Area Eateries Host Kentucky Derby Parties
The Kentucky Derby, the greatest two minutes in American horse racing, is this Saturday, May 5, and area restaurants are offering race day specials.
As the race airs live on big screen TV’s throughout Acadiana, 901 New York Ave. NW, patrons can cheer on their favorite horse with $5 Race Track Deals – customary fare and signature drinks that pay homage to the historic competition. From the bar area to the patio, guests can savor Churchill Downs specialties from 4-6:30 p.m. including hot browns, Kentucky burgoo stew and derby pie, as well as Kentucky’s own Bulleit Bourbon in the signature mint julep. An officially designated “Master of Bourbon” will be pouring Kentucky bourbon samples and talking shop with guests. Guests that don their best Derby day hat or bowtie can win a gift certificate.
Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons Hotel, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is marking the race with a make-your-own julep bar from 2:30-6:30 p.m. After mint-infused Blade & Bow Bourbon is poured into a julep cup, guests can customize their cocktail with an array of garnishes, including blueberries, strawberries, pineapple and orange. Drinkers then muddle their mix-ins, fill their cup with crushed ice and dust their libation with the traditional powdered sugar garnish.
All three floors of Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW, will celebrate both Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby with a Cinco de Derby party until 8 p.m. Beginning at 3 p.m., the rooftop terrace will serve traditionally-themed drink specials including mint juleps ($9), derby punch ($8), classic bourbon cocktails ($10) and frozen margaritas ($10) while showing the race on the six large flat screen TVs. Other specials include specialty beers from Flying Dog, whiskeys by the pour, Kentucky bourbon flights and cigars. There will also be passed complimentary Southern-inspired snacks such as Kentucky Hot Browns and cucumber sandwiches, while tacos and other food specials will be available for purchase. Beginning at 4 p.m., Dram & Grain, the basement cocktail den, will feature Derby-themed cocktails and juleps. The regular a la carte cocktail menu will also be available. The bar will bring in a large flat screen TV for the occasion. The first-floor dining room will open early at 4 p.m. with classic mint julep specials and its regular dinner and beverage menu available.
Jardenea Lounge in the Melrose Georgetown Hotel, 2430 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, will host its Derby Day viewing party from 3-7 p.m. In addition to watching the race, guest can sip special cocktails including mint juleps and bacon old fashioneds with in-house bacon infused whiskey
The Occidental Grill & Seafood, 1475 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, will be pouring two varieties of the Derby’s official drink: the signature mint julep, made with I.W. Harper bourbon, mint syrup, Gosling’s Black Seal and maraschino liqueur garnished with mint or the tequila julep made with Don Julio tequila, mint syrup, Gosling’s Black Seal and maraschino liqueur garnished with mint. Adding a touch of character to the affair, a Bespoke personal dresser will be selling bow ties and pocket squares during the 4-7 p.m. happy hour.
Whiskey Charlie atop the Canopy Hotel at the Wharf, 975 Seventh St. SW, will offer a special menu inspired by Victor Espinoza, the Mexican-born jockey who won back-to-back Kentucky Derbies in 2014 and 2015 and rode American Pharoah to Triple Crown glory in 2015. The menu will feature three special $13 cocktails including a mezcal julep with mezcal, chardonnay syrup, mint, honey and lime juice; the Whiskey Smash with bourbon, fresh ginger, lemon and demerara; and the Sundress Season with crema de mezcal, Tanteo habanero tequila, Pamplemousse, grapefruit juice, demerara, lime juice and a splash of soda.
The Source adds family-style lamb dinner
The Source by Wolfgang Puck, 575 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, has launched a new family-style lamb dinner priced at $100.
The all-inclusive, shareable dinner is designed to feed two people and starts with a scallion flower roll amuse, followed by a platter of soy lacquered lamb shank served with a cilantro mint vinaigrette, lamb sausage and spring pea fried rice, and a vegetable side of sweet and sour eggplant. Dessert is a house-made shaoxing ice cream served with fresh strawberries and mint. Shaoxing is a Chinese rice wine, which adds a nutty, almost savory undertone to the dessert. Guests also get one glass of Wolfgang Puck chardonnay or cabernet bauvignon, a 3 Stars peppercorn saison or a rotating draft beer. Non-alcoholic beverage options are also available.
One Eight Distilling unveils new label, brand
One Eight Distilling unveiled its newly redesigned District Made spirits line recently. The D.C. distiller also entered a partnership with Breakthru Beverage Group that will expand One Eight’s availability in D.C. and Maryland markets with additional growth in the Mid-Atlantic in the near future.
The District Made design is inspired by the distillery’s sense of pride in Ivy City, it’s neighborhood in northeast D.C. The new packaging features a custom octagonal glass bottle embossed with the distillery’s logo and three stars on each side, referencing the D.C. flag. The octagonal shape pays homage to the distillery’s namesake, Article One, Section Eight of the U.S. Constitution; the provision that called for a district to become the nation’s capital.
A dark textured map on the label shows the distillery’s location in Ivy City with District Made across the top. A diamond cutout on the front label reveals a gold map of the District on the inside of the bottle. Featured on the back label, the brand statement ‘We are One Eight – We are District Made’ signals a commitment to grain to glass spirits distilled and bottled in the District.
The District Made portfolio includes District Made Straight Bourbon Whiskey, District Made Straight Rye Whiskey, District Made Vodka, District Made Gin and District Made Barrel Rested Gin. The new bottles will be found on D.C. shelves in May and Maryland markets in June thanks to the partnership with Breakthru.
Stefanelli to open Greek restaurant downtown
Nicholas Stefanelli, who owns Masseria, the prix-fixe one star Michelin rated Italian restaurant near Union Market, will open a Greek restaurant at Fannie Mae’s new headquarters at 1100 15th St. NW.
The yet-unnamed restaurant will occupy 12,000 square feet, one of several restaurants expected to fill street level space at the two-building Midtown Center development.
Carr Properties also announced West Coast coffee chain Blue Bottle Coffee will occupy a 2,000-square-foot space.
“We are thrilled to have Nick Stefanelli, a Michelin Star rated chef, and Blue Bottle Coffee joining as our initial street level tenants at Midtown Center, said Oliver Carr, CEO of building owner Carr Properties.
Midtown Center includes two office towers separated by a European-style public plaza. The towers of Midtown will also be connected by bridges suspended above the plaza.
Phase one of Midtown Center is finished and the final phase is expected to be done in June. No word yet on the restaurant or coffee shop will open.
Red’s Table introduces four rosé cocktails
Red’s Table, 11150 South Lakes Drive, Reston, Va., is featuring four new rosé cocktails to cool down with as the weather heats up.
Beginning Tuesday, May 1, guests can sip a refreshing handcrafted cocktail showcasing a summertime favorite, rosé, on the restaurant’s 60-seat covered back patio with a lake-side view or on the 20-seat open-air front patio.
The four new cocktails include the Kiwi Sour with Bulleit bourbon, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, egg white, Matua Valley Pinot Noir Rosé 2016 and Angostura bitters; the Reston Rose with Red’s apple pie bourbon, lemon syrup, mint, a pinch of salt, lime peel and Sables d’Azur Cotes de Provence Rosé 2017; the Sanguine Rose with Bacardi Silver, sloe gin, fresh lemon juice, date simple syrup, Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé 2016, mint and blackberry; and the Juniper Rose with Matua Valley Pinot Noir Rosé 2016, Hendrick’s gin, lemon syrup, muddled tarragon, Sprite and a rose water float. Cocktails are $10 each.
Guests can also enjoy four featured rosés, which will be available by the glass and bottle throughout the season. These include the Matua Valley Pinot Noir Rosé 2016, Sables d’Azur Cotes de Provence Rosé 2017, Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé 2016, and Anna Condorniu Brut Rosé. Prices range from $9-$12 by the glass and from $34-$44 by the bottle.
Bastille celebrate French Restaurant Week
Bastille, 606 N. Fayette St., Alexandria, celebrates French Restaurant Week from May 1-6 with a three-course lunch for $25 and a three-course dinner for $35.
For lunch, diners may choose from offerings including charcuterie, cheeses, soups and salads and entrees that include chicken paillard, buttermilk-marinated fried chicken breast, over duck fat smashed potatoes with chicken jus and salad of arugula, radicchio and pickled shallots with honey-mustard dressing; mussels of the day with pommes frites; and risotto aux champignons, spring mushrooms and chives risotto with parmesan crisp. Dessert choices include orange crème brulee; spring Pavlova, pistachio dusted crisp meringue, rhubarb compote, crème Chantilly, fresh strawberries and strawberry sorbet; and profiteroles filled with vanilla ice cream and Valrhona chocolate sauce.
Dinner choices include appetizers like escargots gratinés with spring garlic puree, leeks and butter-parsley crumble; shrimp beignet with guacamole and lime; and five-spice cured foie gras terrine with house chutney and pain d’epices. Entrees include salmon with English pea puree, baby carrots, turnips, sugar snaps, cipoline and fine herbs beurre monté; branzino and littleneck clam paella with shellfish saffron broth, baby artichokes, fennel , peas, carrots and aioli; duck breast with Jerez vinegar gastrique, caramelized rhubarb, strawberries and stone-ground grits; roasted pork loin with orange-fennel marmalade, wild rice, grilled asparagus and pork jus; and a half Amish chicken with roasted garlic-herb glaze, grilled asparagus, cipoline, carrots and pommes puree.Desserts profiteroles filled with house-made vanilla bean ice cream and topped with Valrhona chocolate fudge; German chocolate cake and coconut ice cream; and lemon raspberry cheesecake
Slate Wine Bar hosts rosé wine tasting
Slate Wine Bar + Bistro, 2404 Wisconsin Ave. NW, will toast the return of spring and rosé season with a #RoséAllDay wine tasting from noon-11 p.m. on Thursday, May 3.
Guests will explore rosé wines selected by chef/sommelier Danny Lledó and Rachael Buehrer from The Country Vintner to complement the restaurant’s a la carte menu. Two rosé wine flights will be available: a European rosé wine flight featuring four two-ounce pours for $15 and an American rosé wine flight featuring three two-ounce pours for $17.
The list of wines being poured include 2016 Conde Villar Vinho Verde, Minho, Portugal; 2017 Los Dos, Grenache/Cabernet, Campo de Borja, Spain; 2017 Figuiere Le St. Andre IGP Rose, Provence Cab/Syrah/Cinsult/Grenache; 2017 Eugene Carrel Jongieux, Gamay, Savoie, France; 2017 Martin Ray, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California; 2017 Four Bears, Vin Gris of Pinot Noir, Carneros, California; and 2017 Brooks, Pinot Noir Willamette, Oregon.
MXDC Cocina Mexicana celebrates Cinco de Mayo
MXDC Cocina Mexicana, 600 14th St. NW, will celebrate Cinco de Mayo from noon-5 p.m. on May 5 with five margaritas, five tacos and five appetizers, priced at $7 each.
The five margaritas include a house margarita with blanco tequila, cordial, fresh lime and agave; pineapple margarita with blanco tequila, fresh lime, house-made roasted pineapple syrup and cordial; mango margarita with blanco tequila, cordial, mango and lime; blackberry cilantro margarita with blanco tequila, cordial, house blackberry-cilantro syrup and lime; and the habanero margarita with blanco tequila, cordial, habanero, agave and lime.
Tacos include carne asada with soy-ginger marinade, pico de gallo, pickled red onion and avocado; chicken with chile marinade, fajita salsa and avocado; braised pork shoulder with pickled red onion, cilantro and garlic aioli; hongos with huitlacoche, wild mushrooms, truffled corn salsa and tomatillo, and mahi mahi with Baja beer batter, grilled pineapple chutney and chipotle aioli. Appetizers include rockfish aguachile ceviche with cucumber, chile pequin, red onion and lime; traditional guacamole with tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeño; kabra quesadilla with goat cheese, Cotija, arugula and smoked chile aioli; nachos; and queso fundido with Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Cotija and queso fresco served with tortillas.
Taberna del Alabardero adds Sunday brunch
Taberna del Alabardero, 1776 I St. NW, began serving Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. earlier this month.
The a la carte menu includes traditional Spanish dishes like tapas and paella, along with the restaurant’s take on pancakes, waffles and omelets. Appetizers and entrees along with a dessert selection is part of the “Brunch Like a Spaniard” menu.
Also, a three-course offering priced at $50 per person includes one appetizer, one entrée and a dessert. A Spanish Brunch, priced at $60 per person, includes two tapas, one appetizer, one Spanish style paella or entrée and one dessert. One Cava mimosa, bloody mary or sangria comes with both.
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.