🌸 It's Restaurant Week

Good morning, DC. Happy Monday, it’s Restaurant Week. Do what you can to get out on the town and support local restaurants. Some deals are better than others, but with a little searching you’ll find there’s something out there for everyone.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

DC's Summer Restaurant Week kicks off today through August 24, with over 30 of the city's top restaurants offering prix fixe menus—though calling some of these $40-65 dinners a "deal" requires Olympic-level mental gymnastics once you add service fees and drinks. The silver lining: lunch menus in the $25-35 range offer legitimate bargains, reservations are actually available during slow August, and it's your chance to support struggling favorites (pour one out for Tail Up Goat, closing at year's end). From Rasika's greatest hits to Moon Rabbit's pho martinis and L'Ardente's 40-layer lasagna, the lineup features everything from global street food to fine-dining flexes. Bottom line: skip the pricey dinners unless you're already a regular, but those lunch deals at spots like Centrolina and Perry's are worth rearranging your calendar for.

Six years after Amazon HQ2 dropped into Crystal City (now rebranded as National Landing with Pentagon City and Potomac Yard), the neighborhood has transformed from a sleepy office district into a legitimate dining and shopping destination. New arrivals include everything from Michelin-recommended Bar Chinois and Venezuelan chef Enrique Limardo's all-day diner Surreal to Water Park—a one-acre outdoor food hall where you can legally stroll with cocktails while catching live performances. Beyond the food scene, the area now boasts beach volleyball courts, sprawling block-long murals, weekly farmers markets, and enough coffee shops to caffeinate an army of tech workers. Real estate ranges from $395K starter condos to $1.25M houses, proving that even with all the development, you don't need Bezos money to live in his backyard—yet.

Desert 5 Spot, the honky-tonk chain that's already conquered LA and NYC, is saddling up at Union Market's former Palette 22 space with a two-story temple to all things Western—complete with a mechanical bull, DJ booth built into a vintage Chevy truck, and a rooftop cactus garden. Chef Thomas McKenna will sling elevated comfort food like Nashville hot chicken and cherry wood-smoked ribs while bartenders pour cocktails with names like "Drop Kick Me Jesus" (mezcal, green Chartreuse, chile, lime). Daily live country music, line dancing classes, and two-stepping lessons promise to turn Northeast DC into Nashville North—boots optional, pretensions strictly prohibited at the door.

Ada Osakwe—the Forbes-recognized entrepreneur behind six Lagos locations of healthy African eatery Nuli—opens her first U.S. outpost today at downtown's Square food hall, complete with a clay tandoor oven and a special jollof rice bowl for homesick World Bank workers. The menu reimagines African ingredients for American palates through gluten-free cassava-flour "naaninis," fonio grain bowls, and salads dressed with egusi melon seeds, plus the cold-pressed juices that launched her empire from a home kitchen in 2016. Beyond expansion plans across the U.S., Osakwe promises to share profits with the female farmers who grow Nuli's West African fonio—proving that fast-casual can come with a side of social impact.

Here’s what’s going on around DC this week:

The National Hip-Hop Museum kicks off a week of celebrations leading up to the Hip-Hop Honors on Aug. 23 with tonight's open-mic freestyle cipher competition featuring a $250 cash prize. DJs spin in the cafe while hip-hop artifacts are on display throughout the free happy hour event.

📍 Penn Quarter | 🕐 6 PM

Mexico City's Mariana de Miguel brings her Spanish-language alternative R&B to the Wharf, blending breathy melodies with ethereal electronica from her latest "Blush" EP.

📍 The Wharf | 🕐 8 PM

Bring your guitar, ukulele, tambourine or just your voice to belt out songs by Chappell Roan, Boygenius, and other queer artists with lyrics projected on screen—enthusiasm matters more than musical ability.

📍 Riverdale | 🕐 7 PM

George Mason English professor Anthony Dyer Hoefer unpacks how the Coen Brothers' cult classic connects to Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep," Chinatown, and classic westerns—all while you sip on White Russians, presumably.

📍 Penn Quarter | 🕐 6 PM

75 🌡 67 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 9 mph

72 🌡 68 | 🌧️ 25% | 💨 9 mph

The Fillmore | Hiatus Kaiyote | 8 PM

The Fillmore | Architects with Erra and Holywatr | 7 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Robert Earl Keen | 7:30 PM

9:30 Club | Fitz and the Tantrums | 8 PM

The Nationals salvaged a series split with the division-leading Phillies, falling 6-2 Friday before Cade Cavalli earned his first MLB win in Saturday's 2-0 shutout, then dropping Sunday's slugfest 11-9 despite the offense finally showing a pulse. The Mystics swept their weekend home stand, with Sonia Citron dropping 21 points to beat Indiana 88-84 on Friday, then torching the Sparks for 24 points (including five three-pointers) in Sunday's 95-86 victory—rookie Kiki Iriafen added double-doubles in both wins. In preseason action, the Commanders got a harsh reality check at Gillette Stadium, falling 48-18 to New England with 15 penalties and a kickoff return touchdown allowed on the very first play. D.C. United and the Spirit were off this weekend, but both return to action this week as the district's teams try to build momentum heading into late summer.

Did You Know? The Library of Congress owns a Stradivarius violin collection worth over $50 million, but you can actually hear them played for free at regular concerts—the instruments come with the stipulation that they must be performed publicly rather than sitting silent in a vault.

Till next time,