Photo by Stu Spivack. Dish of the Week: Cassoulet
Where to Find it: L’hommage, Le Diplomate, La Chaumiere, Montmartre
November is halfway over, and the dropping temperatures and shorter days are clear signs that winter is just around the corner. Especially on the rainiest days, no one would fault you for seeking out a rich, warm and hearty meal. Enter a traditional French classic, the cassoulet.
Cassoulet is a French stew made with a combination of meat and white beans. It’s usually a mixture of duck confit, boudin, and other meats. It’s not fancy food, but it’s rustic and filling—the perfect thing to eat in the cooler weather. Trust me, this isn’t 90-degrees and humid food. It’s settle in with a few glasses or red wine and some crusty baguette food.
The iteration at La Chaumiere (2813 M St. NW) in Georgetown uses lamb as well. Residents of the NoMa neighborhood should trek over to L’hommage Bistro Francais (450 K St. NW), where the cassoulet is made with boudin noir, duck confit and bacon.
Whatever the ingredients, the result is an incredibly rich bowl of food that will buffer you against even the rawest late-fall evening. Cassoulet is sure to keep you full and get your body ready for the cold winter months to come.
Small Bites
A last wunderful evening
NoMa’s Wunder Garten (150 M St. NE) is closing for the season and throwing one final party tonight from 3 p.m. to close. There will be music, drink specials and giveaways. If you can make tonight, the last day of operation will be Saturday, Nov 14 from 2 p.m. to close.
Craft ciders in Virginia
From November 13 through the 22, Pizzeria Paradiso Alexandria (124 King St.) will be celebrating Virginia hard ciders. On Monday the 16, stop by for bottle pours of Albemarle cider for $6 each. Richmond’s Blue Bee Cider will take center stage on Tuesday, with pours priced at $8 to $10 (they’ll be half off during happy hour). A planned special pizza will be available and feature turkey sausage, cranberry sage pesto, Pecorino, kale, onions, squash and apple.
All. The. Mussels
Granville Moore’s (1238 H St. NW) is offering one of its all-you-can-eat mussel nights on November 17. It’s just $20 a person, and there are five sauces to choose from. They go down so easily, so it shouldn’t be hard to get your money’s worth. Wash ’em down with one of the many great Belgian beers on tap.
Oysters, Jose style
American Eats Tavern in McLean (1700 Tysons Boulevard), a Jose Andres project, is prepping for its first-annual oyster festival. The month of November will feature a special chef’s tasting menu, as well as complimentary tastings on the 18th from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the 28th from 11 a.m to 2 p.m.
Bakery pop-up
Former Neighborhood Restaurant Group pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac has been working on opening Buttercream Bakeshop, her newest project. Anyone with a sweet tooth will want to hit the forthcoming shop’s pop up at Union Market (1309 5th St NE) next week. It will focus on Thanksgiving treats, and you can expect some cinammon-dulce apple, key lime or Nutella-fudge pie. Another option will be pumpkin cake with candied cranberries and cinnamon buttercream. Hours will be November 13 through the 15 and the 20 through the 22 from noon to 7 p.m.
