Get excited, folks! Recess is only a few short weeks away, and with this welcome respite from committee hearings and late-night votes comes Restaurant Week, Aug. 16-22. This special week comes but twice a year and allows staffers or anyone operating on a tight budget to wine and dine in the finest restaurants in town without overspending.

This year, several Capitol Hill restaurants will be partaking in Restaurant Week, offering three-course lunches for $20.10 and three-course dinners for $35.10. Beverages, tax and tip are not included.

Senate-side hot spots such as Art and Soul (415 New Jersey Ave. NW) — helmed by Obama pal and Oprah’s former chef Art Smith — and Bistro Bis (15 E St. NW) will be offering the deal, as will Union Station restaurant B. Smith’s (50 Massachusetts Ave. NE). Charlie Palmer Steak (101 Constitution Ave. NW) will also have a special menu, and this eatery rarely skimps when it comes to the prix-fixe menu.

Over on the House side, wine bar Sonoma (223 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) will be opening its doors to the masses, as will the French bistro Montmartre (327 Seventh St. SE). On Barracks Row, Zest Bistro (735 Eighth St. SE) will also be serving a special menu.

No Agoraphobia Here

If you haven’t made it to the new Mediterranean restaurant Agora (1527 17th St. NW), then you’re missing out on some of the best Turkish food in town. The restaurant replaced famed dive bar Jack’s earlier this year and offers an interesting menu and ample outdoor seating. Agora recently announced new happy hour specials, making it all the more affordable.

On Mondays, the eatery offers half-priced bottles of wine from its “Recession Selection,” which features — you guessed it — a handful of lower-cost bottles ranging from $20 to $84.

Agora will also be serving discount cocktails from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Bacardi and Stoli drinks cost a mere $4, while beer drinkers can indulge in $3 beers, including Efes Pilsen, Mythos and Stella Artois.

In addition to drink specials, the restaurant is also selling flatbreads and spreads for $4. Happy hour specials resurface later in the evening. From 11 p.m. until closing, the same cocktail and beer specials apply.