November Restaurant Week: Practicing for Thanksgiving

Washington area restaurants will offer what amounts to a November restaurant week from November 17-21. The promotion, restaurant reservation website OpenTable.com’s Appetite Stimulus Plan, includes 3-course fixed price menus—$24 for lunch and $35 for dinner—from over 75 Washington area restaurants.

The concept and cost is for the most part in line with the standard biannual DC Restaurant Week promotion. In August’s RW, dinner prices cost $35.08, up from a $30 price point. RW lunches were $20.08 this year, ($20.07 last year, etc.). So under the OpenTable Plan, a midweek lunch ends up as a bit more of a splurge than during RW.

The plan appears to be a response to the faltering economy and the impact it has had on eating habits. It's not that we've lost our appetites—we’re still a hungry city. But as the Dow stumbles, expensive midweek dinners can be a little harder to stomach. With worried Washingtonians dining out less, Congress not in session, and empty tables around town, enjoy the culinary bailout.

Highlights of the list include perennial Restaurant Week favorite and newly reopened Corduroy, Rasika, and Vidalia - though those will offer lunch only. All of the Passion Food restaurants, several downtown steakhouses, and other popular usual suspects are also on the list.

Image courtesy of Samer Farha