Ping Pong Dim Sum

900 7th Street, NWWashington, DC 20001
(202) 506-3740
http://www.pingpongdimsum.us

Location: Another great spot located blocks from Chinatown Gallery Place Metro station. Ping Pong also opened a new location this summer in Dupont Circle at 1 Dupont Circle NW DC. There is plenty of on street parking and garages near by.

Ambiance: Ping Pong offers up a enticing zen atmosphere with modern furnishing, simple decor and a wonderful open hibachi grill.

Drink & Food Selection: The food here is spectacular! I absolutely love this place! If your a fan of Dim Sum, this is the place to be. With an array of flavorfull dishes, amazing signiture cocktails and scrumptious desserts, Ping Pong is on top of its game. Offering up a afternoon happy hour from 4p.m. - 6p.m. Mon-Fri and evening happy hour from 10:00 p.m. - midnight, this is the spot for late night cocktails and desserts with your companion or your friends. Good conversation and great food make for a memorable evening.


Overall Experience: Delightful! The experience from beginning to end was awesome... I give Ping Pong 5 stars!

Zola

800 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 654-0999
www.zoladc.com

Location: Yet again, Chinatown is the spot to be! Zola is located directly in between the Hotel Monaco , The International Spy Museum and across the street from Chinatown Gallery Place Metro station. This restaurant offers valet and on street parking is plentiful.

Ambiance: Simple chic

Drink & Food Selection: This place offers the best of both worlds... An afternoon happy hour from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and a after hours happy hour from 9:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. The food is a traditional American cuisine with a twist. Such dishes as the traditional Beef sliders, Miso crab sticks or the Carnitas Tacos are all great selections on the HH menu. I have yet to try the Lemongrass Mussels but it's definitely on my list for next time! Now let's talk libations... The cocktails were yummy! I ordered the Strawberry Blon and I have to say it was um, umm good! Some of my girlfriends opted to have the Passion fruit Mojito and others ordered the Prosecco (Italian White Wine).

Dessert: Unfortunately dessert is not an option on the happy hour menu. BOOOO!

Price tag: Happy Hour: $, Full Menu $$$

Overall Experience: Excellent service, great food, decent music and good atmosphere makes for a wonderful evening. All you need to do is have the right company and Zola will do the rest.

Zengo DC

781 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 393-2929
http://www.richardsandoval.com/zengodc/index.php



Location: Another Chinatown treasure... Zengo DC is located directly next door to the Chinatown Gallery place Metro station which is great for you folk that rely on the Metro while in DC. There is on street parking, however Zengo offers valet parking for their patrons.

Ambiance: Rich fall colors of reds, oranges and browns adorn this restaurant. What I like about this place is the simplicity of the decor. Little details such as the beaded chains that lead to the restroom and the hanging circles that are the centerpiece of the restaurant are quite beautiful.

Drink & Food Selection: During Happy Hour, Monday - Saturday from 5p.m. - 8 p.m. Zengo offers a great selection of small plates and selective cocktails, wines and beers for $5 or less. The idea is latin/asian infusion, such dishes as the Thai Chicken Empanadas, Pork-Mushroom Gyoza and the Achiote~Hosian Pork Arepas give you an idea of the different types of dishes offered. The food is delicious and the best park about it is you can order one of each and still not break the bank! I was pleasantly surprised when I ordered the edamame and it came back grilled, not boiled. Try the Mojito Pina or the Sake Sangria while your there.

Dessert: I can't say that I was thrilled by the selection of dessert choices so I opted not to order any.

Price Tag: Happy Hour: $, Full Menu: $$

Overall Experience: My first trip to Zengo was in March 2011 and what I felt makes Zengo great is the customer service. The staff is great and make everytime I walk into Zengo a pleasant experience.

CoCo Sala Restaurant & Boutique

929 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 347-4265
www.cocosala.com

Location: This restaurant is situated in the Chinatown area of DC. Parking is plentiful and it is walking distance to many of DC's hot attractions such as the Verizon Center, The International Spy Museum and many other shops and eateries.
Ambiance: Decked in a complete "Chocolate" theme, the colors of browns, reds and gold and recess lighting in CoCo Sala offer beautiful decor.

Drink & Food Selection: CoCo Sala offered a great selection of appetizers and unique cocktails for their happy hour, which is Monday-Friday from 4p.m. - 7p.m. We ordered an array of misc appetizers to share from the excellent Happy Hour Menu. The Lobster Crostini was good, it was light and refreshing. The Four Cheese Fritters were also good but the Aztec Cheese Enchilada took the cake for me... I loved it! Can't really explain it, but the flavors were on point! The Bacon Mac and Cheese gave a great balance or sweet and savory with the added dark chocolate shaving that topped the dish and Chicken Salad Crostini was decent.

For my drink of choice I ordered the "FETISH" (I just LOVE the name), however the drink was o.k. Nothing to really wright home about. It tasted like a chocolate coated strawberry in a cup and for dessert, I ordered the "ONYX". This was a delectable little taste of chocolate heaven. I enjoyed the taste of dark chocolate mousse, vanilla creme brulee, salted caramel and brownie flavors fit like a hand in glove. I enjoyed it very much!

Price Tag: Cha Ching! $$$ Even though the happy hour prices are minimal in comparison to the full price menu we still ended up spending $85+ for two people!

Overall Experience: I can't seem to shake it, but I had a small issue with the customer service in the beginning, however once I called for the manager, we were good to go and the service aimed to please! With that said, I would definitely return to CoCo Sala.