D’Acqua And Central Now Open

I’ve eaten at both…

Visited D’acqua during Restaurant Week. This was possibly the worst restaurant experience I have ever had: special RW menu literally thrown at us as to indicate that we were expected to order off the full menu and forgo the event; no chiller for the bottle of white wine; cold soup (sent back), very undercooked chicken (sent back and came back very well done). I have to say the desert was refreshing, but the whole experience was poor at best.

Central was amazing (as I expected since Citronelle is one of the country’s finest dining experiences. Dinner for 2 with appetizers, a bottle of wine and a share desert was pricey — close to $180 w/tip – but the twist on American cuisine is refreshing and extraordinarily well crafted. The wait staff is professional and knowledgeable about the food preparation, wine pairings and serve in a manner that is not obsequious. Great place for a special meal — or if you go for a cocktail and single entree, it really is not too far off an evening at Poste or PS7s.

Worth noting that, while pricey, D’acqua has a late night menu at the bar. Beats Harry’s!

I thought Central was supposed to be much more affordable? Sounds like another lobbyist restaurant to me.

I too had a TERRIBLE experience at D’Aqua. Was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever head. Smelly and rude waiter, terrible food, poor ambiance, and each 10oz coke was $4.50!

I have been to the bar at D’acqua and have to agree with being unimpressed. When we were there, there was no bar menu and a quick perusal of the full menu showed us little of interest. The service wasn’t very attentive though the wine prices were high enough. And I thought the decor hadn’t changed much at all from Signatures, it just looked like they’d thrown a little blue up on the wall.

I haven’t been to Central, but I’ve heard from friends that the martinis are worth it.

Four of us went to D’acqua during resturant week, and we all enjoyed it. The bread was good, the seafood was good, my hen was great, and the service was good as well. I will go back.

I also have bad D’acqua experiences to write about. In my case, the waiter and staff were so rude we ended up walking out (the first time I’ve had to do that while living in DC for the past 4 years). Also, a neighbor went for dinner outside of Restaurant Week and also had poor service from a waiter who spoke very little english. He had to send the food back because it was ice cold when it arrived. However, this was not an easy task, he to call the manager over because the waiter couldn’t understand what was being requested. The manager gave reluctantly took the dish back, which arrived back at the table 2 minutes later after being microwaved. Definitely not a place I will return to or recommend.

The D’Aqua space is cursed. What with Abramoff’s greasy prints all over it, it’s no wonder. We need a restaurant exorcsism!