Italian restaurants in Bethesda, MD for surprise party

I%26#39;m looking for an Italian restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland to host a 40th surprise birthday in mid-January 2007.

Requirements are vegetarian and non vegetarian food, good service and great food. My budget would be up to $30-40/person.

Thanks,

Asha

Italian restaurants in Bethesda, MD for surprise party

Tragara.

Italian restaurants in Bethesda, MD for surprise party

Thanks for your suggestion of Tragara. I%26#39;m worried about the cost as it%26#39;s listed as ';very expensive'; and I%26#39;m not sure what that means. Have you eaten there before?

I%26#39;ve been to many group events at Tragara and they%26#39;re well-equipped to handle large groups. How large a group are you thinking of? Does your budget include alcohol?

Most of the meat dishes at Tragara are in the mid-$20s range, and non-meat pastas are in the $15 range. I can easily get out of there at $40 pp when dining as a couple. I%26#39;d check with them re: banquet-type group menus and pricing.

View their menu (with prices) at http://washingtondc.menupages.com , search for them by name.

Positano is also nice (although I like the food at Tragara better), and has pre-set event menus on their website:

http://www.epositano.com

Are you locked into Bethesda? Lots of other excellent, less-expensive options nearby (Rockville, Silver Spring).

I%26#39;m looking at 12-14 people. Budget ideally would be with alcohol (wine) but I%26#39;m willing to make it a bit higher if needed if the food, service and the ambience are worth it. This is a special 40th birthday boy :-)

Not committed to Bethesda, but folks are coming from all over the area and more central as compared to VA. Any suggestions for Silver Spring restaurants or Rockville?

What about Cesco Trattoria in Bethesda?

Thanks for your reply!

Asha

Have not tried Cesco Trattoria, but their menu prices are in line with Tragara.

In Rockville, try Amalfi. http://www.amalfirockville.com/

In Silver Spring: Sergio%26#39;s, in the Hilton hotel.

How about Postiano%26#39;s on Fairmont? I know they have a good zied party room and the food is very good! Good luck!

I like Centro Italian Grill in Downtown Bethesda. Our offices had our Christmas Party there one year. They are wonderful. And the manager is perfect. He caters to your every need.

The place is small so we just reserved the whole place for lunch hours (12:00 pm -2:00 pm) and he more than made up for it with the amount we spent. www.centroitalian.com

I would be careful about Centro Italian Grilll. The food is okay and the place looks nice but the owner is very rude.

The owner isn%26#39;t rude at all. Francis is very accommodating. He let our staff use the place for a Christmas party one year. Ahead of time we had a tasting with a variety of foods and enjoyed everything. And gave us a very reasonable price. He is very friendly.

Did you have a bad experience with him or something?

I just went to a surprise birthday party at Maggiano%26#39;s, just down the road in Friendship Heights. I know it%26#39;s a chain, but I was impressed. For groups over 10 people, they serve family style. You pick two appetizers, two salads, two pasta courses, two meat courses, and two desert courses - for the whole group. It%26#39;s $24 per person, and served all-you-can eat (although we did not need to re-order any of it). Even with many bottles of red wine, you%26#39;re still in your budget....