Bourbon horchata slushie at Rosa Mexicano.Drink of the Week: Grown-up slushies
Where: Estadio, Rosa Mexicano
Slushies aren’t just for a frozen margarita-fueled evening of poor choices at Lauriol Plaza. In the right hands—i.e., not the 7-Eleven Slurpee machine—this syrupy sweet and neon-colored staple can pass for an icy but elegant summer cocktail.
Estadio (1520 14th St NW) has been getting in on the slushie game for a while, offering two seasonally flavored “slushitos”. While you can get them year-round, now is the perfect time to start sipping on bartender Adam Bernbach’s well-balanced concoctions. Look for some surprisingly sophisticated flavors, including herbs, tea, or even nuts in the case of their pistachio, sherry, and gin flavor.
Rosa Mexicano (575 Seventh St NW) is making a foray into the world of frozen drinks during their Art of Mexican Mixology event, which features special cocktails throughout the month of June. Stop by for a glass of sweet, creamy bourbon-laced horchata (house-made rice and almond milks spiked with cinnamon) slushy. A dash of lime zest perks up the rich flavors, and the extra shot of bourbon on the side isn’t too shabby either.
Small Bites
A very Korean birthday dinner
On Sunday night at 7 p.m. Mandu’s K Street location (453 K Street NW) will host a special six-course family-style dinner to celebrate chef Yesoon Lee’s birthday. The meal will feature contributions by other chefs from around town, including The Source’s Scott Drewno and Proof and Estadio’s Haidar Karoum. Dinner is $50, with half of the proceeds benefiting the D.C. Youth Orchestra. Call (202) 289-6899 for reservations.
Taste of Wheaton
Head out to Maryland on Sunday for the 18th annual Taste of Wheaton (Grandview Avenue and Reedie Drive). From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., sample food and drink from local restaurants and wineries and take in cooking demonstrations and live music. Tastings are $1-$5 and proceeds benefit Mid-County United Ministries.
Feelin’ crabby
Azur (405 8th St NW) is celebrating all things crustacean with their new Wednesday night Crab Fest this summer. Starting next week, swing by the Penn Quarter restaurant for a fixed-price blue crab dinner ($65) including corn on the cob, kielbasa, potatoes, hush puppies, and plenty of melted butter and garlic aioli for your crab meat, washed down with $5 DC Brau beers. Crabs are also available a la carte starting at 5 pm until the crabs run out.
Andrés heads to Tyson’s
Word is that Jose Andres will re-open his America Eats Tavern in the Ritz-Carleton Tysons Corner (1700 Tysons Boulevard). The former Penn Quarter “pop-up” was part-restaurant, part-American history lesson. However, Andres tells The Washington Post that the concept will be tweaked to fit the tastes of Northern Virginians: “The restaurant is going to be less of a museum,” Andres says. “The spirit of the menu will be the same, but it won’t be as academic.”
