Asia Nine
Photo: courtesy of the restaurant
While DC Restaurant Week offers a chance to fill up with three-course meals, new bar and patio menus offer deals for diners with smaller appetites.
Asia Nine tempts adventurous palates with Thai street food faves like jellyfish salad, stir-fried frogs legs and octopus fritters at $4–$5 per dish – available at the bar or in the dining room (202-629-4355; reserve online).
Bourbon Steak’s glamorous bar/lounge and outdoor patio provide the backdrop for the likes of shrimp chip "nibbles," foie gras mousse sharing plates and tempura lobster lettuce cups, plus steak, salmon and falafel sliders (202-944-2026).
Kinkead's expansive bar makes a prime perch for digging into lunch specials, including $12 sandwich-and-soup combos (oyster po' boy, Cuban and others) and $14 soft-shell crab. (202-944-2026).
Occidental Grill & Seafood puts its chic outdoor lounge to good use, offering handcrafted cocktails to sip while sharing an antipasti board or a plate of lamb with peach chutney (202-783-1475; reserve online).
Urbana’s citified take on happy hour features $1 oysters from its new raw bar and sparkling wine specials from 5–7 PM and 10–11 PM (202-956-6650; reserve online).