Restaurants Offer Christmas Eve, Day Meals
Many area restaurants are offering special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus. If you don’t want to cook, check out these options to give you more time to play with your gifts.
14K Restaurant
14K Restaurant in the Hamilton Crown Plaza, 1001 14th St. NW, will serve Christmas Eve and d
Christmas Day dinner from 4-10 p.m. for $60 per person. The Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner will be offered from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Dec. 24 and 25 and is priced at $60 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. The four-course prix-fixe menu includes butternut squash soup with essence of cinnamon; golden beet salad with apple, pomegranate and goat cheese with hazelnut-Champagne dressing; a choice of roasted turkey with giblet gravy, charred root vegetables, savory herb stuffing and traditional cranberry sauce, 8 ounce filet mignon with chanterelle mushrooms, marble potato puree and bourbon-black peppercorn sauce or crab cake and lobster ravioli with baby spinach, grape tomatoes, lobster meat and rose sauce; and pistachio cheesecake with Chantilly crème and caramel drizzle.
1789 Restaurant
1789 Restaurant, 1226 36th St. NW, is all decked out with wreaths, antique toys and garland for the holidays and will be serving a seasonal a la carte menu from 4-10 p.m. Christmas Eve. Dishes include alba white truffle risotto with Acquerello riso carnaroli and Parmigiano Reggiano; pancetta-wrapped monkfish with red cabbage, sunchokes, horseradish, charred onion, rye bread and trout roe; Szechuan spiced lamb chop and braised shoulder with Anson Mills roasted oat risotto, Castelfranco, persimmons, brown butter salsify and caramelized yogurt; venison loin with scallion ash cured, bulb onion ragout, Burgundy escargot, baby artichokes and hazelnuts; and Wagyu beef duo, hanging tender and braised short rib with honey nut squash purée, charred rapini, pearl onion and bordelaise. Desserts include chocolate pistachio with chocolate ganache, pistachio crunch and sponge and cherry sorbet; sweet potato ganache with purple yam crémeux, maple-brown butter semifreddo and balsamic foam; and The White Album, coconut tapioca, tropical ganache and coconut sorbet. Dishes are priced from $15-$60. The Washington Men’s Camerata will be caroling in the restaurant between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
701 Restaurant
701 Restaurant, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW will offer a three-course, prix-fixe dinner priced at $60 per adults and $30 per child 12 and younger from 5-10 p.m. on Christmas Eve along with the restaurant’s regular a la carte menu. The dinner includes starters such as chestnut-foie gras soup with duck cotechino sausage; Spanish octopus with patatas bravas, ‘nduja and mint salsa verde; and risotto with reblochon cheese, black truffle and Brussels sprouts. For the main course, guests can opt for roasted porchetta with crushed parsnip, watercress salad and banyuls vinaigrette; braised lamb shank with date roulade, sunchokes two ways and braising jus; cauliflower shawarma with hummus, golden raisins, tomatoes and lavash; and Maryland crab cakes with celery root purée, charred cabbage and romesco. For dessert, there is elderflower parfait with coconut crémeux, pineapple, almond streusel; s’mores with chocolate crémeux, marshmallow ice cream and graham cracker ganache; brioche donuts with milk jam and vanilla ice cream; or dark chocolate bar with hazelnuts, cocoa nib tuile and white chocolate ice cream. Live jazz will be played throughout the evening.
All Set Restaurant & Bar
All Set Restaurant & Bar, 8630 Fenton St., Plaza 5, Silver Spring, will offer a brunch buffet from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Christmas Eve priced at $50 for adults and $25 for children 12 and younger. The menu will include the raw bar with oysters on the half shell and shrimp cocktail, as well as breakfast dishes like scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon, chicken sausage, salmon cakes, smoked salmon and bagels, pancakes and French toast with macerated berries, whipped cream and Vermont maple syrup. Lunch items will also be available including twice fried wings and pulled pork. Dessert includes cinnamon sugar dirt bombs and chocolate chip cookies. Bottomless mimosas can be added for $20 per person. Guests are limited to two hours for the brunch buffet.
Blackwall Hitch
Blackwall Hitch, 5 Cameron St., Alexandria, is offering a three-course menu in addition to their regular a la carte menu from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Christmas Eve for $49 per person. Dishes include a choice of butternut squash and fennel soup with aromatic vegetables and garnished with apple cider cream and toasted pumpkin seeds; or the Blackwall salad with field greens, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, shaved red onions, shredded carrots and house vinaigrette. The main course is a choice of surf and turf with filet mignon and poached lobster tail, butter-whipped potatoes, roasted asparagus with rosemary salt, white truffle oil, bordelaise sauce and tarragon butter; pan-seared Chilean sea bass with wild mushroom-thyme cous cous, roasted baby carrots and lemon-butter sauce; or saffron-parmesan risotto with sharp Parmesan cream sauce. Dessert includes a warm chocolate chip cookie skillet with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream; or apple cranberry oat crumble with roasted Fuji apples and dried cranberries baked to a golden brown in a cast-iron skillet and topped with crumbly cinnamon oats and vanilla ice cream.
Bastille
Bastille, 606 N. Fayette St., Alexandria, will serve a four-course prix-fixe dinner from 4:30-9:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve for $75, Appetizers include lobster bisque with crème fraiche, preserved lemon and feuillete; pan-roasted Hudson Valley foie gras with honey-sauternes sauce, caramelized pear and winter fruit compote; or oysters on the half shell. Salad is a choice of celeris remoulade au Roquefort with endive, frisée, celery root, pears, walnuts and Roquefort dressing; roasted beets and baby kale salad with goat cheese cromesqui and roasted shallot vinaigrette; or Caesar salad with romaine, parmesan, country bread croutons, 60-degree chicken egg and lemon anchovy vinaigrette. The entrée course is a choice of filet de bœuf with roasted whole truffle sauce, ggratin dauphinois, Brussels sprouts, carrots and mushrooms; organic turkey breast roasted on the bone with chestnut and pork sausage stuffing, Brussels sprouts, pommes puree and drippings juices; or Riesling poached Maine lobster with smoked sturgeon, scallop boudin, braised cabbage, onions, apples and lobster jus. Desserts include buche de noel, caramel tartelette or tiramisu.
Beuchert’s Saloon
Beuchert’s Saloon, 623 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, will be serving its regular menu during regular hours on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, the restaurant will be open from 4 p.m.-2 a.m. with full bar service and limited menu. Everything will be offered a la carte.
Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca
Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, 1100 New York Ave. NW, will offer a traditional six-course Feast of Seven Fishes from 5-9:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve for $65 per person. The menu includes a crudo tasting of black bass tartare with Easter egg radish, caramelized blood orange and crispy leeks; Nantucket Bay scallop ceviche with pickled mustard seeds, baby beets and tangerine agrumato; bombolini, black truffled potato “arancini” with horseradish aioli and lingotto caviar; gnocchi neri, squid ink gnocchi with Maine lobster, lobster sugo, saffron and chive butter; risotto with seared rock shrimp, razor clams, ‘nduja sausage, chioggia radicchio and fried shallots; and San Pietro, seared John Dory, stuffed crispelle, chanterelles, chard and sunchoke purée. Dessers include giant cannoli with whipped ricotta, candied orange zest, chocolate and pistachio. A limited a la carte menu is also available.
BLT Steak
BLT Steak, 1625 I St. NW, will serve a special Christmas Eve Blackboard menu from 5-9:30 p.m. The menu includes wild mushroom risotto with white truffles, parmigiano-reggiano and cream froth for $28; a 14-ounce prime dry aged ribeye with oven roasted Cipollini onions and Wagyu butter for $58; and a warm pecan pie with vanilla-bourbon ice cream and honey whipped cream for $12. Diners can add white truffles to any entree for an additional $24.
BLT Prime
BLT Prime by David Burke in the Trump International Hotel, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, will serve a buffet from noon-6 p.m. on Christmas Day for $125 for adults and $40 for children younger than 12. The menu will include a wide selection of cheese and charcuterie, crostini and crisps, salads, soup and house-made breads, heritage pork, game and seafood as well as signature BLT Prime beef and an extensive dessert menu. Highlights include Champagne poached shrimp with lemon; Chef Marc’s green chili pork with buttermilk biscuits; southern fried Hudson Valley Cornish hens with hot honey; traditional roast turkey with Grandma Hennessy’s bread dressing and port wine cranberry sauce; a 70 day salt-aged USDA prime rIb with salt aged jus and for dessert, a Chocolate yule log and s’mores.
Centrolina
Centrolina, 974 Palmer Alley NW in CityCenterDC, is serving a four-course family-style Feast of the Seven Fishes from 5-10 p.m on Christmas Eve. The menu features grilled octopus and bucatini with littleneck clams, romanesco cauliflower and roasted cayenne. Optional wine pairings are an extra $40. Only the special menu will be served that evening.
The Grill Room
The Grill Room in the Rosewood Hotel, 1050 31st St. NW, will serve a Christmas feast from $85 per adult and $40 per child 12 and younger from 5:30-10 p.m. Christmas Eve. Dishes include an amuse of oxtail fritter with horseradish aioli followed by a choice of appetizer and entrée off the pre-selected menu. Choices include pan-roasted Hudson Valley foie gras with pickled hon shimeji mushrooms, cardamom blini and ginger sauterne beurre blanc; winter vol-au-vent, puff pastry with sunchoke purée and roasted seasonal vegetables; wild caught Icelandic cod with spiced persimmons, lollipop kale and a sauce of carrots and parsnips; prime rib with fingerling sweet potatoes, crispy Brussels sprouts and au poivre sauce; suckling pig porchetta with baby artichoke, apple-onion soubise, arugula and jus; and mushroom risotto with roasted sweet potatoes, sage, local Lagotto truffles and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Seasonal desserts and cheeses complete the meal.
On Christmas Day, the restaurant will serve a buffet from 11 a.m-3:30 p.m. priced at $65 for adults and $35 for children 12 and younger with starters such as a shellfish tower, Grill Room salad, oven roasted Brussels sprouts with Italian chestnuts, charcuterie and a cheese board displayed throughout the restaurant followed by a choice of plated entrées including cinnamon raisin brioche French toast with maple syrup and whipped cream; shakshouka, eggs cooked in a zesty tomato sauce with avocado and labne; and smoked salmon eggs benedict, poached eggs, biscuit, smoked salmon and spellette hollnandise. Seasonal desserts will also be on display. The restaurant’s regular a la carte dinner menu will be served from 5:30-10 p.m.
Del Campo
Del Campo, 777 I St. NW, puts a South American twist on the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner from 5-10 p.m. Christmas Eve for $78 per person. The four-course Feast of the Seven Beasts surf and turf menu features bison tartare with smoked oyster dressing served in an oyster shell; Nantucket Bay scallop carbonara with Iberico pork bacon, cured eg yolk and burnt broccoli; smoked lamb shoulder with clam salsa verdi and .crispy garlic; and Peruvian Bunelos with foie gras and canela.
G by Mike Isabella
G by Mike Isabella, 2201 14th St. NW, will serve a five-course Feast of the Seven Fishes from 5-10 p.m. on Christmas Eve priced at $65 per person and $35 for optional wine pairings. The menu includes poached, cod; seafood brodo with shrimp, mussels and salmon; snow crab arrabbiata with spaghetti; pan-roasted branzino with farro, Tuscan kale and cherry espresso gastrique; and lemon meringue or opera tart.
Garrison
Garrison, 524 Eighth St. SE, will celebrate with special dinner offerings until 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. In addition to its a la carte menu, the restaurant will offer a traditional Danish Christmas Eve dinner with æbleskiver (powdered Danish donuts) and a traditional pork roast with herb stuffing, gravy and braised red cabbage for $32. Also, glogg, a type of mulled wine, will be available for $13.
Graffiato
Graffiato, 707 Sixth St. NW, is serving its Feast of the Seven Fishes with dishes available both a la carte and as a tasting menu priced at $69 per person from 5-10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The seafood-heavy selection of five dishes includes seashell pasta with shrimp, bay scallops, clams, calamari, tomato and aleppo pepper.
Hay-Adams Hotel
The Layfayette restaurant in the Hay-Adams hotel, 800 16th St. NW, will erve a three-course prix-fixe menu priced at $95 per adult and $45 per child from 4-12 from 5:30-10 p.m. Christmas Eve. Offerings include morel mushroom velouté with rustic bread crouton and pickled beech mushroom; soy cured Atlantic salmon with cucumber, daikon, ponzu dressing and salmon roe; venison loin with celery root purée, roasted quince, pears and baby turnips; Colorado rack of lamb with braised lamb shoulder cannelloni, caramelized cipollini, broccoli raab and salsify; and geared Nantucket baby scallops with pears, orange braised endive and a beet reduction. Dessert includes the “Cotillon Chocolat,” dark and milk Valrhona chocolate layer cake with espresso ice cream; gingerbread bundt with spice Fiorelle pears, Chantilly cream and nutmeg; winter orange-ricotta tart with Cape Cod cranberries and candied kumquats; and Brandy Alexander cheesecake with berries, currants and Italian meringue. Pianist Tom Vogt will play during dinner.
On Christmas Day, Sunday, the hotel’s Top of the Hay, which will serve a holiday buffet from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. priced at $120 for adults and $60 for children 12 and younger. Dishes include herb-crusted black angus prime rib with a truffle popover, merlot and foie gras sauce; roasted organic Amish capon with Brussels sprouts, fingerling sweet potato and natural jus; Maine lobster salad with mizuna, raisins, and ras el hanout dressing; and braised Duroc pork shoulder with arrowhead cabbage, cumin and red thumb potato. Desserts include snowy gingerbread baby cakes; bûche de noël; pomegranate-blood orange tiramisu; Russian snowballs; and warm sticky toffee pudding with crème anglaise.
Legal Seafood
Legal Sea Foods’ four locations in the DMV will be open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day serving its regular a la carte menu and showcasing a holiday special entrée. On Christmas Eve, the Chinatown location, 704 Seventh St. NW, will be open from noon-9 p.m.; Crystal City, 2301 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, and Tyson’s Galleria will be open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; and National airport will be open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. On Christmas Day all locations will be open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. except National Airport, which will be open 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Lupo Verde
Lupo Verde, 1401 T St. NW, will offer a traditional Feast of Seven Fishes from 5-11 p.m. on Christmas Eve priced at $70 per person. The dinner will consist of fish and pasta following the Roman Catholic tradition to refrain from the consumption of meat on holy days. Dishes include scallops crudo with burrata, lime basil sorbet and micro salad; seared cod all’avellinese with cauliflower, roasted red pepper and Nostralina olives; linguine alle vongole with clams, speck, Pecorino Romano and cherry tomatoes; lobster ravioli with lobster sauce and black garlic; grilled baby octopus with ‘nduja salami, mushroom, chickpea consume and focaccia; and cuoppo fried anchovies with fried shrimp and calamari. Dessert is traditional Italian panettone e torrone.
Osteria Morini
Osteria Morini, 301 Water St. SE #109, will serving a Feast of the Seven Fishes from 5-9 p.m. on Christmas Eve for $65 per person. The family-style seafood dinner includes crudo di tonno, yellowfin tuna, stracciatella, franciacorta and hackleback caviar; bucatini nero (squid ink pasta); tortelacci (local crab ravioli); a wood-grilled swordfish and a whole roasted lobster with pistachio caramelatta for dessert.
Oval Room
The Oval Room, 800 Connecticut Ave. NW, is serving three-course, prix-fixe holiday menu from 4:30-9 p.m. on Christmas Eve for $60 per person or $95 with wine pairings. The menu features first course options such as roasted chestnut velouté with foie gras, honey-crisp apple, maple butter and pineapple sage; shaved Brussels sprouts salad with purple carrots, sweet onion and creamy cider dressing; coffee crusted venison carpaccio with puffed wild rice, toasted pecans, pink peppercorns and wild juniper crème fraiche; and house-cured sturgeon with shaved fennel, hen egg, trout roe, brioche and sauce gribiche, followed by entrées such as pan roasted Mmnkfish with braised bacon, sun ray clams, purple potatoes, baby leeks and chowder reduction; red tail deer with roasted sunchokes, kaleidoscope carrots, kaffir lime and mountain huckleberry jam; Christmas goose with Brussels sprouts, fairytale pumpkin spaetzle, quince butter and fried sage; and black barley “risotto” with celery root purée, Asian pear, toasted chestnut and pecorino di fossa. Dessert includes undone chocolate fallen soufflé with pomegranate mousse and Sicilian pistachios; Bosc pear clafoutis with warm butter scotch and butter pecan ice cream; or coconut rice pudding with dried fruit compote and cinnamon anglaise.
Red’s Table
Red’s Table, 11150 South Lakes Dr., Reston, offer guests seasonal specials in addition to the regular a la carte brunch menu from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Offerings include the raw bar with oysters on the half shell, Middleneck clams, Gulf shrimp cocktail, as well as brunch favorites such as fresh baked cinnamon buns; bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with mixed greens, dijonnaise and home fries; steak and eggs with grilled bread and home fries; crab cake benedict on buttermilk biscuits with home fries; caramel French toast bread pudding topped with caramel, whipped cream and powdered sugar; East Coast cioppino with clams, mussels, shrimp and scallops in a tomato-fennel shellfish sauce served with crusty bread and grilled lemon; and the Hangtown frittata, and open faced omelet with oysters, bacon, potato and green onion served with spicy Charon sauce and mixed greens. Diners will receive a free cup of Valrhona hot cocoa with house-made peppermint marshmallows. The restaurant will serve its regular a la carte menu from 4-10 p.m.
Requin
Requin, 8296 Glass Alley, Fairfax, will serve its take on a traditional French holiday feast for Le Réveillon de Noël, three courses of French-Mediterranean fare priced at $35 per person from 5-10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Highlights including lobster bisque, roasted turkey with apple-chestnut stuffing and cranberry sauce, and classic bûche de noël.
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.