Photo by LaTur.
By DCist Contributor Jacob Dean
Now that August has firmly ensconced itself, the time has once again come for D.C.’s Summer Restaurant Week to blink its eyes, shake off roughly six months of dust and lichen, and emerge from its cave like a hungry bear ready to…provide some prix fixe meals. I guess?
The analogy might be terrible, but as DCist’s food editor pointed out last August, the same can basically be said of Restaurant Week. The deals tend to be lackluster, and it’s an enormous pain in the ass for the restaurants who choose to participate. That being said, fine dining is expensive, and for many people, being able to have a nice dinner on the cheap(er) is worth the risk of a disappointing meal.
The list of recommendations below is not exhaustive—over 200 restaurants are participating after all—but it does represent what are likely some of the better deals to be had. Participating restaurants mostly can be found around Dupont Circle and Downtown/Penn Quarter. No restaurants from H Street/NoMA are listed, and the Restaurant Week website has clustered together a number of neighborhoods in lower Northeast and all of Southeast into the single category of “Capitol Hill”, so fair warning to those searching for a spot to dine just south of H Street, in Barracks Row/Eastern Market, and in other smaller enclaves.
The 2015 summer Restaurant Week runs from August 17-23, with lunch priced at $22 and dinner at $35. Many restaurants add additional but separately priced a la carte items to the menu or allow modifications for a fee.
Belga Café (514 8th Street SE)
Belga Café, the Belgian restaurant owned and operated by Bart Vandaele, one of D.C.’s many former Top Chef contestants, is offering full access to their lunch and dinner menus so that diners can create their own experience. While there are sure to be some limitations (don’t expect to be ordering an entrée for each course), the menu is a nice mix of Belgian and Flemish dishes and is both kid- and vegetarian-friendly.
Casa Luca (1099 New York Ave NW)
Casa Luca, the third restaurant from Fiola’s Fabio Trabocchi, will have lunch and dinner menus, and both new and already ongoing menu items are being offered. Looking at the dishes that make the crossover, Casa Luca may be offering one of the best priced-deals in town, assuming portion sizes remain the same. For example, the “Fillet of Beef Tenderloin “Ortolana”” entrée, priced at $32 on their regular menu, appears as one of three entrees listed on their $35 RW dinner menu, and their lunch menu has similar deals to be had. Combine this with the fact that the restaurant is known for being laid back and kid-friendly and this could be a good choice for family dining.
Fogo de Chao (1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW)
Fogo de Chao, the Brazilian all-you-can-eat meat smorgasbord, is offering a modified service at roughly $20 less than what they typically charge, so it’s a good opportunity to get the meat sweats at a discount. Certain items will be absent from the service, including lamb and filet mignon, but otherwise the meal should be identical to what is normally available. Reservations are already almost gone, so book ASAP or plan to wait in line.
Kapnos (2201 14th Street NW)
Mike Isabella’s Kapnos will be offering a 4-course dinner for $35 and a 5-course dinner for $55, the same pricing offered during their 2014 participation. While some items remain the same between the two menus, unsurprisingly the more expensive of the menus is significantly more interesting, and trades items such as ¼ of a spit roasted chicken with lemon potatoes for things like roasted duck phyllo pie, charred octopus, or suckling pig. Group participation is mandatory, so if you go with friends make sure that you’re all on the same page menu-wise.
The Pig (1320 14th Street NW)
Michael Bonk, the executive chef of The Pig, has put together what looks like a pretty killer menu for restaurant week. Their chicken fried face bacon is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten (ever!), but the entire menu looks varied, inventive, and of good value.
Rasika (633 D Street NW)
Rasika, home to 2014 James Beard Award-winning chef Vikram Sunderam, is offering a lunch-only deal. Their menu pairs a small plate as a starter with a more substantial entrée, and finishes with one of five desserts. It’s a nice selection to choose from, and it is vegetarian-friendly. So if you’re one of the poor souls forced to work in the soulless, tourist-filled gulag that is Penn Quarter, this is a solid option for an out-of-office lunch adventure.
Jose Andres’ restaurants
All of Jose Andres’ restaurants are participating in Restaurant Week, except Minibar. That includes Jaleo, Oyamel, Zaytinya, and even the newly-opened China Chilcano. If you’re looking for culinary variety, quality of ingredients, or even food that just looks really damn pretty, any of these restaurants would make a fine choice. If you’re in search of a deal though, not one offers any real savings. In fact, you’d have to do considerable research comparing the price point of each and every dish against the RW meal cost simply to match what you’d pay a la carte on any given day. The variety at each establishment is unparalleled in D.C. and they’re a lot of fun, but the menus do not offer a lot of bang for your buck. I should know; I waded through all of them, including the eye-popping visual mess that is China Chilcano’s dinner menu, which I’m pretty sure undid my LASIK eye surgery.
