Restaurant Week DC Recap

If you haven’t heard of Restaurant Week you are way behind and missing out on a blessing! But I’m here to fill you in so that you can catch it next time.

Metropolitan Restaurant Week happens twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. With over 100 places to choose from, what’s so great about Restaurant Week is that you can get a three-course meal for $22 during brunch/lunch and $35 during dinner. And we’re not talking about Cheesecake Factory or Outback, these restaurants are some of the most award-winning restaurants in the area. Participating restaurants include Fogo De Chao, The Capital Grille, RPM Italian, and Oceanaire. This year wasn’t my first time participating in Restaurant Week but it was the first time that I feel like I took full advantage of it. I was able to plan a date night at 2 different restaurants and I won a contest to visit the third restaurant.

TenPenh Pork Dumpling

What to Know About Restaurant Week

Winter Restaurant Week usually takes places around mid-February while Summer Restaurant Week happens towards the end of August. Each participating restaurant lays out a menu with selected items to choose from during the respective meal time. Since you’re getting an AMAZING deal most restaurants do not allow substitutions or alterations to any of the options on the menu. I highly suggest you view it beforehand. Most of the time, the restaurant will submit their menu to RAMW.org. However, there are a few places that will only post it on the company website. Oh and of course drinks are not included so plan ahead. Lastly, I suggest making reservations especially if you’re going during peak times.

Where I Ate

Mastro’s Steakhouse

I had heard of Mastro’s but never been. I am not a fan of steak so steakhouses are not my typical choice when it comes to restaurants. But I have heard a lot of great things about Mastro’s so I figured why not take this opportunity to check it out. From their restaurant week menu, I ordered a Spicy Mambo Salad (caesar with wasabi), blackened salmon with mango lobster butter, and their signature warm butter cake. One thing to note here is that the menu is a la carte. So sides were not included in the $35 price but they are large enough to share! We decided to get asparagus and lobster mashed potatoes to fancy up our meal. Once you add in sides and drinks, we spent way over what we expected to. But the everything was so good I have no regrets!

Blackened Salmon with Mango Lobster Butter

Ginger at MGM

I’ve only been inside MGM a few times so this was my first time visiting one of the restaurants. We love Asian food so we were excited to try something a little different than. But we were highly disappointed. I honestly am not sure why we picked this restaurant after reviewing the Restaurant Week menu online. But we were both okay with ordering something that wasn’t from the menu. We order chicken lettuce wraps as an appetizer because I imagined them being similar to the ones from Cheesecake Factory. Wrong! They came pre-made on a plate and you only get 4. The menu was overwhelming because it had entrees you would find at a Thai restaurant and at the carryout. I decided to keep things simple and order Sweet & Sour Chicken. It lacked flavor and also felt very rubbery to chew. The best part of the experience was the drinks.

TenPenh Tyson’s

This restaurant was a wild card because I won a contest hosted by RAMW and GlamSquad. The prize was a girl’s night out which included hair, makeup, and dinner for 2 at a restaurant they chose. I had never even heard of TenPenh which made things a little more exciting for me as a foodie. The manager of the restaurant treated us so well! Dinner was covered but they treated us to Beijing Bellini’s and a sample of a few appetizers. From the Restaurant Week menu I ordered Shrimp Lumpia, Miso Glazed Salmon, and Mai Tai Creme Brulee. I would be lying if I said I loved the salmon, however, it wasn’t too bad. The taste just wasn’t something I was used to. All of the appetizers were amazing; especially the lumpia and dumplings!

Miso Glazed Salmon

Is it worth it?

The simple answer: yes! As a foodie, I enjoy eating out and trying new things which isn’t always cost effective. Although we spent a little more money than usually this time around, we still got to try some new places and surprisingly we still saved a few bucks. As I said before, planning ahead is key!

Warm Butter Cake Mastro’s Steakhouse