Call ahead and check at your favorite eatery around DC, because while Restaurant Week with its infamous deals may be two weeks away, many hot dining spots have extended their menus for a week, two, or even the whole month.
Chef Peter Smith has done so at his elegant restaurant PS 7's (777 I St, NW - www.ps7restaurant.com) and for something akin to $35.09 (I forget the exact amount you can dine quite well and beat the heat, too.
We decided to take Samuel and he was thrilled with the $10 starter of HOUSE MADE PETITE HOT DOGS (with ketchup, mustard and relish) and Salt- Scented Shoestring Pommes Frites. These three 5 inch long dogs came in tasty brioche buns and Samuel's eyes lit up when the elegant plate came. Of course, he, like us, could not resist the warm breads that came just prior: Mixed Herb Focaccia (Samuel gobbled extras of this), Cottage Cheese Rolls and my always favorite the APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON BISCUITS that just melt in your mouth.
While Samuel quaffed his 7-Up (or was it Sprite), we enjoyed a bottle of MULDERBOSCH 2008 Rose from Stellenbosch in South Africa. A tasty, quality dry rose made from Cabernet Sauvignon made me get even more excited about my upcoming trip to South Africa!
I stuck with the pre-Restaurant Week menu and ordered the starter of TOMATO & SAFFRON Steamed Prince Edward Island MUSSELS with Sweet Peppers, Parsley and a large Toasted Croute. It was not a huge portion, but definitely large and I finished off almost all the tasty medium-bodied broth as well. Oddly, the two(yes, they needed two!) elegant, but way too small, tiny square bowls provided for the shells were a total misfit.
Will ordered a la carte and chose the SCALLOP CEVICHE with Spiced Citrus Pot au Feu and Fennel, which was a superb light and elegant as well as "creamy" dish, but a bit too much fennel for my tastes.
For my entree on the deal, I had a superb CORNMEAL FRIED TROUT with an excellent LEMON-BUTTER Sauce, French Beans and a dab of Ginger-Tomato Confiture. I would have liked a bit more of the confiture for taste as it was indeed superb. The fish was top notch and fairly light for the hot season we now have as well.
Will went for the ALASKA HALIBUT with Roasted King Oyster Mushrooms, Shrimp, Scallions and Watermelon-Ginger Vinaigrette which was also a super fish.
We had two glasses of wine with our entrees which we passed back and forth: Chalone Estate Chardonnay 2006 from Monterey which is always nice but a very odd tasting Sauvignon Republic 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from Russian River which Will could not smell (it was weird) and I disliked the taste of, especially with the trout!
Samuel enjoyed three miniature scoops of divine PASSION FRUIT Sorbet (he had eaten the fruit fresh in the Dominican Republic and loved the tasty sweet seeds!) and licked the entire plate, while Will and I shared the dessert off my "menu" prepared by uber-Pastry Chef LEON BAKER (who apparently has been on board since the beginning of the year!). The STRAWBERRY ROLLOVER was a slice of frozen "roulade" with lemon cake, mascarpone cream and a center of strawberry sorbet. It was a great summer dessert in that it was very light and totally refreshing.
Don't forget to take your kids into the bathroom as there are goldfish bowls in the wall which will excite them to no end; well, it did Samuel!
