Food & Wine

Jody Kurash • February 18, 2016

Aaaahhhhh! I let out a deep sigh as I leaned back in the cushy, raised lounge chair which served as a barstool at One-Eyed Jack’s, the newest bar-restaurant in Moalboal, a lazy beach town on the west side of Cebu island in the Philippines. I spent the entire day diving, watched a vibrant sunset and now I was eager to enjoy an evening cocktail.

Before I had the chance to talk to a bartender, my eyes were immediately drawn upwards to the drink list scratched onto chalkboards above the bar. Being a spirits writer, my eyes are always on the lookout for a cocktail menu, but this seemed a little too easy to spot. As it turns out, it was. After meeting the owner, Wayne Bruey, I discovered that the menu was specifically positioned to be in direct eye contact with customers lazing about on the comfy chairs. This is my kind of bar, I decided.

While many of the selections were geared towards the “party hardy” crowd, I found a few gems. I quickly found out that the positioning of the recliners and overhead menu was not the only visual trick in this joint. Colorful layered drinks appeared to be their specialty.

Take for example, the reggae-inspired Bob Marley, a tricolored offering that mimicked the hues of the Rastafarian flag. I watched as bartender Jocel Dionaldo carefully layered this creation with red, orange then green. After sipping one of these tipples, it was easy to determine that the red came from grenadine and the yellow was fresh fruit juice. But the green had me perplexed. I detected notes of candied orange and an oaky vanilla vibe, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. The flavor didn’t match any green liqueurs that I was familiar with, plus this drink packed a kick, so I ascertained there was some type of hard liquor.

I soon learned that the jungle-green layer was created from the mahogany color of barrel-aged rum blended with bright blue curacao. Being a rum lover, I was intrigued by the local Philippine rum, Tanduay. Their 5-year dark offering had the typical dark sugary and mature flavor, but it finished with slightly nutty and smoky notes.

Another visual trick was the Shark Bite. On an island catering to divers and famous for its population of whale and thresher sharks, a shark bite may be the last thing a visitor wants to experience, but at Jack’s it was a pleasurable experience.

This drink had an added bit of showmanship. It was forged by inverting a shot glass of vibrant grenadine in a tumbler, then filling the glass to the brim with ocean-blue curacao. For the performance, Wayne carefully removed the inverted shot glass, allowing the grenadine to mingle with the curacao, creating the illusion of blood seeping into the sea.

The other peculiar drink that caught my taste buds was the Duck Fart. I never got a good explanation for the name, but it featured a layered combination of Kahlua, Baileys Irish Cream and Jack Daniels. It had a sweet coffee shop smell but with lingering scents of a whiskey bar. Truly an international effort (Mexico, Ireland and USA), this concoction started off with a strong bourbon smack that was followed by the mellow notes of the coffee and cream liqueurs.

During my weeklong holiday, I managed to make it through the cocktail list, all the while enjoying the local brew, San Miguel. With live music and tasty American comfort food, like chilidogs, tacos and massive plates of fish and chips, One-Eyed Jack’s offers a bit of home for a westerner living (or vacationing) in the Philippines. Wayne hails from Austin, Texas, and he compared the people of Cebu with his crowd from Texas. “Like Austin,” he said, “The locals here love to sing and have fun and enjoy life.” And I certainly found a lot to enjoy at this rustic seashore spot.

The Bob Marley

1 part grenadine (Stirrings or homemade preferred)

1 part orange juice

1 part aged rum (I prefer Flor de Cana) mixed with blue curacao to form a green color

1. Pour the grenadine into the bottom of a narrow liqueur glass.
2. Using a spoon, gently touch the bottom layer and slowly pour the juice over to form the next layer.
3. Repeat the second step using the rum-curacao mixture.

If done correctly, this will form a layered cocktail.
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Colleen Evans •

Let’s face it. A pot of delicious-smelling chicken soup simmering on the stove brings back childhood memories of days spent home in bed. Cooking, blending and infusing for hours, a whole chicken, vegetables and herbs transform water into a flavorful and soul-satisfying soup, the basis of a tasty, warming meal.

The Georgetowner recently went in search of chicken soup recipes — some with pasta and others with matzo balls, rice, tapioca, even Indian spices. Chock-full of vitamin-C-packed veggies to boost immune systems and ward off illness, these are the kind of recipes that will be your go-to flu- and cold-fighting meals this winter.

Fairmont executive chef Mark Timms believes that “it’s all about the [chicken stock] base” in his succulent soup. “A rich homemade stock makes all the difference in the end result,” says Timms. “Once you have a savory base, you’ve got a winning, satisfying soup.”

Newseum executive chef Tom Blundell’s “Getting All Better” soup has lentils and a little horseradish. And he doesn’t spare the carbs, putting in both rice and rich egg noodles. A menu staple at Firefly in Kimpton’s Hotel Madera is chicken matzoh ball soup, with light, airy matzoh balls in a rich broth.

Billy Martin, owner of Georgetown’s beloved Martin’s Tavern, serves Grandma Martin’s chicken soup, the recipe dating back to the 1930s. Billy noted that Grandpa Martin added his own secret ingredient to the soup to relieve some of his cold symptoms: a tablespoon of Irish whiskey (really, just a tablespoon?).

The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon’s executive chef Sriram Hariharan bases his Indian chicken soup on his mother’s recipe, handed down from generation to generation. It highlights some unique Indian spices with known health benefits, such as turmeric, cumin, cloves, coriander and cinnamon.

St. Regis executive chef Andrew Roche, meanwhile, likes his soup classic. It’s a favorite with the hotel’s younger set and has a big fan base in guests feeling under the weather. (In fact, it’s so loved by guests that some ask for a container to go when they check out.)

Maman Samake, mom of executive chef Yves Samake at the Ritz-Carlton, always used tapioca in her soup, a tradition Samake has continued by featuring the soup on the hotel’s catering and banquet menu. “Tapioca has a rich composition of good carbs, vitamins and minerals that makes it a rich and healthy option,” says Samake. According to the hotel’s catering guru Annie Boutin-King, Samake’s soup is so popular it is often requested during the winter months as the soup course for high-level social and corporate events menus.

But are these chefs (and grandma) right to include a steaming hot bowl of chicken soup for what ails you? Is it really the best remedy for a cold?

“Research has shown that chicken soup may have anti-inflammatory properties which help reduce or help you cope better with cold symptoms,” said Suzanne Doud Galli, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. “Chicken soup helps people dealing with cold and flu symptoms stay hydrated, the soup’s salt and steam help soothe passageways in the nose and throat — all playing a big role in the cold sufferer’s recovery. Homemade broth is less salty then the commercial brands, so it makes a much better choice. It’s packed with protein-rich chicken and healthy, fresh, vitamin-rich ingredients and antioxidants like carrots, onions, celery, which also help build the immune system.”

So there you have it — soups that kick like winter’s aphrodisiac.

You don’t need to have a cold to enjoy these soups; they’re nutritious and wonderful comfort food for getting through the cold dreary days of February. But if you are one of the unlucky ones who comes down with the flu or a cold, prepare one of these satisfying recipes — or better yet find a sympathetic friend to make a batch — and see if you don’t feel half human and healthy again.

And to add some points to your good-karma score, make a big pot of your favorite recipe “to go and share” if you have a friend or neighbor who’s sick. That’s definitely something good for the cold and your soul. [gallery ids="102235,129414" nav="thumbs"]

Jody Kurash •

Cinco de Mayo, trips to Mexico, summer, the beach, winter, spring and fall … these are all good occasions to drink a margarita. Obviously, I really don’t need a reason to imbibe one of my favorite (when prepared correctly) cocktails.

There’s something irresistible about the agave tang of good tequila — combined with the tartness of fresh lime, balanced out with a hint of sweetness and finished with the salty smack from the salted rim of my glass.

For those who may be a bit hesitant to sip this classic tipple in the dead of winter, I’m offering an justification that cannot be questioned: Feb. 22 is National Margarita Day.

The margarita — a mixture of tequila, lime and orange liqueur — is an uncomplicated drink. While countless varieties abound (think frozen, flavored and fruited), the basic recipe is an enduring masterwork that continues to stand the test of time.

Mystery surrounds the birth of the margarita and speculation has swirled about its inventor. Perhaps the most credible story is that Carlos “Danny” Herrera invented it at his Tijuana-area restaurant, Rancho La Gloria, around 1938, for one of his customers: part-time actress and showgirl Marjorie King, who was allergic to all hard alcohol other than tequila. He combined the elements of a traditional tequila shot — salt and lime — and turned them into a delightful drink.

When Hererra died in 1992 in San Diego, the Associated Press referred to him as the man “known locally as the man who topped a tequila concoction with salt and called it a Margarita.”

Speaking of showbiz, one story claims the drink was named after actress Rita Hayworth, whose real name was Margarita Cansino, in the 1930s, before she adopted her screen name. As a teenager, she worked as a dancer at the Foreign Club in Tijuana. Another tale alleges that it was invented in honor of singer Peggy (Margaret) Lee in Galveston, Texas.

Another credible contender, according to Smithsonian magazine, is Margarita Sames, a Dallas socialite who claimed she whipped up the drink for friends at her Acapulco vacation home. Among her well-connected guests was Nicky Hilton (Conrad, Jr.), who got the drink added to the bar menu at his dad’s hotel chain.

Whatever story is true, we do know from the oral history of people who drank margaritas that the cocktail was concocted sometime in the 1930s.

The frozen margarita was invented in 1971 when Mexican-American restaurateur Mariano Martinez converted a soft-serve ice cream unit into a frozen margarita machine at his restaurant in Dallas. The original machine is part of the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Rumors aside, National Margarita Day is a superb reason to treat yourself to the perfect combination of sweet, salty, sour and bitter.

Being a cocktail town, D.C. has no shortage of places to celebrate on Feb. 22. Zagat, the food bible, recommends El Chucho in Columbia Heights and José Andrés’s Oyamel Cocina Mexicana in Penn Quarter. Yelp reviewers ranked Tico DC in the U Street corridor as having the number-one margarita, with Georgetown’s El Centro D.F., coming in at number four. Eater DC gives props to Aqua 301 near the Navy Yard.

If you prefer to mix your own, the key thing to remember is that the margarita is a simple drink. There’s no need to get fussy. Just be sure to use fresh lime juice and good liquor.

The Margarita

Recipe from the International Bartenders Association

1.5 ounces Tequila
I enjoy a bold flavor, so I use reposado tequila. If you prefer a milder taste, use silver. Only use 100 percent agave tequila. I like La Certeza or Cazadores.
1/2 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 ounce orange liqueur
I’m fond of Solerno blood orange liqueur, but Cointreau is also a great choice.

Pour the tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur into a shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with crusted salt (optional).

Georgetowner • January 27, 2016

MGM National Harbor Casino has enlisted an impressive list of renowned chefs to open restaurants there. Jose Andres plans to open Fish by Jose Andres, a seafood restaurant offering sushi, tempura and cocktail bars. Marcus Samuelsson plans to open Marcus, featuring his signature whole fried chicken, as well as Swedish and Ethiopian dishes, a salute to his heritage(s). The brothers Voltaggio (Bryan of Volt, Range, Aggio, and Family Meal; and Michael of ink and ink.sack in Los Angeles) will team up for the first time and open a steakhouse, targeted for third or fourth quarter of 2016.

Chef and GM Update: Vicki Reh is now chef and wine director at Via Umbria at 1525 Wisconsin Ave. NW in Georgetown. She shares chef duties with Jodi Seiner. It’s a market and café with private dining space and a soon-to-open art gallery. Owners are Susan and Bill Menard … Mark Slater, formerly of Bastille and Citronelle, runs the wine program at Pennsylvania 6 at 1350 Eye St. NW, where Tuscana West used to be. Philadelphia-based Public House Investments owns and operates City Tap House at Ninth and I Street NW, as well as Pennsylvania 6 … Jeremy Waybright, formerly of Boss Shepherd’s is now chef de cuisine at Range at the Chevy Chase Pavilion … That may be because Mattie McGhee, former chef de cuisine at Range, is now at The Watergate Hotel … Megan Coyle, formerly of Hank’s Oyster Bar, is general manager of Twisted Horn in Petworth … Thomas Harvey, formerly of Palena, is the new executive chef at The Partisan in Penn Quarter.

Quick Hits: Jrink owners Shizo Okusa and Jennifer Ngai will open their second Jrink at 2201 14th St. NW in The Jefferson. The original is in Foggy Bottom … Ten Penh lives again. PassionFood Hospitality will open their Asian themed restaurant at the Silverline Center in Tysons Corner in 2016 … Ivan Iricanin will open another Ambar at 1547 Seventh St. NW. The original is on 523 Eighth St. SE on Barracks Row. He also owns and operates an Ambar in Belgrade, Serbia, which is home for this Balkan restaurant concept.

Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the hospitality industry, providing creative connections through media relations, marketing initiatives, community outreach and special events. Reach her at Linda@LindaRothPR.com, lindarothpr.com or #LindaRothPR.

Jody Kurash • January 11, 2016

The December holidays are a time for indulgence, and — though it’s been villainized in recent years by the calorie police — a glass of spiked eggnog is a sure-fire way to get into the spirit. Insist on counting calories? Then pass on the fruitcake (and the trays of same-old-same-old cookies), and enjoy a creamy nip of spiced nog.

Eggnog dates back to pre-colonial times in England, where it was popular with the aristocracy. Dairy products like milk and eggs were costly and scarce — as were the alcoholic ingredients mixed with them, such as brandy, sherry and Madeira.

Eggnog and its holiday associations began after the drink crossed the pond. Dairy products were plentiful in the colonies, and rum (which was inexpensive due to the triangular trade) was used to spike it. When the Caribbean rum supply dwindled after we declared our independence, domestically produced whiskey or rum was substituted.

According to kitchen records from Mount Vernon, eggnog was a popular drink for George Washington to serve his guests. His version was not for the fainthearted; it included brandy, rum, rye whiskey and sherry.

Today, with the craft cocktail revolution, creative versions of eggnog abound. Several D.C.–area locales are offering their own distinctive takes on this holiday-season classic.

The most potent version just might be the Egg-N-Grog at Capital Hill’s Balkan restaurant, Ambar. Mixologist Rico Wisner’s version is made from a combination of Hennessy Black, Ron Zacapa, Chairman’s Reserve spiced rum, Hidalgo Oloroso sherry, spiced syrup, whole egg and milk. It will be available until Serbian Christmas (Jan. 7, if you didn’t know).

If the cold weather of December makes you shiver and crave a tropical treat, the next best thing to an island getaway is Puerto Rico’s version of the seasonal staple. From the land that birthed the piña colada comes the coquito, an eggnog-like drink constructed from rum, coconut milk, sweet condensed milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Latin hot spot Cuba Libre makes a delightful version featuring coconut rum and cinnamon with a toasted coconut rim.

Perhaps the most well-planned version can be found at Magnolia’s on King in Old Town Alexandria. Way back in August, mixologist Zachary Faden bottled eggnog using bourbon, rum and rye and mezcal. These cocktails have been bottle-conditioned for four months, which allows the booze to break down the proteins, round out the drink and provide a silky mouthfeel.

Finally, for sheer holiday indulgence, hop a train to Metro Center and visit the ever-elegant Bibiana restaurant. Bibiana’s classic eggnog with a twist sports a unique combination of Pedro Ximénez sherry, Bénédictine and Buffalo Trace bourbon. This tipple is part of the restaurant’s extravagant 25 cocktails of Christmas. Bibiana began counting down to the holiday on Nov. 30, introducing a new, seasonally inspired cocktail every evening until Dec. 24. Other festive tipples include the Fichi, made from Maker’s Mark bourbon, pureed figs, maple syrup and vanilla sugar, and the Hazelnut Old Fashioned, made from hazelnut-infused Filibuster bourbon, orange and cherry.

If you prefer to remain in your own abode, you can whip up a batch of eggnog presidential-style. In an article about the history of eggnog, Time magazine published George Washington’s recipe. Apparently the original did not specify the exact number of eggs, but Time suggested using a dozen.

George Washington’s Eggnog

1 quart cream

1 quart milk

12 tablespoons sugar

1 pint brandy

1/2 pint rye whiskey

1/2 pint Jamaica rum

1/4 pint sherry

Mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of 12 eggs. Add sugar to beaten yolks and mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.

Richard Selden •

East of Tuscany, in the Apennine Mountains, Umbria is known as il cuore verde d’Italia: the green heart of Italy. Since the fall of 2014, when the Via Umbria store first appeared in Georgetown as a pop-up, that green heart has been beating at 1525 Wisconsin Avenue.

Owners Bill and Suzy Menard (who met while working on Walter Mondale’s presidential campaign) recently launched the store’s galleria, a renovated second-floor space equipped with a professional kitchen, where they hold events to complement the other facets of their Umbria-obsessive business.
On the first floor, the emporio offers a carefully curated selection of Italian wine, olive oil, pasta, specialty foods (including chocolate), kitchen items, linens, glassware, jewelry and — notably — the hand-painted ceramics known as maiolica from Deruta in Umbria, a ceramics center since Etruscan times.
Examples of food and kitchen items are: Verrigni spaghetti with squid ink ($8), Il Boschetto Grigliata sea salt ($12), Mancino flavored olive oil ($16), a pasta slicer ($22.50), bread cutting boards ($50 and $90) and copper two-handled pots ($110, $140 and $165).

For those what want to try living like an Umbrian in Umbria, the Menards rent La Fattoria del Gelso, their eight-bedroom, 18th-century farmhouse in Cannara, a village near Assisi famous for its onion festival. Saturday-to-Saturday rentals go for 3,000 euros in low season and 4,000 in high season.
The Menards, who maintain a kind of cultural dual-citizenship, first bonded with Italy after spending a summer in Fiesole when Bill was a student at Georgetown Law School. They started the shop Bella Italia in Bethesda in 2003, running it for 10 years and purchasing their Cannara farmhouse in 2008.

Among the upcoming events in the galleria are wine dinners on Dec. 7, 8 (Tabarrini vineyards) and 12 (medieval wine dinner with guest chef Robert Van Rens). On Dec. 9, there will be both a cooking class with Dorrie Gleason focusing on crostatas, tarts and fruit pies and a culinary mystery program, “Pasta, Passion, and Poison.” A book club next meets on Dec. 17 to discuss “Hunting Truffles” by Dick Rosano. Italian chef Simone Proietti-Pesci will be in D.C. from Jan. 8 to Jan. 24.

Details, online ordering of emporio items and the Dolce Vita blog are available at viaumbria.com. [gallery ids="102173,132315,132276,132284,132292,132304,132309,132299" nav="thumbs"]

Ari Post •

There is a vitality and subtle whimsy at the heart of Tim Ma’s restaurants that make any experience at one of his tables a gratifying experience.

As a chef, Ma is a tinkerer, and the food he prepares is fresh, bold and always a little playful. His menus traverse between culinary traditions of East and West, classic and contemporary, finding a refreshing balance of flavor and style in unlikely places. As a chef, Ma is a tinkerer, and the food he prepares is fresh, bold and always a little playful.

The first of his dishes I ever ate was a salad of rosemary-­smoked watermelon at Water & Wall, his Ballston location, served over a green tomato puree, dotted with roquefort and microgreens and splashed with honey vinegar. It was a new sensation of flavor. It was also simple and perfect, and so it felt immediately familiar.

I have since eaten a lot of Ma’s food, and I always walk away with a hazy, full­-bellied reverie.

Right now all eyes are on Kyirisan, his first restaurant in the District, slated to open in Shaw early next year, which he is currently developing with his wife and business partner Joey Hernandez. However, just this month, he quietly opened the doors of his newest venture in his own neighborhood of Vienna, Virginia.

Chase the Submarine is a cozy sandwich shop, café and boutique market, which is serving some of the best sandwiches anywhere that Metro can reach.

Tucked in among a row of storefronts off the main drag of Vienna’s downtown, just blocks away from his flagship restaurant Maple Ave (of which he has relinquished creative control to pursue other projects), Chase the Submarine looks from the outside like a standard suburban lunch spot. But all comparisons with the ordinary stop as soon as you walk through the door.

A ceiling-­high pantry displays local beer, wine and assortments of oils and vinegars, mustards and jams, local coffee beans and other odds and ends. Over the counter, the fridge display is stacked with potato salads, coleslaws, and a spread of housemade pickled treats, from cauliflower and cukes, to kimchi and even blueberries (and they are great).

But the sandwiches steal the show at Chase. For his starting lineup of subs, Ma exercised the same tireless grit that you would expect him to exert over a full restaurant menu. Have you ever seen a deli counter with a full kitchen, an industrial gas range and six cooks on staff?

“We started with restaurants, and now we have a sandwich shop,” Ma says. “We’re sort of working backwards in that sense. And we’re bringing all those resources and practices, everything from our restaurant’s kitchen, and cramming it into this totally different environment.”

Chase has the standards: an Italian sub, a pastrami, a chicken salad, a Cubano (sort of) and a stacked vegetarian portobello. But Ma has remastered these classics in his own unique way and brought them back to life for 21st-century foodies. I don’t even like steak and cheese (sorry, Philly), but with thin-sliced rib eye finished perfectly on the grill, this sandwich was crazy good.

The Pork and Pickle is a sort of updated multicultural Cubano, with pineapple-braised pork shoulder, Dijon mustard and gooey Gruyère, topped with pickled apples, dill pickles and (get ready for this) lychee. It is about the most ingenious and tasty combination of flavors you can imagine, and I could eat one every day for the rest of my life.
And the pastrami is something you will wake up thinking about. To make it, Ma house-smokes Wagyu beef brisket, primes the bread with a blend of crème fraîche and mustard and tops it with carrot sauerkraut and pickled shallots. “We have to start curing the brisket about a week ahead,” Ma says. “Then we smoke it, chill it, slice it and touch it on the grill before serving. So you could say it takes seven days to make this sandwich.”

The menu also lets loose with outstanding Asian-inspired numbers, like a Vietnamese bánh mì made with braised pork belly, local ham, pickled daikon and jalapeño oil, and a Korean bulgogi sub with rib eye marinated in Asian pears, topped with kimchi puree and roasted scallions. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the fried veal sweetbreads, served on a long bun with Korean chili paste, pickles and cabbage, is out of this world.

The average price of a sub at Chase is about $9.50. If he wanted to, Ma could remove the bread from most of these sandwiches, stack the ingredients on a plate and serve them as entrees at his restaurant for more than double the price. He probably knows this, but he obviously doesn’t care. Chase the Submarine is a reflection of where he is in his life, who he cares about and how he thinks.

“You can get a little sick of the pretentiousness of fine dining,” he says. “I have three kids now, and Joey and I can’t really take them to any of my other restaurants. Chase is a family-oriented place, a place for parents to come after work and get a bite to eat and beer, and their kids can run around and get something to eat from the kids menu. It’s for everyone, but it’s also just sort of a neighborhood thing.”

The magic of this place is that Ma so effortlessly blends obvious greatness with a “nothing special” modesty. He seems hardly aware of the ambition with which he has already fueled his little sub shop. Already there are off-menu items on a regular basis, showcasing his endless culinary experimentation. “I’m always making something back there,” he laughs. “Just ask.”

He has plans to sell rare ingredients from the back: “Things I use in the kitchen that are hard to get at the grocery store — homemade stocks, unusual cuts of meat, that sort of thing.”

Come spring, he plans to run a CSA out of Chase with weekly proteins and vegetables. There is a butcher’s-block tasting table toward the back of the bar, where he will soon debut a twice-weekly five-course tasting menu for groups of six, with wine pairings and food “inspired by the deli.” I guess we will have to find out what that means, but I’m sure it will be a hell of an adventure.

But even forgoing all of that, Chase the Submarine is something special. It’s the sort of cozy, tasty spot you hope with a guilty conscience never gets too popular, lest it gets lost in the inevitable swarm of foodie fanfare.

Forget about pop­up restaurants, gastropubs and food trucks. Chef Tim Ma has done something truly out of the ordinary and downright awesome, and it’s everything you could want it to be.

Chase the Submarine (132 Church St. NW, Vienna, Virginia) is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information visit www.ChaseTheSubmarine.com. [gallery ids="102191,131587" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

There is more pressure figuring out where to go on New Year’s Eve than on any other holiday, and eating out on New Year’s Eve usually means looking through list upon list of special dinners that every spot in town seems to offer. We compiled some of the best New Year’s Eve dinners to catch our eye this year, just to make your last meal of 2015 a memorable one (but make sure to call ahead for reservations).

Bar Dupont
Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Bar Dupont (1500 New Hampshire Ave. NW) at their annual party. Guests will ring in the New Year with a throwback to the 60s Mad-Men style, with specialty handcrafted cocktails, a Belvedere Ice Bar, cigar rollers and DJs spinning late into the night. Light bites will also be served. Bar Dupont’s location in the center of Washington’s lively Dupont Circle neighborhood and its floor-to-ceiling windows make it a great destination to see and be seen on New Year’s Eve. For more information, call 202-797-0169.

Bistrot Royal
Head to Bistrot Royal (1201 N Royal St., Alexandria, Virginia) and enjoy a three-course prix-fixe dinner for $55 per person. The restaurant will offer a variety of options including roasted beet salad with goat cheese croquette, lettuces, brioche croutons and a shallot vinaigrette, a bouillabaisse with gently simmered market seafood in a saffron-shellfish broth with fennel and potatoes topped with rouille aioli. Finish the meal with Buche de Noel with hazelnut dacquoise, giandjua filling, chocolate ganache and espresso ice cream. For reservations, visit opentable.com/bistrot-royal or call 703-519-9110.

Meet Me at Midnight: Cafe Milano’s New Year’s Eve Bash
Join Cafe Milano (3251 Prospect St. NW) for their New Year’s Eve bash: Meet Me at Midnight. For $160 per person, treat yourself to a special five-course prix-fixe tasting menu and dance the night away. The main event is 9 p.m. until the New Year. A special holiday à la carte menu will be available from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. For reservations, call 202-333-6183.

New Year’s Eve Rooftop Party at Capella D.C.

Bid farewell to 2015 in exquisite style with a multi-course champagne dinner in The Grill Room at Capella (1050 31st St. NW) hosted by executive chef Frank Ruta. With grand cru champagnes from Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart, each sumptuous course will be accompanied by premium champagnes. Then dance the night away under the luminous night sky at the Rooftop New Year’s Eve Party, complete with a Veuve Clicquot champagne bar and a signature cocktail. Toast to the New Year at midnight with a champagne toast while DJ Charles and a percussionist keep the festivities going until 1 a.m.

Dinner is $350 per person. Rooftop Celebration is $100 per person when booked with dinner. Just the Rooftop New Year’s Eve Party is $150 per person. For more information and to make reservations, contact The Grill Room at 202-617-2424 or email
thegrillroom.dc@capellahotels.com.

An ENOrmous New Year’s Eve Celebration at ENO Wine Bar

ENO Wine Bar (2810 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) is hosting their ENOrmous NYE Celebration from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wind down 2015 and ring in the New Year with champagnes from around the world. This ticketed celebration includes: a wine flight from a variety of options, a champagne toast at midnight, choice of a bruschetta flight, including prosciutto di Parma, cherry tomato, mushroom, or bean and kale, or stuffed mushrooms filled with rich, cheesy goodness and so much more. To learn more, visit enowinerooms.com/hotspots/georgetown-d.c.

See The Pimps of Joytime and The Ron Holloway Band at Gypsy Sally’s NYE Show

Come out to Gypsy Sally’s (3401 K St. at Water Street NW) and celebrate New Year’s Eve with The Pimps of Joytime. The show also features The Ron Holloway Band. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance, $38 day of show. To purchase tickets, visit
gypsysallys.com.

RiverBash 2016

New Year’s Eve Party

Come ring in the New Year at the Georgetown Waterfront with Tony & Joe’s (3000 K St. NW) and Nick’s Riverside Grill (3050 K St. NW). Celebrate at #RiverBash2016, the biggest New Year’s party in Washington D.C. Tickets include a five-hour top shelf open bar, two heavy appetizer buffets and entertainment by Josh Burgess Band, DJ VIBzzz and DJ Reuben Vibes. Tickets start at $90 per person. To learn more, visit tonyandjoes.com or email Brett@nicksriversidegrill.com to receive a group promo code.

Linda Roth • November 19, 2015

The dining terrace at Westfield Montgomery Mall continues to diversify, with Asian cuisines for its next two restaurants.

B/BOP/Q Korean Fusion Eatery derives from the traditional Korean bibimbop, but with wraps, tacos and bowls (a la Chipotle and ShopHouse). This will be its first location in the U.S., with Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Honolulu also in the works. It will open across from Shanghai 66 Innovation Kitchen on the second level. Both are slated for late 2015 openings.

C-C-Changes: After completing its renovation, BlackSalt in Palisades reopened to a neighborhood eagerly awaiting its return. The bar area now has booths and art that pops … The Source recently reopened its door after extensive renovation that included both the main level lounge and upper level dining room, and a custom designed hot pot table for four … Ella’s Wood Fired Pizza, at 610 9th St. NW in Penn Quarter, has also recently renovated its look (by Green Owl Design) and its menu.

Chef and GM Update: Jason Richter has been named general manager of Restaurant Associates at the Kennedy Center, overseeing the Roof Terrace Restaurant and KC Café as well as the foodservice operation for banquets. This is the organization that serves dinner for 1,800 for the Kennedy Center Honors. Previously, he was director of hotel operations for the Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. … Ryan Ratino is the new chef de cuisine at Masa 14, at 1825 14th St. NW. The Le Corden Bleu graduate served as executive chef at L’Auberge Provencale in White Post, Virginia.

Internationally recognized Japanese restaurant Nobu is slated to open just two blocks east of Georgetown on M Street in D.C.’s burgeoning West End, on the ground floor of the former American Association of Medical Colleges building, which will be converted to luxury condominiums. … Upstate Tavern is planning to open in 16th Street Heights at 4610-12 14th St. NW.

Openings Update: Union Social opened Oct. 23 in NoMa … American Tandoor at Tysons Corner Center opens Oct. 30 … Matchbox at One Loudoun opens Nov. 16 … Chuy’s Tex-Mex restaurant opens in mid-December, where Macaroni Grill on Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge (Potomac Mills) used to be. It will be their third location in the D.C. metro area … Dave & Buster’s eat/drink/play restaurant/bar/arcade opens Dec. 21 at Springfield Town Center … Milk Bar and Momofuku opened on Oct. 23 at CityCenter D.C. … Not Your Average Joe’s plans to open in Reston Town Center by the end of December and in Silver Spring by the end of the first quarter of 2016 … The Dabney is anticipating a late November opening. Ivy City Smokehouse, from Greg Casten and Ronnie Goodman, is aiming to open by December.

Jody Kurash • November 5, 2015

Halloween and the arrival of fall signify an array of delightful holiday pleasures. Whether you fill a bag of trick-or-treat goodies or carve a pumpkin, it’s the spooky season of amusement.

At one time, Halloween was mostly a child’s holiday, but those days are long gone. According to Fortune magazine, more money — $1.4 billion — will be spent on adult costumes than on children’s costumes (just $1.1 billion). Considering this trend, it’s not surprising that now there are now grown-up versions of your childhood delights.

Being a chocoholic, my favorite girlhood Halloween memories involved foraging through my bag of goodies and discarding or trading all of my non-chocolate loot. Nowadays, my tastes have evolved from Mr. Goodbar and 3 Musketeers to Belgium’s finest. A sophisticated way to satisfy your cravings is a trip to Co Co. Sala chocolate lounge on F Street NW, where the cocktail list boasts a variety of chocolate-infused tipples, including a chocolate malted milk martini, the Libido, which comes with chocolate ice cubes, and the Apollo, prepared with 72-percent dark chocolate.

Perhaps the candy most synonymous with Halloween is a bag of cone-shaped cloyingly sweet candy corn. Better Homes and Gardens magazine reports that George Renninger, a candymaker at the Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia, invented the revolutionary tricolor candy in the 1880s. When candy corn was first produced, it was called “Chicken Feed.” The boxes were illustrated with a colorful rooster logo and a tag line that read “Something worth crowing for.” According to the National Confectioners Association, more than 35 million pounds (or nine billion pieces) of candy corn will be produced this year.

An adult version of this time-honored sweet can be found at Cuba Libre, on 9th Street NW. The restaurant’s Candy Corn Martini is formulated from a combination of vanilla vodka, butterscotch schnapps, crème de cacao and fresh orange juice, which are layered and served in a triangular-shaped martini glass so it resembles the familiar sweet. Guillermo Pernot, Cuba Libre’s chef-partner, says, “The idea for Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar’s festive candy corn martini was inspired by everyone’s favorite Halloween candy, the classic candy corn, but then converting it into a fun seasonal drink … for adults.” As they say in Willy Wonka (quoting Ogden Nash): “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker!”

Another universal symbol of Halloween and fall is pumpkins. Making jack-o’-lanterns is a long standing ritual and pumpkins are also used to make soups, desserts, breads and pies. One of the most anticipated G-rated seasonal inventions is the artificially flavored pumpkin latte from a ubiquitous coffee chain.

A far superior choice to quell your longings is the pumpkin spice margarita from El Centro D.F., in Georgetown and on 14th Street NW. The drink is forged from tequila that has been infused with roasted pumpkin and spices such as nutmeg, allspice, sugar and cinnamon. While these seasonal essences may seem an odd match for tequila, remember that the folks at El Centro are experts at marrying tequila with flavors. Their extensive list of tequila infusions includes grilled pineapple, serrano, lemon tea and strawberry basil.

Another option, which combines pumpkin with another fall staple, apple, is the Oval Room’s Grim Fandango cocktail, named for the video game and made from a combination of Gala apple cider, pumpkin puree, ginger root, honey, brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick and rum.
Finally, to cure your holiday overindulgence ills, head to Macon Bistro and Larder on upper Connecticut Avenue for their Isle of the Dead cocktail, inspired by the classic Corpse Reviver No. 2. The Corpse Reviver family of definitive cocktails were intended as “hair of the dog” hangover cures. Popular during the late 19th and early 20th century, they began to die out after Prohibition. The Corpse Reviver No. 1 and No. 2 were first listed in the “Savoy Cocktail Book” by Harry Craddock in 1930.

The Isle of the Dead is made from a combination of Damoiseau VSOP Rhum, Dubonnet, orange juice, Cointreau and Laphroaig Scotch. The combination of both rum and Scotch should pack a powerful punch — enough to scare the ghosts and goblins away until next year.

Candy Corn Martini

1.25 ounces vanilla vodka

.5 ounce butterscotch schnapps

.5 ounce crème de cacao

2 ounces fresh orange juice

Pour a splash of grenadine slowly over a bar spoon for a layered effect. Garnish with candy corn.