Restaurant Week: That's a Wrap
We DCists and our readers have tested a pretty wide selection of this summer's Restaurant Week participants, and we've come to a conclusion: Restaurant Week is at once awesome and disappointing. In sum, Washington's Restaurant Week is a two-faced Janus bastard.
In order to have a good restaurant week experience, one must put in a little work. There are restaurants who do RW that are worth a visit, those that completely phone it in, and those where a $30 dinner is probably double what the meal's worth. There's some skill involved in choosing where to go. Consider this post a wrap up of some the week's experiences, a reference to use (
Commenters Mikaiya and randd tried out Firefly and Butterfield 9, respectively. Mikaiya lauds Firefly for its goat cheese Wellington and stuffed tomatoes, as well as the décor. Randd is less enthusiastic about Butterfield 9 (which holds the title for my personal worst RW experience ever), though he said the food was good and the service passable. Two anonymous guests have lots good to say about Cafe Atlantico, but don't mince words about Vidalia: "If last night's quality reflects the quality during non-RW meals, I would probably not go back." Guest #4 appreciated the discounted wine list, though. Maybe DCist Jamie is right about the place. One would hope a newly minted Beard Award winner wouldn't be slipping so soon.
Read more in-depth RW reviews from DCist writers after the jump. Thanks to DCists Eddie and Amanda, and DCist contributor Claire Compton for their writeups!
Photo from melanie.phung.
Hook
Barton Seaver's new fish restaurant in Georgetown was a lunch-only stop on RW, but altogether worth the hike across the bridge. With seven or eight options to choose from on the appetizer and entree menu, anyone could fine something she liked (with no upcharges!). My appetizer of a crudo trio (oyster with a Muscat gelee, bluefin, and wahoo) was small but very satisfying. The restaurant is committed to the freshness of its fish, and you can certainly taste it. My entree, the seared black-fin tuna atop greens and fennel was cooked perfectly, and had a very distinct "charred" flavor that was very appealing. There were only two choices for dessert, a chocolate something, and a buttermilk panna cotta. I had the panna cotta (which came with blueberries), and it was hands down the best panna cotta I've ever had (of many, by the way, it's a favorite). Pastry Chef Heather Chittum is a treasure to Washington, and I hope she never leaves.
Indigo Landing
Indigo Landing, the southern food dining locale out on Daingerfield Island (a peninsula, actually), had a bumpy start. A gruff hostess "welcomed" us by taking our names in the middle of what appeared to be a very important conversation with her coworker, then shunting us off to the bar. The affable bartender smoothed things out, but twenty minutes later I had to go searching for our hostess. "Oh, I forgot you were here; I didn't check you in," she said when I asked for our table. Brilliant! We were taken to our table where the proceeding service and food made me forget all about the hostess. A wide selection of both appetizers and entrees was available on the menu, and deciding on which to choose was the hardest part. We opted for fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade, and baked oysters, both of which were fantastic. The tomatoes had a crisp fried coating, but the tomatoes inside weren't overcooked. The remoulade on top of them was pleasantly spicy, but silky without being too heavy on the mayonnaise. We also ordered a "bucket" of fried oysters; they were very delicious with a well flavored coating and an appealing saltiness. Our waitress said she has them every time she works, and I can't blame her.
Our entrees were the shrimp and grits (perfectly cooked grits with fresh tomatoes and onions and spicy shrimp), the filet mignon (cooked exactly how it was ordered, and paired with intensely flavorful mushrooms and potatoes), and the mixed shellfish plate (very flavorful broth with mussels, shrimp, oysters, shellfish sausage, and lobster), with the latter two subject to upcharges, though probably called for, as filet mignon and lobster are spendy. There were certainly no complaints about these dishes though, as we proceeded to finish them to the point of over-fullness. Dessert, however, was decidedly average. The "Raspberry Fool" (Angels Food cake and raspberries with raspberry whipped cream) tasted like something from a banquet dinner, and the banana pudding was heavy and too heavy on the bananas.
Indigo Landing proved itself to be a great meal overall, and is definitely someplace I'd return for a regular dinner.
Poste Brasserie
by Eddie Kim
Going to multiple RW dinners certainly puts a pinch on the old porcelain piggy-bank, and while I had promised to stay away from Poste's more expensive drinks ($10 mojito) and up-charges –- luckily there were none –- I couldn't resist ordering a special addition on last night's menu, a wafer sugar cone packed with tuna tartare and topped with caviar. Served in an ominous shot glass, it was the perfect precursor to the rest of the meal.
The openers were standard fare, I opted for the gazpacho with Dijon ice cream over the fava bean pesto bruschetta and arugula salad. Unfortunately, the large draw of RW forced Poste to limit our main course options; they ran out of the roasted chicken, thus giving us a pasta and two fish options. My group shied away from the salmon, which ended up being a blessing. The crispy Tobago snapper with potatoes and capers was light yet flavorful and hearty – a real "Hungry Man" meal – while the ricotta cheese ravioli with chanterelles was a rustic treat that melted away with every bite.
Our dinner ended on a fun note, drawing from three basic childhood favorites: cherry pie, chocolate pudding and campfire s'mores. For those who like a tart and nearly too sweet dessert, the bing cherry cobbler with lemon ice cream would do fine. A chocolate lover would default to the chocolate pot de crème – think a lighter yet thicker pudding that kicks Cosby's ass with espresso and chili. Unfortunately, those who ordered the s'mores didn't have an the option of cooking and assembling their own dessert, but considering Thursday night's humid conditions, who would want a fire in his face? Still, the aroma emanating from the pile of burnt cinnamon sticks capped off the s'more.
Poste Brasserie has always been a solid contender during Restaurant Week, perhaps due to the fact that it regularly features a similarly priced three-course pre-theater menu for early diners. As a result, it handled the crowds well and provided an experience worth repeating.
Cafe Belga
by DCist contributor Claire Compton
Lacking an online restaurant week menu, my reservation at Belga Cafe was a bit of a leap of faith. I believed with all my heart and tastebuds that they'd surely include the Belgian specialties I was ogling on the regular dinner menu. Alas, there was nary a frite, moule, or waffle to be had on the prix fixe menu. My dinner companions, all four of them, threw over the restaurant week menu for what they really wanted: Hanger steak with frites, Duck breast with sour cherries and--what else--glorious Belgian waffles with chocolate sauce and ice cream for desert. I was committed to the Restaurant Week cause, and ordered one of only two options for appetizer and entree. My appetizer of gazpacho with tomato sorbet and small garlic waffle was just fine, until I saw my companions' frisee and endive salads. Likewise, my cod meuniere entree wouldn't have completely disappointed, had it not been compared to the much larger pieces of monkfish to my right and parsley-injected halibut to my left. My lackluster cod, accompanied with a pretty but bland lima bean and pea mix and a creamy tagliatelle was left unfinished as a result. Instead, my eyes and fork wandered the table and begged bites from my friends' superior dishes.
The Restaurant week menu disappointed, but the service, atmosphere, and samples of the regular dinner entrees were enough to ensure I'll be back to get what I really wanted. Bring on the moules...
Zengo
by Amanda Mattos
Zengo's Restaurant Week offering was mediocre. They offered three first and second course options, and two dessert options -- a pretty limited menu. The first course was a choice between a Give & Take Salad (togarashi, candied pecans, mandarin oranges, cabbage, piloncillo and a ginger vinagrette), Thai Chicken Empanada (chicken, chiles, poblano rojas, oaxaca cheese, mango-curry salsa) and Scalop Ceviche (cucmbers, grapefruit, shiso, red onion). The empanadas were outstanding -- really hit the mark of the blend of asian and latin cuisine. The ceviche was not. It tasted like half-assed barbeque sauce poured all over some so-so scallops. I didn't taste the salad, but my friend was very happy with it.
The second course choices were Rice Noodles (which no one I ate with ordered), Crunchy Tempura Prawns (served with pickled ginger, wakame, carrots, daikon salad and a sweet chile aioli) and Abodo Hoisin Short Ribs (served with queso cotija, sesame mashed potatoes and Chinese broccoli). The prawns were great, but the short ribs were really fantastic. Great flavor, great texture, and a perfect amount. The sides were wonderful too, especially the sesame mashed potatoes.
The desserts were a choice of a Mexican Chocolate panna cota or Sweet Corn Cakes. Both made some iffy decisions and mixed in some not-so-desserty flavors -- sesame in the chocolate, duck sauce in the corn cakes. If you brushed those condiments aside, the desserts were o.k., but nothing to write home about.
The service was good, though they had some issues with timing the plate delivery and rushing you to finish from time to time. But overall it wasn't a mad house and they did act like they wanted us to be there -- which isn't always the case during restaurant week. (Amanda wanted to single out the cucumber mojito for special praise, so here it is. -Ed.)
Please feel free to hit the comment sections with your own experiences, and we'll carry them forward to the next RW in January.