Here's a sampling of the commentary that has hit my inbox in the past 24 hours.

From Brooke, a 27-year-old female:

took my visiting dad and brother to marvin on a saturday night – a mistake which will not be repeated. conversation was almost futile... thank god my dad loved the ribs.

as an interior designer, it frustrates me to see otherwise well-designed spaces (marvin, zaytinya, among others) furnished without concern for acoustics. marvin had nothing but hard surfaces downstairs – the only upholstery was leather (and minimal at that), which does nothing for sound absorption. don't get me wrong – i love the decor. i just wish the noise level had been a bigger consideration in the design.

it's not just old people! as you said, conversation is supposed to be part of a great dining experience.

From Peter, a 62-year-old male:

We met friends for dinner at Faccia Luna, not realizing that the acoustics were so bad that we started using hand signals and just nodding when unable to hear what was being said.

Though I am 62, our friends were younger (including our young-adult kids), who equally complained about the noise.

From Elizabeth, a 27-year-old female:

Yes, you're absolutely right — Posto is oh-so noisy! I'm 27 and enjoy a good restaurant buzz, but both times I've been there it's been a dinner of shouting at my dining companions. Forget about it if there's more than 2 in your party. One more thing we all noticed — the place was, at best, half full. I will say, though, last time I was there... my bare knees grazed the underside of the table and I reeled with disgust — what was this squishy substance I'd encountered?!? I looked and discovered that they'd affixed egg crate foam to the undersides of the tables! Presumably an effort to dull some of the noise, but... I'm not sure which was worse: the noise or the revolting foam squish against my knees? At least the pizza is tasty enough to make it worthwhile.

You got a noisy-restaurant story to share? E-mail me at hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com. Give me your age, too. I’ll keep posting the best responses on the Y&H blog.

Photo courtesy of Zaytinya

MJ and Chimp: Not part of Policy's pop-culture decor

Last night, as I was hanging with restaurant designer Walter Gagliano, we stopped at Policy to check out the interior at this new 14th Street hotspot. Gagliano had plenty of interesting things to say about the restaurant/lounge, far more than I thought any human being could possibly have for a spot that looks, essentially, like an S&M dungeon with designer cocktails.

But as we were sitting there, dipping our toasted pita into a trio of spreads, I couldn't help but notice the music. It was one Michael Jackson tune after another. Finally, after about the sixth song from the King of Perpetual Adolescence, I turned to Gagliano and asked, "Have you noticed the music? It's all Michael Jackson. Do you think that's on purpose?" It didn't seem to fit the vibe, nor the target audience, that Policy was aiming for.

Gagliano appeared perplexed as well and wondered if Policy didn't have a jukebox tucked away somewhere, to which an obsessive MJ fan was feeding a bank roll of quarters.  Neither one of us had the desire to go searching the joint for that possible secret jukebox.

Later, as I was standing on the sidewalk and talking via cell to Amanda Hess to relate Gagliano's thoughts on Policy, The Sexist told us the bad news: MJ was dead. It all suddenly made sense, and I had a newfound sense of respect for Policy for dropping all pretense at hipness in order to mourn a man/child whose once immense talent had been reduced to an unfortunate freak show. I wish I could go back to that moment at Policy and relive it, knowing what I know now. The experience would have been far different.

If you haven't read them yet, Walter Gagliano also shared his thoughts on two other 14th Street/U Street spots: Cork Wine Bar and Station 9.

Photo by dalbera via Flickr, Creative Common