Restaurant week in DC
Every year, DC hosts two restaurant weeks -- one in the beginning of the year (now) and one over the summer. Every year, I use the occasion to try out new places. For those of you who don't have a restaurant week or have never been, it's a marketing tool to get folks out to try new places and spend some money. The way it works is you get 3 courses for a fixed price -- $20.07 (for lunch) or $30.07 (for dinner). Usually you get to choose among several different selections for each course.
This go-round, I made it to four different restaurants. Here are my quick reviews.
21P at, you guessed it, 21st and P. They serve a fusion Southern cuisine, and it was fantastic! Definitely open that belt a notch. I ate there tonight, and I have literally already made another reservation for next Sunday because they are generously continuing restaurant week through the end of the month. SM had the crabcake appetizer, blackened prime rib (which cost an extra $10), and the white chocolate bread pudding for dessert. I nabbed a bit of the crabcake, and it was quite yummy. His steak was a very large slab o' meat with a nice crawfish/shrimp sauce and dirty mashed potatoes on the side. It looked great. I ordered the Curry Crusted Scallops (with coconut grits & pineapple chutney) to start and my entree was Seared Ahi Loin (with wasabi aioli, seasame-scallion sticky sushi rice & Asian herb salad). I also had the bread pudding for dessert. My taste buds did a happy dance all the way through dinner and dessert -- it was THAT good. And like I said, we've already got a reservation to go back next week. AWESOME. I definitely recommend this.
The other place we ate dinner this week (er, yesterday) was Restaurant Kolumbia on K at 18th. I thought the food here was quite nice, and the restaurant week menu had a good selection, including a veal dish. I ate their soup du jour, the wild mushroom lasagna and homemade ice cream. And their bread -- very yummy bread. Others had the meat, and it was definitely a tasty menu. I don't know if I would make quite the effort to go back there because it wasn't such a "stand out" that I would forego other DC venues for this menu... but it was quite nice. It's worth a visit, especially during restaurant week.
For lunch, we had two reservations this past week. The first was The Prime Rib on K at 20th. What can I say? The place is a cut above in pretty much every way. Very classy. And they most definitely did not skimp on their menu for restaurant week. End even though I am not a mammal-eater, I did enjoy my chicken dish (as well as the tomato basil bisque and the key lime pie). And I have to say that my lunch companions got some nice cuts of meat and seemed to enjoy them very much. This is one of the restaurants in DC that you must try to get into during restaurant week. I don't think anyone would be disappointed. The set the standard in DC for the lobbying crowd.
Last and definitely least here is our other attempt at lunch, Poste Moderne Brasserie at E and 8th. Don't waste your time with this place. The setting is lovely, but the menu for restaurant week was appalling. I was disgusted. In fact, we didn't stay to eat. We walked out because this place clearly did the "bait and switch". Their restaurant week lunch menu was so pathetic that it wasn't worth the $20.07 (literally) -- and with such a sad selection, many might be inclined to order off of the regular menu, but not us. We left. With a bad taste in our mouths. Here is what we had to choose from for our three courses for restaurant week:
We looked up the prices of those selections on the menu, and they basically added up to $20... so what's the point? And also, I don't drink or eat mammals, so my choices would have been coffee (or juice), a pathetic fruit plate and French toast. For $20.07! I don't think so. What a waste of our time and anticipation. This restaurant has ensured that neither SM nor I will ever, ever go there. And we'll be sure to tell everyone of this ridiculousness. Ugh. Booo, Poste, booo to you!
We left and went to the District Chophouse instead and ate extremely well for the same $20 each. SM particularly likes this place because they have a good selection of beer -- including a beer tasting menu where you can get tastes of six different selections.
Anyway...
So we did our best to participate well in restaurant week this time. 21P, The Prime Rib and Restaurant Kolumbia are good bets for delivering a tasty meal. Skip Poste -- based on their restaurant week menu, the management there values their profit margin more than developing a clientele.
This go-round, I made it to four different restaurants. Here are my quick reviews.
21P at, you guessed it, 21st and P. They serve a fusion Southern cuisine, and it was fantastic! Definitely open that belt a notch. I ate there tonight, and I have literally already made another reservation for next Sunday because they are generously continuing restaurant week through the end of the month. SM had the crabcake appetizer, blackened prime rib (which cost an extra $10), and the white chocolate bread pudding for dessert. I nabbed a bit of the crabcake, and it was quite yummy. His steak was a very large slab o' meat with a nice crawfish/shrimp sauce and dirty mashed potatoes on the side. It looked great. I ordered the Curry Crusted Scallops (with coconut grits & pineapple chutney) to start and my entree was Seared Ahi Loin (with wasabi aioli, seasame-scallion sticky sushi rice & Asian herb salad). I also had the bread pudding for dessert. My taste buds did a happy dance all the way through dinner and dessert -- it was THAT good. And like I said, we've already got a reservation to go back next week. AWESOME. I definitely recommend this.
The other place we ate dinner this week (er, yesterday) was Restaurant Kolumbia on K at 18th. I thought the food here was quite nice, and the restaurant week menu had a good selection, including a veal dish. I ate their soup du jour, the wild mushroom lasagna and homemade ice cream. And their bread -- very yummy bread. Others had the meat, and it was definitely a tasty menu. I don't know if I would make quite the effort to go back there because it wasn't such a "stand out" that I would forego other DC venues for this menu... but it was quite nice. It's worth a visit, especially during restaurant week.
For lunch, we had two reservations this past week. The first was The Prime Rib on K at 20th. What can I say? The place is a cut above in pretty much every way. Very classy. And they most definitely did not skimp on their menu for restaurant week. End even though I am not a mammal-eater, I did enjoy my chicken dish (as well as the tomato basil bisque and the key lime pie). And I have to say that my lunch companions got some nice cuts of meat and seemed to enjoy them very much. This is one of the restaurants in DC that you must try to get into during restaurant week. I don't think anyone would be disappointed. The set the standard in DC for the lobbying crowd.
Last and definitely least here is our other attempt at lunch, Poste Moderne Brasserie at E and 8th. Don't waste your time with this place. The setting is lovely, but the menu for restaurant week was appalling. I was disgusted. In fact, we didn't stay to eat. We walked out because this place clearly did the "bait and switch". Their restaurant week lunch menu was so pathetic that it wasn't worth the $20.07 (literally) -- and with such a sad selection, many might be inclined to order off of the regular menu, but not us. We left. With a bad taste in our mouths. Here is what we had to choose from for our three courses for restaurant week:
course 1: mimosa or coffee or juice or some other luncheon-y alcoholic drinkThose were the three courses that we'd get for our $20.07.
course 2: fruit plate (no other options)
course 3: cheese/bacon quiche (although I'm sure it had a very fancy name); a cheese burger (ditto the fancy name) or French toast
We looked up the prices of those selections on the menu, and they basically added up to $20... so what's the point? And also, I don't drink or eat mammals, so my choices would have been coffee (or juice), a pathetic fruit plate and French toast. For $20.07! I don't think so. What a waste of our time and anticipation. This restaurant has ensured that neither SM nor I will ever, ever go there. And we'll be sure to tell everyone of this ridiculousness. Ugh. Booo, Poste, booo to you!
We left and went to the District Chophouse instead and ate extremely well for the same $20 each. SM particularly likes this place because they have a good selection of beer -- including a beer tasting menu where you can get tastes of six different selections.
Anyway...
So we did our best to participate well in restaurant week this time. 21P, The Prime Rib and Restaurant Kolumbia are good bets for delivering a tasty meal. Skip Poste -- based on their restaurant week menu, the management there values their profit margin more than developing a clientele.
Labels: food
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