RAMW: Summer Restaurant Week Suggestion #12: BABA, Clarendon - August 14 through 27

The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington will host Summer Restaurant Week, August 14-20, inviting participating restaurants to offer three-course lunches for $22 and three-course dinners for $35, excluding tax and gratuity at each location. This bi-annual event invites diners to experience Washington’s top restaurants at an affordable price point.

Photo: nightclub.com

BABA, the newly opened sister bar/restaurant to Ambar Clarendon, located in the heart of Clarendon at 2901 Wilson Blvd, 22201, will offer guests the opportunity to experience Balkan cuisine that takes inspiration from European tapas during brunch and dinner service this Restaurant Week. Priced at $22 per person (tax and gratuity not included), brunch-goers can select one starter, one entrée, baklava, one brunch drink and drip coffee off the regular brunch menu. Highlights include Cornbread Basket with leek & prosciutto, spinach & cheese and kajmak; BABA's Perfect Bowl with oatmeal, caramelized bananas, almonds, pineapple, peanut butter and raspberry syrup; Grain Bowl with French green lentils, brown rice, quinoa, cauliflower, roasted pumpkin, mushrooms and kimchi yogurt; Beet Salad with creamy goat cheese, organic quinoa and walnuts; The Rustic Sandwich with roasted pumpkin, white bean and parsnip purée and fig vinaigrette; French Toast with maple marinated prunes, walnut crumble and mascarpone, and the Rotisserie Lamb Panini with cherry tomato jam, cheddar and pickled cucumber. For the perfect pairing, guests participating in Restaurant Week can select one cocktail off the regular brunch menu. Standouts include the Traditional Mimosa; Bloody Mary; Basement Cooler with tequila, watermelon, jalapeño and basil leaves; Baba’s Celery Drink with gin, lime juice, celery cucumber juice and jalapeño, or the Iced Tea on Fire with whiskey, lemon juice, ice tea reduction, frozen grilled lemon and creole bitters.

For dinner, guests can savor three dishes (one from each category: vegetables, seafood and meat) from the full menu along with one cocktail for $35 per person. Guests won't want to miss BABA's vegetable options which include the Veggie Delight with kajmak spread, roasted peppers and kale, served on compressed rye bread with pine nuts; Roasted Cauliflower with creamy eggplant purée and pomegranate dressing, and Smoked Gouda, panko crusted with almonds, walnuts and cranberry vinaigrette. Seafood options include the Salmon Tartare with beet marinated, capers, quinoa and pine nuts, served on compressed rye bread; Scallop Trio with bacon, nori-infused kajmak and crispy sweet potato shavings, as well as Crispy Shrimp with ginger lemon aioli. Meat choices include Prosciutto Croquettes with smoked gouda, horseradish sauce and mustard dressing; BABA's Signature Slider with house-ground veal and beef, smoked gouda, gribick salsa and red cabbage coleslaw, as well as Steak Tartare, hand-cut beef fillet with capers and pickled cauliflower, served on compressed rye bread. Featured Balkan-inspired cocktails include Don’t Forget to Breathe with gin, grapefruit juice, honey syrup, lemon juice and vanilla tincture; B & B with rum, beet juice, lime juice, maraschino liqueur and mint; Belgrade by Night with rye whiskey, fernet & gorki list and port wine, as well as the Serbian Sombrero with pink peppercorn-infused tequila, jalapeño-orange liqueur, citrus juice, rose water and hibiscus salt. 

BABA’s Restaurant Week menu will be available from August 14-27. Brunch is served daily, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner is served Sunday through Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. 

For additional information call (703) 312-7978 or visit www.baba.bar.