DC Restaurant week is back!

Two of the year’s best weeks are when Washingtonians can eat their hearts out (err, mostly dine on smaller portions) at some of the best restaurants in the area – at considerably reduced rates. Well, that’s coming up soon – February 16th-22nd.

With both eaters and restaurateurs hurting considerably in the wallet this year, restaurant week could not have come soon enough. This restaurant week, the 14th in DC’s history, includes almost 180 participating restaurants, so there is ample variety to choose from – but only one price range! This year’s festivities will cost diners $20.09 for lunch and $35.09 for dinner, for a three-course price-fixed meal.

When picking the right restaurant week destination, there are a number of factors I usually consider:

Accessibility – Diners often choose a restaurant they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. In part, this is the purpose of restaurant week since it makes the DC dining scene accessible at a manageable level. However, the problem here is that the most expensive (participating) restaurants are often the most popular, filling up very quickly. So go on opentable now and reserve before your restaurant is sold out!

Menu – Some restaurants offer “special” restaurant week menus, those should be avoided. If I’m eating at a restaurant this week, I want to eat the same food they usually offer. If the food was better on a “special” menu, it would be part of the regular menu – there’s a reason the dish is only on a reduced price menu.

Size – One of the main gripes people have with restaurant week is that the dishes are way too small. It’s true that some restaurants serve smaller versions of their normal menu, however, many restaurants don’t. For example, Chef Geoff’s serves their full size entrees and appetizers, just at a greatly reduced price. There’s no foolproof way of knowing what each restaurant does, but common sense usually works here. Don’t expect large portions from the most expensive spots in town, and don’t go to one of the steakhouses expecting a 20-ounce NY strip – you will surely leave disappointed.

Regular Deals – The last thing I usually consider in picking a restaurant is what specials/deals they usually offer. Many restaurants extend their restaurant week menus for weeks or even months longer, so you don’t necessarily need to visit during restaurant week. For example, Dino offers restaurant week style menus year round (Sun-Thurs) as well as great wine specials during the week. Surely the food at Dino will be wonderful during restaurant week, but you can get the same or a better deal anytime through the year.

My favorite restaurant week experiences all came at restaurants I’d not previously visited, possibly because I didn’t know what to expect. My favorite probably was at PS7 (now a restaurant I frequent often), which during restaurant week offers an ambitious menu with numerous options and full size portions. They also have wine and drink specials for restaurant week. A few places I’ve had less than satisfying restaurant week meals at include Smith & Wollensky’s and the Oval Room – both of which served extraordinarily small portions.

For other restaurant week details, DC Foodies has a full list of past restaurant week menus and Capital Spice has a map up of all this year’s participating restaurants.