Food

8 Summer Restaurant Week Extensions to Try Now

Don't worry if you missed the official promo--there's more!

Kapnos Kouzina's marinated salmon kabob with cauliflower puree, a version of which is offered for extended restaurant week. Photograph by Andrew Propp

The official RAMW Summer Restaurant Week ended Sunday, but a handful of DC-area eateries are carrying on the promotion for an extra week, if not more. So where should you go for a promising $22 lunch or $35 dinner? There’s no telling if a restaurant week experience will live up to a regular meal, but these are some top picks based on menus and recent visits.

Restaurant Eve

110 S. Pitt St., Alexandria

Chef Cathal Armstrong’s elegant Old Town eatery is on a marathon, participating in both the RAMW and Alexandria restaurant weeks, and extending both. The three-course menu looks promising—oak-smoked salmon with quail eggs, a riff on their divine bouillabaisse—plus drinkers can find deals on wines (i.e. a $40 French rosé).

When: Dinner only through Saturday, September 3

Mintwood Place

1813 Columbia Rd., NW

Chef Eric McKamey offers a robust range of dishes for restaurant week, including their delicious classics like escargots hushpuppies, and the wood-grilled cheeseburger, plus newer items like braised rabbit pasta. Don’t miss the brownie sundae for a blowout dessert.

When: Dinner only through Wednesday, August 31

Del Campo

777 I St., NW

Take your favorite carnivore to chef Victor Albisu’s South American steakhouse, which regularly serves cuts of meat for the price of a whole restaurant week meal (the pricier $55 “restaurant week chef’s menu” seems like less of a steal). We’d go in for salmon ceviche and grilled short ribs and chorizo with bone marrow.

When: Lunch and dinner through Sunday, August 28

Lyon Hall

3100 North Washington Blvd., Arlington

It’s often a good sign when a restaurant serves their full menu for restaurant week, which is the case at this Arlington brasserie. Pick three courses from the regular lineup—and don’t skip over those mini-franks, which are both tasty and adorable.

When: Lunch and dinner through Sunday August 28.

Kapnos, Kapnos Taverna, and Kapnos Kouzina

2201 14th St., NW 4000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 4900 Hampden Ln., Bethesda

Most of Mike Isabella‘s empire extends restaurant week, including Graffiato, Yona noodle bar, and G (dinner only). Of all, we’re tempted by the Greek fare at the Kapnos locations in DC, Ballston, and Bethesda, where four-courses for $35 could be a good deal Menus vary by location, but we can’t so no to the Mediterranean spreads at any.

When: Lunch and dinner through through Friday, August 28.

Central

1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Legendary chef Michel Richard recently passed away after 68 years. Diners can still get a taste of his legacy at this downtown brasserie. The extended Restaurant Week menu includes some of the longtime hits, including the goat cheese Caesar and a fancy beef burger.

When: Lunch and dinner through Saturday, August 27.

Zaytinya

701 Ninth St., NW

José  Andrés’s Mediterranean restaurant continues to impress after nearly 14 years—not to mention the perk of ample restaurant week experience. The lunch menu includes three mezze plates plus dessert for $22; dinner gets one extra mezze. A plus for vegetarians: this is one of the few places that offers more than gazpacho.

When: Lunch and dinner through Friday, August 28

The Oval Room

800 Connecticut Ave., NW

Part of the Restaurant Week fun is visiting a dressier restaurant, and this New American near the White House fits the bill. Chef John Melfi isn’t holding back on prime ingredients—dishes like foie gras mousse on toasted brioche or crispy pork belly with corn pudding and peach jam are offered without an up-charge.

When: Lunch and dinner through Saturday, August 27.

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.