District Winery

Woof, what a blessing it was to have a group dinner here. There were 12 of us present. Most of the group decided to share but we had a few rogue guests that did their own thing, which is fine because they quickly changed their tune as our dishes came out, we had a shared, fun celebratory feast. We started with the chefs whim, it was a perfectly crafted meat and cheese board, complete with fresh fruits flatbreads, marmalades and some mixed nuts. We had cocktails and just about every starter minus the hot chicken and the broccolini. The sweet potatoes were a bit bland but that was ok based on how flavorful everything else was. I recommend the octopus, the ceaser salad, the meatballs, the tuna and the shrimp. For our mains we had the gnocchi, the risotto, the steak and the scallops. No complaint’s here everything was delicious. The risotto and steak were the stars of our entree, I highly recommend everything we ordered. They close early on Wednesday, which or server forgot to mention otherwise we would have ordered dessert. I recommend ordering family style with a large group for this restaurant.

Our group had dinner during Restaurant Week. Overall, it was a good experience. Our server was excellent, and the first course appetizers were wonderful. Everyone liked their main course, with the exception of those who ordered the swordfish. It was way over salted and barely edible. We didn't want to make a fuss and ruin the evening for everyone else, but if had just been the 2 of us, we would have sent it back. Please take it off the menu.

Great views of the water front with people walking by. They have indoor and outdoor (covered) seating. Went early after work one day so not crowded at that time, which is good. I had the chicken dish and I asked the server if it was Costco sized chicken or Safeway sized chicken and he claimed it was big as Costco...they obviously don't have Costco in DC. Although the dish had an amazing flavor to it with all the greens under it, I felt the chicken was not big enough and should have gotten the whole chicken. So they need to teach the staff that Costco chickens are way bigger. Would def order it again and get the whole chicken.

The hosting staff didn’t greet me or my date when we arrived and in fact didn’t even make eye contact for the first several minutes. We had reservations for 6:30 and weren’t seated until 6:50 and there was no courtesy acknowledgement about the wait.There wasn’t a huge crowd either although I believe there might have been a party hosted some where on the premises. I had to walk up to the hosting stand a second time after overhearing my name come up in their conversation, but no one came to get me. No one looked up even though I was standing right there at the front desk until I spoke up again. It’s like they forgot I existed despite me standing less than 10 feet away the entire time. When we left the restaurant, the hosting staff didn’t even look up or speak. No “thank you, come again” or even eye contact. If you are going to pay to eat at a nice restaurant you should be treated much better. Grocery stores greet me better. However, our waiter was very personable and kind. He offered helpful insights and made sure we were well taken care of. The man who poured our wine let us know about an event at the restaurant and someone who brought our plates was kind. The food was delicious and brought out quickly, and the restaurant has a great aesthetic. Other than the lackluster hosting, my experience was nice.