Raku

The Bethesda location can get really crowded, but they’re open late for lunch (until 3). I really dig the soups, especially the dashi with tofu and vegetables. I believe that Mark Miller has sold the place, but the current management has kept the quality pretty consistent.

The food [decent asian-fuzion] actually would be rated higher- but the Dupont location is frequently too frustrating to eat at. I’ve walked out twice after being seated for 15 minutes when no one would take my order.

The Bethesda location, on the other hand, has both a better menu and good service. I think I will just give up on Dupont and go to Bethesda when I have a hankering for Raku.

I know it is popular, but I’ve been repeatedly disappointed by Raku in DC. Eventually I realized that instead of thinking of it as a mediocre restaurant, I should think of it as a bar. It is indeed a reasonable place if you want to loiter for a while, have some mixed drinks, maybe eat something, and not worry much about when the food arrives.