Washington, DC New Menu Report: 9/21/16

Summer Whitford|Sept. 21, 2016 12:32 pm EST

Better get ready, this week menus are all over the map, literally, and offer diners a range of international foods that include Japanese fried chicken and spicy miso ramen to wines from Napa Valley, California, and Sunday suppers that offer diners food from different regions in Italy and France. Our food scene is finally starting to reflect the diversity of our wonderful residents and we are the happy beneficiaries. Enjoy the diversity and check back next week for a whole new roundup of menu changes.

Bantam King
Back in June, we profiled D.C.'s newest ramen hot spot, Bantam King, and we were ecstatic about the chicken ramen that gave this eatery its name. Well, this time, we are letting you know about the latest menu addition: the spicy miso ramen, which debuted on Sept. 17. There just isn't any other way to say this but executive chef Katsuya Fukushima and his team make slap your mama good ramen, and priced at $13.75 per bowl, this new iteration is money well spent. The chef spent months fine-tuning the recipe and it gives the rich chicken paitan stock an additional boost of umami heat. Bantam King is open daily for both lunch and dinner – Sunday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. And be sure to try out the fried chicken, it's just as good.

Blue Duck Tavern
Hope you saw our bit about the return of the Blue Duck Uncorked wine program at Blue Duck Lounge at the Blue Duck Tavern. It has brought back its swanky program for Tuesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and for $30 a glass, you can sample a fine wine, in magnum, selected by GM Joseph Cerione from September through October. This week, the wine is Arietta Winery Cabernet Red Blend Hudson Vineyard H block Napa Valley 2003. Next week, September 27, look for BV Cabernet Georges de la Tour Private Reserve Napa Valley 1991.

Equinox
If family meals on Sunday still mean something to you, consider taking your brood to Equinox Restaurant for their new Sunday Supper Series. This series reflects owners' chef Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray's culinary travels and celebrates the culinary diversity of cultures from around the world. Each series highlights four regions in one country, September through December will highlight four regions in Italy, starting with Tuscany, and then they will focus on four regions in France January through April in 2017. September, the menu will feature the cuisine of Tuscany and then in October, the menu will include rustic dishes from Umbria. Suppers are $45 per person, excluding tax and tip, and offer you a chance to taste the flavors of two great regions in Italy.

For more Washington DC dining and travel news, click here. Summer Whitford is the D.C. Editor and a food, drink and travel writer at The Daily Meal. You can follow her on Twitter @FoodandWineDiva and on Instagram at thefoodandwinediva. Read more of her stories here.