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A software engineer hacked D.C. Restaurant Week — and built a better guide

A new site lets diners search thousands of dishes, compare deals and discover hundreds of Restaurant Week menus.

Food and Drink

We food writers have plenty of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Restaurant Week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/08/04/dc-restaurant-week-2026-new-and-classic-restaurants" data-vars-content-id="d29f57a5-9ecb-4632-ab5f-ad491abe0457" data-vars-headline="A software engineer hacked D.C. Restaurant Week — and built a better guide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/08/04/dc-restaurant-week-2026-new-and-classic-restaurants" target="_self">Restaurant Week</a> hacks, but it took a software engineer to truly crack the code on D.C.’s event.Why it matters: Like the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="D.C. tech wonks" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/07/31/311-app-alternatives-josh-jacobson-civic-tech-government-tools" data-vars-content-id="d29f57a5-9ecb-4632-ab5f-ad491abe0457" data-vars-headline="A software engineer hacked D.C. Restaurant Week — and built a better guide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/07/31/311-app-alternatives-josh-jacobson-civic-tech-government-tools" target="_self">D.C. tech wonks</a> building better versions of the city&#x27;s apps, Adam Stambouli tackled one of Restaurant Week&#x27;s biggest headaches: searching hundreds of menus scattered across the internet.<ul><li>His free new site <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Let&#x27;s Eat, DC" data-vars-click-url="https://letseatdc.com/" data-vars-content-id="d29f57a5-9ecb-4632-ab5f-ad491abe0457" data-vars-headline="A software engineer hacked D.C. Restaurant Week — and built a better guide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://letseatdc.com/" target="_blank">Let&#x27;s Eat, DC</a> lets diners hunt for specific dishes, new restaurants, highly rated spots, dietary options and good deals.</li></ul>

IndyCar, not F1, is taking over D.C. Here's the difference.

D.C.'s first downtown race could help IndyCar gain ground with viewers.

Sports

Raise your hand if you know the difference between Formula One and IndyCar. Why it matters: One racing league is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="taking over D.C." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/08/10/dc-indycar-race-bud-denker-freedom-250-grand-prix" data-vars-content-id="f194ee9e-b312-4b00-857a-d33a96063f2d" data-vars-headline="IndyCar, not F1, is taking over D.C. Here&#x27;s the difference." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/08/10/dc-indycar-race-bud-denker-freedom-250-grand-prix" target="_self">taking over D.C.</a> this weekend — and it&#x27;s not the one with a movie starring Brad Pitt.

Inside the D.C. supper club introducing young adults to art galleries

Things to Do

A new art-centric dinner series is bringing young Washingtonians together while also introducing them to the local gallery scene.The big picture: This comes as more people are looking for ways to beat <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="loneliness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/02/26/loneliness-crisis-why-explained" data-vars-content-id="364e5f45-cd01-40c8-8e41-36e8967da608" data-vars-headline="Inside the D.C. supper club introducing young adults to art galleries" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/02/26/loneliness-crisis-why-explained" target="_self">loneliness</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="connect IRL" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/05/06/dating-apps-burnout-singles-events" data-vars-content-id="364e5f45-cd01-40c8-8e41-36e8967da608" data-vars-headline="Inside the D.C. supper club introducing young adults to art galleries" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/05/06/dating-apps-burnout-singles-events" target="_self">connect IRL</a>.

You still can't do pull-ups at Reagan National

Nearly a year after the Trump administration unveiled a $1B program for airport renovations, none are planned at Reagan National or Dulles.

News

Nearly one year and $1 billion later, you still can&#x27;t do pull-ups at Reagan National Airport <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="à la RFK Jr" data-vars-click-url="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a69675859/rfk-jr-sean-duffy-pullup-competition-airport/" data-vars-content-id="51503744-ee8d-45bd-8aa6-9426fa5b8511" data-vars-headline="You still can&#x27;t do pull-ups at Reagan National" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a69675859/rfk-jr-sean-duffy-pullup-competition-airport/" target="_blank">à la RFK Jr</a>.Why it matters: The Trump administration&#x27;s nearly $1 billion &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Make Travel Family Friendly Again" data-vars-click-url="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/transportation-secretary-duffy-launches-make-travel-family-friendly-again-campaign" data-vars-content-id="51503744-ee8d-45bd-8aa6-9426fa5b8511" data-vars-headline="You still can&#x27;t do pull-ups at Reagan National" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/transportation-secretary-duffy-launches-make-travel-family-friendly-again-campaign" target="_blank">Make Travel Family Friendly Again</a>&quot; initiative promised healthier, more family-friendly airports with amenities like exercise and play areas. But travelers at DCA and Dulles won&#x27;t see new ones under the initiative anytime soon.

IndyCar's greatest active driver is an underdog in D.C.

Scott Dixon has won most everything there is to win in IndyCar, but there's never been a D.C. Grand Prix.

Scott Dixon has won most everything there is to win in America&#x27;s open-wheel racing series — but there&#x27;s never been a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="D.C. Grand Prix" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/09/indycar-national-mall-race-course-map-trump" data-vars-content-id="e3ec250f-e8a6-410c-b03a-581b9d724109" data-vars-headline="IndyCar&#x27;s greatest active driver is an underdog in D.C." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/09/indycar-national-mall-race-course-map-trump" target="_self">D.C. Grand Prix</a>. Why it matters: Already a Motorsports Hall of Famer and, as of last year, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a knight" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/scott-dixon-indycar-knighthood-new-zealand-0bef4246df62437ae0d47bcfa1b9acc3" data-vars-content-id="e3ec250f-e8a6-410c-b03a-581b9d724109" data-vars-headline="IndyCar&#x27;s greatest active driver is an underdog in D.C." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/scott-dixon-indycar-knighthood-new-zealand-0bef4246df62437ae0d47bcfa1b9acc3" target="_blank">a knight</a>, the New Zealander is looking for a new accolade in his No. 9 Honda.<ul><li>&quot;Alongside the Indy 500, this is the one you&#x27;re going to want to win,&quot; Dixon tells Axios.</li></ul>

The 6 best bars for watching the Nationals

Whether you want cheap beers, giant screens or stadium vibes, these bars deliver on game day.

Baseball is made for barrooms. The slow pace. The broadcast patter. The endlessly debatable decisions.Why it matters: Watching a game with strangers creates fast friends and fosters civic pride.

Mariota injury tests Commanders' unproven QBs

The backups to the backup could become important in Washington.

The Commanders got a preview of a worst-case scenario in their preseason opener.<ul><li>Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota sprained a ligament in his right knee in his first four plays, pushing former practice squad QB Sam Hartman into the game early. </li></ul>

The Nationals are trying to have it both ways

Three trades suggest a rebuild, but Washington is still hanging around the NL Wild Card race.

By trading away three key players, the Nationals may be sacrificing the season to focus on the long term. But leadership isn&#x27;t looking at it like that. Why it matters: Win now or win later? Yes, team president Paul Toboni seems to be saying.

Why it's so hard to find Nationals games at D.C. bars

D.C. bars often don't show Nationals games on TV — even when they pay to carry them.

D.C. bars often don&#x27;t show Nationals games on TV — even when they pay to carry them.Why it matters: Washington has been better than expected for most of the season, but fans across much of D.C. still have to ask to put on the home team. Philly or Boston would never.

Exclusive: D.C. sports radio veteran Andy Pollin is off the air

He had hoped to retire in 2028, marking 50 years in the business.

Andy Pollin is out at ESPN 630 DC. The host tells Axios that today&#x27;s 9am show was his last for the station.Why it matters: Pollin has been a fixture in D.C. sports radio for more than three decades. He helped launch The Team 980 (then 570) in 1992, spent close to 25 years there, and was a longtime sidekick to Tony Kornheiser.

What the new Capital One Arena will look like inside

New renderings preview what <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Capital One Arena" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/10/21/capital-one-arena-renovation" data-vars-content-id="17050929-11a6-4d2a-bbb3-38153830dad1" data-vars-headline="What the new Capital One Arena will look like inside" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/10/21/capital-one-arena-renovation" target="_self">Capital One Arena</a> will look like when the company wraps up a three-year renovation next year. Why it matters: Fans should be able to enter the arena more easily, follow the action from giant video walls, and eat a meal somewhere besides their laps.

The race to turn D.C. into an IndyCar track

Bud Denker had seven months, 1,300 pages of permits and one mission: Bring IndyCar to D.C.

Bud Denker is like The Wolf from &quot;Pulp Fiction,&quot; but instead of cleaning up crime scenes, he builds race tracks.Why it matters: It typically takes two and a half years to stage a race through city streets. For the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Freedom 250 Grand Prix" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/07/29/freedom-250-grand-prix-road-closures-security" data-vars-content-id="08af5fe2-32ae-4a7d-b37d-25cd7d4868a1" data-vars-headline="The race to turn D.C. into an IndyCar track" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/07/29/freedom-250-grand-prix-road-closures-security" target="_self">Freedom 250 Grand Prix</a> on the National Mall, Denker had seven months.

Exclusive: Congress presses Trump on D.C. golf course plans

After senators' demands for details went unanswered, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin is taking another swing.

Congress keeps asking questions about the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="East Potomac golf course" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/07/09/east-potomac-park-golf-course-letter-maryland-virginia-senators" data-vars-content-id="8f7affc9-e9f1-4253-8dcb-3b7c19b77be7" data-vars-headline="Exclusive: Congress presses Trump on D.C. golf course plans" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/07/09/east-potomac-park-golf-course-letter-maryland-virginia-senators" target="_self">East Potomac golf course</a>, but the Trump admin is staying mum. Why it matters: President Trump wants his championship-style reno to begin Sept. 1, but the administration still hasn&#x27;t released final plans or its price tag. And it&#x27;s unclear whether a judge will stand in the way.

Sports 🏅

IndyCar's greatest active driver is an underdog in D.C.

IndyCar, not F1, is taking over D.C. Here's the difference.

The 6 best bars for watching the Nationals

Mariota injury tests Commanders' unproven QBs

Mystics icon Elena Delle Donne enters Hall of Fame