Nina May — Restaurant in Washington

I worked with Milica for weeks planning my 60th birthday party dinner at Nina May, already a personal favorite local restaurant, with a party of 18 close friends plus my two daughters. She was just fabulous throughout the whole process of picking the right dining space, picking the menu (ALWAYS go for the large chef's choice menu and let go of all responsibility for making choices!), deciding on the right beverages program (ALWAYS choose the premium open bar for a couple of hours!), and putting up with my constantly changing guest count, all the way up to the day of! All the communication and planning paid off in spades. The whole evening was absolutely perfect!

The space was exactly what we hoped for as we had the full ground level enclosed patio to ourselves with a group of banquette tables along the wall and tons of open space to mingle while we enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails.

The service for drinks and the multi-course meal was always on point. A big thanks and shout out to Stephanie and Jesus for being the very best. They made the night all the more fun.

The food...oh the FOOD!! Just an amazing variety of super fresh, super creative, and super delicious dishes served family style. Chef McClimans is a genius! From things like Virginia Ham Wrapped Apricots, a fun twist on prosciutto and melon, Carolina Trout Crudo with spicy strawberry gazpacho, fresh, lite, and bright, and, as always, the chef's perfect thick sliced Beef Brisket Pastrami!! Finishing with the Moon Valley Farm Carrot Cake with Goat Cheese Mousse was the best way to end the meal. It's some of the best carrot cake many of us have ever had, especially with the goat cheese mousse!!

All in all, the whole team at Nina May made my 60th birthday celebration beyond my highest hopes. I recommend the restaurant in general for outstanding brunch and dinner faire and I especially recommend for moderately sized celebrations of any kind.

Thank you Milica, Stephanie, Jesus, Chef McClimans, and the whole Nina May team. We will ALL definitely keep...

On a Fall Saturday, my friends and I gathered at Nina May for brunch. I love their outdoor tented patio area. Our server Jesus was hospitable. It was nice to know that items on the Chef's tasting menu was available to order al carte.

For drinks, a few guests enjoyed their Seasonal Mimosa (made with apple cider) and lattes. I enjoyed the Mandarin Delight, which consisted of pisco, agave, mandarin, and mint. I liked how it was strong and smoky.

We started a few items including the Maryland Cornmeal Hush Puppies, Classic Cheese Omelet, and Karma Farm Mix Green Lettuce Salad. The Maryland Cornmeal Hush Puppies were average. I didn't like how they served it with a DIY remoulade. The Classic Cheese Omelet consisted of eggs cooked with parmesan reggiano and chives and served with an arugula salad. In my opinion, the omelet could have used more salt. The Karma Farm Mix Green Lettuce Salad consisted of lettuce, shaved easter egg radish, robiola, and lavash crackers. The salad was fresh and quite tasty.

In addition to the shared dishes, some of us had brunch entrees including the Pineapple Sage French Toast, Roasted Pennsylvania Chicken, Double Quarter Pound Smash Burger, and Crispy Fried Chesapeake Oyster Bowl. The Double Quarter Pound Smash Burger consisted of beef patty, heirloom tomato, special sauce, shaved lettuce, and fried egg ($). The burger was tasty and juicy. It wasn't your typical burger - it had capers and shallots in it. The french fries were crispy but were cold. The Crispy Fried Chesapeake Oyster Bowl consisted fried rice with smoked white fish, poached egg, curly scallion, and bacon topped with a few pieces of crispy...

From the first day they opened, Nina May has been on my list and I'm so glad we finally dined there. In a farmhouse-style restaurant in Logan Circle, the chefs create a seasonal neo-American menu.

My wife and I went for dinner during the last week of Nina May's summer menu. Here's our experience.

1. Food: To feed the two of us, we ordered the heirloom tomato salad with smoked whipped feta, Parker House rolls, brisket, corn cavatelli with crab, and chocolate mousse.

Every dish was well presented and tasty, especially the rolls. They are the best Parker House rolls I've ever had and the butter it comes with is perfect.

The only thing we didn't love were the corn dumplings that came with the smoked beef pastrami. They were dry.

2. Drinks: Their list is impressive with wine from all parts of the world, including Serbia and Moldova. Their Moldovan Sauvignon Blanc was refreshing and the seasonal watermelon margarita good.

3. Service: From start to finish, it was efficient and helpful. Gratuity is not included so be sure to tip well.

4. Space: It's inside an old rowhouse with two levels of dining and a bar on each floor. (Unisex bathrooms are on both floors too.) The dishwater is gorgeous and the decorations on the walls match the farmhouse theme, except for the large photos of D.C. monuments.

5. Location: On the edge of Logan Circle, it's central with many other restaurants and cafes nearby. Street parking is hard to find. It took us 20 minutes to find a spot.

If you want a more intimate date night, book this spot. It's truly...