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.

Addicted to Мари Vanna

Klubnichka!

C – Opened just a few months ago, Mari Vanna (Мари Vanna) has quickly become the “in” restaurant for Washingtonians. Complete with kitschy interior, costumed hostesses and a roaming accordion player, it’s a feast for the senses.

I went on a Wednesday at 7:00 and it was PACKED. Word to the wise: you can make reservations on www.OpenTable.com in advance. We were seated on the second floor where the decor is very cool, but incredibly tight to the point of being uncomfortable once it fills up. I started with the Klubnichka — a strawberry-infused vodka drink that went down way too fast. We ordered pickled vegetables and potato vareniki (pierogies) for the table. My three friends went for the salmon as their main, but I wanted the full-on experience and went with the beef stroganoff. This is not your Babushka’s stroganoff… it’s filet mignon with a rich sour cream sauce served on buckwheat kasha. Outstanding. On another occasion I had the chicken kotletki which was fine, but not amazing. It is, really, all about the atmosphere, though. Our check came in a cute little grandma-style change purse. I’m going back again for happy hour this week ($5 infused vodka shots) and will hit it up for lunch service soon (just started at the end of March). I’m also going to take the next person I know to have a birthday here. The embarrassment quotient is high… servers singing a birthday song in Russian with accordion guy in tow and the whole restaurant clapping. Good stuff.

One more thing… I came across this article from the Washington City Paper which discusses the “secret keys” you can get for their regular Monday night exclusive parties.

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K – Lunch! Went for lunch and it was oooohhhh so good! We were on the second floor this time as well but although it was crowded it wasn’t packed.  I got the prix-fixe lunch (soup or salad and sandwich or entree) that was a good deal at $19. I started off with the Russian country salad, which was nice and fresh as well as some bread – I am not one to shun carbohydrates! The slices of cranberry bread were moist and not too sweet, the other slices, I think they might have been poppy, was a bit dry, but still good. For my entree I got the Roasted Potato with Mushroom Sauce. It was not what I was expecting – it was better! It was half of a baked potato, mashed in the middle with the mushroom sauce on top and absolutely delicious! (Note: I have lots of exclamation marks!)  C  had the Borsch. I thought about trying it but I’m not a fan of anything with beets. However I may change my mind someday and try something “beetish” from here as the food was really good. She also had the Chicken Stroganoff and unfortunately they were out of whatever it usually comes with and came with mashed potatoes instead. Of course we had to have dessert – how could we not? So we shared a Kiev Cake and a Napoleon. Both were delicious and not too sweet. The Kiev Cake was a mound mixture of crumbly stuff with a condensed-milk-like flavour which had a fluffy, sweet taste to it. That’s the only way I can describe it. The Napoleon was a layer of puff pastry with custard that was light and creamy tasting. I’m definitely going back to try dinner so I can try their evening menu as well as their vodka cocktails! But right now I think I need a nap……

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Mari Vanna
1141 Connecticut Ave NW