A Week of Gluttony

Each year DC plays host to the greatest event known to people of discerning taste - Restaurant Week. From August 1 through August 7, the most praised restaurants (deservedly or not) in the District of Columbia offer three-course prix-fixee dinners and lunches for $30 or $20, respectively. The American Polis salivates from the mere thought of such a great opportunity and directs readers to OpenTable to reserve their seats. While certain restaurants on the list of participants bear little more than a passing glance, others are must-visits this year. TAP suggests Bistro Bis, Galileo, TenPenh, and Cafe Atlantico as perennial favorites for either their cuisine superbe or their inventiveness.

While DC is well known for its wood-paneled steak caves like Charlie Palmer, Caucus Room, or the other usual suspects, these are not the places you should take advantage of during this week of joy. If the Hill rats or lobbyists frequent an establishment, you can take that to the bank as a sign not of haute cuisine, but rather of undeserved pretense. The who's who of DC may have have a little depth of pocket, but they often lack the taste that God gave a Holstein. While the American Polis loves being surrounded by the well-to-do and the people of good breeding, TAP does not wish to do so on its own dime when the culinary rewards are minimal.

The American Polis will be reviewing the restaurants it visits this year, so look forward to scathing, yet revealing commentary to come. TAP hopes others will join.