If you’re looking for an excuse to participate in this month’s D.C. Restaurant Week, aside from the fact that more than 200 establishments across the region are offering special deals, consider this: Esquire magazine recently recognized D.C. as one of the best restaurants cities in the country. In December, Esquire named D.C. No. 8 in its top-10 “America’s Best Restaurant Cities: 2010 Edition.”
| D.C. Winter Restaurant Week |
| When: Monday to Jan. 23, though some establishments elect to extend the program. |
| What: A three-course fixed-price lunch runs $20.11; a three-course fixed-price dinner $35.11. |
| Info: For a list of participating restaurants, or to make a reservation, visit washington.org/restaurantwk |
“It’s great to be in the top 10,” said Lynne Breaux, president of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. “But we certainly wish we were in the top five, and maybe think we should be.”
While coming in behind the likes of Las Vegas (No. 6) and Houston (No. 7) may cause local restaurant lovers to scratch their heads, the fact that D.C. has arrived as a food town is not lost.
“The depth and breadth of our burgeoned and still burgeoning restaurant scene has come a long way,” said Breaux. “It just continues to grow.”
The Esquire listing noted D.C.’s diverse dining options, stating that Taverna Alabardero is the country’s best Spanish restaurant and Rasika the best Indian restaurant.
“We’ve always had a wide diversity in terms of ethnic restaurants,” Breaux said. “However, they have not always been as high-cuisine as some of the restaurants are now. We really do have some fabulous fine dining establishments that are very diverse. I think that adds to it. And just the proliferation of all the exciting food corridors that we have now. I think competition is good. Ours chefs are just really charged up and excited and it’s a good time to be in D.C.”
Breaux credits the area chefs and restaurateurs for the recognition the area has received, and for the success of Restaurant Week in general.
“The chefs and the restaurateurs keep it new and exciting,” she said. “They take it very seriously. They know that it’s an opportunity to feature their restaurants, their cuisines, to new, different markets. They shine.”
Ashok Bajaj, owner of multiple area restaurants, including the aforementioned Rasika and Bibiana, which Esquire described as a “first-rate Italian restaurant,” was pleased by the magazine’s recognition.
“It’s a great honor,” he said. “I was very excited. D.C. has become one of the best restaurant cities in the last 25 years.”
“I don’t believe it’s below Houston, but I haven’t been to Houston,” he added.
Bajaj sees Restaurant Week as a way to “introduce people to a new restaurant.”
“It’s become a thing to do,” he said.
While this month’s Restaurant Week — the event is biannual, occurring in August as well — highlights a dining city claiming a spot at the adult table, the best may be to come.
“We’ve come a long way and you can always get better,” Breaux said.
