The Rating System:

I like Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema’s rating system, so I’ll be using that. Half stars indicate a rating between the descriptions below.

* (1 star) Satisfactory

Restaurants that are useful to know about if you are nearby; they may have only a few dishes or a single quality, such as a view or scene, to distinguish them.

** (2 stars) Good

Restaurants with generally appealing cooking, service and settings; they tend to be worth driving across town for.

*** (3 stars) Excellent

Rewarding destinations, no matter where you’re coming from; they typically blend high-quality cooking with environs and service to match.

**** (4 stars) Superlative

An unsurpassed experience; these restaurants do what they do extraordinarily well.

Ratings are based primarily on food quality but take into account service and ambience. Restaurants that earn no stars are rated Poor.