[XXXNoahXXX]

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restaurant weeks are often not nearly as good a deal as they seem.

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Here in D.C., I really hate restaurant week. I'll grant that these are good opportunities for some people, but mostly we're talking about people who don't eat out that often and may not realize the disparity in quality. And that's fine and good and well, and I don't mean to insult those people.

But the quality of service and food that shows up during restaurant week is consistently weaker than it would be otherwise. Servers know they're going to be faced with an onslaught of couples and groups spending $30 each, plus maybe a glass of wine. This should not affect their attitude, but hey, stuff happens.

The kitchens are marking off steaks by the hundreds to re-finish later. Standard practice anyway at some places, but it definitely gets stepped up. The menus are limited. Food quality falls.

There are always great experiences to be had and restaurants that do it well. But if you really want to try a restaurant and see what they are capable of, try a random Wednesday or Thursday instead of restaurant week. Because often, it really isn't -that- big of a financial savings. Some places here in D.C. get on the list that I swear would normally cost less than the RW price.

But the week is there for some people. It becomes an ocassion for some people. And that's fine - all I'm saying is that if you really enjoy food and dining, RW isn't the time to try a new place.

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I agree with a lot of what you say, since I've been to the same place during and not during restaurant week and the difference in price for two was $80 -> $120. Which I guess is a big % more, but that much more in terms of real money.

However, with 50 places offering it, you can find some great meals.