Inconspicuous consumption

Vidalia
1990 M St. NW; 202-659-1990
Lunch special: $19.90 for tasting portions of every menu item

Located near Dupont Circle and catering to everyone from attorneys to State Department employees, Vidalia is part of the burgeoning Farm to Table movement. "Comfort food is what people want to eat in this type of economy," chef R.J. Cooper says, though his high-end take on, say, chicken-fried steak is a far cry from your neighborhood diner's.

After months of declining lunch business, in November the restaurant launched a specially priced lunch menu with smaller portions of everything on the menu. Since then traffic has nearly doubled, thanks in part to walk-in diners lured by a simple sandwich board outside. Despite bargain pricing, Cooper isn't compromising. "We're doing this menu to showcase what we do here at night," he says. (Note to carnivores: A current passion is curing meat, including miniature hams and house-made salamis.)

Also try:
Old Ebbitt Grill, 202-347-4800. At this quintessential Capitol Hill standby you can feast on crab-cake sandwiches and huge salads for well under $25.
Eve, 703-706-0450. Doing business in the burbs? A long-running Lickety Split lunch special at this Old Town Alexandria spot rings up at just $13.50.

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