Cherry Blossoms Abound in Washington DC

I love the spring. I love the way the grass starts to push up fresh green blades adding color to the winter monochromatic scenery. Slowly, as daylight expands, the first flowers follow. First crocuses and then daffodils and then the most magical thing happens -- as if out of nowhere the glorious cherry blossoms bloom. They are magnificent and colorful and alight the horizon with light-pink puffs. To me, they always seem heaven sent.

I love walking near the Tidal Basin to take in their full beauty, before after or during the Cherry Blossom festival there. DC is such a great place to visit in spring before it's too hot. So given that there is reason to travel to our nation's capital now, and that a friend asked for a few recommendations, I thought I'd name a few restaurants there which are quite good.
Very upscale:
Marcels - French and delish
CityZen- it is in a hotel very Shi Shi Asian

Moderate:
Beck's - Belgian bistro type food
Central - michel Richard's burger place
Poste- in the hotel Monaco right near the verizon center, great truffle fries
Jaleo if you like tapas
Founding Farmer - organic and locally grown stuff
Blue duck tavern
Black salt - seafood mostly
Vidalia
Acadiana - low country style food with amazing biscuits and pepper jelly to start.

Less expensive:
Ben's chili bowl- where Obama has gone and it is the oldest African american owned restaurant in DC excellent chili dogs
Any Five Guys burger place
Bread Line on PA ave near the white house, note it's ONLY open weekdays for lunch but has amazing bread/sandwiches/soups/salads

Now, back to those blossoms, fortunately the cherry trees also bloom a few weeks later in my home city of New York. Here I'm still waiting for them to bloom around the reservoir in Central Park. What a grand site they are to see. They're also magnificent in Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens where they have an annual cherry blossom festival.