D.C. restaurant week

Another announcement for you local foodies: D.C.’s Restaurant Week, which began on Aug. 1 (I know, this notice is a bit late in coming), ends this Sunday, Aug. 7. You know the deal: prix fixe lunch for $20.05, and dinner for $30.05. Most of the participating restaurants offer online reservations on OpenTable, which I love using, by the way. (What ever did I do before OpenTable? Oh yeah, use the phone and actually talk to people.)

By the way, both locations of La Tasca (downtown D.C. and Arlington [Clarendon]) are making the deal especially sweet with all-you-can-eat tapas. Mmm.

» Related (sort of): Recent Times article on the financial aspects of New York’s Restaurant Week. “Some chefs say it is worth the financial blow if participating customers return, and research compiled by NYC & Company says two-thirds of them do.” Thom and I had dinner at David Greggory for the first time during restaurant week here a couple of years ago, and based on that excellent experience we’ve been back a few times since then.

[Addendum (Aug. 7): Our trip to La Tasca in Clarendon this evening didn’t turn out as expected. After we were seated and placed our order, the power went out, effectively shutting down the kitchen. The staff had little information about it and no estimated time for the restoration of power, so after having sat around with just water for more than half an hour, we decided to leave. Thom talked to the manager (something I know I should do in these situations, but seem to lack the gumption), and he was able to get us a gift certificate to use on our next visit. In the end, we went to one of our regular haunts, Silver Diner, and had some good grub. Thom put a quarter in the jukebox and played our song, “Happy Together.” So everything turned out just fine.]