Chocolate eclair from G’clair (Alicia Mazzara).
Pastry of the week: Eclairs
Where: G’eclair, Le Caprice, Dog Tag Bakery, The Sweet Lobby
Cupcakes we have in spades, but delicate French pastries are another matter. Worse yet are those eclair impostors known as Long Johns, a rectangular doughnut filled with vanilla custard. Given their similar appearance, these gloopy, sugary treats can give the refined eclair a bad rap. (Also: naming a slightly phallic custard-filled doughnut a Long John? Real subtle.)
Classic French eclairs are an exercise in restraint. The pastry, an airy oblong of choux dough, is typically filled with chocolate or vanilla cream and topped with a sweet glaze. Before being dubbed “eclair,” bakers called it pain à la duchesse (literally duchess bread). Le Caprice (3460 14th St NW) trades in many authentically French items, including classic chocolate and vanilla eclairs. They are a world away from that Long John in the grocery story bakery case.
Several local bakeries are taking some creative liberties with their eclairs. G’eclair, a pop-up located inside the Spoon fro yo shop (2473 18th St NW) in Adams Morgan, channels the flavors of Japan with green tea, miso caramel, and yuzu raspberry renditions. There are also classic chocolate, vanilla, and hazelnut for the purists. Dog Tag Bakery (3206 Grace St NW) similarly takes a cue from Asia with their “teaclairs,” made with tea-infused custard fillings in flavors like chai and rooibos caramel. And at the Sweet Lobby (404 8th St SE), the eclairs are round instead of long, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious.
Small Bites
Drink like Mad Men never ended
Cashion’s Eat Place (1819 Columbia Rd NW) is doing a send-up to 1960s tipples as part of their summer “Decades of Cocktails” series. Once a month on Sunday nights (10 p.m. till midnight), the restaurant will feature food and drinks from a different era. The next session, taking place June 7, will feature a twist on the Blue Hawaiian, a staple of the 60s tiki craze, as well as three different takes on the martini. Sop up all that booze with retro snacks like deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail, and chicken a la king.
SAVOR all the beers
The SAVOR craft beer festival is next weekend, but don’t fret if you didn’t score tickets: Next week is absolutely jam packed with festival-related events that are open to the general public. Check out our picks for making the most of SAVOR week here.
Get ready for The Royal
The Royal (501 Florida Ave NW), the latest venture from the team behind Vinoteca, has a bit of a Superman/Clark Kent thing going on. The Latin-influenced concept—a coffee shop by day and restaurant and bar by night—is scheduled to open in less than three weeks and promises breakfast sandwiches, empanadas, arepas, and shaved ice cocktails made with a vintage ice shaver from Guatemala. In a nod to it’s wine bar roots, The Royal will also offer house-aged vermouth on draft.
Fountain drinks, grandpa-style
RareSweets (963 Palmer Alley NW) is channeling the soda fountains of yesteryear with their new summer drink menu. Starting this weekend you can relieve childhood with a chocolate or root beer float. For something more mature, try a cold-brewed mocha or cold-brewed chocolate made by steeping cacao nibs in water.
