Salmon carpaccio at Zentan

Monday marks the start of "Restaurant Week" in the District, with more than 200 area restaurants participating in the price-fixed meal promotion. This time around, lunch is set at $20.11 and dinner is $35.11. (Read the full list of participating eateries here.)

For diners, the upside is simple: the deal offers you the chance to try a restaurant you might not otherwise be able to afford, or at least think you might not otherwise be able to afford. The downside: large crowds and limited menus. Even worse: the quality of the food may suffer, as kitchens crank out bigger quantities of fewer items and with arguably less motivation to make it good. After all, what chef is going to bust his ass to impress some fly-by-night guest who likely isn't coming back until the next discount orgy in January? WaPo columnist Ezra Klein once put it this way: "you're spending almost as much as you would otherwise, but getting worse food, fewer options, and a crummier experience."

Meanwhile, more savvy diners may see it as an opportunity to patronize places that don't participate in the promotion, as reservations may be easier to obtain because the crowds are flocking elsewhere.

Young & Hungry wants to know: What do you think of Restaurant Week? Do you participate? Or, do you avoid it like E. Coli? Do you think the quality of food is better or worse during the promotion? Do you end up saving money or not? Do you believe the promotion is good for restaurants regardless of the impact on your palate or wallet? Discuss.

Photo by Chris Shott

Some brick-and-mortar restaurant (and food cart) owners certainly think so. Drew Costley and Andrew George hit the streets to ask Washingtonians how sympathetic they are to these complaints as the food truck war wages on.

This insightful video, produced by Drew Costley and Andrew George, is part of this week's cover story on food trucks and the regulatory battle they face to keep their business alive. Listen to three food truck owners explain some of the difficulties they face on the streets of D.C.

Jack Lait

The fact that Lait and Mortimer's publisher, Crown, thought such information might help sell the new book said a lot about everyone involved. It said they were way ahead of their time in understanding that scandal and hyperbole sell so much better than facts and reason. (**) Consider what former WaPo columnist Bob Levey wrote about WC on the 50th anniversary of its publication:

One review called the authors "hard-boiled hacks." The phrase may have been too kind.

Their book reads as if Edward G. Robinson had tried his hand at scribbling instead of acting. In Confidential, women are "tomatoes." Alcohol is "hootch." A lawyer who can get you out of jail without the press finding out is a "bluff artist."

I relate this so that you take the following quotes from Washington Confidential with a Batali-sized grain of salt:

"But also in Georgetown is the Hideaway Club. It is known in local parlance as a bottle club. A bottle club is a resort which gets around the law which provides that all liquor dispensaries shall close at 2 a.m. Despite a murder at the Hideaway and a recent Congressional investigation of such enterprises and a flurry of activity by the United States Attorney, there are still at least 500 of these unlicensed places, some say more, in the District..." (page 11)

"Perhaps the most famous hotel is the Willard, at F and 14th Streets. They call it the New Willard now, though the new section was built during Teddy Roosevelt's first administration. For almost a century VIP's from all over the world stayed here. Julia Ward Howe wrote the 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' in one of its rooms. Now its cocktail bar is a hangout for lonesome government girls and other fancy-free women, best time after 5 p.m." (page 13)

"One of the best-known and best is Harvey's, on Connecticut Avenue, near the Mayflower. This is J. Edgar Hoover's nightly eating place when he is in Washington. Like most Washington restaurants, Harvey's has been in business long. It specializes in sea food. The room does a sell-out business and it's almost impossible to get a table at the height of the dining hour. Service by ancient Negro waiters is slow. Best time to eat is after 9, because most Washingtonians dine early; 6 o'clock is the standard time. Many start at 5. Those are the homely habits. Some restaurants close at 8, and a few by 7." (pages 18-19)

"Chinatown...is a focal point for all, whites and well as Orientals, visitors and natives. In this town, where almost everything shutters by mid-night, the Chinese propensity for staying up all night and sleeping most of the day has brought about several phenomena. Unless you are welcome at a bottle club, there is no late place to go to in Washington except Chinatown. Most of the restaurants there are open all night, selling food. More than a few serve liquor after 2 a.m., if they know you, in a tea-pot." (page 59)

"Prince Georges is a long strip predominantly devoted to gaiety, night life, gambling and whoring. At this writing, one of its most famous places is in a barnlike structure called the Crossroads. It has strippers and corny shows. Its huge bar is loaded for a pick-up. In case you do, but are not prepared, 'sanitary rubber goods' are dispensed in slot-machines in the men's room." (page 65)

"Many cocktail lounges and restaurants cater to irregulars. Most of them are near the Mayflower Hotel. The most popular resort is the Jewel Box, near 16th and L, NW, formerly known as the Maystat. It is a cocktail lounge with entertainment by a piano-player, who sings semi-risque lyrics." (page 93)

"Washingtonians imbibe three times as much as you do, friend voter. Except for a few silly restrictions, no place in the country offers as many inducements to the potential alcoholic. The answer is, 14,151 drunks last year created a jail 'housing crisis.' The number more than doubled in the last five years." (page 123)

"There are many hotel grills and lounges, which are night clubs after a fashion, and some cafes; but their chief patronage depends on visitors and government dependents. Both classes are drawn largely from farms and villages, with only a minor proportion from centers of laughter and light. Washington's night life is a dull, dismal and dreary reflection of our Main Streets, hard cider and juke-box roistering." (page 131)

"We will recommend no restaurants here. A list of best-known places in Washington and Baltimore will be found in the appendix. We guarantee none. But Baltimore goes in for good food in the good places, while Washington doesn't know what fine cuisine is. Meals are cheaper in Washington than in New York. Baltimore, with some of the finest restaurants in the country, charges even less." (page 284)

"There are no swank dining places of the grade of El Morocco, the Colony or 21 in Washington or Baltimore. The elite in government service eat lunch in their own private dining-rooms and dinner at their clubs." (page 284)

(*) A special Y&H thanks to monkeyrotica for reminding me that I have an "AUTHORS EDITION, Limited, each copy signed by the authors" copy of Washington Confidential. It is not signed by the authors.

(**) No doubt a lingering attitude from New York's heyday as a hub for yellow journalism.

Perhaps José Andrés can help. The ever-expanding celebrity chef (as in empire, not girth) just shared his flan recipe with OpenTable.com, which has its own blog now.  Andrés claims that he "serves his mother's flan recipe at Jaleo," but then provides a recipe that is "in my mother's style." He even, in a nice moment of simultaneously praising and criticizing his mama's flan, writes:

My mother Marisa’s flan is imperfect, but I love it. Like all good Spanish mothers, she cooks her flan in an oven that gets too hot, creating small air bubbles in what should be a perfectly smooth and creamy dessert. Yet each of those bubbles takes me back to the Sunday lunches of my childhood, when me and my brothers would try to slurp up a flan in one glorious mouthful. This recipe is inspired by my mother’s flan, but the results are even better.

OpenTable has the full recipe here, if you're so inclined to serve flan on Mother's Day.

Don't ask why, but the other day, I started thinking about how chefs and food writers are alike, how our similarities may outweigh our differences. Maybe I was hoping both sides in this parasitic relationship could see each other with more clarity. Or maybe I was just looking for another blog item.

Whatever, below are a few of the similarities (add more in the comments section, if you wish or, conversely, explain the differences). Chefs and food writers both:

• Are only as good as our last meal/column;
• Have to find new ways to do the same thing over and over again;
• Would rather get properly pissed than work on a Saturday night;
• Have more competition than ever;
• Enjoy increased public visibility in recent years;
• Hate the increased public scrutiny in recent years;
• Listen to people who think we have the best jobs in the world;
• Listen to people who think they can do our jobs better than us;
• Cuss more than the average person on the job;
• Get yelled at more than the average person on the job;
• Have some form of alcohol within arm's length at our work spaces;
• Don't have to wear a suit or dress to work;
• Wasted too much money on education for such low-paying work;
• Dream of becoming a best-selling author; and
• Understand that our work becomes "waste" the next day.

Photo by Barto via Creative Commons, Attribution License

Nope, not for delivering supplies in blizzard conditions. But for something with a potentially higher price tag: shoveling.

"The real 'hurt'," e-mails Bucher today, "is going to be when restaurants get their 'common area maintenance' bills for jan and feb. The snow removal costs will be a back breaker for every type of tenant. Landlords pass those expenses through to tenants based on a pro rata share."

And how much could that cost restaurants?

"No idea. That's the scary part," Bucher responds. "Couple grand a store probably."

Ristorante Tosca and chef Massimo Fabbri are ready to serve you

It goes without saying (but here we go anyway) that ingredients and employees are the life blood of the restaurant industry and that, without them, no eatery can remain open. Both have been in short supply over the past couple of days.

But as the roads become clearer, and the Sysco trucks get back on the streets, restaurants are starting to normalize their operating hours. Far more places are open for service today than yesterday, although Taylor Gourmet had to close because the owners' delivery guy couldn't make it to Philly for Sarcone's rolls.

Still, even without Taylor, more and more restaurants were promising to reopen today, even if they were reopening with limited menus (because of those supply problems) or limited service. Here is the working list of open eateries. Please add to it in the comments section as you hear of others.

Open for business (limitations or specials are noted next to the restaurant/bar/coffee shop, if appropriate):

• Indique
• Science Club
• BGR: The Burger Joint
• Restaurant Eve
• Georgia Brown's
• Belga Cafe
• Hank's Oyster Bar The Dupont location is donating a portion of the proceeds tonight to Haitian earthquake relief. The Old Town spot is offering $1 oysters all night.
• Circle Bistro Whiskey tasting night: Half price whiskeys all night.
• International Food & Wine Festival "Snow, sleet or hail — the festival will prevail!"
• Eatonville The U Street spot celebrates Mardi Gras with two-for-one hurricanes from 5 to 7 p.m. today.
• Grapeseed
• Eamonn's A Dublin Chipper
• Social 14
• Georgetown Cupcake Both locations open.
• Peregrine Espresso
• Dino  Free prosecco and crostini to all diners.
• PS 7's There will be an ice bar tonight at the Chinatown restaurant.
• The Majestic
• Sticky Rice
• Tunnicliff's Tavern
• Lounge 201
• Punk's Backyard Grill
• Ping Pong Dim Sum
• Chinatown Coffee Co. The shop is promising Brazil and Rawanda hand pours, plus "kick ass baristas and ramones."
• Lebanese Taverna
• Cheesetique
• Baked & Wired
• The Dairy Godmother The Del Ray shop will stay open 'til 8 p.m.
• Clyde's $10 beer and burger special at all locations. You must use the password: Big Marty.
• Ristorante Posto
• Ristorante Tosca
• Pete's Apizza The Columbia Heights pizzeria is promising a new soup: butternut squash and sage.
• Ris
• Occidental Grill & Seafood
• Jaleo Both the D.C. and Bethesda locations are open.
• Zaytinya
• RedRocks Fire Brick Pizzeria
• Black Squirrel
• Olazzo Both locations open.
• Oyamel
• Cafe Atlantico
• Proof
• The  Source by Wolfgang Puck
• Capital City Brewing  All locations. The Shirlington spot will be offering $2 core pints.
• Good Stuff Eatery
• Mid City Caffe
• Ceiba Happy hour drink specials all night. Bar and lounge area only.
• DC Coast $5 specialty cocktails til closing time.
• TenPenh Happy hour drink specials all night. Bar and lounge area only.
• Acadiana Happy hour drink specials 'til closing time.
• PassionFish
• Bastille
• Silver Diner  Emergency personnel and snowplow drivers get 25% off and free coffee.
• Eventide
• Founding Farmers
• Farmers & Fishers/Agraria
• Marcel's
• Brasserie Beck
• Brabo and Brabo Tasting Room
• The Butcher's Block, A Market by RW The shop is only open til 8 p.m.
• Bibiana
• Firefly
• The Grille at Morrison House
• Open City
• Tryst
• The Diner
• CommonWealth Gastropub
• Open Kitchen
• BLT Steak
• VOLT
• Evening Star Cafe
• Birch & Barley/ChurchKey
• Portofino
• Bittersweet Cafe
• Addie's  Abbreviated menu until 7:30 tonight.
• Me Jana
• Harry's Tap Room Both locations are open. One child, 10 or younger per adult, eats free when ordering from the kid’s menu.
• Pitango Gelato in Logan Circle
• Urbana
• Poste Modern Brasserie The Penn Quarter spot will be running a “Snow Day Special”: Ask for it and get a glass of house wine with dinner.
• Georgetown Bagelry  Only baking supplies, no deli.
• Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe
• Jackson 20 The Old Town restaurant is offering a happy hour all night, along with some menu specials: $5 southern-style appetizers and a $10 combo called the Jackson 5. It’s a plate with a ham slider, a barbecue pork slider, three tater tots, two fried green tomatoes, and a deviled egg.
• Trummer's on Main  The Clifton restaurant is offering a "cabin fever" special of 30 percent off on all cocktails and bottles of wine.
• A&H Gourmet and Seafood Market
• Co Co Sala 

The storm ain't got nothing on the Philly boys at Taylor Gourmet

I figured I better start compiling this list now before Carrie and I lose our Internet connection (again), our power, and our ability to open the front door and scream for help.

So without further ado, here are the restaurants and bars that plan (at present) to stay open during the storm. I'd highly encourage you to double check before you make the trek to any one of these.

UPDATED at 7:22 p.m.

• Social 14 The Columbia Heights restaurant promises happy hour prices all day long!
• Jaleo Nothing can keep the irrepressible Jose Andres down. This is for the D.C. location only.

• Matchbox Both locations of the pizza and mini-burger chain will be open for lunch and dinner.
• Pete's Apizza The owners recently opened and have the soup simmering now. You can check their Twitter page for updates.
• Eatonville According to its Twitter feed, the U Street corridor spot will be "sendin out "omg" dining deals every hour all day startin in 10 minutes. Don't miss out!"
• Urbana The Dupont restaurant will be open all night and offering a "Stir Crazy" special: $7 stirred martinis.
• Columbia Firehouse The Alexandria restaurant, home of the watery OJ, is open but with limited service. There are only two servers, so all orders have to go through the bar.
• Poste Modern Brasserie The Penn Quarter spot will be running a "Snow Day Special": Ask for it and get a glass of house wine with dinner.
• CommonWealth Gastropub Chef/owner Jamie Leeds says the Columbia Heights pub will be open all day.
• Hank's Oyster Bar Leeds also notes that the D.C. location of Hank's will be open for dinner.
• Taylor Gourmet The guys behind the Philly hoagie shop are not standing down. According to their Twitter page: "We will be open ALL DAY today!!! This blizzard has nothin on us!!!"
• Firefly The Dupont restaurant is running a happy hour all night long.
• Buzz Bakery The Alexandria sweet shop has plenty of hot chocolate, too. (NOTE: Buzz closed earlier today.)
• Jackson 20 The Old Town restaurant is offering a happy hour all night, along with some menu specials: $5 southern-style appetizers and a $10 combo called the Jackson 5. It's a plate with a ham slider, a barbecue pork slider, three tater tots, two fried green tomatoes, and a deviled egg.
• Neighorhood Restaurant Group beer emporiums You can't keep a good beer bar down, and both NRG suds factories, Rustico and Birch & Barley/ChurchKey, will be open today. (NOTE: Rustico and Birch & Barley have decided to close; ChurchKey will remain open, however.)
• Harry's Tap Room The Clarendon watering hole and grill will be open.
• Brabo Tasting Room Robert Wiedmaier's Old Town spot will be going all night long.
• BlackSalt Fish Market Somehow, someway, the Palisades seafood emporium got a delivery of fresh fish.
• Evening Star Cafe The Del Ray restaurant is open but is offering only lounge service, with a limited, sandwich-heavy menu.
• Bar Dupont The place is reserving its terrace for an "ice bar" from noon to sunset today.
• RedRocks Fire Brick Pizzeria The Columbia Heights spot is fearlessly slinging pies today.
• Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe The Dupont Circle bookstore and cafe is open for normal service. It's also offering a "Snomore," which is equal parts Chambord and Crème de Cacao in hot chocolate.
• L'Enfant Who said the French are wimps? The Adams Morgan bistro is open.
• Three for the Road: Sister restaurants Tryst, Open City, and The Diner are all open during what they have dubbed "Cluster Flake." According to a spokesman, "We are all stocked up and ready to serve our neighborhoods. We've got you covered with hot chocolates, DC's BEST Cappuccinos, fresh baked pastries, a FULL BAR, your favorite comfort foods, and of course breakfast all day & night!"
• Chinatown Coffee Co. The shop is ready for all your caffeine needs.
• Off the Record Bar The Hay Adams Hotel bar will be stirring it up during the storm.
• Cork Market Wine, meats, sammies, breads, and spreads...all available at the 14th Street market.
• DCBrit, the gastronome over at Endless Simmer, has put together a Google map of the restaurants/bars open in the Shaw and U Street neighborhoods. Check it out.
• Andrew Beaujon has a more-extensive run-down of Del Ray restaurants that are staying open.

As always, please add updates in the comments section as you hear about them. And stay safe and warm!