Restaurant Week Picks

Photo courtesy of
‘matchbox sliders’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

People who regularly follow my posts here on WLDC may be wondering why I haven’t posted on Restaurant Week yet. Well, it’s because I’m selfish.

There, at least I admitted it. I wanted to make sure my mouth got to feast on deliciousness before I made my recommendations to you, blogosphere so ya’ll wouldn’t take my reservations. Get it? I’m competitive when it comes to MY FAVORITE WEEK(S) OF THE YEAR. I live for RW. I do.

I don’t listen to the haters who say places serve nasty food or you get bad service. Sure, I’ve had my share of that, namely the blah meal I got at Bistro Bis one time, or the crap service at the late Restaurant K by Alison Swope where the waiter actually told my table to eat their greens. But when you hit gold, you REALLY hit gold with RW. You can get more bang for your buck than Spitzer at the Mayflower. So where am I dining this RW? I’ll tell you… now that I’ve got all my reservations secured. First and foremost, I recommend sorting the list by price. That way you can get the best value, for the best price. You can’t go wrong when you’ve dined someplace where you know you’ve saved some SERIOUS moolah. So, my first recommendation for you is heading to 1789, where a regularly priced entree will cost you $33 and up. (I’d also throw in a pitch for Adour at the St. Regis, but they’re lame and only doing lunch. Here’s the thing, RW peeps – you either do it or you don’t, don’t give me this half-assed lunch crap. Cop out.)

So, once you’ve sorted by price, I’d go with quality. I say sort by price STILL because you do not need to wind up at Sushi Ko, Co Co Sala or Zaytinya, where you can get a really decent meal ANY day for $35, and leave super satisfied. Not worth it.

So keeping your list sorted by price, there are some shiners in there – Art and Soul for one. I reviewed it for Appetite Stimulus, and went back last week for lunch to have the turkey burger. Delish. Matt and I have done Bastille, and if you’re looking for a little romantic spot where you’ll probably bring down the median age by twenty year’s, Bastille is a yum choice. Normally I’d say Bistro Bis, but we got burned by a crappy endive salad and some ugly pork chops two years ago, and I’m still bitter. Ceiba was a star when I did it for RW, and had VERY attentive servers. I forgot about them, good choice. I’d recommend highly.

Equinox shines. Matt is taking me there for Valentines Day because he loves me, nuff said. We’re doing Founding Farmers this RW, despite some mixed reviews. I’m ready to try that sucker out for myself. PS7’s served up a WONDERFUL restaurant week last time, and made me crave more. I’d go back in a heartbeat. TenPehn is always a safe bet, I think of them whenever I want fancy Asian. Just stay away from the wasabi mashed potatoes unless you really need your sinuses cleared. Gross. My roommate and I did Vidalia last time and really liked it – french/southern with some emphasis on cheese and really – who doesn’t love cheese?

You know, Georgia Brown’s is on the list, and I’m dying to go there. Hmm, just now saw that. Interesting. And although Firefly is considered a sleeper by some, I love it. I love the way they serve bread in buckets, I think the chef is careful, and thoughtful about flavors, and it just makes me happy. The interior tree doesn’t hurt either. Romantic. Book it for valentine’s day, lazy boys out there. Last but not least, if you’re looking for impressively trendy, try Oya. I loved it – sleek, yummy food, good sushi, and fun to be at. Perfect girls night.

There. Now that wasn’t so selfish, now was it? I gave you a GREAT start on some tantalizing food. Go forth and reserve!

Katie moved to DC in 2007, and has since embarked upon a love affair with the city. She’s an education reform advocate and communications professional during the day; at night and on the weekends, she’s an owner here at We Love DC. Katie has high goals to eat herself through the entire city, with only her running shoes to save her from herself. For up-to-the-minute news and reviews (among other musings), follow her on Twitter!

7 thoughts on “Restaurant Week Picks

  1. Our friend who went back to Founding Farmers with a smaller group at a less busy time said her whole experience was far, far better than the one we had. So I’m guessing it’ll be a worthy RW entry if the staff doesn’t get overwhelmed.

  2. I’m not sure Founding Farmers is worth the RW. The food was good, but not spectacular. My leftovers ended up in the trash can instead of my tummy. Their menu is also very reasonably priced, with majority of items under $20 so its not a stretch to go there for dinner.

    Beck’s, especially Marcel’s, and Georgia Brown’s food is far superior.

  3. I had a horrible experience at Founding Farmers in early December. The food is good but not anything I’d return for. The service was exceptionally slow. And to top it all off, the bad 80’s music blaring was a constant source of irritation. Really, I’d say skip it.

  4. I second you on Firefly. It is probably my favorite restaurant in the city, as much for the abmience and service as for the food. It’s consistent. Anyway, the real reason for my comment: Georgia Brown’s. My advice: don’t bother. I only ate there once, a few years ago, for lunch, but it was one of those experiences that leaves you unforgiving. Despite being practically the only table in the restaurant, service was entirely unaccommodating and the food itself was lackluster. If modern Southern chow is your thing, save yourself the agony and stick with Vidalia.