Food

Cheap Eats 2014: Foie Gras Wishes on a Burger Budget

Want to dine at upscale restaurants but save some cash? Try these tricks for scoring a less expensive meal.

Be a lady—or lad—who lunches
Some of the best deals are found midday. Monday through Friday at the bar at Restaurant Eve (110 S. Pitt St., Alexandria; 703-706-0450), the “lickity split” lunch includes an entrée plus a cocktail, glass of wine, or dessert for $15.

Dine pre-theater
Not going to a show? No problem. Most pre-theater menus are available to all.

Go high-end for happy hour
Even top-tier restaurants have deals. Ditch discount Bud in favor of $6.75 Sazeracs and bar snacks such as bánh mì sliders at Vidalia (1990 M St., NW; 202-659-1990), where happy hour runs weekdays from 5 to 7.

Pull up a barstool
Certain restaurants have budget-friendly prix fixe menus at the bar. We love chef Tom Power’s $30 three-course menu at Corduroy (1122 Ninth St., NW; 202-589-0699).

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Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.