Numerous good eats for Washington area's latest Restaurant Week
serves you right: Restaurant Week features discount dining at places like the new West End cafe Ris.
(Michael Temchine For The Washington Post)
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Restaurant Week, the dining promotion Washington loves to hate and hates to love, is back. Through Sunday, restaurants across the city are offering three-course meals at fork-dropping discounts: $20.10 for lunch and $35.10 for dinner, not including beverages or gratuity. Though many prime reservations have been snapped up, the playing field expands dramatically if you're willing to eat on the early or late side; check OpenTable.com for availability. Want to make the magic last a little longer? More than 30 restaurants have already extended the special past Sunday. Also worth noting: Alexandria Restaurant Week kicks off Friday. That special offers three-course dinners for $35 and, at some less expensive restaurants, dinner for two for $35. Baltimore Restaurant Week spans both months; it runs from Jan. 22 to Feb. 7 and offers three courses for $20.10 (lunch) and $35.10 (dinner). In the meantime, here are a few Washington area restaurants worth exploring:
RIS
This upscale neighborhood cafe by former 1789 chef Ris Lacoste finally opened its West End doors in December after nearly four years of planning. The three-course Restaurant Week menu offers such fare as gnudi -- ricotta dumplings on a bed of tomatoes with spinach and prosciutto -- as well as a dinner-only cider-glazed, grilled pork chop with collard greens and corn-bread pudding in a bacon and bourbon sauce.
Available at lunch (11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) and dinner (5:30 to 11 p.m.) through Sunday. 2275 L St. NW. 202-730-2500. http:/
2941
One popular Restaurant Week theory is to dine somewhere outside your expense comfort zone. For many frugal gourmets, 2941 qualifies. Through January, you can enjoy chef Bertrand Chemel's inventive dishes in 2941's classy, soaring space. The three-course lunch menu (which will change after Sunday) includes a choice of grilled escolar, burrata cheese ravioli or roasted duck breast. It's finished off by Guayaquil chocolate cake, a delightful confection speckled with blood orange, praline rice and the flavor of Earl Grey tea.
Available at lunch (Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) through Jan. 31. 2941 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church. 703-270-1500. http:/
BIBIANA OSTERIA-ENOTECA
Tables appear to be pretty full at the newest restaurant in Ashok Bajaj's portfolio (Bombay Club, Rasika). You might have to book an early dinner, though you might be better off going with a late lunch: The three-course midday menu offers delicate Italian food from chef Nicholas Stefanelli -- a 29-year-old whiz kid around these parts -- including a risotto that Post food critic Tom Sietsema described as "sublime."
Available at lunch (Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and dinner (Monday-Wednesday 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. and Thursday-Saturday 5:30 to 11 p.m.) through Sunday. 1100 New York Ave. NW. 202-216-9550. http:/
J&G STEAKHOUSE
Another newcomer that falls into the normally-outside-the-expense-comfort-zone category, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's steakhouse, tucked inside the W Hotel, is a meat lover's paradise, where the only thing prettier than the sight of a perfectly seared filet might be the dining room's views of the Washington Monument.
Available at lunch (Monday-Friday 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and dinner (Sunday-Thursday 5 to 10:30 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 5 to 11 p.m.) through Sunday. 515 15th St. NW. 202-661-2440. http:/
URBANA
Chef Alexander Bollinger's space at Hotel Palomar offers creative fare in a subterranean, dark-paneled and romantic setting. The Restaurant Week highlights are found in the selection of entrees, specifically bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with polenta and melted Vidalia onions.
Available at lunch (Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and dinner (Sunday-Thursday 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 5:30 to 11 p.m.) through Jan. 24. 2121 P St. NW. 202-956-6650. http:/
-- Julia Beizer and Alex Baldinger
