Washington, DC New Menu Report: 2/17/16
Luckily, we have plenty of places located near all the theaters that offer great food, so we'll be highlighting these in the weeks to come.This week, District menus include the chance to sample wines from rare magnums and vintages as well as a spectacular new option for Sunday dinner. It's great to be in D.C. during the biggest restaurant boom in our city's history, so we encourage you to try a new menu whenever you can.
701 Restaurant
Ready to take in a show but don't know where to go for a pre-theater dinner? Head to Penn Quarter's darling 701 Restaurant. Executive chef Benjamin Lambert's modern cuisine is always inventive and full of surprises, and his pre-theater menu is true to form—and one of the best meals for the price in the entire city. For just $36 per person, guests may enjoy a three-course, pre-theater menu from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 5:00 to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. Some of the flavorful dishes include an exquisite roasted beet salad with labne, pecans, and pomegranate vinaigrette, green circle chicken with parsnip purée, Brussels sprouts and chermoula, and for dessert a fantastic trio of housemade ice cream or sorbet or butterscotch pudding. In addition, 701 is offering complimentary valet parking for those who show their theatre ticket stub after dining at the restaurant, Monday through Saturday.
Blue Duck Tavern
Still can't get enough of the weekly Tuesday rare wines in magnum being featured in the "Blue Duck Uncorked" wine program at Blue Duck Tavern? Or maybe you haven't heard about it yet. Well, every Tuesday, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. until March 29, Blue Duck is pouring one specially selected rare magnum not found on the restaurant's featured wine list for just $30 per glass. To tempt your palate, Blue Duck Tavern general manager Joseph Cerione's choice for next Tuesday, February 23 is a stellar wine from the northern Côtes du Rhône by one of the region's renowned wine making families. It's the Chapoutier La Sizeranne Hermitage Côtes du Rhône France 1990. Bon gustation!
Fiola
If you are looking for a new tradition for Sunday dinner, head to Fiola. Beginning Sunday, February 21, chef Fabio Trabocchi is launching a new prix-fixe Sunday dinner menu and it's sure to become a D.C. favorite. It's available from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. and guests may order a choice of two savory courses and dessert ($58 per person), or three savory courses and dessert ($72 per person). We suggest you start with a signature cocktail like The Blinker, which is made with rye, grapefruit juice, and raspberry syrup. For your meal, choose from stunning dishes that include antipasti, freshly prepared pastas, and specialties such as Nantucket bay scallops with porcini mushrooms, lightly grilled branzino with caviar, and rosemary roasted lamb cacciatore. And for the perfect pairing, take advantage of a special list of half-price bottles available only on Sunday. So sit back, relax, and listen to live jazz music from Laissez Foure from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Summer Whitford is the D.C. Editor at The Daily Meal and also writes about food, drink, and travel. Follow her on Twitter @FoodandWineDiva, on Instagram at thefoodandwinediva, and read more of her stories here.