Next week sees the return of dueling ‘restaurant weeks’ in Alexandria

A regional “restaurant week” event launching next week is set to kick off next week, but as always, Alexandria does things a little differently.

There are two “restaurant week” events that include Alexandria this month.

The first is Winter Restaurant Week and there are just under a dozen restaurants in Alexandria signed up to offer special offerings as part of the event, relatively light compared to neighboring areas.

During Restaurant Week — a bi-annual event sponsored by Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) — participating restaurants in the D.C. region offer special menus to encourage locals to try new locations around the area. The event is scheduled to run from Monday, Jan. 16 to Sunday, Jan. 22.

“Participating restaurants will offer multi-course brunch and lunch menus for $25 per person, and multi-course dinner menus for $40 or $55 per person for on-premises dining,” RAMW said in a release. “Many restaurants will also offer RW-To-Go dinner meals and cocktail pairings, giving more variety for diners wanting to partake in the program. RW-To-Go dinner packages will be available at two price points: $70 or $100 for two people and $140 or $200 for four people.”

The following restaurants around Alexandria have signed up for Restaurant Week this year:

• Bastille Brasserie & Bar (606 N Fayette Street) — French cuisine in the Braddock neighborhood
• Chart House (1 Cameron Street) — American restaurant on the waterfront
• Cheesetique (2411 Mount Vernon Avenue) — Cheese-centered restaurant and wine bar in Del Ray
• Evening Star Cafe (2000 Mount Vernon Avenue) — “retro chic” cafe in Del Ray
• Hen Quarter (801 King Street) — Southern dining in Old Town
• Laporta’s Restaurant (1600 Duke Street) — Restaurant and jazz lounge in Old Town
• Osteria Marzano (6361 Walker Lane) — Italian restaurant in Franconia, Fairfax, but close to Alexandria
• Rustico (827 Slaters Lane) — A pizzeria between Potomac Yard and Old Town North
• The Rub Chicken & Beer (801 King Street) — An Old Town restaurant featuring, brace yourself: chicken and beer
• Vermilion (1120 King Street) — American restaurant in Old Town

But beyond just the regional restaurant week, Alexandria has its own Alexandria Restaurant Week starting on Friday, Jan. 20. Like the regional event, Alexandria Restaurant Week — launched by local tourism bureau Visit Alexandria — has local restaurants offer fixed-price dinners. The selection for Alexandria Restaurant Week is significantly larger than the city’s offerings in RAMW’s Winter Restaurant Week.

“Explore nearly 80 restaurants in Alexandria, VA offering a $25, $35 or $45 per person prix fixe dinner,” Visit Alexandria said on the event website. “Special menus will be available for in-person dining at participating restaurants, many with heated outdoor dining options.”

Alexandria’s restaurant week will run from Friday, Jan. 20 to Sunday, Jan. 20.

According to a release from Visit Alexandria:

• Find a new favorite when you visit Old Town’s recently opened 1799 Prime Steak & Seafood, offering a $35-for-one menu with entrees including savory shrimp and grits and luscious seafood linguine.
• Head to recently reopened Vermilion for a $45-for-one menu featuring elevated items including brussels sprouts with honey and chili vinaigrette, risotto with black truffle and wine-poached pear strudel.
• Hightail it to Barkhaus, located between Del Ray and Potomac Yard, for a $25 per person menu that includes the option to add a homemade doggie treat like a “fruit barkfait.”
• At Delia’s in Carlyle, linger over a $45 per person menu including Prince Edward Island mussels, seafood arrabiatta and veal parmigiana.
• In Del Ray, warm up from the inside out at Elo’s Italian, with a $35-for-one menu featuring crowd-pleasers such as garlic focaccia bread, spaghetti pomodoro and bombolini to top it off.
• Northside 10 boasts the perfect $35 dinner to savor while watching a big game at the Arlandria neighborhood favorite, with options including mac and cheese fritters and mustard barbecued salmon.
• In the West End, Shooter McGee’s $35 dinner menu offers hearty entrees including cider pork chops, shrimp Florentine pasta and bistro steak, alongside tempting apps and dessert.

The full menu for Alexandria Restaurant Week is available online.