BEWITCHING SWEETS

[FRIDAY: ADAM'S APPLE PANINI]
Mello Out
Homemade marshmallows, egg-washed brioche and artisan cheeses all come into play on this panini carte. 2 E. Federal St., Middleburg; 540-687-8635; www.melloout.com. Under $12 ($). Open for breakfast and lunch daily.

[WEDNESDAY: HAPPY HOUR]
Bittersweet
Fresh-baked sweets are tough to beat. But Bittersweet lays it on thick with nightly discounts—assorted drinks/confectionary pairings run $3 to $5—on jumbo cookies (signature Azteca combines oatmeal, shredded coconut and chocolate chips), bars (Congo yields gooey-sweet gobs of crushed graham crackers and caramel), cupcakes (white cake capped with caramel frosting and toffee chips is the tops), cake slices and fro-yo. 823 King St., Alexandria; 703-549-2708; www.bittersweetcatering.com. Under $12 ($). Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

[SUNDAY: LATE-NIGHT]
Buzz
Frou-frou java might be fine for daylight hours, but the weekend’s last hurrah calls for something special. Enter Buzz’s affogato—a still-steaming shot of spot-brewed espresso cascaded over homemade ice cream (vanilla imbues spicy-sweetness, chocolate dissolves into a mocha-like experience). Add caramel-frosted banana bread (so durn good) or a 9:30 Club cupcake (a chocolate triple-threat) for the sweetest ending ever. 901 Slaters Lane, Alexandria; 703-600-2899; www.buzzonslaters.com. Under $12 ($). Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night dining daily.

HAPPY HOUR

[FRIDAY: TUSCAN TASTERS]
BRIO Tuscan Grille
Being stuck at the mall becomes completely bearable once BRIO’s “Tuscan tasters” roll around (available 3-7 p.m., 9-close, Monday through Friday). The half-price snacks ($2.95 per portion) don’t skimp on flavor, including: an herb-flecked shrimp and fried eggplant duo buoyed by zesty pepper-cream sauce, shaved steak, caramelized onions and gorgonzola cuddled up on bruschetta and Marsala-soaked polpette bobbing in creamy polenta. 7854-L Tysons Corner Center, McLean; 703-288-8882; www.brioitalian.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner daily, late-night dining Friday and Saturday.

[THURSDAY: THAI DIM SUM]
Duangrat’s
The mix-and-match flavors of traditional Thai cooking lend themselves to experimentation. And Duangrat’s invites guests along for the ride with their ever-evolving small plates selections (31 dishes; available from 5-6:30 p.m. weekdays). Innovations range from the curious (deep-fried tofu and tamarind sauce take deviled eggs in wild new directions) to common sense (black-peppered shrimp and lobster rolls come full circle with sweet-and-sour sauce). 5878 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church; 703-820-5775; www.duangrats.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

[TUESDAY: TAPPY HOUR]
Columbus Grill
Co-opting tapas may be trendy these days, but the Portuguese have had the inside track on tantalizing small plates for centuries. Columbus Grill whets the appetite with over a dozen “tappy hour” temptations, including: zucchini baked beneath bubbling provolone, Sriracha-spiked scallops parked atop chorizo-laced cannellini beans (increvil), beef tenderloin-bacon-molten mozzarella bundles (warm the soul) and fried codfish cakes (so-so). 8349 Centreville Road, Manassas; 703-330-3001; www.columbusgrill.net. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch, dinner and late-night dining daily.

[SUNDAY: SUPERMUGS]
Chef Geoff’s–Tysons
“That’s the best $5 burger I ever had,” a Chef Geoff’s reveler raves between bites of gourmet toppings-laden beef. In actuality, it’s $5.95 (from 3-7 p.m. daily). But the added pennies mean nothing to the Supermug-toting masses—they who gleefully drain 33.8-ounce brews ($7.95) drawn from nearly three dozen draft lines—looking to make the most of the waning weekend hours. 8045 Leesburg Pike, Vienna; 571-282-6003; www.chefgeoff.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sunday.

[SATURDAY: CHICKEN CHEESESTEAK]
Bistro Bistro
Bistro Bistro has a new Sterling spinoff, but it’s business as usual in Shirlington come quitting time. Regulars file in for discount refreshments—$2 domestics, $3.50 craft brews and $3.95 rails are poured 3-8 p.m.—and no-nonsense nibbles. Crunchy flounder and plank-like steak fries stem the tide of hunger, while seasoned chicken, grilled peppers and gooey mozzarella seek refuge within crusty rolls. Multiple NoVA locations; www.bistro-bistro.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for Lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner daily, brunch Sunday.

BOUNDLESS EATS

[WEDNESDAY: PASTA NIGHT]
Food Matters
Cameron Station becomes carbo-load central during Food Matter’s weekly pasta party. For $18, guests can sample a trio of homemade pastas (typically, one vegetarian, one meat and one seafood/mixed protein) like: baked orecchiette bound by a heavenly fontina-mozzarella blend, fettuccine wound around mushroom cream-drenched chicken and carrots or orzo studded with sundried tomatoes, watercress and green olives (very Mediterranean). 4906 Brenman Park Drive, Alexandria; 703-461-3663; www.foodmattersva.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday, brunch Saturday and Sunday.

[SATURDAY: MIDNIGHT MUCH]
Bugsy’s
Bugsy’s “Midnight Munch” buffet ($6.95) grants night owls access to revolving deep-dish pizzas plus a salad bar (standard greens, vegetables and dressings) for just a hair more than your average jumbo slice. Pepperoni pies spit spice and oil (classic) while the farmers market provides plenty to chew on (crunchy peppers, piquant onions, meaty ‘shrooms). Pool the savings and split a pitcher. 111 King St., Alexandria; 703-683-0313; www.bugsyspizza.com. Average entree: Under $12 ($). Open for lunch and dinner daily, late-night dining Friday and Saturday.

[THURSDAY: LUNCH]
Alf Laylah
Unlimited steak, chicken and/or lamb skewers for not a lot of green? I’m tickled medium-rare pink. 13975 Metrotech Drive, Chantilly; 703-378-6677; www.alflaylah.com. Average entree: Under $12 ($). Open for lunch Monday through Friday, dinner and late-night dining daily.

LATE-NIGHT

[FRIDAY: OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL]
Hank’s Oyster Bar
Whether you come in search of discount drinks, eats or aphrodisiacs, Hank’s late-night menu (available 11 p.m.-1 a.m., Friday and Saturday) has got you covered. One-dollar oysters—freshly shucked specimens include Rappahannock River and Olde Salt oysters from here in Virginia—are top sellers. But don’t miss chef/owner Jamie Leeds’ chili-powdered chicken (dark meat fried to a ruddy finish and served with zesty remoulade). 1026 King St., Alexandria; 703-739-4265; www.hanksdc.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$).Open for dinner, Tuesday through Sunday, late-night dining Friday and Saturday.

[WEDNESDAY]
McCormick & Schmick’s/M & S Grill
When night falls so do M&S’s prices, particularly the bar’s fun and filling finger foods (all under $5). Many locations follow a similar program—ahi tuna bites (well wasabied), Buffalo wings (fiery), sliders—but Reston’s grill ups the ante with brilliant pot roast creations (unctuous beef joins sauteed peppers and onions in tacos; same meat, roasted corn and pico perk up nachos). Multiple NoVA locations; www.mccormickandschmicks.com. Average entree: $21 to $30 ($$$). Check locations for times.

[MONDAY: AFTERNOON DELIGHT]
Clyde’s
An encore of “Afternoon Delights” specials—bar snacks rolled out for happy hour and again after 10 p.m.—staves off hunger till last call. Staff point to the half-pound cheeseburger ($5, or roughly half off) as a perennial favorite. I’m partial to the crab cake sandwich (zesty tartar sauce is tops) and chicken sandwich #1 (grilled bird, lusty bacon, mellow Muenster). Multiple NoVA locations; www.clydes.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Check locations for times.

[TUESDAY: FRIED CHICKEN]
Bon Chon Chicken
Fried chicken is fried chicken, right? Wrong. While Korean chicken joints continue clawing their way into Northern Virginia (see: Cheogajip, Chicken & Beer), Bon Chon’s greaseless birds lead the pack. Each piece is fried twice—once, to seal in the natural juices, then again to secure an unparalleled crunch—and lightly brushed with signature marinades (soy-garlic is subtly sweet; spicy looses creeper heat). 6653 Little River Turnpike, #H, Annandale; 703-750-1424; www.bonchon.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner daily, late-night dining Monday through Saturday.

[THURSDAY: CHILI HALF-SMOKE]
Hard Times Cafe
It used to be that any after-hour, half-smoke cravings—that iconic half-pork, half-beef link—meant battling your way to the urban grill Ben Ali made famous. No longer. Hard Times Café is now courting the half-smoke faithful with a quarter-pound sausage (same supplier as Ben’s Chili Bowl) that’s plump as all get out and gratifyingly spicy. Look, Ma, no multijurisdictional DUI hassles. Multiple NoVA locations; www.hardtimes.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Check locations for times.

[SATURDAY: MIDNIGHT MUNCH]
Bugsy’s
What do extended families, 20-something couples and bands of beer-draining buddies have in common? Bugsy’s “Midnight Munch.” 111 King St., Alexandria; 703-683-0313; www.bugsyspizza.com. Average entree: Under $12 ($). Open for lunch and dinner daily, late-night dining Friday and Saturday.

[SUNDAY: LATE-NIGHT]
Buzz
Yes, they’ve got cupcakes (red velvet rocks!), pies and sweets (cake-aroons, anyone?). But have you affogatoed? 901 Slaters Lane, Alexandria; 703-600-2899; www.buzzonslaters.com. Average entree: Under $12 ($). Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night dining daily.

DINNER

[SATURDAY: NEHARI]
Ravi Kabob
This Pakistani pleaser doles out tantalizing specials (curried lamb, seasoned spinach, stewed peas) like clockwork, reserving delicacies (mixed trotters) for weekend guests. “This will warm you up, all day and night,” one server chuckled as he doled out chunks of curried beef shank (fire in the hole!). But it’s the hallem—a pulse-racing puree of ground chicken, beans and wheat—that keeps me coming back. Multiple NoVA locations; www.ravikabobusa.com. Average entree: Under 12 ($). Open for lunch and dinner daily, late-night dining Friday and Saturday.

[TUESDAY: STEAK NIGHT]
Iron Bridge Wine Company
If it’s Tuesday, the knives are out at Iron Bridge. The steak knives, that is. The wine haven fires up a rotating trio of tender-to-a-fault meats—featured acts have run the gamut from NY strip au poivre to cherry cornbread-stuffed pork chops to seared ribeye parked atop Hoppin’ John (terrifically tomatoed bed of fluffy rice and black-eyed peas]—and a starter (soup or salad) for $20.10. 29 Main St., Warrenton; 540-349-9339; www.ironbridgewine.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner daily.

[FRIDAY: 12-COURSE TASTING MENU]
Kora
The components of Kora’s 12-course tasting menu are no psychedelic, single-bite museum pieces. We’re talking generous forkfuls of classic Italian culinaria sans the fashionably inflated price tags familiar to avant-garde dining enthusiasts. Chef Amadou Ouattara works wonders with vegetables (beet gastrique complements spiced squash), meats (prosciutto and sage envelop tender veal) and seafood (roast salmon swims in saffron orzo). 2250-B Crystal Drive, Arlington; 571-431-7090; www.korarestaurant.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch, Monday through Friday, dinner, Sunday through Thursday, late-night dining, Friday and Saturday, brunch Sunday.

[THURSDAY: 3-COURSE "EARLY" MENU]
Element
While Element’s three-course menu ($15; available Tuesday through Thursday) alternates, the faces in the tightly knit dining room remain fairly static. Wise locals. Offerings range from mustard-swabbed salmon over noodles to Southwestern chicken and black beans to cooked-to-order sirloin parked atop pureed celeriac (sops up the pepper-laced au jus with gusto). A dynamite black olive-anchovy tapenade makes the Caesar a must-try. 206 S. Royal Ave., Front Royal; 540-636-9293; www.jsgourmet.com. Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for dinner, Tuesday through Saturday.

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