2 DC Restaurants Among Best Date Spots In US: Open Table

WASHINGTON, D.C. — If you want to impress a date, you might go big with an amazing steak or seafood dinner, paired with a perfect wine. OpenTable, the restaurant reservation website, recently released a list of the 50 Best Restaurants for a Date in America for 2019. And two restaurants in Washington, D.C., made the cut.

Filomena Ristorante in Georgetown and Le Diplomate in Logan Circle were named among the best rest restaurants for date night in a list that features establishments in 21 states and Washington, D.C.

The list was based on an analysis of 12 million reviews of more than 30,000 restaurants across the country — all submitted by verified OpenTable users between Sept. 1, 2018 and Aug. 31, 2019.

Restaurants were then scored and further sorted based on search terms such as “GoodForDates” and “Good for a Date.”

The restaurant reservation website put together the list in partnership with Hinge, a dating app that found through an OpenTable-commissioned survey that 86 percent of respondents find it stressful to pick a perfect date spot.

“Given the added stress daters face when looking for the right restaurant, we wanted to create a go-to list that offers a restaurant for any date — whether it’s your first or one-thousandth,” said Anne Besse, director of marketing at OpenTable.

Here's how Filomena Ristorante describes its Italian fare: In "1980 JoAnna Filomena moved from New York City back to Washington, DC to be closer to her family and her aging mother, Filomena. ... After spending a few weeks dining out in Washington, JoAnna realized that she didn't really find any restaurants that offered more than a short meal with unmemorable atmosphere and service within the Washington area. If she could recreate her mother’s special dinners on a grand scale in a restaurant setting, she knew there would be a place for the restaurant in the Washington dining arena."

Address: Filomena Ristorante, 1063 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.

Restaurant hours are: Dinner hours are 3:30 to 11 p.m. daily; lunch hours are 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Sunday.

Menu items include: Gnocchi Della Mamma, potato based dumplings tossed in bolognese meat sauce with ground beef, veal, Italian pork sausage, ground vegetables, chianti wine and tomatoes; Lasagna Alla Bolognese; Linguini Cardinale, lobster meat in a creamy cardinale lobster sauce over linguini pasta; and Osso Bucco Alla Costello, a slow braised 16oz veal shank in veal stock, tomato sauce, red wine and diced vegetables served over saffron and mushroom risotto.

Here's how Le Diplomate describes its French cuisine: " Le Diplomate pays sincere homage to French cafe culture, providing a comfortable, versatile gathering place that’s become an anchor for Washington, D.C.’s resurgent 14th Street corridor. ... The extensive menu features a variety of Gallic classics, including onion soup gratinée, steak frites and escargots, as well as daily plates such as bouillabaisse and cassoulet. A thoughtfully curated wine list and specialty cocktail program complete the transporting experience."

Address: 1601 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.

Restaurant hours are: Monday through Thursday: Dinner 5 to 11 p.m. Friday: Lunch noon to 4 p.m., dinner 5 p.m. to midnight. Saturday: Brunch 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., midday 3 to 5 p.m., dinner 5 p.m. to midnight. Sunday: Brunch 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., midday 3 to 5 p.m., dinner 5 to 11 p.m.

Menu items include: Trout Amandine for $29, Beef Bourguignon for $33, Steak Frites for $29.50, Duck à l’Orange for $36, Veal Escalope for $33 and Steak au Poivre for $38.