Eating Out

The restaurants listed are the cream of the crop in each price category.

The treasure of the Chesapeake Bay is the blue crab. In Maryland, Virginia, and D.C., the locals like crabs steamed in the shells, seasoned by the bushel, and dumped on brown-paper-covered tables in spartan crab houses. Diners use wooden mallets to crack the shells, and nimble fingers to reach the meat. Crab cakes, soft-shell crab, crab imperial (enriched crabmeat stuffed back into shells), crab soup, and a host of other such dishes can be found throughout the region. Following a decade-long decline, Bay crabs made a comeback in 2010, raising hopes that Maryland's signature critter will be gracing crab house menus for many years to come. Rockfish (striped bass) is another seafood delicacy, harvested in summer and fall.

In Virginia, country ham, biscuits, collard greens, and fried chicken—Southern staples—are popular Sunday meals. Grits (often served for breakfast) and pecan and sweet-potato pies are other popular Southern foods.

Meals and Mealtimes

Unless otherwise noted, the restaurants listed in this guide are open daily for lunch and dinner.

Reservations and Dress

Regardless of where you are, it's a good idea to make a reservation if you can. In some places (Washington, D.C., for example), it's expected. We only mention them specifically when reservations are essential (there's no other way you'll ever get a table) or when they are not accepted. For popular restaurants, book as far ahead as you can (often 30 days), and reconfirm as soon as you arrive. (Large parties should always call ahead to check the reservations policy.) We mention dress only when men are required to wear a jacket or a jacket and tie.

Online reservation services make it easy to book a table before you even leave home. OpenTable covers most states, including 20 major cities, and has limited listings in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere. DinnerBroker has restaurants throughout the United States as well as a few in Canada.

Contacts

OpenTable. www.opentable.com.

DinnerBroker. www.dinnerbroker.com.

Wine, Beer, and Spirits

In Maryland and Virginia, restaurants and bars can serve wine, beer, and spirits seven days a week.

In Virginia the state-run ABC liquor stores are open daily. In Maryland, some counties prohibit liquor sales on Sunday, but some restaurants and bars package alcohol to go, even on Sunday. Beer and wine are sold throughout the region in convenience stores, markets, drugstores, and even gas stations every day. Sunday liquor sales in D.C. are limited to wine and beer.