The colder it gets, the hungrier we all are. Here is the info to satisfy all your food and drink cravings.
NATIONAL PEAR MONTH IS UPON US
Pair your next dining experience with a pear-infused dessert or cocktail. Surprisingly, there are actually quite a few dishes and drinks using pears around the city.
Legal Sea Foods currently has a pear sangria on their menu, made with St. George spiced pear liqueur, Pierre Ferrand Ambre cognac, pear vodka, St. Germain, Moscato, lemon and soda.
Red prickly pear sorbetto is on the menu at Dolcezza throughout the month of December.
Astro Doughnuts has a sweet gingerbread pear donut on their winter menu.
Rasika mixologists have concocted the Sania, a drink made with bourbon, spiced pear-infused honey, allspice dram, lime juice, bitters, and fresh thyme.
Iron Gate now offers a pear panna cotta on their dessert menu, complete with candied giber, cinnamon and an almond crumble.
And the most drool-worthy of all? Ambar is now serving a poached pear waffle with caramel sauce at brunch.
DECEMBER EVENTS
Tea at the Willard’s Peacock Alley
Visit the The Willard’s Peacock Alley any day during the month of December from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. (excluding December 24, 25 and 31) for a holiday tea, featuring tea sandwiches and cherry almond tarts, profiteroles, strawberry shortbread cookies, and chocolate tarts. The tea will set you back $65 (or $75 with champagne).
Free Coffee at Gregory’s
Gregorys Coffee will expand on December 5 to its fourth Washington location at 1101 Connecticut Avenue NW, and to celebrate guests can get a free 12-ounce drink (including drip coffee, cold brew, espresso, cortados, cappuccinos and lattes) on that date.
Free champagne at Karma Modern Indian
To celebrate their one year anniversary, all guests at Karma Modern Indian who order an appetizer or entrée will receive a complimentary glass of champagne. Bring on the bubbles.
Family Sundays at Lupo Verde
Lupo Verde is introducing a new Sunday Supper menu, priced at $35 per person for a family-style meal featuring dishes like fried artichokes and seasonal salads, pasta (including my favorite cacio e pepe) and Italian doughnuts as a dessert option.
Hanukkah Latke Brunch / eat.YOGA.drink.
Visit City Tap Dupont on December 9 for a special Hanukkah iteration of their weekend brunch, featuring platters of latkes served with sour cream and applesauce for $8 as well as featured beers from Shmaltz Brewing. Stick around after grabbing an early brunch for a 12pm eat.YOGA.drink. instructor-led vinyasa class in City Tap Dupont’s private room. Tickets are $20 and include the class, small bites afterward, and an alcoholic drink of your choice. Make reservations for brunch and purchase tickets to the eat.YOGA.drink. class on the restaurant’s website.
Little Sesame presents a Modern Israeli Feast at the James Beard House in NYC
On December 10, Little Sesame will be serving a dinner at the James Beard House in NYC that will include dishes like seared halloumi with silan, peanuts and dukkah and baba ghanoush with ginger aioli, eggplant chips, and za’atar. Members of the James Beard House can purchase tickets, with wine pairings included, for $140 while non-members can buy tickets for $180 by clicking here.
NEW MENUS, NEW VENUES
Pizza Paradiso opens 5th location
Located on Mass Ave., the new Pizza Paradiso has a few new pizzas in addition to its old favorites, as well as an extensive beer menu. Open for lunch and dinner, this Spring Valley location of Pizzeria Paradiso will also feature pinball and video game machines.
Bombay Street Food opens
We went and we hope it does well.
Peter Chang’s empire expands
Peter Chang’s newest venue, called Mama Chang, will serve as a culinary tribute honoring the Chang women including Peter’s grandmother, mother, wife and celebrated Chef Lisa Chang, and his daughter Lydia Chang. The menus will focus on Hunan, Szechuan, and home-style Chinese cooking and recipes. Al I want to know is: will grandma’s noodles be on the menu? If you haven’t had them they are my end all be all favorite noodle dish in the city, available at Peter Chang Rockville.
Wintertime menu at Radiator
The new menu includes grilled cheese & tomato bisque and make-your-own s’mores kit, as well as hot cocktails like the Original Steel City Coffee, an Irish coffee variation featuring Wright Whiskey, Maggie’s Farm Coffee Liqueur, fresh coffee, sugar, and whipped cream and the Pow Pow, a spiked cider made with fresh apple cider, apple pie moonshine, and chai syrup. A shareable pot of hot chocolate is also available for $12, with an option to make a mug into an adult hot chocolate with a $5 shot. They had me at s’mores but spiked hot chocolate sounds like a win too.
Grilled cheese balls are now a thing
As of December 17, the Meatball Shop will be serving grilled cheese balls. What the hell are grilled cheese balls? Spheres of cheese, bread and butter. Â They are baked and then set atop creamy tomato soup. Winning, maybe?
EGGNOG TIME
Its National Eggnog Month, December 24 is National Eggnog Day, and more importantly its winter which means you need to enjoy some eggnog. This year, consider some of the following twists on the traditional eggnog beverage.
You could make eggnog crème brulee! A recipe from from 1789’s pastry chef, Lauren Petri can be found here.
Stuff your face with Jeni’s middle west whiskey eggnog ice cream, made with micro distilled bourbon whiskey and winter spices.
Order a dozen chocolate eggnog cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake, made with a Valrhona chocolate egg nog cupcake topped with a rum-infused frosting, a dusting of nutmeg and a light blue fondant snowflake.
Photo by Marco Secchi on Unsplash
