From our friends at Ambar...
Ambar Will Be Extending Its Restaurant Week Offering from August 17-30 and Rico Wisner Is Pouring the New RW Loza Cocktail to Toast Restaurant Week, Priced at $8
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington will host its annual Summer Restaurant Week from August 17-23, and Ambar, the nation’s capital’s first Balkan restaurant located at 523 8th Street, SE on Capitol Hill, is also offering guests the opportunity to experience some of the best traditional dishes from the Balkan Peninsula, prepared with a modern twist during dinner service exclusively. Guests can select any item from the First, Second, Third and Dessert sections of the menu for the exclusive Restaurant Week price of $35 per person (tax and gratuity not included). This special offering is available Sunday through Thursday, from 4-10 PM; Friday and Saturday, from 4-11 PM.
Standouts off the Warm Up section of the menu include Tartare Steak with pork “cracklins”, sundried tomato butter and pickled vegetables; Sous Chef's Tasting Kajmak with sumadija, smoked salmon and spicy crab, served with homemade bread; Summer Salad with organic mixed greens, panko-crusted mozzarella, crispy bacon and pomegranate dressing. Dishes not to be missed off the Let’s Start section of the menu include Pork Flatbread, slow cooked pork, baked egg and pickled onion; Cabbage Casuela, braised cabbage, dry pepper, yogurt and somun; Grilled Asparagus, velouté, crispy prosciutto, pumpkin and quail egg as well as Cold Octopus Salad with garlic beans and sliced cucumber. Entrées off the Balkan Fare section of the menu include Balkan Kebabs, beef and pork with roasted pepper and aged cheese; Grilled Duck Breast with duck “cracklins”, orange-saffron glazed onion and allspice jus; Drunken Mussels with Rakia, garlic, capers, lemon, somun and cream; Lamb and Veal Sausage with red and yellow bell peppers, onion, garlic, eggplant, chili flakes and tomato, as well as Mediterranean Branzino with tomato, garlic and spinach.
To end the meal on a sweet note, guests can indulge in desserts such as the Three Chocolates, milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate with mascarpone, strawberry yogurt and a hazelnut biscuit, or the Capri with fresh raspberries, vanilla pudding, Dolcela hit icing, almond crumble and passion fruit espuma, served with raspberry sorbet.
For the perfect pairing, newly appointed Brand Mixologist Rico Wisner will offer a special RW Loza made with basil, Loza (grappa) and smoked lemon juice. This special cocktail will be available exclusively during Restaurant Week, August 17-30, and is priced at a discounted $8. Ambar is also home to Washington’s first Rakia Bar with over 30 varieties of Rakia, a popular Balkan alcoholic beverage produced by distillation of fermented fruit.
Ambar is located at 523 8th Street, SE. It's just steps from the Eastern Market Metro, accessible on the Orange and Blue Lines. The restaurant takes limited reservations and walk-ins are welcome. It's open for dinner Sunday through Thursday, from 4-11 PM, and Friday and Saturday, from 4 PM to 12 midnight. Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 AM to 4 PM. For additional information, please call (202) 813-3039 and/or visit www.ambarrestaurant.com.
