I had Spanish ham with pickled watermelon rind that was terrific. For her main course, my wife had Pekin duck, and I had fried sweetbreads on a waffle with bacon marmelade, and foie gras added in. We both loved our main dishes, and are looking forward to eating the left-overs we brought home. The restaurant was noisy, but not in a way that made conversation difficult. Service was attentive if sometimes a bit slow, understandably, because the place was very busy. When I didn't care for the cocktail I had ordered, our server quickly offered me the possibility of choosing another, so i ended up satisfied. As we left, my wife told our server that she would tell her friends about Mallard. We will definitely be coming back!

Awesome! Service was excellent and the ambience was just perfect

Lunch in the week of New Year's is a very quiet time, so this was a perfect quiet experience--the maitre d'h said next week will be busy again. You can go a la carte or take the Pranzo Esecutivo (prix fixe) two course lunch for $30, which looked like a good deal. But we opted for lighter with one course and Whole Wheat Focaccia with garlic oil, parmesan, and rosemary dipped in oil--not your typical focaccia we get here. The Gnocchi Pesto with basil & mint pesto, toasted pinenuts, zucchini, preserved lemon, and whipped ricotta was very tasty and filling. It had lots more pesto than a lot of places provide but this was definitely creamy. The Tagliatelle Bolognese was made with lamb and porcini with tomatoes and parmesan and was nicely sauced. A light dessert of poached pears topped it off. The restaurant includes a 20% service charge and clearly states that tips are not required but appreciated. The waiter was super attentive, but of course there was no one else there for most of the lunch. My one surprise was that he accepted my offer to pay for a full glass of wine that I accidentally spilled, when usually a restaurant will "comp" something like that--but I did offer. I had intended to tip the waiter with the cost of the wine but chose not to do so as a result. All in all, a great Italian meal, quiet enough for two old friends to meet and talk.

The Capital Grille in Washington DC always delivers. Every part of the dinner was enjoyable, from the food to the atmosphere to the personal attention by all of the staff. We won’t go anywhere else in DC for a steak dinner!