Photo by Beau Finley.
Drink of the Week: Afternoon tea
Where: Ching Ching Cha, Teaism, the Park Hyatt, the Willard
The British aren’t known for their culinary prowess, but they do love a good cup of tea. Between that and their affinity for royal titles and powdered wigs, it’s no surprise that the United Kingdom is behind the world’s daintiest culinary tradition. Maybe it’s the finger sandwiches, or maybe it’s the cups and saucers, but afternoon tea has a distinctly aristocratic air about it. But in a crazy, mixed-up world where people wear teeny computers on their wrists yet eat like cavemen, the ultimate anachronistic luxury might just be to unplug for several hours with a pot of tea and a comically small cucumber sandwich.
There are a number of places to experience the serenity of afternoon tea service in D.C. The most common setting is inside a high-end hotel. The Park Hyatt’s Tea Cellar (1201 24th Street NW) takes the tiny green leaves seriously, employing a tea sommelier to curate a menu of over 50 different kinds, including a Chinese pu-erh variety so rare that it clocks in at $300 a pot. Afternoon tea ($40) is available on Saturday and Sunday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and features a buffet of sweet and savory pastries and snacks. If you can hold out a few more weeks, the Willard Hotel (1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) also hosts an afternoon tea service ($45)—with a live harpist!—in their Peacock Alley Tearoom. Tea service begins in October and is available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Expect typical tea time nibbles such as scones, tiny sandwiches, and various jams and spreads.
If eating pastries off tiered platters while a harpist strums in the background sounds insufferable, consider the low-key afternoon tea ($30) at Ching Ching Cha (1063 Wisconsin Avenue NW). Despite the unfortunate name, the serene teahouse is an excellent place to while away a contemplative afternoon sipping Chinese tea and munching on dumplings. The sparse setting is a world away from an ornate hotel tea lounge and a welcome respite from the rabble of Georgetown tourists outside. Somewhere in between these two extremes lies Teaism’s afternoon tea service, which includes a traditional and Asian menu (only available at their Penn Quarter location at 400 8th Street NW) featuring rice balls, cucumber salad, and mochi. For $20, it’s also the most affordable version in town, and the small luxury is available every day between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Small Bites
A Taste of Two Neighborhoods
Spend the weekend eating your way through two neighborhood festivals. On Saturday, journey over to Georgetown for the 21st annual Taste of Georgetown. The event, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., will feature tastings from over 35 Georgetown restaurants, plus an Iron Chef-inspired cooking competition and a Baked & Wired “cakecup” (a 5-foot tall, 61-oz a three pound, 13 ounce giant cupcake) eating competition. Tickets are $5 a tasting, or you can buy a group of tickets online. Rest up, and then head over to Adams Morgan on Sunday for the even older (36th annual!) Adams Morgan Day, where you’ll be able to enjoy bites from neighborhood restaurants from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be a dance plaza, where a zumba party and a hula hoop class are among the scheduled activities. Nothing like dancing on a full belly.—Elizabeth Packer
Restaurant Week: Turkish Edition
If you find yourself feeling nostalgic for the three-course prix fixe menus of this summer’s Restaurant Week, then head over to Agora (1527 17th Street NW) for its Turkish Restaurant Week celebration, beginning September 17. The restaurant will offer a special three-course menu, priced at $18 for lunch and $30 for dinner, featuring dishes like swordfish kebab, fried Brussels sprouts, and pistachio baklava. —Elizabeth Packer
The District’s Harvest
Celebrate D.C.’s urban farms and community gardens at Homegrown DC, a one day hyper-local farmers’ market and festival coming to Old City Farm & Guild (925 Rhode Island Avenue NW) on September 20 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The second annual event allows D.C.’s gardeners to show off their harvest, and allows you to buy produce grown within the city itself. Homegrown DC will be taking place in conjunction with the DC State Fair, so be sure to stick around and see what wins the title of D.C.’s funkiest looking vegetable, one of many prizes that will be awarded. —Elizabeth Packer
Hold on to your lederhosen
Like pumpkin spice lattes, there’s no surer sign of autumn than the arrival of Oktoberfest beers. DC Brau is getting in on the game with the release of their first Oktoberfest beer this Saturday. Stop by the brewery (3178 Bladensburg Road NE) between noon and 5 p.m. to fill up a growler or two of the malty brew, or find it on draft at the Nationals Park and other bars around town.
