2008 Woodie Awards
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The Scene
Restaurant Week offers cheap eats for students
By Jennifer Anderson on 1/24/08
Getting out into the vibrant D.C. food scene can be taxing on a student's budget, but D.C.'s 12th Restaurant Week, held from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, provided an opportunity to venture beyond the monotonous campus fare and get a taste of what the city really has to offer. About 180 of D.C.'s finest restaurants participated in the event by offering fixed-price multicourse meals at a fraction of their usual cost.
Hosted biannually by the D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, the event's participating restaurants showcased the quality and vision of their venue on a considerably reduced budget, this year offering lunch and dinner specials for only $20.08 and $30.08, respectively.
"It was really nice to get out of TDR," said Rebecca Nuzzi, a freshman in the School of International Service.
The concept of Restaurant Week originated in New York. It began as a summer week of "prix fixe" (fixed-price) lunch specials in the 1980s. Since then, similar promotions have sprouted in cities like Philadelphia, San Diego, Montreal and Denver.
In D.C., the restaurant industry promotion began during the late fall of 2001 to encourage people to return to D.C. dining rooms after Sept. 11. The promotion has since continued, usually taking place in January and August (traditionally slow months for the industry) with great success. An article in The Washington Post reported restaurants have seen anywhere from 15 to 200 percent increases in business in the past.
Those who missed out on the week's festivities need not worry - selected restaurants are extending their promotions. Corduroy's entire menu of simple but perfectly executed American cuisine will be available until Jan. 26 at Restaurant Week prices. Spanish tapas bar Jaleo and Asian-Mediterranean fusion venue Mie 'N Yu will also extend their promotions for another week. Farrah Olivia, a restaurant by former "The Next Iron Chef" contestant Morou, along with Domaso Trattoria and Mio, will continue its Restaurant Week menu until the end of the month.
Hosted biannually by the D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, the event's participating restaurants showcased the quality and vision of their venue on a considerably reduced budget, this year offering lunch and dinner specials for only $20.08 and $30.08, respectively.
"It was really nice to get out of TDR," said Rebecca Nuzzi, a freshman in the School of International Service.
The concept of Restaurant Week originated in New York. It began as a summer week of "prix fixe" (fixed-price) lunch specials in the 1980s. Since then, similar promotions have sprouted in cities like Philadelphia, San Diego, Montreal and Denver.
In D.C., the restaurant industry promotion began during the late fall of 2001 to encourage people to return to D.C. dining rooms after Sept. 11. The promotion has since continued, usually taking place in January and August (traditionally slow months for the industry) with great success. An article in The Washington Post reported restaurants have seen anywhere from 15 to 200 percent increases in business in the past.
Those who missed out on the week's festivities need not worry - selected restaurants are extending their promotions. Corduroy's entire menu of simple but perfectly executed American cuisine will be available until Jan. 26 at Restaurant Week prices. Spanish tapas bar Jaleo and Asian-Mediterranean fusion venue Mie 'N Yu will also extend their promotions for another week. Farrah Olivia, a restaurant by former "The Next Iron Chef" contestant Morou, along with Domaso Trattoria and Mio, will continue its Restaurant Week menu until the end of the month.
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Stephanie Cho
posted 1/24/08 @ 2:54 PM EST
David Biggs is a n00b! Restaurant week rocked my long socks!
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