It’s no secret that D.C. is an expensive town, so basically everything you do here can be seen as splurging. Given that, we all have our own things that, from time to time, we like to splurge on. It might be a fancy restaurant, favorite clothing store, or—hell—even rent! Below, DCist writers share their favorite places and/or things to splurge on in the D.C. area. Got a favorite place or activity that you like to shell out a few extra clams for that isn’t on our list? Post it in the comments and we may include it in a “Places We Missed” post tomorrow.
Photo by Kevin H.
CITYZEN: CityZen, chef Eric Ziebold’s posh restaurant inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, may be expensive, but it is definitely worth it for a special occasion. The six-course seasonal tasting menu can be vegetarian (for $110) or meaty (for $120), or you could be a little less extravagant with the $90 four course menu (meat only). As a vegetarian, I can attest that the vegetarian menu is by far the best veggie dining experience in the District, and the pleasantly attentive service makes an evening at CityZen an unforgettably flawless, interesting, and delicious splurge. — Lynne Venart
CityZen is located inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at 1330 Maryland Avenue SW.
TASTING MENU AT KOMI: There are a lot of fancy restaurants waiting to serve you expensive fixed price menus in D.C. I say do it somewhere that will be worth every hard-earned penny. If you want to have your preconceived notions about fine dining challenged, spring for the $135 tasting menu at Komi. Some people say cooking is a craft, not an art; after dinner at Komi, you might just think differently. The tasting menu includes a series of inventive starters, from a single bite to a tapas-sized serving, followed by pasta, meat, and dessert courses. A wine pairing is available for an extra $70. —Alicia Mazzara
Komi is located at 1509 17th Street NW.
Photo by draciskCOLUMBIA ROOM: Tucked behind a door at the back of The Passenger, you’ll find the best little bar-within-a-bar you could ever dream of. The staff pumps Beach House and what I’m convinced is pure oxygen into a quiet, candlelit room as expert cocktail connoisseurs whip up classic cocktails with fresh, seasonal ingredients from herbs to honey procured from the roof. Your bartender will survey your tastes and create a custom cocktail for your final round. The fixed price flight is $69 for three cocktails and the amuse-bouche of the evening. — Catherine McCarthy
Columbia Room is located in the back of The Passenger at 1021 7th Street NW.
BLUE DUCK TAVERN: Blue Duck doesn’t have the expensive set menus that are de rigueur at many other splurge-worthy restaurants. In fact, the prices aren’t particularly eye-popping. Most entrees are in the upper $30 range, though they are, for the most part, à la carte. And you’d be a fool not to add on duck fat fries and roasted cauliflower with cheddar fondue as sides. Sure, things add up, but you’re not looking at $150-set menus per person, making it the perfect place to take your parents to treat you to when they’re in town. Service is polished and friendly without being too buttoned down or overbearing, and it has the Obama seal of approval. To up the splurge ante, you can look out for seasonal Masters of Food & Wine events when the restaurant’s hotel brand (the Park Hyatt) hold special events worldwide that celebrate local producers and ingredients. This summer brought chefs Sebastien Archambault and John Melfi to Port City Brewery for a grand lunch amongst the brewing equipment. Last month, an autumn game chef’s table dinner cost $155 including wine pairings, tax, and tip. — Josh Novikoff
Blue Duck Tavern is located at 1201 24th Street NW.
THE KENNEDY CENTER: The Kennedy Center has plenty of inexpensive (and sometimes free) performance options, but when the occasion calls, it’s worth the splurge. The Washington institution—filled with red carpets and chandeliers—has an epic grandeur not typically seen around D.C. venues. Tickets for shows like Les Misérables and The Book of Mormon may set you back, but between the high quality entertainment, gorgeous views from the terrace, and that whole Kate Middleton-y feeling you get walking around inside (no? Just me?), it will probably be an unforgettable evening. — Nicole Dubowitz
The Kennedy Center is located at 2700 F Street NW, and you can see a full list of upcoming performances here.
GIFT MARKETS: Shopping for the perfect gift is tricky. And once you do find that special something that’s personal, unique, well-made, and locally sourced it’s probably going to be pricey. But splurging on a great gift can be worth it; you may find something that will last for years and be truly appreciated by the recipient. D.C. has a number of great markets where you can find the perfect gift. Most are seasonal, like Crafty Bastards (this past September 28 and 28) and the Downtown Holiday Market (November 29-December 23), while others, notably Eastern Market take place every weekend. At each of these you’ll find one-of-a-kind jewelry, photography, pottery, clothing, and more. So save up some bucks, hit the markets, and find that perfect gift. — Lis Grant
Eastern Market is located at 225 7th Street SE, and the Downtown Holiday Market is located at 8th and F St NW and starts up on November 29.
Photo by Elvert Barnes.
CAR2GO: The little blue-and-white SmartCars are awkwardly small for my six-foot frame, and they don’t feel like they drive much faster than I can ride a bike. Buy holy crap do I love using Car2go. The fast-expanding car-sharing service is one of the most convenient ways to get around town—pick a car up wherever you find one, drop it off wherever you’re going. It’s so convenient, in fact, that it inconveniently drains my bank account on a monthly basis; you’d be surprised how quickly that 38 cents a minute adds up. (Fast enough that Car2go deemed me a “car2pro,” which offers me some fringe benefits.) I’d eventually like to send my kid to college, so for now I’ve backed off on my Car2go usage, reserving it for the spur-of-the-moment splurges when I just want to get somewhere as quickly as those little pieces of crap can drive. — Martin Austermuhle
FREED BODYWORKS: For me, the best type of splurge is one that lasts. And nothing beats a really good massage on an aching shoulder or painful lower back. Aries at Freed Bodyworks in Southeast D.C. is not only a wonderful massage therapist, she’s also a great listener. It’s a holistic-type of massage that leaves you feeling good in the body and brain. And at $110 for 90 minutes, it’s barely a splurge. — Sarah Anne Hughes
Freed Bodyworks is located at 1426 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.
RECORD STORES IN ADAMS MORGAN: Look, I like fancy, expensive restaurants as much as the next person, but I’m sure as hell not going to drop $50 on a meal unless I absolutely have to. Thus, my idea of splurging is a walk down to Adams Morgan, wherein I do a tour of the four records stores there and sometimes casually drop around $200 on vinyl. Between Crooked Beat, Smash! Records, Red Onion, and Joint Custody (which has now moved to U St., but whatever, it’s conveniently located on my walk home), it’s hard for me not to leave Adams Morgan lugging a bag full of new and old LP’s and 7-inches. — Matt Cohen
Smash! Records is located at 2314 18th Street NW; Crooked Beat Records is located at 2116 18th Street NW; Red Onion is located at 1901 18th Street NW; Joint Custody is located at 1530 U Street NW.
PARKING TICKETS: Don’t get me wrong, I don’t enjoy shelling out the $25, $50 or $100 on parking tickets. But sometimes there are a multitude of conflicting signs or new regulations that, unbeknownst to me, have suddenly made my go-to spots unusable. Residents only until midnight?? When did that happen??? Wherein parking tickets become a decided splurge is when I’m fully aware that I’m playing a game of chance with Parking Enforcement. Because yes, I see that I only have two hours to park in this spot prior to 9 p.m. and it’s 6 now, but this continuing education class lasts for three hours, parking garages suck and who checks street parking in Southwest anyway? I haven’t seen that annoying pink slip on my car in a couple of months, so screw it, I’ll take that chance and splurge if necessary. — Valerie Paschall
RENT: Anyone who has ever searched on Craigslist for apartments that rent for less than $1,000 a month knows what D.C. renter Stockholm Syndrome sounds like. “My gosh!” your brain quivers giddily, high on the toxic fumes of PriceyTown desperation. “$900 a month for a closet in a basement with no windows and only two roommates? How did I get so lucky?” For extra decadence, maybe you’ll wind up with some kingly things like dishwashers and on-site laundry and, I don’t know… no mold. Here’s what most of us working stiffs know: Next to New York and San Francisco, D.C. is basically the worst when it comes to cost of housing. An “Out of Reach” report this year from the National Low Income Housing Coalition found that in order to afford what they call “Fair Market Rent,” “without paying more than 30 % of income on housing – a household must earn $4,707 monthly or $56,480 annually.”
That’s basically $27.15 an hour, guys.
Crappy thing is, a minimum wage worker in DC makes a fraction of that: $8.25 per hour. So the NLIHC figures that if you’re getting minimum wage, you’d have to work “132 hours per week, 52 weeks per year” in order to get a pretty basic apartment. Even more perspective: DC’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, the number of “literally homeless persons” this year in D.C. is 6,859.
So here’s to splurging and getting a roof over your head. & — Alexis Hauk
