Summer Restaurant Week deals flying under the radar
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Kappo DC, tucked away in the Palisades, offers a $65 version of its wagyu omakase for Restaurant Week. Photo: Scott Suchman for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Summer Restaurant Week is here. If you missed reservations at the buzziest spots, don't panic: Some tasty menus — and terrific deals — aren't on every hot list.
Here's where I'd look.
Ox & Olive — Dinner, $65
Chef Ryan Ratino's new Georgetown steakhouse is flying way under the Restaurant Week radar — because it's not technically listed.
- Its "favorite things" menu includes treats like mini brisket hot dogs, wedge salad, wagyu flank and chocolate soft serve. Considering a steak alone can normally top $65, it's a strong deal.
Bonus: They're opening at 4:30pm Friday and Saturday for extra bookings.
Fish Shop — Lunch/brunch, $25 or $55 dinner
Lunch at the Wharf may be a trek — especially with Grand Prix closures lingering — but the $25 daytime menu looks destination-worthy: Think fried green tomatoes, clam pasta and blackened catfish.
Press Club — Dinner, $35
The Dupont record bar may not scream dinner, but the food is as playful as the drinks: yellowtail roll, chicken katsu with furikake and ranch, and a "Klondike Bar" for dessert.
Reality check: You'll probably want an $18+ cocktail, so consider this less bargain dinner, more fun night out.
Kappo — Dinner, $65
The Palisades wagyu tasting room is off the beaten path — and its $65 menu is a deal compared with the usual $150+ omakase. Think wagyu salad, A5 steak, Japanese chirashi and dessert.
- Add-on: A three-sake pairing for $40; three courses of caviar or uni ($50)
Worth a mention: The same restaurant group has more good deals, including $25 lunch at La Bonne Vache and $25 brunch at Chaplin's (chilled noodles ftw).
The Little Grand — Dinner, $40
One of the easiest deals to love: some of D.C.'s best pizza, plus meatballs or salad — plus a beer or wine.
Royal — Breakfast/lunch/brunch, $25; dinner, $40
LeDroit Park's cozy Colombian cafe is going big: weekday breakfast from 10am-noon — a Restaurant Week rarity — plus brunch with a mimosa and dinner with a cocktail or dessert, and tons of options for all.
- Plus, they're running them through Sept. 6.
Osteria Morini — Brunch, $35; dinner, $40
Newer sibling Cucina Morini may get more attention these days, but don't sleep on the rustic Navy Yard original.
- Chef Matt Adler is offering nearly the entire menu, with minimal upcharges, for $40 at dinner — a meal that could easily run $60+.
Malabar — Dinner, $45
Rasika and Bombay Club are Restaurant Week standbys, but don't overlook Ashok Bajaj and Vikram Sunderam's newer Van Ness sibling.
- The $45 menu has plenty of choices, including seafood dishes like crab-pepper fry and shrimp moilee.
La Chaumière — Lunch, $35; dinner, $65
Old-school is cool again, and few places do it better than this white-tablecloth Georgetown classic, circa 1976.
- Go full throwback lunch with escargot, trout amandine or veal scallopine and crème brûlée. And since we're practically back in the '70s, maybe a martini.