We at DCFUD try to get together every month or two for a small happy hour, discuss new restaurants, recipes, chefs on the move, all the good gossip in town. Last month, we ate at Nirvana, the fine vegetarian Indian restaurant in Northwest, and while the food was delicious and the service impeccable, the lack of meat in the meals dictated that our group Restaurant Week outing had to rectify that. The task of organizing a RW dinner fell into my hands, and as our dear friend and colleague MAW would be heading back to grad school down South on Tuesday, we had to do something Monday night. We passed around a list of participating restaurants, and selected which ones we’d like to try. Our short list included Viridian, Taberna Del Alabardero, The Prime Rib and Bobby Van’s Steakhouse. It’s hard to find fault with any of those places, and my experience at Bobby Van’s last summer certainly made me eager to go back. We selected Bobby Van’s for the meal as they were able to accommodate our group, and to our pack of carnivores, there’s just something about a good steak.
As was the case previously, the food was straightforward, seasoned and cooked to perfection. Our server Paul was conversational, friendly and, in a skill so many servers seem to lack, understood the light-hearted mood of our group. And, just like last year, Chef Eric was making the rounds, though this time he recommended that we try a serving of scallops with seaweed, radishes, mashed potatoes and a light sauce. No ridiculously exotic ingredients, but presented and prepared wonderfully. While everybody else enjoyed the RW offerings, I chose their standard menu’s Porterhouse for Two…by myself. My ability to overeat is almost legendary – ask DCFUD scribe Jason about my one-man attack on Kam Fong last New Year’s Day – and the chance to order what Washingtonian Magazine called the finest porterhouse in the city was all I needed to go from gourmet to gourmand. And what an absolutely wonderful cut! Each bite was glorious; the New York Strip side flavorful and the Filet Mignon side tender, the whole seared with the right amount of crust. Remember John Candy’s steak-eating scene in The Great Outdoors, when those last bites forced down with anger and spite? Not me – I’ll admit the presence of a small tear in my eye when the bone was bussed away. We didn’t mean to be the last group in the restaurant, and we apologize to any of Bobby Van’s staff who may have missed a bus or Metro.
For those looking for last-minute reservations, Viridian is packed tighter than a Tokyo subway train, and considering their RW special is pretty much everything on their menu, they get bonus points for really getting into the spirit of the event. The Prime Rib has long remained a mystery to us at DCFUD – our startling lack of trust funds, expense accounts or lottery winnings has rendered this fine restaurant untouchable to our meager budgets – and a mystery it shall remain for us as they are only participating in RW for lunch. Bobby Van’s is busy during the prime dining hours, but their bar side should accommodate smaller parties and offers the RW menu. Taberna Del Alabardero is likewise busy during the 7pm to 9pm stretch, but the menu looks like it’ll be worth the wait. I’ll let you know after Friday night!
Let us know where you’re going and what you’ve enjoyed in the comments. We’re always appreciative of restaurants that treat RW as a chance to shine rather than a tiresome gimmick to fill some seats.