The Metropolitan Washington Summer Restaurant Week is upon us, starting Monday, August 11. More than 200 area eateries will offer a three-course lunch and dinner for $20.14 and $35.14, respectively. How to choose? One way: Try somewhere new. The places below have all debuted in the past six-odd months, including a number of summer openings. Whether you’re looking for a casual meal, a celebrity-chef-driven restaurant, or an anti-summer Restaurant Week promotion, you’ll find plenty of options.
5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Chef Bryan Voltaggio goes modern Italian with this separate restaurant inside Range. Think Caesar salad with oyster croutons, and prawns over sweet corn polenta with fra diavolo sauce.
When: dinner
1926 Ninth St., NW
This former U Street Italian recently relocated to Shaw, with a few new menu items. Expect the same homey feel and dishes like stewed meatballs and gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce.
When: dinner
1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean
José Andrés’s American eatery inside the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner is one of the biggest summer debuts, serving a mix of local and regional dishes such as fried chicken and soft-shell crab jambalaya.
1914 Ninth St., NW
The new Dino’s in Shaw isn’t participating in the official RAMW Restaurant Week, and they’re pretty honest about why. According to the website: “3 courses at $35.14 simply IS NOT a great deal at Dino’s Grotto. It comes out to a half-priced dessert, which IS NOT a savings in our minds.” Instead you’ll find ten plates of antipasti, pasta, eggplant Parm, and more for $35.
When: dinner
I-Thai Restaurant and Sushi Bar
3003 M St., NW
Georgetown’s newest Thai-and-sushi spot offers fare from both cuisines during Restaurant Week, including mixed seafood rolls and drunken noodles.
Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
750 15th St., NW
The Washington branch of the iconic Miami original is a pretty pricey spot, so Restaurant Week may be a good time to try it. Though you won’t find the iconic claws, other options include fluke ceviche and marinated skirt steak.
405 Eighth St., NW
Look for seasonal European cooking at chef Frederick De Pue’s Penn Quarter restaurant/market, such as escargot in garlic-butter sauce and bass bouillabaisse.
When: lunch and dinner
Ripple’s more casual Adams Morgan sibling focuses on house-made sausages, smoked meats, and drink-friendly small plates. You may want to hit the rooftop for a cocktail before your four-course dinner.
When: dinner
1177 15th St., NW
The first Washington restaurant from celebrity chef Jose Garces focuses on Argentinian specialties such as thick-crust fugazza pizzas, Wagyu belly empanadas, and plenty of options from the wood-burning parrilla grill.
When: lunch and dinner
600 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
Get your cheese fix at this Eastern Market creamery, which makes fresh fromage on-site. Dishes include cheddar-tomato pie, mac and cheese, and a variety of burgers.
When: lunch
1250 Connecticut Ave., NW
Dupont’s “female-friendly” steakhouse goes into its first Washington Restaurant Week with tuna tartar, strip loin, and market fish. Given that two Wagyu sliders normally go for $19 in the evenings, a whole lunch for $20.14 is a deal.
1300 I St., NW
Restaurateur Richard Sandoval’s pan-Latin steakhouse offers the likes of bay scallop ceviche, churrasco grilled steak, and ancho-chocolate brownie sundaes for its first Restaurant Week.
Find Anna Spiegel on Twitter at @annaspiegs.
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.
