Is Full Price Better?
As far as I know, I am the only DCist Food and Drink staffer who does not have Restaurant Week reservations. It wasn't because I forgot or because I signed up too late to score a reservation to my preferred destinations. Unlike Adam, I am not a big fan of Restaurant Week, and it was a conscious decision to skip out on what might be considered prime time dining for a cheapskate like me.
First off, I do agree with Adam, who wrote, "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."
My issue is that I've found more failure than success in my experiences. I've noticed that the quality of the food seems to take a dive at some restaurants. One of my prior RW visits was to Beard Award-winning Vidalia. For a restaurant that is so lauded, neither my friend nor I were impressed. It seemed as if they had cut prep time on the food, and many of the flavors were not suffused through. Maybe it was the result of having to cook for more people than usual, but this was an opportunity for Vidalia to shine and win over two more customers. Instead we were disappointed. The quality of the food might have been okay for the reduced price, but it certainly did not have us hankering to return. On a full-priced visit to Vidalia, the food was better than during RW.
Photo from dabdiputs
However, I wouldn't go far as economist Tyler Cowen, who said in WaPo, "Restaurant Week is a horror. It's outreach to the uninformed, so it's obviously going to be dumbed down." Yes, RW does reach out to a dining public who may not frequent these pricier restaurants. But Restaurant Week was created for purposes other than reaching what he seems to imply are the unwashed masses. Washington D.C.'s first RW was modeled after New York's, which was established to encourage regular patrons to return to restaurants and bolster the food industry in the post 9-11 downturn. Even now, RW promotions tend to take place during slow dining seasons to draw out customers.
The menus are NOT dumbed down for a less knowledgeable dining public. Business owners need to keep an eye on the bottom line and manage the logistics of increased demand. So naturally that means menus with fewer choices, lesser cuts of meat or upcharges. Sadly that may also mean that you don't get the opportunity to experience the full range of the restaurant or you will end up paying more than you expected.
There are definitely places that do Restaurant Week to the benefit of the customer. They bring their A-game, putting out their full menus with minimal upcharges and maintaining a high level of service and food quality. It can be a great adventure trying to seek them out, but for me I would prefer to feel more confident about where I go than experiment and deal with uncertainty. If you aren't doing so already, I would suggest using your $30 to explore some of the excellent and cheap ethnic food we have in the area, where you can eat like a king. Good options for this are Malaysia Kompitiam at 1827 M St. NW, Taqueria Distrito Federal at 3463 14th St. NW, Houng Que's seven course beef menu (for only $18) at 6769 Wilson Blvd. in Falls Church, and Bob's Noodle 66 at 305 N. Washington Street in Rockville.
Just as an aside, some RW etiquette:
1. Please consider tipping your lovely server on the full menu price of the food, whatever percentage you choose. It was the owner's choice to participate in RW, not theirs.
2. If you need to cancel, try to cancel your reservations at least 24 hours ahead of time or give it to somebody else; it's just a courtesy to the restaurant. But if you're on the hunt for a spot, try stopping by in person to see if there's a cancellation.