Firefly

It's an indoor picnic at this neighborhood restaurant with an edge. From its cabin-facade kitchen to its lantern-hung tree in the dining room, Firefly understands that a night on the town should be fun, not fraught. So dress up or dress down (though not too far down) before stopping in and enjoying such "urban picnic" bites (a.k.a., appetizers) as salt-cod hushpuppies and chicken liver torchon. From there, move onto the main event: grilled bistro steak, pan-roasted duck, eggplant & lentil moussaka or half a dozen other clever options. If you and your camping buddy, er, dining companion have room for dessert, share a caramelized banana split, a sweet way to celebrate l'amore. (A nice touch: Firefly has separate gluten-free menus, too.) Metro: Dupont Circle.