Bone broth begins at Red Apron Butchery Penn Quarter
709 D St., NW
The newest holistic culinary trend, bone broth, is now offered at Red Apron’s Penn Quarter location. Essentially the brew is animal stock—which is nothing new—but the trendy item is currently lauded as a nutrient and vitamin-rich drink (and tastes better than wheatgrass, so there’s that). Here you’ll find smoked chicken, pork, and beef varieties, served alongside optional spice sachets for steeping. So is it basically meat tea? Yes. Are people obsessed? Of course. Go see for yourself at the price of $4.25 for eight ounces, $5.50 for 12.
G by Mike Isabella launches Sandwich Madness
2201 14th St., NW
It’s March Madness a month early at Mike Isabella‘s sandwich shop, which hosts a bracket-style sandwich competition between local chefs starting in February. Each month, two toques, such as Bryan Voltaggio and Victor Albisu, go head-to-head to make the best creation; the winner, announced in August, donates proceeds to a charity of his or her choice. Up first: a toasted grilled cheese with meatballs and Sunday gravy from the Source‘s Scott Drewno, and a local oyster bánh mì with Taylor ham and Sriracha mayo from Will Morris of Vermilion. May the best ‘wich win.
The Inn at Little Washington starts a birthday-themed competition
309 Middle St., Washington
The acclaimed restaurant turns 37 on Wednesday, having opened on January 28, 1978. If you were alive that year, or have the Photoshop skills to appear so, send your weirdest, SFW rated picture from ’78 to the Inn’s Facebook page. The best will be reproduced on a commemorative menu at the restaurant, and the winner (chosen February 6) will receive a signed copy of chef Patrick O’Connell‘s newest book, The Inn at Little Washington: A Magnificent Obsession.
Fiola, Fiola Mare and Casa Luca extend happy hour
3100 K St., NW/1099 New York Ave., NW
There’re more specials to be had at two of chef Fabio Trabocchi‘s restaurants, which extend happy hour from 4 to 7. Fiola Mare serves $6 wines and cocktails like a Negroni topped with Prosecco alongside $5 bar snacks such as calamari with chorizo and pickled chilies or fried artichokes. Over at Casa Luca, look for $5 drinks—an Italian spin on a gin rickey sounds pretty tasty—and bites like Parmesan churros.
Cumulative cocktails come to Hank’s on the Hill
633 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
The barkeeps at Hank’s Capitol Hill location have been busy over the past year, creating weekly rotating cocktail menus themed around pop culture and current issues. Now the 52-week run is over, and a lineup of past favorites has been created for a Thursday debut (and offered through February 28). Examples include the I Know What Boys Like made with bacon-washed rye, and the Secretariat, a julep-esque mix of bourbon, mint, and lemongrass.
Hot cocktails head to Off the Record
800 16th St., NW
Cozying up with a warm cocktail at a subterranean hotel bar sounds like a good way to spend a wintry evening. Off the Record at the Hay-Adams offers just that opportunity with a new lineup of hot beverages, including the Scotch-based Hot Grogg with elderflower liqueur, cinnamon, and orange.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
