This post was mentioned in today's Express!

LOL! I was wondering where all the comments were coming from today.

My boyfriend just made a reservation at Marcel's for Valentine's. I've heard good things about this place but there have been very few recent reviews around town. Have you been, and if so, what did you think?

ive recently been given the opportunity to actually go out instead of work on vday the only problem is everyone is booked. my bf and i would very much like to have dinner at a nice restaurant since we are both foodies. can someone please help me find somewhere to go? help!

For those of you still looking for places with reservations left...
http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/restaurants/bestbites/3309.html

FYI, I went to Indigo Landing last night, and I thought it was horrible. Reservation was for 830pm and it was almost empty when we arrived, I could tell right away we were duped into going here due to the lack of crowd. First, I feel that restaurants should have their A game for Valentines Day. I overheard some waitstaff training servers. Second, when I asked my server what is in the sausage fondue, he said 'a lot of different cheeses, its good.' At a restaurant that attempts to give off the impression of being elegant, this answer did not suffice. We ordered a Pine Ridge 2005 (off server suggestion) and we were served a Pine Ridge 2006... and it wasn't good. I ordered the Pomegranate Cured Duck Legs and the accompanying sauces overwhelmed the duck so all I could taste was sugar, and burned pomegranate juice. The persimmon side was overly sweet as well, masking any true flavor of its organic ingredients. I had about 2 bites and called it a night.
All in all, I was highly disappointed as this is the first restaurant I have been due based on DCFoodies recommendation. I love Rays the Steaks, so I assumed we have the same palate. Luckily my date was not as sour and unfulfilling as the dinner, so the night was not ruined.

My wife and I decided to avoid the Valentine's Day crowds (and overpriced 'special' menus), so we held off to celebrate yesterday. I chose Palena, based largely on the fact that we hadn't been before and it is the only restaurant that shows up in both your top 5 and Washingtonian magazine's top 5. We had a very good meal - three courses plus dessert - and the service was definitely attentive. Still, I couldn't help but compare it unfavorably to some of the other fixed-price meals we've had - Komi, Citronelle, even some of the more expansive Restaurant Week menus.

Some of the dishes were excellent (my wife had a great Greek sardine appetizer and I thought their cheese plate was very well done), but it was generally a fairly average experience for the price. Ann Emernick's desserts were definitely a highlight. We had a lemon caramel tart and a chocolate mousse cake that was both light and rich at the same time.

I might be tempted to try the bistro-style front of the house in the future, but there are definitely a few other places in the area that we've enjoyed more, Dino having impressed us twice now.

Thanks for all of the work you put into this site, Jason. It's been a huge help on more than one occasion. And just today, we went up to Elkridge for TasteDC's Romantic French cooking program after seeing it on your calendar. It was GREAT! We are definitely looking forward to trying more of their programs in the future.