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Before The Curtain Rises & After The Curtain Falls: Nothing makes an evening out at the theater more entertaining than another sort of “theatrical presentation” –- a great meal before and/or after. Several area restaurants make it easy and delicious to dine before or after the show without any drama:
10 Big Ones = Early Dining Deals - From a small 'mom & pop shop' to a favored presidential dining hot spot, Equinox restaurant has become a standard DC dining destination. Co-owners Todd Gray and Ellen Gray and the entire staff of Equinox are celebrating the restaurant's 10th birthday/anniversary by offering a commemorative menu throughout the summer featuring a line-up of Chef Gray's most-loved dishes and ingredients. What's the deal? 10 years = 40 seasons = $40 for three courses. Wine pairings are available for an additional $25. Not bad, Todd Gray...not bad at all! Over the years, Equinox's "rep" has grown, as it has racked up an enviable set of honors and awards. Chef Gray is currently nominated for the 2009 Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) RAMMY award for 'Best Chef' and the restaurant won Best Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year in 2008. (818 Connecticut Ave, NW, 202.331.8118)
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Dine in Time at 701 -- 701 Restaurant is offering a three-course prix fixe menu for $28.95 per person sure to please both the wallet and the palate. The pre-theatre menu is offered from 5:30-6:30pm and includes appetizers such as baby spinach and arugula salad with red onions, feta and balsamic vinaigrette and braised lamb risotto served with puttanesca and carrot ver jus espuma and entrées such as Pacific Red Snapper served with spiced escarole, white beans and vegetable caponata and crispy buttermilk chicken breast served with acini de pepe, wild mushrooms, spinach and roasted tomato concassee; with a sweet ending such as warm apple napoleon. After dinner, guests can walk to the National, Shakespeare, Ford, Arena Stage and Woolly Mammoth Theatres. $7 valet parking exclusively for dinner guests. (701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW; 202.393.0701)
Celeb Chef Dining With Michale Mina at BOURBON STEAK -- Situated within the Four Seasons Hotel, BOURBON STEAK offers a three-course pre-theatre dinner priced at $59 per person (exclusive of beverages, tax and gratuity). Prepared by Executive Chef David Varley the menu begins with a choice of appetizers such as Bibb Wedge with smoked bacon, avocado and Maytag blue cheese or Maine Lobster Velouté with black truffle gougeres and Pernod, followed by stellar entrées such as Oak-Fired Cobia with lemon vinaigrette and Certified Angus 10-ounce Filet Mignon, each accompanied by sides for the table. For dessert, guests have a choice of Mina’s signature Macallan 18 Butterscotch Pot de Crème with pumpkin spice cake, pepitas and butterscotch caramel or a seasonal selection of ice creams and sorbets. BOURBON STEAK’s pre-theatre menu is available nightly for reservations seated from 5:30pm to 6:30pm on Friday and Saturday, and 6pm to 6:30pm Sunday through Thursday, and includes complimentary valet parking for up to five hours. (2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW; 202.944.2026)
See You at Ceiba -- Passionfood Hospitality's Ceiba offers a prix fixe menu for just $29, available Monday through Saturday, 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Guests enjoy the daily "bocadito" and then choose from the Yucatán Shrimp "Cocktail" Ceviche, Mixed Fresh Greens, and Cuban Black Bean Soup. Any dinner entrée may be selected, with a $9 surcharge if Sugar Cane Skewered Shrimp, Whole Snapper, or Grilled Ribeye is selected. Dessert options include Traditional Flan, Mexican Chocolate Cake, and Trio of Seasonal Sorbets. After the show stop by for Ceiba's Late Night Happy Hour, Monday-Saturday, 9:30-11 PM. Enjoy $5 specialty cocktails and $5 appetizers (conch fritters, spicy chipotle chicken quesadilla, beef empanadas, guacamole de molcajete, or peruvian ceviche) in the bar and lounge only. (701 14th Street, NW; 202.393.3983)
Fab Early Bird Is Also Pre-Event Dining at Firefly Restaurant -- For those indulging in an evening art exhibition or show at the Kennedy Center, this quintessential neighborhood restaurant in Dupont Circle offers a recession-friendly "early bird special," including a soup, salad, sandwich and wine or beer. For $23, guests can enjoy quick bites from Chef Daniel Bortnick's local and organic menu including a seasonal soup shooter, petite green goddess salad, a tuna BLT or beef hamburger and a glass of house-select wine or Sam Adams beer. Firefly is a proud supporter of over 15 local purveyors and farmers, and is happy to decrease its carbon footprint with an all-American wine and beer list, which guests can choose from as part of the pre-theater menu. The "early bird special" is available daily between 5:30pm and 6:30pm (1310 New Hampshire Avenue, NW; 202.861.1310)
You Can Find It at 
Media Dining -- The Fourth Estate Restaurant at the National Press Club is the perfect location for your pre-theater dining. Located on the 13th floor of the National Press Building, it's just steps from National, Warner, and Ford Theaters. Previously only open to members, the restaurant is now open to all. The menu features new American cuisine in a newly renovated restaurant rich with a tradition of service excellence. Seatings begin at 5pm on Saturday and 5:30pm during the week, allowing plenty of time to enjoy a well crafted meal without feeling rushed to make the curtain call. An added bonus to your dining experience, validated parking for all dinner guests removing one more worry from your evening. (529 14th Street, NW; 202.662.7638)
Sophisticated Eating at Ici Urban Bistro -- With its central location and vibrant new menu, Ici Urban Bistro is the perfect place to grab a quick bite before heading off to a show. New Executive Chef Olivier Perret serves excellent bistro fare filled with flavor and originality, and his new menu includes globally influenced dishes like Paella risotto with chorizo, clams and mussels, braised lamb shank with thyme jus and eggplant gratin and Burgundy escargots with fennel and cream. Ici Urban Bistro is located in the Sofitel hotel in Lafayette Square (806 15th Street, NW; 202.730.8700)
Bravo, Brava, Ole at 
Tony-Worthy Dining with Robert Weidmaier -- Marcel’s, Robert Weidmaier's white tablecloth restaurant, has a menu that shares the spotlight with the stars of the Kennedy Center, offering a three-course, pre-theater menu for $52. Included is complimentary, executive car service to and from the Center. Patrons can choose any three courses from the regular menu and elect to have their dessert course after the show, time permitting. Available nightly starting at 5pm. (2401 Pennsylvania Ave NW; 202.296.1166)
Middleburg Summer Picnics at 
A little Pre-Theater Fun at Nage Bistro & Wine -- Nage Bistro & Wine offers guests a three-course prix-fixe menu for $35 per person every Monday through Friday, where guests can choose from a wide selection of mouthwatering appetizers, entrees and desserts. Another great pre-theater option for diners is Nage’s $12 Tastings at the Bar. Offered every Monday through Friday from 5-7pm, the price includes three tasting-portion-sized appetizers chosen by the chef as well as three 2oz pours of the featured wines of the evening. (1600 Rhode Island Avenue, NW; 202.448.8005)
Like Theater in the Round, Only Better, at The Oval Room -- Located just steps away from the White House is The Oval Room. Selections from Executive Chef Tony Conte’s menu can be found on the attractively priced three-course, prix fixe menu available for $35 per person from 5:30-6 p.m. daily. Show stopping dishes include White Asparagus Soup with petite herb salad, mint oil and pickled shallots; Slow Baked Salmon, baby bok choy, fried Chinese eggplant, soy & kaffir and for dessert a Claufoutis with red wine strawberry sorbet. Validated dinner parking for $7. (800 Connecticut Avenue, NW; 202. 463.8700)
Right Place, Right Time: Poste Moderne Brasserie -- This eco-friendly Penn Quarter restaurant offers a bevy of sustainable menu items for the city's theater -goers. Available daily from 5:00-6:30pm, guests can enjoy three courses from Chef Robert Weland's seasonal pre-theater menu which features favorites like beef bourguignon with roasted fingerlings and organic market vegetables, and sustainable Carolina wreckfish, recently added to his spring menu, which is served with champ potatoes, a red wine poached farm egg and caper beurre noisette. Guests can choose from the full spring dessert list, which features sweet treats like ricotta cheesecake with crème fraiche sorbet, rhubarb compote served with strawberry-rhubarb soda, basil tapioca and rhubarb foam and a local berry consommé served with lemon curd and berry sorbet. Poste's pre-theater menu is available for $35.09 per person. (555 8th Street, NW; 202.783.6060)
Proof Positive of Post Event Dining Enjoyment – Proof, the wine-centric destination restaurant in Penn Quarter neighborhood, has a late night menu that is available Thursday through Saturday nights from 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Offered in the bar and lounge, Chef Haidar Karoum’s late night menu features late night munchies like foie gras scrambled eggs served on truffle buttered toasted brioche, as well as upscale takes on classic dishes, such as the chef’s rendition of the Philadelphia cheesesteak: Wagyu beef and Provolone cheese garnished with Maitake mushrooms and served with a jalapeno mayonnaise. Enjoy a nightly selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie offerings. Proof’s full wine list, including more than 40 by-the-glass selections and 1,000 bottlings, is available for pairing with menu items, or for enjoying on its own. (775 G Street, NW, 202.73.PROOF)
Always, Rich Rasika -- Looking for an inventive, flavorful way to satisfy pre-show hunger? Head over to Rasika for a twist on Indian fare at the restaurant whose name is Sanskrit for “flavors.” The three-course prix fixe menu includes appetizers such as Tikka Kaliya, Seekh Kebab, Clam Caldine and Sev Puri; entrées such as Chicken Makhani, Lamb Roganjosh and Tandoori Salmon; and traditional desserts such as Gulab Jamun. The pre-theatre menu is available for $30 per person Monday-Friday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 5-6:30 p.m. (633 D Street, NW; 202.637.1222)
Dinner With A View at the Roof Terrace -- Offering the city’s best panoramic skyline, the 
Tantalizing TenPenh -- A special three-course, prix fixe menu, Monday through Thursday, 5:30 to 6:30pm is offered at TenPenh. For just $29, select three courses from a limited menu (three options available for each course). First course choices include Shanghai Filipino Lumpia Springrolls, Barbeque Glazed Pork Short Ribs, and Wok Seared Spicy Calamari Salad. For your entrée, select from the Vegetarian Hot Pot, Chinatown Fresh Chow Foon Noodles, and Grilled Salmon. Finish your meal with your choice of Saigon Cinnamon Sugar Dusted Donuts, Dark Chocolate & Caramel Torte, or the Trio of Housemade Sorbets. (1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW; 202.393.4500)
Dramatic Offerings at 
Theatrical Dining Awaits at 
