Holidays! They’re here: Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, and Christmas, all rolled up into one week of festive fun. Keep on top of it all with our holiday guide, which includes where to eat, who’s serving what, recipes, presents for food lovers, and more.
Feasts of the fishes: Regardless of your holiday orientation, the Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian seafood meal typically served on Christmas Eve, is worth enjoying. Check out our guide to nine restaurants offering special menus this week.
Whiskey tasting: Start the short holiday week with a brown liquor sampling at Little Miss Whiskey’s on Monday at 7:30. For just $7 the bar pours six samples of fine whiskey, such as Lagavulin 12-Year and Johnny Walker Gold. Tickets are available online.
Calling last-minute shoppers: Alexandria’s Holiday Market continues this week, and there are plenty of gifts and eats for food lovers. Drop by from 11 to 8 on Monday and Tuesday, or 11 to 2 on Wednesday (Christmas Eve) for gifts from the Capital Candy Jar and Artfully Chocolate, dishes such as French crepes and German schnitzel, and a bar with mulled wine to keep things warm and boozy.
Clementine Fest: Jaleo‘s annual Clementina Festival continue this week, with a variety of citrus-themed dishes and drinks. All three locations serve clementine gazpacho with scallops, duck confit with clementine sauce, the citrus juice with gin and lime, and more (priced individually). The celebration runs through December 28.
Holiday soiree: Cashion’s opens its doors to friends, neighbors, and newcomers on Tuesday for a holiday party with bottomless sparking wine and eggnog, passed snacks like stuffed mushrooms and oyster sliders, and a buffet starring a maple-glazed pork leg and sides. Tickets are $50, and must be purchased in advance.
Tuscan pho: Starting Friday, Dino’s Grotto offers a special menu of bollito misto, a.k.a. “Tuscan pho,” a traditional Italian meal centered on meats and vegetables cooked in a hearty broth. You’ll start with a bowl of the brew and house pasta, followed by a platter of seasonal vegetables and potatoes and a bounty of meats. The family-style lineup is $39 per person, with an optional $25 wine flight.
Unlimited tapas: Boqueria starts its weeklong unlimited-brunch deal on Saturday, served on both weekdays and weekends. Head in for unlimited Spanish tapas such as chorizo-potato tortilla and local pork sausage with salsa verde, plus bottomless sangria, wine, mimosas, draft beer, and more ($39 per person). The deal starts at 11:30 on weekdays and 10:30 on weekends, and runs through January 4 (reservations accepted).
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.
