Restaurant Week - Winter 2007

[Adam23]

Had my RW week dinner at DC Chophouse last night. Now before you laugh, it is probably the best deal going during RW and the only restaurant I consistently visit every restaurant week. If you do it right, two people can get very filled for $40 + tax and tip and probably have some leftovers......

All of the food we ordered was fresh and hot and the service was good. First, we shared a nice large plate of calamari - properly fried and tasty, not chewy at all. I had a decent salad (though this RW they changed it from the normal salad to one without the cheese and bacon). We also shared their hot and fresh pan of cornbread. For the main meal I had a properly cooked, juicy and tasty strip steak and a vat of mashed potatoes. For desert we shared the white chocolate mousse desert. Add on the wife's superb burger and fries at $10 (which I believe is the best burger in DC) and thats the best $40 meal going for two people.

[crackers]

there was an opening at 7 pm so I jumped on the phone to Corduroy and snagged it. Turns out someone had just canceled their reservation.

By happy happenstance, there were quite a few dr.com members at Corduroy on Friday evening - fifteen+ between the bar and the restaurant while I was there. I noticed a couple of empty tables and was told that they had been experienceing more than the usual amount of no-show-no-calls, and last minute cancellations. Something like 30 seats . Nevertheless, the room was full and bustling. We had a wonderful, relaxed dinner, and it was great seeing Ferhat back on his feet again. In my "get fit for summer" effort, I had a plate of oysters to start, followed by the crispy striped bass, and finished with a trio of sorbets. (Also, feeling virtuous, I allowed myself a Hook and Ladder Backdraft at the bar and few tastes of the Nuits-St.-Georges, Domaine Henri Gouges, Rasteau, Domaine la Soumade, and Chateau Lalande-Borie, Saint Julien.) The beef cheeks with tarbais beans also got many thumbs up around our table, as well apple tarte tatin. "Scooter" mentioned that the wine list will shortly be re-vamped, so that is something to look forward to next time.

[CrescentFresh]

Had my RW week dinner at DC Chophouse last night. Now before you laugh, it is probably the best deal going during RW and the only restaurant I consistently visit every restaurant week. If you do it right, two people can get very filled for $40 + tax and tip and probably have some leftovers......

All of the food we ordered was fresh and hot and the service was good. First, we shared a nice large plate of calamari - properly fried and tasty, not chewy at all. I had a decent salad (though this RW they changed it from the normal salad to one without the cheese and bacon). We also shared their hot and fresh pan of cornbread. For the main meal I had a properly cooked, juicy and tasty strip steak and a vat of mashed potatoes. For desert we shared the white chocolate mousse desert. Add on the wife's superb burger and fries at $10 (which I believe is the best burger in DC) and thats the best $40 meal going for two people.

You won't catch me laughing. I love the Chophouse. I don't agree that it's the best burger in DC, but they do a really decent job all around in food and drink. I also think their servers are very friendly and fun, and most are very attentive and efficient.

[treznor]

You won't catch me laughing. I love the Chophouse. I don't agree that it's the best burger in DC, but they do a really decent job all around in food and drink. I also think their servers are very friendly and fun, and most are very attentive and efficient.

Me neither, I've always liked it the few times I've been in. However, they seem to be out of the Bourbon Oatmeal Stout that they brew pretty frequently. I tried to get it a couple times I was in and they never had it. Has anyone had it? Is it worth checking for it?

[Saycheese]

Friday night -- unexpectedly fabulous RW dinner at Bistrot d'Oc. Without realizing that Bistrot d'Oc was participating in RW, three of us went in for dinner without reservations just because it was around the corner from the E Street movie theater, where we were going to see Volver (terrific movie!). The menu was extensive -- there were probably 4 or 5 choices for the first and second courses and two dessert options. I had the charcuterie plate, which could have been a meal in itself -- pate, and three different kinds of sausage (3 slices each of saucisson a l'ail and a hard sausage, and a chunk of something like chorizo), garnished with olives and cornichons. My main dish was braised rabbit leg with potatoes au gratin, and dessert was cherries macerated in brandy and served over ice cream. My husband had an appetizer of anchovies, braised short ribs and the ice cream dessert, and the third person had escolar for his main dish and a roulade cake for dessert (I forget what his appetizer was). Service was terrific, even though the restaurant was full. We mentioned to our server that we had tickets to a movie, and she was very attentive. The food was very nicely prepared -- the fish was moist and perfectly cooked, and the rabbit and short ribs were braised to the perfect point of melt in the mouth tenderness, without being dry. The garnishes for each dish were tasty and generous also -- the restaurant did not give the impression of cutting corners at all. I was blown away by what a good job they did.

[DCJono]

Tosca Friday night was fabulous. The entire menu was available for RW with only one or two supplements. The a la carte prices for most of the entrees were over $30. Service was friendly, pace of the meal was appropriate and food was delicious. I started with veal cheeks over palenta, then a stuffed quail and finally tiramisu. Although the place was packed, the staff handled it with grace. We tipped 30%+ because the size of our check was a fraction of a typical check there, and the staff derserved it.

Perfect example of what draws many customers to restaurant week in the first place, the chance to try, sometimes for the first time, an expensive restaurant without risking hundreds of dollars. I definitely will return outside of RW, hopefully on someone else's dime.

[Laura24601]

Thanks to everyone for posting their RW reviews...it really helps when considering where to go in the future. I've been wanting to try Rasika and hope to get there in August!

My "love letter" to Willow is on that thread, but I did want to post here to say that Willow is a great RW choice. The food, service, wine, atmosphere, all wonderful. They made my party feel most welcome, they had lovely RW menu choices. No rushing, no upcharges, no RW drama. Just a great meal with wonderful friends.

[Escoffier]

I haven't seen anyone post anything about Majestic Cafe. Grover and I were there Sunday night (the last night of RW). We were in good company, there were other DR people around as well. The entire menu was available with no upcharges on anything (that included the crabcakes and the steak). The staff was attentive, the service was good, the food was great. Both Grover and I had the Roquefort and Romaine salad for our appetizer and then the crabcakes for our mains. This salad is amazingly good. I don't know what it's dressed with, but Bob should bottle and sell it. The crabcakes were acccompanied by a Vidalia onion slaw that is better than any cole slaw I've ever had. For dessert, I had the poached pear and Grover had the Apple Napoleon. The red wine poached pear is served on a soft cookie that reminds me of gingerbread and heavy whipped cream. I didn't get a chance to have a bite of Grover's Apple Napoleon, but suffice it to say, it was gone before I asked for a taste. Quite a satisfying dinner. The only thing that put a pall on the evening was the thought that Bob and Kent and Alex and Suzan will be gone at the end of January. Majestic is going undergo some renovation and a change of cuisine.

[LizH]

I had three RW meals, all were pretty good, and all were a good deal.

Belga cafe's lunch menu was limited to a choice between two aps and two mains, but for $20 it was pretty reasonable. In the end, the lunch deals really are the best money-wise, but boy was it hard to go back to work after that!.

I had dinner at Notte Bianche. I have wanted to try it for a while and liked that most of the menu was available. Those of us that had the pasta were not disappointed. I would like to go back and just do half portions of pasta, as it was a lot of food for me in one sitting. I had the Rabbit Parpadelle which had a nice peppery taste to it. The only thing I thought was weak was the dessert choices. Knowing they have a great pastry chef made it a little disappointing. we each had that "de-constructed" tiramisu, which was really just chocolate mouse in a chocolate cup with a couple of dry lady fingers.

The best of the three meals was Rasika. We were only able to get dinner in the lounge, but the service was very good. They also had a nice selection for RW and I liked that they included some of their signature dishes. I think the point of RW is to invite new customers and get them to come back, and that is what Rasika did. I think the RW deal made it quite reasonable, as I find that their price point to be a little higher then I would spend on an average dinner. The black cod alone was worth the price of admission, as it was a good portion of a lovely fish. My husband liked it so much, he liked watching those around us get their first bite, just to see their reaction. I finally convinced him that he DOES like Indian food (too many bad curry dinners in university), and I hope to get him to another Indian restaurant soon while the iron is hot.

[ctay122]

Why do people ask for a reservation at 7pm. Then, after being told its restaurant week and the restaurant is fully booked with no possibility of walk in, accept a 6pm reservation and show up at 7pm? Then they are mad when they can't be sat immediately?

Why do we go from 1-2 no shows a day to 5?

Why do we lose 32 of 186 covers in the books due to cancellations that occur after 5:00pm the same day?

But most of all.... why are we having so much fun? Its a lot of work, but after all beinging busy is what we are there for!

I love your attitude, that's why hubby and I love coming to your restaurant. We can always see and feel your enthusiasm. Thanks!

[mdt]

...The more I think about RW, the less I like going out for it. I'd rather pay full price and leave with a full belly.

There are plenty of restaurants that provide their normal portions, Corduroy, Vidalia, David Greggory, and Viridian come to mind.

[New Foodie]

I also left quite full from Oceanaire this year. No skimping on portions there! After a couple of work-related snafus that caused me to have to cancel two RW reservations for 1789 and Corduroy, I was able to go to Ocenaire one night with some friends.

Although their menu was VERY limited (3 choices for each course), I was plesantly surprised by how much I enjoyed most of the meal. I tried not to look at the other options on the menu for fear that I would be tempted into a $30+ meal of only an entree.

My appetizer was really my main disappointment. I ordered the house salad (other choices were clam chowder and ceasar salad). Just a bit of lettuce, some red cabbage and a few red pepper slices with not much discernable dressing. After that things were remarkably better though. Our waiter was a little odd/eccentric and warned us all away from the sole entree (claiming it was the blandest of the three). I don't know that any of us would have ordered it anyway, but we all steered clear after the warning. Three of us had the blackened mahi with a bleu cheese butter sauce. I'm not a big fan of bleu cheese, but I actually loved it with this dish. The fish was well cooked and spicy without being too overpowering. The fourth in our party had a salmon with some sort of sauce that she enjoyed. And we all split a side dish of the hashbrowns a la Oceanaire and green beans (my main beef with Oceanaire is the lack of sides with entrees).

I had the key lime pie for dessert and it was a slice that could've easily been split between 2-3 people. Delicious, but huge. The two that ordered the bread pudding were a bit disappointed by its dryness. But overall, it was an enjoyable meal.

[jiveturk21]

I have had more good experiences than bad ones during Restaurant Week, but isn't it funny how the bad ones are the ones that always stick out in your mind? It is like going to a comedy club, you can go to one and have a great night, but you don't remember any of the jokes. But, if you go on an awful night, you are somehow able to remember all of the jokes. Makes no sense at all.

Anyway, gone are the days where I would go to a place for dinner all five weeknights and then brunch/lunch on the two weekend days (which I did twice and I would NEVER recommend that anyone else do). So, this year we only went to dinner three nights (21P, PS7, Colvin Run) and had an enjoyable time at all three places. The only disappointment that I really had however, especially from an expectations standpoint, was at Colvin Run. I used to work in Tysons, so I have been there about half a dozen times, and was shocked at how small the portions were during Restaurant Week. For my entree I had one slice of pork tenderloin (maybe about 1/3 to a 1/2 inch thick)!

I do not expect to be completely full when I leave restaurants, but I sure don't want to be hungry either. If you are not going to serve full size portions, offer less choices to your diners or don't participate at all. And, yes, I know that it also sucks to go to a place that doesn't offer its whole menu, or close to it, but I would prefer a limited menu with full size portions as opposed to the whole menu with portions chopped in half.

[Sam]

The only disappointment that I really had however, especially from an expectations standpoint, was at Colvin Run. I used to work in Tysons, so I have been there about half a dozen times, and was shocked at how small the portions were during Restaurant Week. For my entree I had one slice of pork tenderloin (maybe about 1/3 to a 1/2 inch thick)!

This was the only place I went for lunch during RW and left with the same reaction. I had never been before, so I had nothing to compare it to. I thought it was a tiny amount of food, but being lunch, maybe that was normal. I am glad to hear others felt the same way about the portion size. I came back to work and snacked on some crackers afterwards because there wasn't enough food. For what its worth, I had the short ribs that were about 4 bites big

[ctay122]

Did anyone make it to Palette for restaurant week? I had to cancel because of illness. I haven't seen too many posts on the board about it recently. I would be interested to hear about anyone's experience there for RW just out of curiosity.

[CrescentFresh]

*FYI CF – the server –unprompted- made a comment along the lines of “where’s the hospital” (cured in this case was just another way of saying brined)

A few of us went to Farrah Olivia this past Friday. Yes, they still have the RW menu.but not! Most items seemed to have an up charge! I originally thought I wouldn't go that route, but since nothing appealed to me I chose the scallops which had an $8 up charge.

Sorry to put it so bluntly, but.....what's the fucking point? What an utterly false, piece of shit thing to do. There are restaurants out there, decent restaurants with decent chefs, who don't have the promotional benefit of an "Iron Chef-type" owner in the kitchen -- let alone one who's managed to be in the news frequently even without that particular moniker -- who really do need Restaurant Week to pull people in simply because they don't have the semi-starpower Morou has. These other places count on the added, free publicity that Restaurant Week gives to them only twice a year.

And now FO has the nerve to bastardize the "true essence" (if you will) of Restaurant Week by adding upcharges on "most items," rather than just that one entree or one appetizer that lets the chef show off his or her particular talents where the main ingredient just so happens to have lobster, or foie, or truffles?

Perhaps Morou may want to consider a more traditional means of doing what he's doing, one that I would consider to be more acceptable. How about having a prix fixe menu with X number of courses like so many other places do every day of the year? Then there are no "upcharges" for anything. And those who actually need Restaurant Week because they can't afford or don't know how to get the publicity they deserve without it, won't have to suffer further because people like Morou are siphoning people away with Restaurant Week menus that aren't!

I ask this, violating my new resolution to post here no more, because this Hobbesian "community" is too prone to vituperation and ... er, ... well ... ad hominem attacks ....

I once knew this guy who woke up in the morning and said, with his eyes half shut, his head pounding, and his mouth full of cotton balls, "I'm never gonna drink again."

"A few points from..." Now it can be told! An underlying Parkerian, Toulouse-Lautrecois, pointillist underpinning to all of TS's edifice.

So, then, how many points are actually in a star? Can we calculate, in real numbers, the difference between a pentagram and a Star of David, let's say?

[DLB]

FO? FU!

What's your point? Have you had dinner here? Why do you care? There are many places that don't even offer anything off their usual menu during RW. Your post should be deleted.

[DonRocks]

What's your point? Have you had dinner here? Why do you care? There are many places that don't even offer anything off their usual menu during RW. Your post should be deleted.

[CrescentFresh]

Too hostile? Yeah, okay. I buy that and stand down a bit. I'm not necessarily known for my subtlety. But, Don, what gets me is not the existence of upcharges, it's the reports that "most items" at FO have upcharges. That's what I'm calling out as disingenuous and potentially a disservice to those restaurants that are actually doing a $30.07 menu and have only an occasional upcharge so they can show off their talent for the dish that happens to have a more costly ingredient. I simply (and passionately) believe it's wrong to say you have a Restaurant Week menu when you don't.