We g=have been to the Carlyle on a number of occasions. First of all do not miss their Lobster Bisque. A meal in itsself and the price is right!

ther food has always been good very consistant but the bar area seems
to be closed for lunch whenever we are there which doesn't make sense
to me they should have outside tables in the summer

Heard nothing about great things about the Carlyle, good food, great service and great location. However, my friends and I went there on a Saturday night for dinner before a black tie event in DC. Let's say we left disappointed.

With Carlyle, they don't accept reservations, but you can call ahead (30-45 mins prior) and put your name on the list. We called ahead, and majority of group arrived on time. However, the hostess wouldn't sit us until our entire party had arrived (despite the fact I told the hostess our missing member was just parking the vehicle). Once our last guest arrived, I notified the hostess that we were all here; the hostess gave me a pager to told me to wait. I asked how long it would be and she said she would get back with me. 10 mins past and I went back up to inquire. The hostess said "oh, another 20-30" mins. 20 mins passed and we inquired again about our table. Apparently they bumped us down to the bottom of the wait list since we were missing one of our guests (reminder, the missing guest was just parking the car). To say the least, we were upset and asked to speak to the manager. The same lady who checked me in claimed she was the manager but didn't apologize or admit their mistake. Our party so disappointed that we immediately left the restaurant.

I may try the Carlyle again, but will think twice before doing so.

We eat at Carlyle so often that sometimes we refer to it as out other kitchen! The food is always good but my favorite meal is their crab-cakes. Try their sweet potato fries too, yum! The service has always been excellent too.