We are traveling (by bus - with a group) to Washington DC in September, and are staying at the Embassy Suites in Tysons Corner. Right next door there is a Ruth Chris’ steakhouse; which is very good but a little overpriced IMHO. Can anyone suggest another resturant of similiar quality within a reasonable cab ride?
Cafe Deluxe is a charming bistro with good steaks and comfort food, and a pleasant wine and beer selection. It’s across the street from the larger mall.
Pilin Thai nearby is excellent Thai food.
The Lebanese Taverna in the Galleria is very good middle eastern.
You can find reviews for these and other places on the Washington Post’s website here.
For breakfast there’s a good bagel place – Tyson’s Bagel? – on Leesburg Pike.
Maggiano’s Little Italy – in the rich people’s mall
I think there’s a Bertucci’s there somewhere.
Woo Lae Oak is an excellent Korean place and across the street is a good Japanese place whose name escapes me at the moment.
Northern Virginia has some excellent food, but Tyson’s isn’t really where it’s at.
It has been years, but at least one place is where it was at (and I suspect still is) - Da Domenico’s was superb. Try the veal chop if you can.
When I went there long ago, there was a regular, an Italian fellow in is 70’s or 80’s who would wander around singing opera.
Take a look at what is in Tysons Corner Center (Tysons I) and Tysons Galleria (Tysons II, the rich mall). Tysons I has several non-fast food restaurants on the lowest level, including I believe a brewhaus.
Across Route 7, there’s an Olive Garden.
btw: There was an infamous crime committed at Tysons 1 in 2010 (TMI) :
A 2 year old girl was thrown off of a bridge by her grandma.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/dc/girl-2-falls-from-walkway-at-t.html
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2011/10/carmela-dela-rosa-guilty-of-first-degree-murder-67550.html
There’s a really good pizzeria/deli just up Route 123 in McLean (about a 6 minute cab ride, depending on traffic). I’ve not been to that location but I have been in the two others. Here’s a menu (small PDF).
How about some seriously fine dining?
L’Auberge Chez Francois
Thank you all for your advice and insights. We’re really looking forward to this.
Right next to that, there’s the Corner Bakery — a nice place to get coffee, sandwiches, breakfast fare, and pastries.
The Tyson’s Corner Center of course has a lot of eateries, as has been mentioned.
Nearby, there’s a Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which is a local favorite.
Ah, wait, I see that Busara has moved to Tyson’s Corner from Georgetown. That’s one of the best Thai restaurants in the area.
The Japanese place I was thinking about is Konami, I believe.
There are plenty of chain restaurants, not only in the malls, but on Leesburg Pike and the other main roads – Chili’s, Olive Garden, etc.
The New York Deli on Leesburg Pike has decent corned beef and pastrami.
If you want to find the real treats of the area, though, you need to head to Arlington for Vietnamese and Central American food, Annandale for Korean, Skyline for Ethiopian. There’s a ton of great food in the area if you can get just a little bit closer to town.
Ah, another thing I thought of. In Chantilly, near Dulles airport, there’s a Hot Breads, a Bombay-style stuffed pastry shop. That’s kind of far from Tyson’s Corner, though, if you’re going by taxi.
In Fairfax City, there’s a really good Indian place called Bombay Garden. They specialize in “coastal” cuisine (Bombay-Goa-Kerala).
That hotel is just a couple of blocks from my office.
All of the above suggestions are good. In addition, here’s what I recommend in that immediate area:
[ul][li]Clyde’s of Tysons Corner (on the upscale/pricey side, but nothing like Ruth’s Chris)[/li][li]Gordon Biersch (in the Tysons Corner Center mall; you have to go inside the mall, but it’s near an entrance)[/li][li]Wildfire (in the Tysons Galleria mall, but you can see/get to it from the outside)[/li][*]Cafe Deluxe (seconded!)[/ul]I know your trip is still 6 months out, but please feel free to PM me in September if you’d like. 
The local food guru (Don Rockwell) recommends these places :Woo Lae Oak - - Nostos - - Shamshiry - - Da Domenico - Chima Brazilian Steakhouse - Diya - Härth (Hilton Hotel) - J.R.'s Stockyards Inn - Tysons Bagel Market - Konami - Wildfire - La Sandia -
I can’t vouch for any of these personally but I trust Rockwell’s recommendations.
It sounds like you need a mix of cheap 2-a-day meal places, and recommendations for one or two treats at dinnertime, yes?
For breakfast and lunch there’s a Silver Diner. It’s very convenient, high-quality diner food served quickly at a comfortable price. Here’s a list of the Mall offerings: Tysons Corner Center | Home
Legal Seafood is mid-priced and very nice (In Tyson’s II aka The Galleria)
another vote for Busara and Woo Lae Oak
Maggiano’s - Italian in the broader sense - not just marinara and pasta, although you can get that too and it’s very well done. If you eat there be sure to try the Tiramisu!
J.R.s Stockyards Inn is in the center of Tyson’s and quite good, less expensive than Ruth’s Chris, and a great place to relax. Quite the local insitution. Ditto Clyde’s.
In the “So you can say you’ve eaten there” category, there’s a Capitol Grille in the parking lot of “Tyson’s I” underneath the MicroStrategy building. the DC location is a great favorite among the Congressional and Lobbyist set. The Tyson’s location is more a mix of IT entrepreneurs and bored Diplomat family members.
Fleming’s Steak House - I haven’t been in a couple of years, but my one visit was very disappointing. Ditto The Palm (under the Ritz Hotel) - don’t waste your time and money on it.
And my personal all-time-favorite pizza is at Ledo’s, just a quick jump SE on Route 7.
Let us know if you’d like to do a NOVA DopeFest while you’re here!
You just had to mention Ledo’s, didn’t you?
Now, I can’t stop thinking about a pre-cooked bacon/mushroom/pepperoni pizza.
-Beowulff, a Ledo’s fan for 40+ years…
You are spot-on with the meal planning, although the hotel offers a very nice (included) breakfast buffet complete with omelet station. But for dinner we do wish to splurge.
I did not know Capitol Grille was a chain! We had lunch there last year, about a block away from the Smithsonian, and it was awesome.
So, you used to live in Maryland in the 1955-1972 era?
Yes, Silver Spring.
From 1960-1978
I went to the Silver Diner a few days ago and had to come back to report - What a difference!
The food is still good, but they are really updating the menu. Locally-grown produce, (Goat cheese! even bison!) and healthier fare. They changed the crab chowder a bit, not as good as I remember but still far better than it has a right to be. (If you can take the heat.)
the new menu: http://www.silverdiner.com/sites/default/files/menus/CSD.Menu_DC__01_12%20JANUARY%20FINAL_5.pdf
They also have drive-up service, so you can call ahead on the way back from the day’s touring and take the food up to your hotel room, which is nice.
lebanese tavern in tyson’s 2 mall … chima is pretty good, tj gilbert’s in mclean but the atmosphere is kinda weird
That would be the Langley crowd. 