Area Restaurants Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
Thursday is St. Patrick’s Day and people all over the DMV will celebrate with corned beef, cabbage and green beer. Here are some area eateries that are celebrating with specials:
Bourbon Steak
Bourbon Steak, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in the Four Seasons Hotel, will celebrate “St. Pappy Day” with the release of the exclusive Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve.
Only 7,000 bottles of Pappy Van Winkle are released annually across the U.S. and only a few restaurants in the DMV offer it. Fans can enjoy 1-ounce pours of five of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve’s bourbons paired with meaty tapas in the restaurant’s private dining room overlooking Rock Creek Park for $255 per person.
The first course include foie gras mousse with vanilla bean, grilled country bread and red currant gelee paired with Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year followed by the second course of beef tartar with quail egg, caviar and bonito paired with Van winkle Special Reserve 12 year. The third course is South Carolina quail with oyster stuffing, Old Bay and cornbread paired with Pappy Van Winkle 15 year followed by Darling Downs N.Y. strip with bone marrow béarnaise and crispy potato cake paired with Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year. The meal ends with a bourbon chocolate bar with caramelized chocolate mousse and peanut butter powder paired with Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year.
For reservations, call 202-944-2026 or email David Fascitelli.
Central
Central, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, will offer a special St. Patrick’s Day menu.
The specials include corned beef and cabbage “pot-au-feu” for $33. Cured with salt and spice, the slow cooked beef is served with cabbage and carrots in the style of a classic French stew. For dessert, pistachio Napoleon O’Bonaparte, puff pastry layered with pistachio crème in a pool of Bailey’s Irish Cream sauce, and Irish coffee are both $11. The specials will be available during lunch and dinner.
Copperwood Tavern
Copperwood Tavern, 4021 Campbell Ave., Shirlington, will be serving St. Patrick’s Day specials.
Featured items including shepherd’s pie ($17), a corned beef and cabbage sandwich ($14) and Irish smoked salmon canape ($9).
Jack Rose Dining Saloon
Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW, will have three ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
The heated rooftop terrace will host an extended happy hour featuring Irish drink specials such as $5 pints, $7 Irish whiskeys and $8 punches until 9 p.m.
In the first-floor dining saloon, guests can enjoy two rare Irish whiskey flights showcasing vintage, highly-rated and single-cask releases. The first flight includes Glendalough Single Malt 13-year, 16-year Knappogue Castle Twin Wood Oloroso Finish and 21-year Redbreast for $45. The second features exclusive malts Cooley 10th Anniversary Edition from 2002, Single Cask Nation Cooley 13-year and AD Rattray Cooley 11-year for $35.
Downstairs, the Dram & Grain cocktail den will take on a St. Patrick’s Day theme, featuring specially-crafted Irish tipples, such as the Improved Emerald Cocktail ($10), a riff on the classic; Whiskey and Cream, an Irish cream soda cocktail ($10); Guinness White IPA + Poitin amaro combo ($9); and the Patso’s Pot O’ Gold: Willett Pot O’ Gold, a house-made amaro made with Glendalough Poitin and Chartreuse VEP ($80). Dealer’s Choice Irish whiskey flights will also be available. The bar will be open to the public with no reservations required at 7 p.m.
Macon Bistro & Larder
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Macon Bistro & Larder, 5520 Connecticut Ave. NW, serve six cocktails made with green and yellow Chartreuse all weekend.
Chartreuse is a French liqueur made by Carthusian monks since 1737. Green Chartreuse (100 proof or 55 percent alcohol) is a naturally green liqueur made from 130 herbs and plants macerated in alcohol and steeped for eight hours, while yellow Chartreuse (80 proof or 40 percent alcohol) has a milder and sweeter flavor and aroma.
The cocktails are divided into “Tried & True” classic cocktails and “New School” cocktails created by the Macon staff. New School offerings include the Light My Fire with The 86 Co.’s Tequila Cabeza, yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice, Bittermens Hellfire bitters and a Cappelletti Red aperitivo float garnished with a lemon peel; Pot ‘O Gold with The 86 Co. Aylesbury Duck vodka, green Chartreuse, Nonino amaro and Bauchant orange liqueur served with a house-made candied ginger garnish; Smoke Me Out with Fidencio mezcal, Pig’s Nose blended scotch whiskey, yellow Chartreuse, barrel-aged bitters; Double Etendre, Damoiseau VSOP French Rhum, Rujero Bolivian Singani, yellow chartreuse, green Chartreuse and Bittermens Elemukule Tiki bitters garnished with nutmeg and a cherry. Classic cocktails include The Last Word with Edinburgh gin, green Chartreuse, Luxardo maraschino liqueur and lime juice garnished with a lemon peel; and the Bijou with Edinburgh gin, green Chartreuse and orange bitters garnished with lemon peel. Cocktails are $14 each.
From 6-11 p.m. on Mar. 17, Patrick Owens, brand ambassador for Chartreuse, will be at the restaurant to talk about the spirit and hand out samples.
Righteous Cheese
Righteous Cheese, 1309 Fifth St. NE in Union Market, will hold a St. Patrick’s day-themed beer and cheese pairing class from 6:30-7:30 p.m.. The Craft Beer and Irish Cheese class will include four beers paired with four handmade Irish cheeses.
For most of the 20th century, St. Patrick’s Day was a religious holiday in Ireland, which meant that the nation’s pubs were closed on Mar. 17. The day was converted to a national holiday in 1970, and the stout resumed flowing. In the same decade, a small group of self-taught cheesemakers in County Cork began adapting continental cheesemaking techniques. They soon transformed obscure Celtic names like Durrus and Gubbeen into internationally recognized artisanal cheeses. Attendees will learn about those cheeses, as well as how to pair them with a variety of craft beers.
Tickets are $49 and must be purchased in advance online. Seating is limited to 16.
Majestic Café closes for 8 weeks to remodel, retool menu
The Majestic Café, 911 King St. in Old Town Alexandria, will close on Mar. 14 for an eight-week interior design update and menu makeover. It is expected to reopen as The Majestic on May 15.
Alexandria Restaurant Partners purchased the majority ownership in the restaurant in late 2015 and said it will change the restaurant’s culinary direction and upgrade the dining room and bar.
“This is a rare and very special opportunity to refresh an Alexandria landmark,” said ARP partner Scott Shaw in a press release. “As The Majestic has been a fixture in Old Town since 1932, we’re embracing that longevity and are bringing the food and the experience to have more of an edge and an appeal that has been missing.”
Chef/proprietor Gaby Hakman, a consulting chef, restaurant owner and operator, is moving from Miami to run the kitchen. Most recently, Hakman was the owner of Andiamo Brick Oven Pizza. At The Majestic, Hakman will create a contemporary menu of uncomplicated and robust dishes with hints of her Mediterranean palate. She also plans to add a new rotisserie in the kitchen.
David Chennault with oversee the interior design and Beckmann Architects in Old Town will do minor architectural work. “The previous owners did a beautiful job of restoring The Majestic 18 years ago,” Beckmann said. “The floor plan works, and the building is good shape, so we’ll preserve the iconic art deco design elements and will replace furniture, redo restrooms and we’ll make some back-of-house updates.”
The Royal celebrates “St. Patso Day”
The Royal, 501 Florida Ave. NW, celebrates “St. Patso Day” with guest bartender Patrick Owens (aka Patso) from 9 p.m-1 a.m. on Mar. 14 as part of its Royal Knights program.
Specials include Irish whiskey and green cocktails. Owens, who has worked at The Red Hen, Tabard Inn and American Ice Co., will be serving eight cocktails featuring “green” ingredients such as green Chartreuse, absinthe, kiwi, charred tomatillos and Granny Smith apples. Irish whiskeys and other spirits from Scotland will also be highlighted.
Cocktails include the Breakfast of Champions with Millar’s Irish Whiskey, smoked maple syrup, whole egg, porter, nutmeg and bacon; Kiwi All Just Get Along with kiwi puree, Dolin Genepy, lemon juice and cinnamon bitters; a green Michelada with house Michelada mix made with charred tomatillos, serranos, jalapenos, ginger, cucumber and salt with a cilantro salt rim; and Lord of the Green River Dance with green Chartreuse, Smith & Cross rum, green tea, five spice syrup, pineapple, lime and shaved coconut. The bar will also have Irish coffee snow cones ($4) and a cascading green punch fountain.
El Centro D.F. debuts tequila contest
With more than 250 tequilas, El Centro D.F., 1819 14th St. NW and 1218 Wisconsin Ave. NW, will debut its “Tequila To Taste List” on Mar. 15. Guests who finish 1.5 ounces of 15 tequilas featured on the special menu between Mar. 15-May 5 can win an exclusive 750 ml bottle of Milagro Unico Tequila a blend of triple-distilled silver tequila and Milagro’s barrel-aged stock. Only 1,200 individually numbered bottles of Milagro Unico have been released.
On Mar. 17, Milagro representatives will be at the 14th Street location from 6:30-8 p.m. to educate guests about tequila and offer samples of the Select Barrel Reserve, Anejo and Select Barrel Reposado. The event is free, but guests have to pre-register online. Attendees will receive a free margarita.
The Tequila To Taste List features five different tequila flights, each showcasing a different tequila brand. Flights include silver, añejo and reposado versions of Milagro, Herradura, Partida Ahora, Corzo and Milagro Select Barrel tequilas. Flights are $25 per person except the Milagro, which is $32. Each flight includes three 1.5-ounce pours. Those who complete one tequila flight will receive a free margarita at 14th Street on Cinco de Mayo.
Marcel’s will host Birds and Burgundy dinner
Marcel’s, 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, will pair fowl and fine wines from Burgundy in a six-course meal starting at 6:30 p.m. on Mar. 16 for $180.
The Birds and Burgundy dinner will begin with an amuse bouche of a quail egg in brioche with smoked trout roe, torchon of duck foie gras and pear compote paired with Crémant, Bourgogne, Domaine Bertrand Ambroise NV.
The first course is poussin paired with Bourgogne “Vieilles Vignes” Christophe Cordier 2013, followed by “quails and snails,” featuring a half quail stuffed with sautéed garlic Burgundy snails, haricots verts and Burgundy wine reduction paired with Nuits-Saint-Georges, Bertrand Ambroise 2012.
The third course is duck with blood orange paired with Pommard, “La Chanière” Domaine Maillard & Fils 2008. The dinner concludes with pan seared ostrich fan with cauliflower purée, smoked beet and charred onion vinaigrette paired with Gevrey-Chambertin, “Cuvée Alexis” Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon 2010.
ShopHouse opens Mar. 18 in Silver Spring
ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, started by Chipotle Mexican Grill in Dupont in 2011, will open its 14th store on Mar. 18 at 935 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring, where Fro-zen-yo and CakeLove before that had both been located.
With the new restaurant, ShopHouse will also bring its newest menu offering to the DMV: pork and chicken spring rolls, hand-wrapped in fresh rice paper with green papaya and herb salad, served with chili-peanut dip.
“We look forward to bringing the bold flavors of Thailand and Vietnam to the exciting, growing community in Downtown Silver Spring,” said brand director Tim Wildin in a press release.
Diners can customize their meal by choosing a base including jasmine rice, brown rice, chilled rice noodles or salad then add grilled chicken satay, steak laab, pork and chicken meatballs or organic tofu and various wok-cooked fresh vegetables, a sauce and garnishes for less than $10.
The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week.
Irish vs. American whiskey tasting at Acadiana
Acadiana, 901 New York Ave. NW, will hold an Irish vs. American Whiskey tasting from 1-3 p.m. on Mar. 19 pitting whiskies from across the pond against each other.
Passion Food Hospitality’s wine and beverage director Scott Clime will share whiskey history and insights on the 10 tastings, including some that are rare. Cost is $85 per person and includes a full luncheon buffet.
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.