Vidalia

The happy hour at Vidalia is a hidden gem. The bar has a swanky, upscale feel to it with plush couches to sit on, not loud and overly crowded like most DC happy hours. We had a waiter that was very attentive and happily took our happy hour drink and snack orders. My friend and I each had a couple glasses of wine and shared the duck wings (yum!) and tater tots. The food was excellent and their happy hour wine is much better than what is offered at most places. Would make a great date spot.

Excellent food, exceptional service. Certainly the best sweetbreads I've had anywhere, ever. The beet salad appetizer was wonderful. My duck breast was cooked absolutely perfectly. Definitely one of the top 10 restaurants in DC. A little pricey but well worth it.

I went to Vidalia on one of their wine tasting nights. I was not too impressed. They'd touted it to give the impression that they would have reduced price appetizers and wine tasting. The appetizer menu was nothing too inviting, and the wine (to be fair, I understand we came on not the greatest evening) was not the best. Instead of our inexpensive evening, we ended up paying a pretty high tab to split an entree and a bottle of wine. It was decent and service was pretty good, but overall I was not impressed -- and the place definitely didn't have the Southern flair I had hoped for. I do not believe I will be back anytime soon.

Everything still works just right at this new Southern cuisine West End eatery. The crab cakes were equisite. The shrimp and grits prepared to perfection. Leave room for the pecan pie! Great wine list. Impeccable service. Beautiful decor. Bring a date.

Listed as one of the best pre-fixe lunch deals of the city - my husband and I came to Vidalia for a celebratory meal to welcome my birthday weekend. We decided on coming to Vidalia half hr before our opentable reservation; yet, they had a customized "Happy Birthday" titled menu upon our seating - what a nice touch! Their 3 course pre-fixe lunch menu changes daily. On our visit, I had the most refreshing blue crab watermelon gazpacho while my husband had the richest sweet toad mushroom bisque - both beyond delicious! For our main course, we both went with their moistest, flakiest Icelandic cod over a bed of sweet corn risotto - they couldn't have made a more perfect piece of cod. We couldn't help but inhaled the whole plate. Last but not least, my husband had their chocolate panna cotta which reminded us of more mousse - smooth and creamy while I went with their deconstructed strawberry shortcake - of course, they presented it with a lit candle + birthday wishes - it was the perfect sweet ending. Service was outstanding especially for a lunch service. My husband had to return to work in a reasonable time and our waitress ensured that all our 3 courses would be served. Not only did she pace our meal perfectly, she added the cherry on top by putting together our menu to take home that day to commemorate my birthday. $24 for 3 fine courses - I need to celebrate my birthday every day.

Decor: Place is gorgeous. The entrance way with the Magnolia leaves/blossoms behind the opaque glass is impressive and the overall look of the downstairs is spot on. Service: My waiter kinda sucked. Not very attentive, seemed distracted at all times and couldn't give us more than 5 seconds of his time every 20 minutes or so. Kind of a bummer :/ Food: Smoked Tagliatelle was good but the bacon in it seemed to overpower the smokiness of the noodles. The bibb salad was dressed wonderfully though, albeit a simple salad but clean, crisp flavors. Pork Belly BBQ was amazing. Crisp top layer with succulent, soft layers of pork and fat beneath. Absolutely awesome. The Shrimp and Grits were pretty tasty as well. I can see why its one of their staples. The shrimp chorizo was delicious! Lemon Chess Pie and Pecan Bar. Both kicked major ass. The pecan bar was one of the best desserts I've had in a long while. The lemon pie was basically a gigantic lemon square of doomy goodness and I want more of both! This was everything I wanted out of a RW meal except for the service. The bus boys were far more attentive to our needs than our own waiter was.

Went for holiday lunch with coworkers and was surprised that living in DC for long I had never been Quality southern food, treated withlove and care. The shrimp and grits is what tjey are known for and probably shouldnt be missed. For me at lunch, a better option was the under $20 three-course prix fixe meal. The selections change frequently ensuring I'll come back again and again. Service was exquisite and ambience top notch, even if subterreanean. This DC modern classic is one should visit or revisit.

What can I say about Vidalia... Had excellent service, fast and efficient waiters, divine food (sweetbreads and crab cakes with succotash) great ambiance and a quiet place to enjoy with coworkers or family. I have to give my props to Amanda our server, she had been the best!! Will definitely eat here again!