In his preview of D.C.’s upcoming restaurant week, which begins Jan. 9, WaPo critic Tom Sietsema talks to chefs about how they compensate for all those discounted meals during the biannual citywide promotion: “The trick, for [Ris owner Ris Lacoste] and her competitors, is to figure out food that reflects their style but isn’t ‘going to kill us food-cost-wise.’ Thus the lamb loin or chop [Bibiana chef Nick Stefanelli] features on his standing duo of lamb becomes a roasted leg on the promotional menu and the 10-ounce rib eye grilled by Tony Chittum at Vermilion in Old Town Alexandria, another participant in the event, is swapped for hanger steak or braised short ribs. Scallops are great because, unlike fish, ‘they don’t need to be butchered,’ says Lacoste.”

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