To salute Spring and our farmers, Chef Ris is offering a "Market Days" Lunch Club menu this month. Start with Chilled Pea Soup, adorned with jumbo lump crab and fennel crisps. And, it's that time of year -- to close out asparagus season, Chef's famous Asparagus and Gingered Grapefruit Salad with miso vinaigrette and ginger lime glaze is back by popular demand.

For the main course, try Pan Fried Trout with beet vinaigrette, horseradish cream, cucumber and dill potatoes. Our fan favorite Jumbo Lump Crab Cake is back, accompanied by orange cream, asparagus and red pepper fennel salad.

To satisfy your sweet tooth, end with a Buttermilk Panna Cotta -- sour cherry sauce and cherry financier. Or beat the heat with our Melon Sorbet, decorated by berries, soft cream and a raspberry-meringue crisp.  Remember that the Lunch Club menu is served week days from 11:30 - 3:00.  3 courses - $25.  Come try it soon on our patio!

One of our staff's favorite annual events is happening tomorrow, ZooFari.

The evening will feature more than 100 of the area’s finest restaurants. Top chefs like Todd Gray from Equinox, Michel Richard from Central, andTop Chef contestant Mike Isabella from Kapnos will participate in the festivities. Add the fine wines, fabulous entertainment, animal demonstrations, and a great silent auction, all in the wild setting of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, and you have the recipe for an exotically delicious event. Our Pastry Chef Sean will be offering Strawberry Shortcake Shooters, so stop by and say hi!

Still need tickets? Get them here.

With Mom's Day and graduation happenings, did you miss celebrating Cinco de Mayo? Well, have no fear, the Cinco de Mayo Lunch Club Menu is here..... every weekday in May at RIS! 

Start with Sopa Azteca -- a spicy tomato soup with avocados and fresh cilantro. Or our signature Scallop Margarita in a lunchtime size - lime marinated scallops with that refreshing tequila ice.

For your main course, there is Pepita Crusted Salmon with shrimp, crab, chiles and lime a la Bob Kinkead. Craving a salad? Try the Grilled Chicken Tortilla Salad with romaine, tomato, jalapeño and cilantro lime crema.

From Chef Sean and our pastry team, end with a Mexican Vanilla Flan with tropical fruit or Horchata Ice Cream adorned with Mexican hot chocolate sauce and wedding cookies. As you know, our Lunch Club Menu is $25 for three tempting courses. Enjoy six lunches and the seventh one is on us!

What better way to accompany this festive menu - tequila for all of our friends!  Try our Strawberry Rhubarb Margarita - Milagro silver, Patron Citronge, rhubarb syrup, fresh strawberries - today on the patio!

At RIS, we enjoy a good foodie challenge. On May 1st, our Wine Director, Leah Cheston (winner of the 2013 International Food and Wine Festival Sommelier Showdown) will battle her husband, Thor Cheston (dubbed “Sir Cheston” after his induction into the Knighthood of the Brewers' Mashstaff) in BEER VS. WINE: THE SHOWDOWN. Get your ringside seat for this head to head challenge as they break their 1-1 record for which is the better pairing for food: wine or beer. Enjoy a five course Springtime farmers market menu by Chef Ris, accompanied by a wine and a beer pairing for each course. Cast your vote and help settle the score between this restaurant power couple as to which is the winning libation! The evening promises to be both educational and entertaining. Cost is $125 per person plus gratuity and tax. The evening will begin with beer and wine cocktails in our Café at 6:30pm, followed by dinner in our Federal Room at 7pm. Spaces are limited, tickets are available for purchase online.

Are you enjoying the beautiful Spring sunshine? Easter is right around the corner, and we hope that you will include us in your Easter Sunday plans. We will have Sunday brunch from 10 am to 3pm, late lunch from 3 to 5pm, and dinner service from 5-9pm. We will offer our full a la carte menu, but Chef also has some specials just for the day featuring lamb, ham and more.

Cream of Artichoke Soup will be served with jumbo lump crab and fennel crisps. Our Salmon and Eggs appetizer is a great plate of nibbles - deviled egg crostini, salmon tillettes, pickled egg, cured salmon and pickled carrots. Baked Ginger Pineapple Glazed Ham will be accommpanied by classic scalloped Gruyere potatoes, asparagus, peas and carrots. Rack of American Lamb will be served with feta potato gratin, spinach and Shiraz sauce. Finally, an old-fashioned carrot cake will be adorned with pineapple sorbet and caramel rum raisins.

Still looking for Easter basket fillers? RIS Gift Cards are a treat that everyone can enjoy, available in all denominations. We also still have a handful of spaces available for our egg dyeing event tomorrow (Saturday 3/30) from 11 to 2. RSVP to natalie@risdc.com for seats! 

Are you ready for one of our favorite annual events? The Pink Tie Party is tomorrow, March 20, at the downtown Renaissance Hotel. Chef Ris and company will be serving springtime treats - Egg Salad Sliders with pickled carrot salad. Get your pink ties and party dresses out to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the National Cherry Blossom with us. Proceeds from this event benefit the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the beauty of nature and international friendship through year-round programs, events, and educational initiatives that enhance our environment, showcase arts and culture, and build community spirit. If you don't have your tickets yet, get them here.

March is here and we are celebrating all things green! This month's RIS Lunch Club Series celebrates the luck of the Irish and also the Girl Scouts. Join us for three green courses for the lucky price of $25, weekdays from 11:30am to 3pm.

Two delicious appetizer choices are a nod to the Irish: Guinness Cured Salmon with dill cream, pickled onions and Irish oatmeal scone, and Cashel Blue Tartine with wilted cabbage, bacon, rye toast and raisin jam. For entrees, enjoy our Fish and Chips, accompanied by malt vinegar, cole slaw and tartar sauce. And what would a St. Patty's menu be without Corned Beef and Cabbage - carrots, beets, potatoes and horseradish cream. 

From our pastry team, we have Lucky Charm Ice Cream - Guiness and Bailey's Irish Cream with Irish whiskey caramel and Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. We are excited to celebrate the Girl Scouts with a Girl Scout Smile Pie - key lime pie with Samoa and Savannah Smiles cookie crust, coconut cream and mango sorbet. $1 from each Girl Scout Smile Pie sold through the month of March will go to the Girl Scouts SHARE Family Giving Program.

Join us any lucky day in March to enjoy these great specials!  

Thank you to everyone who has voted for us in Washington City Paper's Best of 2013 poll. If you haven't already, it's time to rally and show your love with less than two days left to vote!

Fun categories include Best Place Best Place for the Obamas' Next Date Night, Best Place to Eat at the Bar, Best Place to Take a Foodie.. and more!

American society has witnessed a cycle of cocktails becoming en vogue over the past century. The slings, fizzes, toddies, gave way to Manhattans and gin martinis and rickeys. Post prohibition led the way for the vodka craze and allowed for fun stories of a girl from Tijuana named Margarita and tales of Hemingway sipping on Daiquiris in the islands.  Alas, we have watched classic cocktails become after thoughts. How many times have you ordered a cocktail only to receive an overly sweet or poorly made concoction using old limes, rancid tonic, flavorless juices and olives?

Thankfully, about fifteen years ago, a new generation of bartenders have revived the classic methods of preparing a cocktail. It has taken some time, but the new standard in restaurants, bars and lounges is to use fresh and high quality ingredients.  It is only fitting the next group of mixologists would want us to enjoy their laborious efforts with food.

Join the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF) at RIS, this Thursday, February 28, to experience an extraordinary tasting of handcrafted cocktails using only American artisanal produced spirits from The American Still Life Collection. You will enjoy five courses prepared by Chef Ris paired with six different libations created by Dan Searing, local mixologist and author of “The Punch Bowl”. Tickets are still available, get yours here.

Only 3 seats remain at Dine In With WCR. Enjoy a five course dinner, created by some of DC's most talented women chefs. This fabulous experience will be served in the luxury and comfort of one particular chef's home. Join us on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Chefs creating this five‐course dinner include: Ruth Gresser of Pizzeria Paradiso, Jamie Leeds from Hank's Oyster Bar, Janis McLean of Social Reform Kitchen & Bar, Shannon Overmiller from The Majestic, Kate Jansen and Tracy O’Grady from Willow Restaurant and our Chef Ris! This is an exclusive event, so space is limited to a total of 24 seats. Reservations are $250 per person. For more about Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR), visit their website.

We love February as we celebrate the heart - with both Valentine's Day and American Heart Month. Love your heart by enjoying this month's RIS Lunch Club Series Menu, "I Love Lunch." And at $25 for three courses, you'll love the price, too!

Start with Sweet Potato Bourbon Soup kissed with spiced pecans and orange cream. Sweet potatoes are a source of potassium, one of the important electrolytes that help regulate heartbeat and nerve signals.

Everyone knows that the Omega-3 fatty acids from fish benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of — or who have — cardiovascular disease. Our Red Snapper Sashimi with grapefruit gastrique, ginger and hazelnut is a light, flavorful appetizer. Our Mustard Crusted Salmon entrée is accompanied by French green lentils, kale and creamed shallots, roasted Portobello mushrooms, onions and red wine sauce. Lamb is good for health conscious people, as it is a source of ‘good fat’ in the body and has less saturated fat than other meat products. The Grilled Leg of Lamb is served on wheat berries with carrot, yogurt, pomegranate and pine nuts.

Here's some delicious heart news: a recent study found that those consuming the highest levels of chocolate had a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease compared to those with lower chocolate intakes. Try the Chocolate Sorbet with cocoa nib cookies. Our Ricotta Cheese Cake with pistachios, orange, pomegranate,honey and dates is a good pick as ricotta cheese is lower in fat and  you also get a dose of heart-healthy omega-3's.  

Try this menu with a glass of Malbec from Chateau Haut-Monplaisir in Cahors, France. Red wine contains resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant compound which protects your heart and arteries against the effects of saturated fat in your diet. The February Lunch Club menu will begin after Restaurant Week on Monday, February 11th, and is available weekdays from 11:30am to 3pm. Be good to your heart, your belly and your wallet!

Good Monday Morning, Washingtonians!

Now that your Super Bowl victory hangover has worn off, it's time to focus on the next big event in the DMV, Restaurant Week. Today is Day 1, and we are excited to see everyone this week.

Chef Ris has written a fresh farm-to-table menu with those great $20.13 lunch and $35.13 dinner prices. We also have a $35 Wine List to accompany your dining experience. Reservations are still available. Our wonderful staff awaits you - what day are you joining us? 

One of our favorite annual events is the "Turn Up the Heat: A Celebration of Women Chefs!" Gala, benefiting the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA). Join Chef Ris and an all-star cast of female chefs for the 8th annual event on Monday, February 4 at our neighborhood Ritz-Carlton. Put on your best party teal (the color of ovarian cancer awareness) and bring your appetite for a delicious evening! Get your tickets today!

With all of the inauguration buzz going on, did you forget that Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week is right around the corner from February 4 to 10? Chef Ris is offering a wonderful Winter menu at those great $20.13 lunch and $35.13 rates. Check it out by clicking the sidebar link on this page. And what better accompaniment to this special selection than a handpicked Wine List from our Wine Director, Leah Cheston, also economically priced at $35 per bottle.

Tables are being snapped up quickly so call today for preferred reservations. Large groups are welcome, so bring your family and friends. See you soon!