About Dan About Town
Party photographer Dan Swartz’s diary of bashes, benefits, and galas.
In toasting the return of in-person gatherings, Glamour Editor-in-Chief Samantha Barry hosted a celebratory dinner on Monday evening at Via Sophia.
With the simple goal of “keep[ing] impactful conversation alive,” she found a welcome crowd of participants in the two dozen or so VIPs who filled the private dining room of the Italian osteria for the occasion.
“Glamour has always had an important relationship with D.C., including the changemakers here in the world of politics, media, science and more,” said Barry. “And that’s who we invited to this event. The RSVPs were fast and furious; people are excited to [be] able to get together and celebrate!”
Guests began the night on the outdoor patio of the restaurant connected to the downtown Hamilton Hotel, where they sipped chilled glasses of Veuve Clicquot champagne and enjoyed a series of specialty cocktails with playful names like “Bye 2020” and “Oh Hey 2021” (although a handful of diligent attendees had to stick to water simply because they had to return to work afterward).
As the sun began to set, guests made their way inside for a sumptuous five course dinner, complete with wine pairings, prepared by Via Sophia chef Colin Clark. An alumnus of such District hotspots as Le Diplomate and Fiola Mare, Clark pulled out all the stops for the celebration’s menu, with dishes including chilled corn veloute with lobster and truffle risotto featuring acquerello rice. And while the official dessert was a scrumptious pistachio shortcake, the sweetest treats of the night were probably the freshly baked Glamour-branded shortbread cookies that everyone left with to snack on the next day.
“It’s a joy to be back at the Hamilton Hotel,” Barry said. “We were here when everything shut down in 2020, so it’s only right that we’d return to this amazing venue for our first real life celebration since last March.”
