Circa

The capital's first community table remains communal. Families--nuclear, spontaneous, and otherwise--gather for chatty meals and a fruity cosmo or two. Wrinkle-free Eurocrats took over the sidewalk long ago but relinquish seats to those wiling to pretend that we are, in fact, in Paris. Alas, American bistro food betrays the illusion with good-size portions, sweetened sauces, decent prices and a few calorie-conscious options and decent prices. Metro proximity enables school night dates with suburbanites.