Winter restaurant week begins today and goes through January 19. The twice a year promotion means $20.14 lunch menus and $35.14 dinners at restaurants across the District and some outlying areas. It’s a chance for diners to try out something new or head to a tried-and-true favorite during a time of the year that’s generally pretty quiet in the restaurant world.

The formula is pretty basic: Set menus include three courses, though some restaurants that focus on small plates or lower prices may throw in an extra course or a glass of wine. Prices go up a penny each year to cutely correspond to the new calendar.

In finding menus really worth trying, I look for places that have a decent selection that somewhat resembles their regular menu — and good value. I assess this by looking for offered items that are on the regular menu and adding up what they would cost a la carte and by zoning in on the dessert menus. A favorite way for restaurants to make the bargain work for them, if they’re being generous with their starters and entrees, is to ask you to choose from some inexpensive dessert, say a blasé panna cotta. If the pastry chef’s usual lineup is available to choose from, you’re probably winning. The proof is literally in the pudding. Or more accurately in the lack of bread pudding with bourbon sauce.

No reservations? Try to make one right now, you may be surprised. Since I personally don’t often plan in advance, my usually strategy is to walk in and go for the bar. A party of one or two can often snag a seat there, especially early or late, and in many cases there are empty tables despite a lack of available reservations the host will be happy to seat you at.

Now for some recommendations.

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Lunch is not much more than half the price of dinner, usually for the same amount of food. And there are some excellent options here from restaurants that are only participating in the afternoon hours. Two osterias may be on this recommendation list, but, this not being Italy, it’s hard for many of us to get away from the office for a leisurely midday meal. If you have limited time, go for it and get your dessert to go for a mid-afternoon pick me up.

Photo by Angie Schoon.

Brasserie Beck
Choice is limited. But two of Robert Wiedmaier’s starters — an endive salad and veal meatballs — are from the regular menu. So is a chicken paillard, beef carbonnade, a classic mussels preparation, and a crepe rendition from the everyday, main course side of the menu. The dessert list is a money saving one, but hey, that carbonnade is a $26 entrée as it is. And red velvet waffles with cheesecake ice cream sounds like a good way to end a Belgian meal.

The Source
Scott Drewno’s fine dining room changes the way they participate each season. Last winter gave a choice of any three items from their Saturday dim sum menu. Last summer was a much more limited choice of the dim sum or dim sum-inspired options. This year, first course options include a seven onion soup with Sichuan bacon, hand rolls or wontons you might normally see on the menu. A Hong Kong-style steamed salmon from the regular menu (substituting farmed for wild fish) is a main option, though I’ll be hard pressed not to try a short rib hot pot with fermented black beans and root vegetables instead.

Osteria Morini
They may think they’re still in the big apple; their menu quotes a price of $25.14 for an antipasti, entrée and dolce trio. Hello, New York prices! Hopefully by the time they print their paper lunch menus they realize we do it for $20 in these parts. So long as they do, it’s a great chance to check out this New York import and the Emilia-Romagna regional cuisine they are famous for. It’s a small and not terribly surprising choice of antipasti and dolci. More exciting is a taste of one of six of the traditional pastas from Romagna.

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Sometimes a leisurely lunch just won’t work out. Dinner will cost you $15 more bucks, and thus more tax and tip, and it’s nighttime so you’re more likely to blow some more money on cocktails and wine. But you still better act fast if you want to try to score a table at this late date.

Alba Osteria
It’s a big year for new osterias. Alba Osteria marks the return of the man who once sat atop of the Washington food world, Roberto Donna. The dining room, in a newly constructed building at 425 I Street NW, showcases the food of Donna’s native Piedmont region of Italy. Dinner allows a chance to select a pair of piatti freddi or piatti caldi, an entrée, and dessert. Everything from the regular menu. Normal prices are conveniently printed on the menu, and the first three courses will get you too around $35. That means you’re getting free dessert, and Alba wins points for offering from a suite that would normally cost $9 each. Alba is doing lunch as well.

Range
It was just recently announced that chef de cuisine Matt Hill is leaving Range. His last day is the last day of restaurant week, so consider this a last chance to eat at Bryan Voltaggio’s D.C. kitchen before he loses another top member of their team. Range is fairly generous with their menu. Everything is from the regular menu with a few but not many upcharges for more expensive items. With the menu divided into five sections—cold kitchen, pizza, fish and shellfish, meat and game, cheese and dessert—selecting three items is a monumental task. But you can get four courses for $45, five for $55, and will probably be tempted to order a little bit of bread and perhaps a side or two as well.

Vidalia
It wouldn’t be wise to waste a RW lunch at this subterranean Southern inspired kitchen. They regularly offer a three course lunch for $19.90, 24 cents cheaper than during restaurant week (though it has more limited choice than this week’s menu). But it’s a fine time to take advantage of a Vidalia deal during dinner hours. There are eight or nine choices for each course, though some of the most appealing, like the shrimp and grits, have upcharges. But you can suck up the extra $5 if you must, or be happy starting with a Berkshire pork posolé, continuing with a pan roasted Carolina mountain trout with crawfish, country ham, and creole mustard butter.

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For DCist’s recommendations from restaurant weeks of yore, check out our coverage here and here.