Washington, DC New Menu Report: 07/15/15

You can tell it's July in the District when you aren't forced to dine during early bird hours or the tail end of service and finding parking near your favorite eatery doesn't require a long distance trek. Well-informed diners know this is the best time to check out new restaurants, take advantage of the summertime's fecund foodstuffs, and try out new menus. There are new things to try day or night and brunch is once again on everyone's to-do list.

Fig & Olive
For flavor and variety, few cuisines are as custom-made for summer as the Mediterranean cuisine. Newly opened Fig & Olive is now also serving lunch (Monday through Friday) and brunch (Saturday and Sunday) 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. At lunch, look for quintessential flavors and dishes that feature fresh fish, octopus, and shrimp, extra virgin olive oil, pungent cheese, ripe sun-loving vegetables, and handmade fresh pastas. Brunch includes a full bar as well as decadent egg dishes that sport truffle and black trumpet embellishments, baked goods, aromatic cheese, and French toast. Lunch selections range from $9 to $28 and brunch from $9 to $32.

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
While the monthly #PieItForward pie selection for July may have been missed in the long list of July Fourth menus recently, the Cherries Jubilee pie at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab is one you can still enjoy the rest of this month. It features a traditional cherry pie topped with streusel and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and jubilee sauce. Best part: Joe's will donate one dollar to local charity Food and Friends every time they sell a slice of pie. These donations help support Food and Friends' work to prepare and deliver specialized meals to people living with life-challenging illnesses. 

And don't miss Joe's new weekend brunch service. It's now served Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 am until 2:30 p.m. and features a line up tasty twists on egg classics as well as meaty savory dishes. Look for scrambles made with country sausage, mushrooms, and fontina cheese; banana French toast, lump crab cake Benedict and poached eggs Oscar topped with Alaskan king crab, and their famous fried chicken, hand carved prime steaks, and sensational Florida stone crab claws. Half-price cocktails and wine by the glass are served but try summer punches like the South Beach Peach made with Valencia orange juice, peach liqueur, and moscato or the TKO with Ron Zacapa 23 rum, pineapple, Valencia orange juice, pomegranate, orgeat, and lime.

Zengo
Get a bargain on a bento box lunch, eat better, and score a free bento box with Zengo's new summertime loyalty program at lunch. Here's how it works: purchase four Bento Box Lunches throughout July and August and the fifth one is free. You can choose to dine in or order your Bento Boxes using Caviar, a delivery service app for independent restaurants in D.C. and prices range from $12.50 per box to $15.50. The Bento Box menu includes a vegetarian option, choice of Tandoori chicken or crispy catfish, the rotating special or crispy tofu, or choice of Thai chicken empanadas or achiote pork arepas. So zip on over there and bite into a better lunch box option.

Summer Whitford is the D.C. City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal and the DC Wine Examiner. You can follow her on Twitter @FoodandWineDiva.