I have been to Lopez many times. Although it is good food, nice place, one I will go back to, it is still two steps below what I am trying to describe. I live in Northern Virginia so I can name places here that meet what I am having difficulty asking about. Boomer where are you? You are articulate enough to put it into words.
But where I live now, I think of places like Café Renaissance (
http://caferenaissance.com/), L'Auberge Provencale (
http://www.laubergeprovencale.com/restaurant.html), Garisole maybe, and several others. A place I might go twice a year for a really nice dinner to celebrate. L'Auberge has a fixed price menu for $88 per person for 4 courses as an example. I am not rich and I don't waste money, but every now and then you want to do something extra special. Where is that around TV?