Top 5 DC restaurants worth your lunch hour

K- C and I are both traveling this week but we didn’t want to leave you “post-less.” So here is a quick list of restaurants that are worth leaving your office for and spending around an hour for lunch, especially since many of these places offer the same type of menu for dinner as lunch but at a more affordable price. Some of these places we’ve reviewed on the blog and others I’ve been to and are on the list to be revisited and reviewed.

1. Mari Vanna, 1141 Connecticut Ave NW –

Grandma’s house?

A great place to get a taste of Russia and looks like it could be your grandma’s living room. You could have a nice bowl of Borsch, a vegetable ragout and Kiev cake. Who knows, you might see Alex Ovechkin at the next table! To check out our review click “here.”

2. Estadio, 1520 14th St NW

It’s been awhile since we’ve been to Estadio but we continue to hear great things about it. There have also been a few celebrity sitings.  It’s a wonderful place to escape to for the best sauteed kale I’ve ever eaten, a deliciously warm soup and heavenly calamari. Our review: here.

3. Brasserie Beck, 1101 K St NW

My mouth just starts watering when I think of the mussels at this delightful restaurant. They do have other items for lunch such as steak and frites if you aren’t into mussels but I find it very difficult to try something else. Our review here.

4. Rasika West End,  1190 New Hampshire Ave

We’ve not reviewed Rasika West End yet, but I’ve been a couple of times. The first time the service was very slow but it seems to be picking up a bit. I brought a friend with me who has recently begun a foray into Indian food. She loved it! The restaurant itself has a very nice, modern interior and the food – I usually have palak paneer – is good.

5. Fiola, 601 Pennsylvania Ave

Fiola is a bit on the expensive side however it was ranked #4 in Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2013 and Bon Appetit named it one of America’s “Best New Restaurants” in 2012. The food and service is fantastic. It’s one of the few places I will go to for Italian food.

Brasserie Beck – It’s got mussels!

K – Brasserie Beck, I can sum it up in one word – YUM! Cute brasserie with blue and white decor, wood tables and good food. I had the classic white wine mussels with garlic, parsley and cream. They were very tasty however I will say I wasn’t too fond of the cream part – I think it made it a bit heavy. I’m used to having the white wine and garlic be in more of a “broth” than a cream sauce. But it was still good and the frites were nice and crispy and went well with the Gulden Draak beer I had. For dessert was the chocolate cake – mmmmm – I had that with a coffee, not the beer! Service was good, our waiter was most helpful and he’s the one that suggested the Gulden Draak (they have a huge beer menu), which was an excellent suggestion. Overall, although a bit pricey, I would go back.

C – First of all, I got lost on the way. So, word to the wise: ignore your GPS. Brasserie Beck is actually really easy to find: 1101 K St NW. If you’re taking Metro, get off at McPherson Square, cut through Franklin Park and it’s just 2 1/2 blocks East. When I got there, the first thing I did was order a beer. I have no idea what I was drinking. Sorry. I asked the waiter for something Pilsner-y or Lager-y and, like magic, the perfect beer to go with my post-GPS battle arrived. I had the mussels as well and I agree with K, the sauce was a bit heavy. For dessert? Again, I don’t remember… because I had like 3 of those beers. Thank goodness for K who actually remembered what she had. Otherwise, this would be a sad little review. I did take a snapshot of it. I seem to recall it was REALLY fantastic chocolate awesomeness. The perfect end to a lovely meal.