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Daily dispatches on the Washington, DC area's food, restaurant and dining scene.

30 Great-Value Dishes

Our critics pick their favorite bang-for-your-buck dishes.

By Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli

Chicken and waffles at Marvin.

Chicken and waffles at Marvin.

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Two grilled-shrimp tacos at Surfside, $9.95

Hanger steak with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach at Ray’s the Steaks, $19.95

Chicken and waffles at Marvin, $16

Silken Shawl Imperial Autumn Rolls filled with pork and prawns at Present, $3.95

Fried-oyster po boy with coleslaw at Hank’s Oyster Bar, $15

Sorbillo’s Original, a ricotta-mozzarella-and-salami-filled turnover at Pete’s Apizza, $7.95

Crab masala with jumbo lump crab, onions, and spices, $9.95 at Passage to India

Macaroni and cheese for two at Westend Bistro, $10

Adana kebab of skewered ground lamb, house-made harissa, grilled tomatoes, and sumac onions at Zaytinya, $7.50

 

Pad thai at Nava Thai.

Pad thai at Nava Thai.

Mini-jars of red and black caviar with house-made blini and crème fraîche at Johnny’s Half Shell, $19.75

 

Eel kamameshi, glazed eel over rice with four side dishes at lunch at Kotobuki, $10.95

Charcuterie board, which two can share at the bar at Restaurant Eve, $16

Roast-to-order chicken, $14, and truffled cheeseburger, $12, at Palena Cafe

Half order of pasta for half the price of a full order at the bar during lunch at Tosca

Four lacquered, grilled quail halves with blood-orange slices at Four Sisters, $8 to $9

Bun cha, northern-style grilled, marinated pork with vermicelli noodles at Minh’s, $9.75

Sambusas, $2.75 each, and yebeg wat, $11, at Etete

Lamb karahi for two at Ravi Kabob House, $19.99

Pot of mussels for two at Café du Parc, $19.95

Floating Market Noodle Soup for two, $7.95, and crispy mussels with hot sauce, $9.95, at Nava Thai Noodle and Grill

Grilled stuffed calamari with green sauce, $7.95, and Margherita pizza, $10.95, at 2 Amys

Duck confit with savoy cabbage and roasted beets, $15, and grilled flatiron steak with rapini, $14, at Cork

Lamb sausage with lentils at Brasserie Beck, $14

Roast chicken with mustard sauce at Leopold’s Kafe & Konditorei, $18

Boudin blanc, boudin noir, or merguez sausage with braised red cabbage at Mannequin Pis, $12

What are your favorite bargain dishes? Tell us in the comments below. 

Related Links:

This appeared as part of the 100 Very Best Restaurants section in the February, 2009 issue of the Washingtonian

Comments


Tongue Sandwich at Kabob Bazaar in Clarendon

Any curry from Ravi Kabob (lamb karahi isn’t nearly as good a value or meal)

Kitfo dullet from Habesha Market

Tacos from El Charrito Caminante

Posted by: Mighty Mighty, Feb 19, 2009 03:43:49 PM

Hmm. I dunno, an entire list of great-value dishes and not one Korean dish on the list? I mean, for $9.95 I can go to Gamasot and get a big bowl of comforting seolleongtang and a whole host of banchan to boot.

Heck, just banchan in general makes it many a Korean dish a value!

Posted by: Matt T., Feb 12, 2009 07:42:26 AM

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