The food is well-prepared, the portions are generous, and the service is good as well--on a date, they know how to let you linger over the food, and in a group setting, where you need to settle the bill quickly before going out to a bar, they know how to take care of things quickly as well. Lebanese Taverna aptly combines excellent food, good service, and a little old-world ambience for a great dining experience. The inside is good for a date--the lighting is soft--and the outside is good for enjoying a meal with friends. This is one restaurant I miss. Finally, the wines are very reasonably priced--they have a decent selection of wines by the glass, and their bottles range from $25 to $60.

Located in Woodley Park, near the National Zoo, Lebanese Taverna is literally across the street (Connecticut Avenue) from the Metro (Red Line, Woodly Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station).

The restaurant has a nice atmosphere, wonderful service, and a great and extensive wine list – there are many options for by-the-glass and the vintages are from all over the world, including Chile, Argentina, France, Italy, Lebanon (natch), California, and Oregon. While I go for the carnivorous options, this restaurant was recently rated as D.C.'s best vegetarian restaurant. I'd highly recommend the lamb kebob for those of you who are meat-eaters. It is succulent and delicious; has mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers; and is served with rice, tomato sauce, and sumac-spiced onions. Or, instead of entrées, you can order a number of different mezza plates and have a tapas-like dining experience.

LT is great for a group of friends, business associates, dates, or even a group of travelers. It's listed as "casual," but most dinner patrons are dressed smartly. (Don't wear a tie or dress up unless you want to; you can get by with nice casual clothes.) This location has a nice outdoor patio with large umbrellas that is open when the weather is nice.

Metro: Woodley Park/Zoo-Adams Morgan (Red line)

Web site: http://www.lebanesetaverna.com/

The restaurant is nicely appointed but really stands out for great food and fantastic service. The dishes available are somewhat typical middle eastern fare. A lot of chicken, lamb and vegetarian choices are broken up by a few delightful seafood specialties. I would highly recommend the tasting menus as appetizers (sufficient for at least 3) and I adore ALL of their chicken dishes.

I highly recommend turning to a server for advice on ordering - I've never been steered wrong this way. The restaurant also boasts a very good and reasonably priced winelist.

The place is packed on weekend nights but the wait is tolerable without reservations. The staff has mastered the art of moving diners through without rushing them out the door.

One final word of caution, I've heard that the drinks in the lounge (where you'll wait for your table) are way overpriced so you may want to simply wait until you reach your table where the prices reportedly drop significantly.