Praline Bakery Coming to Mosaic District
Praline Bakery & Bistro, 4611 Sangamore Road, Bethesda, will open a second location late next summer at 2985 District Ave., Suite 140, Fairfax in the Mosaic District.
The bakery will feature Praline’s signature breakfast pastries, cookies, Parisian macarons, cakes, tarts, pound cakes, celebration cakes, breads and pastries, all created and baked onsite. There will be seating inside and outside to eat the bakery’s freshly baked goods as well as a variety of daily sandwiches, breads, quiches and salads available to eat in or take out.
Praline Bakery plans to open at the Mosaic Farmer’s Market this coming spring, offering a preview of its confections.
The Source debuts new happy hour in renovated lounge
Following the debut of a newly renovated dining room last September, The Source by Wolfgang Puck, 575 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, has introduced several new offerings in its downstairs lounge. The new menus feature wok fired dishes, Chinese BBQ, dumplings and hand-crafted cocktails.
Daily happy hour special begin with Dumpling Mondays, when all 10 dumplings on the menu are available for $5 from 4 p.m.-close in the lounge. Dumplings range from the traditional steamed shrimp and scallop siu mai with house-made XO paste and pork and shrimp potstickers with sesame garlic sauce to the spicy chili “Dan Dan” chicken dumplings with roasted peanuts and Sichuan pepper and smoked beef wontons made with the restaurant’s 20-hour hot pot broth. Tiki Tuesday features dishes from the Pacific rim, such as roast pork bao with wok fired pineapple, tuna poke and tropical drinks such as The Dragonfly made with dark rum, pineapple and orange. Wednesday is Wok and Wine, with half price wok items and Wolfgang Puck white wines. Thursday is BBQ day with BBQ items and Sazeracs are half price and on Fish Fridays, all sushi rolls and sake by the glass are half price. Happy hour drink specials are available Monday through Friday, from 4-7 p.m.
Overlooking the newly installed open kitchen in the lounge, a two-seat chef’s counter allows guests to watch the chefs with a 16-course tasting menu prepared in front of them. The menu changes daily and focuses on seasonal test kitchen style dishes featuring raw fish, dumplings, noodles and more. Wine pairings from the restaurant’s list accompany each course.
Finally, new seasonal cocktails include the Samurai Sword with Hibiki 12-year Single Malt, Aperol and lemon and Pandora’s Box with Hendrick’s gin, St. Germain and elderflower.
Macon Bistro toasts the season with Crémants and Champagnes
For the entire month of December, Macon Bistro & Larder, 5520 Connecticut Ave. NW, will feature three Crémants and three Champagnes. Guests can order a flight of three Crémants for $20 or a flight of three Champagnes for $30. There will also be weekly bottle and glass specials.
Crémant is a sparkling wine made in several different regions of France. It cannot be called Champagne because under French law, only wines made from grapes grown and harvested in Champagne and produced under the strict regulations of the Champagne appellation, can bear the Champagne name. The featured Crémants are Domaine Maison Pere et Fils, Cremant de Loire, NV for $15 per glass and $60 per bottle; Domaine Pfister Cremant d’Alsace, NV for $18 per glass and $72 a bottle; and Badoz Cremant du Jura Rose, NV for $15 per glass and $60 per bottle.
The featured Champagnes are Oudinot Cuvee Rose Brut, NV, for $20 per glass and $80 per bottle; Pierre Gerbais “Prestige” Brut NV for $28 per glass and $110 per bottle; and Gonet-Medeville 1er Cru Cuvee Blanc de Noirs, Brut, NV for $30 a glass and $120 a bottle.
Lupo Verde selling filled Christmas baskets
Lupo Verde, 1401 T St. NW, will sell Christmas baskets filled with house-made Italian goods. The holiday baskets are available Dec. 1-31.
Shoppers can choose a pre-packed basket, or customize their own. Each pre-packaged basket includes house-made marmalade, black truffles, artisanal pasta, house-made ragù, a bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella; Italian olive oil; Don Ciccio and Figli products, as well as cured meats and cheeses from Lupo Verde’s cheese shop. Baskets can be purchased at the restaurant, and are priced from $60-$200.
Blue Duck Tavern to host kids’ cookie decorating class
Blue Duck Tavern at the Park Hyatt Washington, 1201 24th St. NW, will host the next Park Hyatt Mini-Masters of Food, a seasonal culinary experience for young chefs from 3-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Young chefs between the ages of six and 12 can don an apron and hat for the hands-on cookie decorating class with new pastry chef David Collier. At the end of the session, participants will have learned new tips and techniques to use for the upcoming holiday season. The class is $35 per child. Tickets can be purchased online.
Jack Rose Dining Saloon celebrates repeal of 18th Amendment
Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW, will celebrate the abolition of the booze-prohibiting 18th amendment with its fifth annual Repeal Day Celebration from 5 p.m.-close on Saturday, Dec. 5.
“Pappy Hour” will be from 5-7:30 p.m. with Jack Rose’s full Pappy Van Winkle bourbon and rye whiskey collection at discount pricing. Regular happy hour specials including half-priced bites and beer discounts will also be available.
The restaurant’s selection of 100-year-old whiskeys distilled between 1910 and 1930, such as the Sam Thompson Pennsylvania rye and Melvin L. Emerlich straight whiskey, both distilled in 1917, along with Monticello American Whiskey from Baltimore and Old Overholt made in the 1930s while they were still distilling in Pennsylvania will be offered at a deep discount of $35-$50 per ounce from the regular price of $100 per ounce.
The kitchen will offer a special five-course Repeal Day tasting menu in the dining saloon, including an oyster and Champagne gratin, Broken Arrow Ranch venison loin with grits and onion marmalade, and homemade Kentucky butter cake. The five-course meal is $60 per person.
Cocktail den Dram & Grain, housed in the basement’s hidden whiskey cellar, will be converted into a 30s-style speakeasy complete with historic bourbons and rye whiskeys featuring classic vintage cocktails and jazz. The saloon will also pour classic cocktails, while the heated rooftop terrace will pour classic tipples like Sazerac and Mamie Taylor.
Burlesque dancers throughout the evening while cigarette girls will offer a selection of specially priced cigars. The upstairs balcony room will pour bottomless bubbles for only $20 all night. And for those who stick around until midnight, complimentary midnight snacks will be passed.
Guests are encouraged to dress in flapper dresses and swanky suits, donning Prohibition-era attire for a chance to win a reservation and cocktails for two at Dram & Grain. Admission is free.
Bourbon Steak debuts bourbon and steak tasting
Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons Hotel, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, will offer a bourbon and steak tasting will offer a curated anthology of rare small-batch bourbons paired with a selection of dry-aged beef in three weights from 18-40 ounces beginning on Repeal Day, Dec. 5.
The beef is sourced from Shenandoah cattle and aged for up to 35 days on the bone. A trio of cuts such as the 18-ounce bone-in New York strip, 28-ounce bone-in rib-eye and 40-ounce bone-in tomahawk is available for $276.
The bourbons are handpicked from rare, small-batch distillers with trios such as 17-year Eagle Rare, 20-year Orphan Barrel Barterhouse and 23-year Elijah Craig. The trio of bourbon is $52.
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.