Barnes Family Top 10 Lists

We Eat the World

1. 2941 (French): Marilyn and Bill's birthday we dress up and blow a big tab on a fabulous family meal.  Memories for a lifetime.
2. Mannequin Pils (Belgian): A strip mall bistro, a fun show ("Cinderella" at the Olney Theater) afterwards, the best mussels we've ever eaten -- and Cris' waterzui or whatever is the best thing he's ever eaten, maybe. We fear the cook has moved and set up in Philadelphia -- Cynthia, check him out!
3. Asia-Nora (Pan-Asian): Twice we ate there, twice wonderful meals, healthy and tasty.  And we love the cookbook Wil bought us.
4. Cafe Atlantico (Pan-Latin): A perfect lunch date with Marilyn.  A great business dinner with Mike Dunne in a blizzard when Cris learned he could eat well and still diet.  And a meal with friends that had a soup who's first bite was a miracle.  Cris' first choice for a meal Downtown.
5. Spezie (Italian): We didn't try a lot of Italian restaurants – especially after the success of this first try.  Two nice solid meals with well chosen wines from the staff there.  We would always like to go back.

Those are clearly the top 5, on everybody's lists.  The next ones are more subjective:

6. Etete (Ethiopian): Not real high rated, but on everybody's list, the only place after the top 5 to claim that.  The veggie stew was wonderful.
7. Myamar (aka Burmese): A wonderful discovery.  Susie didn't rank it but the other three did.  Again, a wonderful value for incredible tasty food.
8. Thomas Sweet:   Not a restaurant, and we really only like the Princeton one, but it actually scored even higher!
9. Heritage India: This one was so long ago I'm not even sure of the name.  And I liked The Woodlands better, but the girls really got into Washington ethnic food at this place so it stays on the list.
10. Oyamel (Mexican): The food was really good, and I'd go back for that, but the evening (Georgetown haircuts, cherry blossom weather, "Meet John Doe" that evening) was one of the best.

Honorable Mention:

• Gamasot (Korean): The last place more than one person mentioned.
• Leopold's Kafe (Austrian):
• Taste of Morocco:
• Lebanese Taverna:
• Best American: The Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg (not ethnic and not on the original voting list, but would have finished high by acclaim if it had been!)

We Love the Shows

1. Wicked
2. Company: What can I say?  Broadway!
3. Meet John Doe: Wow!  DC can do it too! (We all voted for it!)
4. Snow Patrol and OK Go: Marilyn didn't use up a vote on it, but we know secretly she really liked it, almost as much as we did!
5. Little Women: Marilyn's top rating made up for Elizebeth not voting for it.

The next ones were generally only voted on by two people with lots of "ties" so the list is subjective:

6. Edward Scissorhands: Cris didn't get to see it, but did like the music.
7. Cinderella (Swanson Middle School): Especially the star of the show!
8. A Prayer for Owen Meaney: Only Mar and Cris saw it, and both voted for it, so it goes up the list.  It was a wonderful rendition of a complicated and moving book.
9. The Musical of Musicals, The Musical:
10. The Light in the Piazza:
11. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf:
12. The Fray and OK Go: My God, we haven't even seen this show and it tied with the above!  Definitely the best future show!

 

Honorable Mentions:

• Best Baseball Game: The Nationals, with Dave and Julie.  Going with Dad was fun, but Dave's epiphany was special.
• Best IMAX movie: Currently a tie, between "The Lions" and "Mars Rover".
• Third Best Small Theater (after Owen Meaney and Musical³): "Bach at Leipzig" (Folger's is not "small")
• Best Opera: Surprise win by "Falstaff" that Susie seemed to like better than Marilyn liked Butterfly.
• Best Concert: Sorry, only rock 'n roll scored!

 

I note every musical got a vote, except the "other" Cinderella that got overshadowed by the favorite production.