The Riggsby Launches Happy Hour, Brunch
The Riggsby in the Carlyle Hotel, 1731 New Hampshire Ave. NW, has begun a new cocktail party-themed weekday happy hour and Sunday brunch service.
The Riggsby has launched a new Sunday brunch and weekday happy hour with specials including this avocado and shrimp toast.
(Photo: The Riggsby)
The happy hour menu — named “The Cocktail Party” — is infused with nostalgic nods to owner and chef Michael Schlow’s childhood and his parents’ dinner parties, to which well-dressed friends and neighbors would arrive with classic dishes such as stuffed mushrooms and deviled eggs.
Schlow’s interpretation includes 11 hors d’oeuvres that range from lighter bites such as marinated olives and almonds ($5) and homemade potato chips ($6) to more filling fare such as avocado and crab toast ($6), hanger steak brochette ($6) and spicy shrimp rolls ($7). Each item pairs well with the selection of six aperitifs designed by bar manager Christine Kim, including a martini, Manhattan and gimlet — all $6 and served in classic Nick and Nora cocktail glasses — as well as a Champagne cocktail ($7), Pinot Grigio ($6), Barbera ($6) and local draft beer ($4).
The Riggsby’s Sunday brunch menu continues the mid-century theme with a selection of classic American fare with a modern twist. Guests can choose from a selection of snacks and starters, such as organic Greek yogurt served with fresh berries and homemade granola ($9), avocado toast with Maryland crab meat, jalapeno and pickled red onion ($12), or chilled oyster, shrimp, crab and mussel plateau ($45). Entrée highlights include classic breakfast dishes such as the “morning after” sandwich with eggs, prosciutto cotto and pecorino ($12), poached eggs with Maryland lump crabmeat ($16), a chorizo breakfast burrito ($13) and buttermilk pancakes served with hazelnuts and caramelized bananas ($12); as well as hearty options like the all-American tavern burger with bacon-onion jam ($15), schnitzel a la holstein ($26) and steak frites served with béarnaise ($22). Sides include homemade sausage ($6) and sea salt French fries ($6).
Guests can enjoy 11 different brunch libations like the Virginia Slim ($13) with gin, Aperol, sparkling rosé and lemon, or, the Americano ($9), which combines Campari, sweet vermouth and seltzer for a strong morning wake-up call. Other cocktails include the Harvey Wallbanger ($11) with vodka, Galliano, orange juice; the paloma ($10), classics like a daiquiri ($11), bellini ($8) and mimosa ($8), as well as two choices of bloody mary, including the Riggsby Bloody Mary ($10) with chilies and house-picked cucumber.
The Cocktail Party menu is available Monday through Friday from 4-7 p.m. and brunch is served on Sunday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Ankar celebrates Turkish Restaurant Week
The seventh annual Turkish Restaurant Week is Sept. 12-20. Ankara, 1320 19th St. NW, will offer special prix-fixe menu during the week-long celebration of Turkish cuisine.
Ankara is celebrating Turkish Restaurant Week with an $18 three-course dinner or $30 four-course dinner including ali nazik, a smoked, spiced pureed eggplant with sautéed lamb cubes. (Photo: Ankara)
Ankara will offer a special three-course prix-fixe lunch for $18 and four-course prix-fixe dinner for $30.
The lunch menu begins with a choice of hummus, haydari, havoc tarama, ezme, babaganous or muhammara. Entrees include a chicken kebab served with rice or French fries; an adana (spicy, minced beef and lamb) kebab served with rice; a lamb burger served with mozzarella, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers or a doner sandwich (shaved slow-cooked beef) with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. For dessert choose from baklava or sutlac, Turkish rice pudding.
The dinner menu begins with haydari, pasa salatasi or shakuska. The second course includes a choic of mucver (zucchini fritters), sigara boregi (filo dough stuffed with feta and herbs) or kasarli mantar (mushrooms topped with kasar cheese and Turkish butter). The entrée includes a choice of tavuk sis (chicken kebab), kofte (grilled, minced beef and lamb meatballs), yogurtlu adana kebab (grilled, minced spiced lamb and beef topped with yogurt), grilled salmon with garlic yogurt sauce and chick pea salad, or ali nazik (smoked, spiced pureed eggplant with sautéed lamb cubes). Dessert include the choic of baklava or sutlac.
Passion Food restaurants offer Sunday Suppers
Passion Food Hospitality restaurants DC Coast, Penn Commons, District Commons and Fuego Cocina y Tequileria are revising the classic concept of Sunday Supper with meals from blue-ribbon American fare to an authentic Mexican feast beginning Sept. 13.
Penn Commons and District Commons are serving a Crisco fried chicken dinner on Sundays. (Photo: Passion Food Hospitality)
After a busy summer, the four are setting t the table for a “home coming” with dinners that encourage togetherness and the rite of breaking bread together before the start of the week.
DC Coast, 1401 K St. NW, will serve a Sunday Seafood Supper every Sunday evening. The three-course meal features a Caesar salad with garlic croutons, Spanish anchovies and parmigiana reggiana cheese. Next, guests will enjoy a seafood platter showcasing the chef’s selection of peak-season fish and crab cake with roasted red pepper remoulade, cocktail sauce and citrus beurre blanc with a side of a hush puppies and fresh harvest vegetables. Dessert is a triple chocolate bombe. The meal is $35 per person or $50 will wine pairings.
Penn Commons, 700 Sixth St. NW in Penn Quarter, is offering a “Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!” from 8-10 p.m. The menu includes Crisco fried chicken served with collards, mac ‘n’cheese and a biscuit. District Commons, 2200 Washington Circle NW in Foggy Bottom, follows the tradition, serving the meal at the same time in the bar and lounge area. Pair it with a cold brew for $5 from the list of craft and domestic ales. The meal is $12 per person at both restaurants.
Fuego Cocina y Tequileria, 2800 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, is offering a “Feast of the Chupacabra” dinner. Named for the legendary beast whose name literally translates to “goat-sucker,” the meal includes locally-raised, organic goat from Pipe Dreams farm that has been seasoned with spicy chili de arbol rub and slow-roasted for 6-8 hours and served with rice, beans, corn tortillas and other traditional accompaniments. The meal feeds four to six people and must be ordered by 5 p.m. Friday.
Logan Tavern hosts Rosh Hashanah dinners
Logan Tavern, 1423 P St. NW, is hosting Rosh Hashanah dinners on Sept. 13 and 14.
Logan Tavern is serving two Rosh Hashanah dinners. (Photo: Gluten Free Grapevine)
The menu features family-style appetizers starting at 6:15 p.m. of fresh challah with honey butter, house-made chopped liver, apples and honey, keftedes de prasa and house-smoked salmon crostini with yogurt dill sauce. Entree selections, served at 6:45 p.m., include roast beef brisket with red wine-braised potatoes and pearl onions, roasted zucchini and squash; oven-roasted salmon with apple Dijon glaze, pomegranate pine nut Israeli cous cous and grilled asparagus; or warm vegetarian farro salad with roasted sweet potatoes, feta, onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and sumac.
The dinner is $40 per person or $55 per person with a glass of St. Kilda chardonnay and Les Gardettes syrah blend wine pairings. An optional dessert of mango key lime pie or apple crisp and coffee are available for $8.
Ten percent of the proceeds benefit the Jewish Food Experience. Reservations are required as entrees must be pre-selected.
Vinoteca brings back Tuesday night wine classes
Vinoteca, 1940 11th St. NW, is bringing back its popular Tuesday night wine classes, with the seasonal four-class series beginning Sept. 15. Exploring some of fall’s best varietals, wine regions and popular industry trends, sommelier Kate Chrisman will show and allow guests to taste how rosés are not just for summer, the diversity of Italian wines, why Cabernet is king and explore a new trend in bubbly: small-production “grower” Champagne.
Vinoteca is bringing back its Tuesday wine classes beginning this Tuesday. (Photo: Vinoteca)
The fall wine classes will take place every other Tuesday evening, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the restaurant’s upstairs lounge. Each class will explore and pour four to six different wines each paired with bites.
The fall wine class series includes:
Sept 15 – Fall Rosés: Not just for summertime, rosé wines can be enjoyed year-round. Vinoteca will showcase the wide variety of rosé wine styles and how they make excellent pairings with fall cuisine and cooler weather. The class is $45 and limited to 20 people.
Sept. 29 – Wines of Italy: One of the most complex and rewarding winemaking regions of the world, Italy offers a little bit of everything. The class will explore Italy, from the Alpine North to the heat of the Mediterranean South. The class is $45 and limited to 20 people.
Oct. 13 – Cabernet Sauvignon: The King of Bordeaux and Beyond While Cabernet Sauvignon might be most closely associated with Bordeaux in many people’s minds, cabernets are being produced around the world in a wide range of styles and profiles. The class will taste cabs from around the globe. The class is $45 and limited to 20 people.
Oct. 27 – Champagne: A Grower’s Revolution: The new trend in Champagne is “grower” wines: Champagne that is hand-crafted by small production houses and made with grapes grown on their own estates, to emphasize how different varietals and terroirs affect the flavors and textures of each wine. The class is $55 and limited to 15 people.
Reservations are required and can be made online.
701 Restaurant hosts five-course Champagne dinner
701 Restaurant, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is hosting a five-course Champagne dinner with Champagne Lanson, on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
701 Restaurant is hosting a five-course Champagne dinner on Tuesday. (Photo: Revamp)
The House of Lanson is known for blending its Champagne using a majority of pinot noir and chardonnay in order to achieve the perfect balance of power and finesse. It supplies from over 500 hectares of vines in the wine-growing region of Champagne offering a wealth of choice. It is Champagne Lanson’s first wine dinner in Washington, D.C. Dinner is $100 per person.
The first course is potato terrine with whipped crème fraiche and paddlefish caviar paired with Lanson Black Label Brut NV. The second course is hamachi crudo with radish, hon shimeji mushroom and brown butter miso emulsion paide with Lanson Black Label Brut NV. That is followed by scallops with popcorn puree, chanterelle mushrooms and blueberry kosho paired with Lanson Rose Label Brut. The entrée is braised, grass-fed beef short ribs with reblochon potato puree, carrots, and spicebush vinegar jus paird with Lanson “Gold Label” Vintage Brut 2002. Dessert is epoisse with apricot mostarda and raisin bread, and elderflower parfait with coconut and nectarine paired with Lanson White Label.
Redwood holds end-of-season crab feast
Redwood Restaurant and Bar, 2171 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda, is celebrating the end of summer with a crab feast and patio party on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 1-5 p.m.
Redwood is holding an end-of-summer crab feast next Saturday. (Photo: St. Anthony in the Hills)
The family-friendly weekend bash includes bushels of hot, steamed crabs served with house-made potato salad, hush puppies and corn-on-the-cob; live local music from Bach to Rock and others; an outdoor grill serving up classic American fare; summer beers, wines and cocktails; and kids activities including face painting and origami.
General admission is $39 and includes 1/2 dozen crabs, three drink tickets, a round of sides and a commemorative Redwood mallet. The VIP package is $59 and includes all-you-can-eat crabs, three drink tickets, unlimited sides, reserved seating and a commemorative mallet. The kids package is $15 for three crabs or a hot dog, one side, one soft drink and one activity ticket.
For those who just want to have a drink and enjoy the music, Redwood will have the outdoor grill going with hot dogs and burgers available a la carte, and two outdoor bars slinging beers such as Jailbreak, DC Brau, Flying Dog and Natty Boh on special between $3-$5, specialty Redwood mason jar cocktails for $6 and wines ranging from $4-$8.
Tickets are available online.
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.
