Brothers Nizam and Kamal Ali recently opened Next Door, a new bar and restaurant next to their famed Ben's Chili Bowl. How are diners taking to chef (and Hell's Kitchen winner) Rock Harper's cooking? Do the crab cakes and mussels hold a candle to Ben's vaunted half-smoke? We set up our camera to find out.

Have you been to Next Door? What were your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!

Imbibe magazine recently combed the country for the 101 best places to get a beer. In case you missed it, beeradvocate.com has posted the list, broken down into ten categories, including best Irish-style pubs, best bottle list, and best beer shops. We know Washington is full of places to down a draft or crack open an unusual brew, and we’re glad to see that Imbibe agrees. The list gave the thumbs-up to Birreria Paradiso, Rustico, the Brickskeller, Brasserie Beck, Granville Moore’s, and Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits.

Holiday gift deadlines are (eek) drawing near. And we, and probably some fellow readers, are in need of some ideas. So we’re asking you: Is there a culinary present—an ingredient, homemade confection, cookbook, kitchen tool, something from a local restaurant, whatever—that you love to give, or are hungry to get?

Let us know in the comments!

Related: A Foodie Gift Guide 

We staked out Logan Circle’s Posto (1515 14th St., NW), the just-opened Italian trattoria from Tosca chef Massimo Fabbri that took over the space formerly known as Viridian. Diners told us how the wood-fired pizzas compare to others in town, whether Fabbri was able to fix Viridian’s notorious noise problems, and whether they thought the place was a good value.

Have you been to Posto? What are your impressions? Tell us in the comments.

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Even though the economy’s down, there’s always cause for a splurge, especially around the holidays. But you want to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck—there’s nothing worse than dropping more than $200 on a meal only to walk out hungry or unsatisfied. So we want you to tell your fellow readers which restaurants don’t live up to the hype: What’s the most overrated restaurant out there?

Leave your answers in the comments! 

We’re embracing the cold with memories of last winter’s rich, hot cocoa. Since then, chocolate-centric cafes have popped up all over town, which means the list of warming mugs just got longer. So we want to know where you’ve found your favorite hot-chocolaty treats to ward off the chill. Let us know in the comments!

Related:
Chew on This: How Much Do You Tip?
Chew on This: Where Should Barack Obama Eat?
Dirt Cheap Eats 2007

We waited outside of 1905 (1905 Ninth St., NW; 202-332-1905), a second-floor restaurant in Shaw brought to you by the owners of Sticky Rice, to find out what diners thought of the cozy, speakeasy-like vibe, pan-European menu, and absinthe-spiked cocktails. 

Have you been to 1905? What was your impression? Let us know in the comments below.

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