Photo by Lorena Cupcake.
Drink of the Week: A radler.
Where: American Ice Company, City Tap House, Nanny O’Brien’s, Right Proper Brewing, Roofers Union, Scion
Radler is German for cyclist. It’s also the name of a entire genre of beer and citrus soda mash-ups popular across Germany and much of Europe. Lemon, orange, or grapefruit-flavored soda is mixed with a wheat beer or a pilsner for a German take on the shandy. Whatever you want to call them, radlers are basically designed for summer day-drinking thanks to their low alcohol content and refreshing punch of citrus.
So far, Stiegl’s grapefruit radler has been dominating the D.C. market. It’s popped up on quite a few bar menus this summer, and I’ve even found it in the cooler case at my corner liquor store. The tall boy is half beer, half grapefruit soda. Real grapefruit juice gives this sipper a tangy bite and a pale yellow, cloudy appearance. At just 2.5% ABV, it’s easy to knock these back all afternoon long. And, to answer your question, do I feel vaguely girly drinking them? Yeah, sure, a little, but it’s is so damn delicious that I don’t care. If you’re a fan of grapefruit soda (hey guys, remember Squirt?), you’ll be right at home.
Kansas City-based Boulevard Brewing also makes an excellent lemon ginger radler, which combines unfiltered wheat beer with lemon and ginger juice. Tart, dry, and spicy, it’s a dream on a muggy D.C. day. Boulevard’s radler had a brief turn on the Smoke and Barrel (2471 18th St NW) draft list, but currently the closest establishment serving it is in Baltimore. If you can’t find a radler at your local bar or store, consider whipping one up at home using your favorite wheat beer and a San Pellegrino soda.
Small Bites
Hey Boo Boo, let’s go get us a pic-a-nic basket
Nothing says ‘Murica quite like a basket full of fried chicken. For July 4th, two local restaurants will be offering to-go meals for all your patriotic picnicking needs.
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace (1612 14th Street NW) will be packing up baskets of fried chicken, corn muffins, slaw, potato salad, and a pair of blueberry hand pies. The $35 basket also comes with utensils and a tablecloth. Call 202-319-1612 to place an order by July 3. Baskets will be available for pick up on the 4th starting at 11 a.m.
For something sweeter, head to Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken (1308 G Street NW) for a $36 basket featuring eight pieces of fried chicken, half a dozen doughnuts, and a pint of potato salad. The doughnuts come in two thematic flavors: birthday cake (a chocolate cake doughnut with vanilla glaze, buttercream, and sprinkles) and the USA doughnut (vanilla glaze, raspberry drizzle, and blueberries). Orders can be placed online or by calling 202-809-5565.
Booze-filled dumplings are the new cupcakes donuts cronuts doissants
Get ready to travel back to 1920s Shanghai and Tokyo with the opening of Chaplin Restaurant and Bar (1501 9th Street NW). The latest edition to Shaw’s restaurant scene will feature an Asian-inspired menu and 1920s cocktail aesthetics in a send-up to everyone’s favorite mustachioed star of the silent screen. What does this look like? Apparently, there will be “drunken” dumplings, such as the Whiskey A Go Go (Japanese whiskey, hot pork dumpling and cold lemon emulsion) or the Cold War (Old Tom gin, Pimms, ginger, cucumber, lemon and cold shrimp dumpling). We assume eating them will go something like this, but you’ll have to find out for yourself when they open next month.
Urbana, now with 100% more bar
Urbana (2121 P St NW) will be temporarily closing on July 14 in order to undergo a major renovation. Most notably, the restaurant will be doubling its bar seating which means it will now be twice as easy to enjoy their killer happy hour specials. The patio area will also get a refresh, along with a more open dining room. Urbana is scheduled to reopen in early the third week of August.
The latest in kale technology
If you’re looking to get head of the lettuce curve, stop into the Dupont Circle Sweetgreen (1512 Connecticut Ave NW) for a chance to sample their latest salad concoctions. The Connecticut Avenue location is now serving as a “test kitchen” for the chain’s other outposts, which means you’ll get to try out new menu items first. There are currently eight salads being tested at the store, including the Avo-Cobb-O (exactly like what it sounds) and the Wild Child (wild rice, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, chickpeas, beets, avocado, and miso sesame ginger dressing).
