National Harbor is a ton of fun. Assuming your wife’s event is at the MGM casino? They do a lot of conferences, but there’s also a big Hyatt event center in the downtown neighborhood. In National Harbor you can usually find a good bite at McCormick & Schmick’s, Rosa Mexicana, Bombay Street Food or The Walrus. For bars, my go-to’s are the Irish Whisper or Brass Tap. Over at the MGM, can’t go wrong anywhere. I personally like hanging out at the sportsbook bar area but it can be hard to get a seat.
DC is a short Uber ride up 295 and the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria is straight across the bridge. Closest part of town you’ll want to be in are the Navy Yard & Waterfront neighborhoods. Andy’s Pizza and Hank’s Oyster Bar are your go-to’s, but it’s also hard to go wrong. If you want to get plastered, you go to Mission.
Across DC, favorite restaurants include Compass Rose (street food from everywhere, great for vegetarians/vegans too), Maydan (open flame), Fiola Mare (high end seafood/italian), Residents (all around delish), Daikaya Izakaya (Japanese & great sake selection), Supra (Georgian, like the country - get kachipuri/xachipourri and khinkali/xingali, forget how they spell em, nothing translates well, and saperavi is the move on the wine front), The Green Zone (highly exotic middle eastern), Rasika (Indian), Estadio (Spain), Jaleo (Spain, but tapas-centric), Zaytinya (upscale Mexican), Jack Rose (world’s best whiskey selection) and The Palm (quirky steakhouse with killer chicken parm). If you need somewhere for a larger crowd or that will have something for everyone, try The Hamilton, Old Ebbitt Grill, The Smith or any Clyde’s location. For a quick lunch bite, any Roaming Rooster location. For cheaper drinks downtown, Irish Channel. And for the love of god do NOT go to georgetown cupcakes, nobody leaves there happy after waiting 2 hours for a dry-ass fifty dollar shitmuffin.
In Alexandria, go to Momo Cafe for sushi & Japanese fare (FYI you are limited to 1 hour and they don’t take reservations. Tough to get a larger party than 4 in there, it’s a tight shop. Usually isn’t a ridiculous wait on weeknights. Takeout also a viable option). You can’t go wrong with Oak Steakhouse, the local Hank’s Oyster Bar location, Vermillion, Barca (get a reservation for the pier), Mia’s, Hummingbird, Ada’s on the Pier, Blackwall Hitch, Chart House, Sonoma Cellar, Brut, Caphe Banh Mi, Kismet Modern Indian, The Rub, Brabo, Joe Theismann’s. The Light Horse, Murphy’s, Chadwick’s and Basin Street Lounge/Restaurant 219 are all great bars and solid restaurants too. Old Town probably has 5x the restaurants per capita than anyone really needs, so you’ll probably be fine stumbling in just about anywhere. Only places to avoid are the Emmy Squared (overpriced as fuck) and Royal Restaurant (yuck).