August 7, 2007
I Choose You, Restaurant Week!
As we've told you already, it's Restaurant Week here in Washington, which means those of us left in town can eat three course meals at some of the best restaurants around for $20.07 at lunch and $30.07 at dinner.
As a Restaurant Week proponent, I view this unofficial dining holiday as a chance to try out places I've never been, and think restaurateurs should use the time as an opportunity to reach out to people who don't dine out all that often but need a regular "nice place" to take guests and whatnot. Some places do this successfully; others do not. To be fair, this week can be trying for restaurant staff, and some may be burnt out by Monday night. There is one thing certain, however: if you haven't made reservations yet, you're S.O.L for many places. Places like Bistro Bis, Café Atlantico, Equinox, Zola, Rasika, Corduroy, and Vidalia are booked Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights (at least according to OpenTable). Many others have no availability until 10:00 p.m. A few lucky souls may find a few tables reserved for over-the-phone reservations or walk-ins, but your odds for success are scant.
Having just crested Restaurant Week hill, we're looking down into the valley of the shadow of fatness wondering where we'll be Sunday. Who will be the standouts? My lunch at Oya today was superlative: chilled yellow tomato gazpacho with bluefin, seared scallops with a hen-of-the-woods mushroom jus and delicate soba noodles, and a trio—green apple, mango, and pineapple—of sorbet. Their menu was sizable with seven choices on both the appetizer and entrée lists, and they win kudos for no upcharges.
An active thread on DonRockwell.com is heating up computer screens all around town, with an interesting take on the economics of the promotion from a chef's point of view, and the surprising (to me, at least) news that there is a $500 fee to participate. There are also a couple of reviews on the thread; Ardeo and The Oval Room both receive praise.
Most other DCists are kicking off their RW journeys tonight, so we'll have more reports from the scene in our next update. In the meantime, use the comment section for your own postprandial musings.
Photo from Karon.
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Firefly was a hit- they had almost everything off their full menu available, including some of the choicest bits (goat cheese Wellington, stuffed tomatoes from HEAVEN, etc, soft shell crabs for people who like that sort of thing). The fantastic bottle of organic pinot noir didn't hurt, but my group of four votes yay for Firefly. The wait staff was as generous and kind as usual, though I make no guarantees about how that will play out by week's end.
My only complaint was the preponderance of bacon in seemingly innocuous side dishes. Make sure you ask about ingredients before blithely ordering, people, especially you veggie/kashrut kids.
If you haven't checked out their urban hippie decor and their classy comfort food yet, get thee hither!
I went to Cafe Atlantico for the first time Monday night. I called a week in advance and was able to get a table at 6:15, which, although being early for some people, was exactly when I wanted to eat. (OpenTable said there were no availabilities, but the restaurant seemed to have several when I called.) I took my two friends who were in town for only one night, back in the States briefly from their Air Force station in Venice, Italy. They loved it, and so did I. Service was good, and all of our meals were delicious. I was able to treat them, which I may not have been able to afford on a normal night there--it was great!
My friends and I went to Butterfield 9 last night. We had a 9:30 reservation but they were able to seat us earlier. The staff was very nice and accomodating though our server was average. The food was good but nothing that changed my life and the decor was less than exciting. If I am going to spend $30+for dinner in the future I would rather re-visit Tehn Pehn or Cafe Atlantico.
Went to Vidalia last night. The servers, host, etc. were all very nice and tolerant of some of the yutzes that come out every RW. The food left something to be desired. I wouldn't say it was bad, but nothing to write home about. If last night's quality reflects the quality during non-RW meals, I would probably not go back. Bonus points for offering a discounted wine list to accompany the RW menu. All dishes on the menu were available via the upcharge as well.