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'Tis two days before Christmas, when all through D.C., not a creature is stirring, except maybe Marion Barry. And who knows what he's stirring anyway? Whatever it is, it's probably not Splenda or non-dairy creamer. By the way, did you know that Marion Barry's middle name is Shepilov? I read that Marion's father Julian named his son after Dmitri Shepilov, the Soviet foreign minister under Khrushchev. But unless Julian Barry knew Shepilov personally, that can't be right. Marion Barry was born in 1936, well before Shepilov rose to prominence.
Enough talk about Communists; they don't celebrate Christmas anyway. But if you're one of the few people staying the District for the holidays instead of returning to the state that issued your driver's license, you do have a few dining-out options on Christmas Day that do not involve heading over to your local 7-Eleven for a "Big Bite." Hotel restaurants typically stay open on Christmas Day, and Rachel Cooper has compiled a list of the spots serving Christmas dinner in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. As of 10 a.m. via OpenTable, you could still snag a reservation for two at Citronelle (Latham Hotel), Corduroy (Sheraton Four Points), and Cafe MoZU (Mandarin Oriental), among a handful of others. Or you could do what I did last year: go to the Far East restaurant in Rockville for some chicken with cashews and Singapore Slings.
Yenching Palace to Make Way for Walgreens
Speaking of Chinese restaurants and Communists, I read yesterday that owner Larry Lung has finally decided to close his historic Yenching Palace restaurant -- presently known more for its role in having hosted talks between Soviet and American officials during the Cuban Missile Crisis than for its moo goo gai pan -- and lease the space to Walgreens. Recall that DCist first informed you about this possibility back on September 15, thanks to a friendly tipster. Where will all of the Cuban Missile Crisis reenactors hang out now?
Keeping Yourself Occupied
With D.C. turning into a veritable ghost town over the holidays, there aren't many food-focused activities to keep you busy. Even DC Foodies' usually packed cupboard of event listings is bare, save for notices for two cooking classes at Roberto Donna's Bebo Trattoria over in Crystal City. The first class, held Saturday at 11 a.m., will teach you how to cook a five-course meal for New Year's Eve. The second, held next Saturday at 11 a.m., will school you in Italian sauces. Each costs $100 and includes an apron, food, wine, and hot talk with the cooks. Call (703) 412-5076 to sign up.
Vacation Reading List
Or you could use your time off to catch up on the major food and wine-related reading on which you missed out during 2006. For starters, let us recommend Bill Buford's fantastic book Heat -- a tale of Buford's apprenticeship in the kitchen at Mario Batali's Babbo, his subsequent travels to Italy, and his resulting love affair with butchery. And I'm just now having the chance to read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, about which local ethnic food guru and professor Tyler Cowen wrote a fascinating critique in Slate last month. If wine is more up your alley (and, well, if you're the type who kind of likes to leaf through dictionaries or the Yellow Pages), you should definitely pick up Jancis Robinson's new Oxford Companion to Wine so that you can wow friends at holiday parties by informing them that Monastrell is just another name for Mourvèdre. And if you want to know your Barolo from your Barbaresco, Wine Spectator columnist Matt Kramer wrote a much buzzed-about book about the confusing world of Italian wines aptly called Making Sense of Italian Wines.
So, hear me exclaim before I drive out of sight, happy holidays to all, and stay away from the Big Bite.
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I will sorely SORELY miss the Yenching Palace's facade. I've eaten there plenty of times and the food just isn't good, but I had to support the Yenching Palace.