The Summer Olympics in Rio are giving us another excuse to gather, drink, and cheer. (Photo via Flickr)
Dish of the week: Olympic fever! Plus cheese bread, grilled meat, and sugarcane liquor.
Where to get it: Lia Café International, The Grill From Ipanema, By Brazil, Rio Churrasco, BonBon Brasil
After an incessantly-hyped wait, the summer Olympics are back, full of suspense, torch drama, and plenty of flag-waving. Not surprisingly, D.C.’s bars and restaurants are rolling out Olympic-sized specials for the two-week event in Rio de Janeiro—look for Brazilian-themed food and drinks at viewing parties all over town.
To get closest to the spirit of Rio, though, with a chope (draft beer) in hand, there are a handful of Brazilian restaurants that sling feijoada (a black bean stew made with pork) and cachaça (a distilled spirit made from sugarcane juice) year round.
Find churrasco, or grilled beef, at the roving food truck, Rio Churrasco—or for full on all-you-can-eat meat madness, there’s always Fogo de Chão. The Adams Morgan staple The Grill From Ipanema also has a full menu of regional staples, all the way to jacaré (alligator) from the Pantanal. Pick up ready made pão de queijo (balls of cheesy bread), or the ingredients to do it yourself at home, at the small market/deli By Brazil in Wheaton—where you can also find guaraná (Brazil’s soft drink of choice) and traditional açai bowls. Place an order for the super sweet Brazilian truffle, brigadeiros, from Bethesda’s BonBon Brasil. Or relax with a coffee and salgadinhos, pasteis, and other Brazilian pastries at Mount Pleasant’s Lia Cafe International.
But if you’re just looking for a spot to watch today’s opening ceremonies, consider a trip to Denizen’s Brewing Co. (1115 East-West Highway) in Silver Spring, where the show will be on the big screen in the beer garden. It’ll also be on at Compass Rose (1346 T Street NW), with drink specials on the restaurant’s creative international cocktails.
And there will be plenty of deals to be found around town until the closing ceremonies on August 21. Brookland’s Finest (3126 12th Street NE) is cooking up Brazilian pão de queijo for $8 and mixing caipirinhas for $12. Speaking of cocktails, Commissary (1443 P St. NW) will have $9 cacaçha drinks—we’re betting on the Gold Medal, made with cacaçha, whiskey, lime, mint, and sugar. Macon Bistro & Larder (5520 Connecticut Avenue NW) is featuring upscale cacaçha cocktails during dinner; though they’re pricier, at $14 to $15 each; the “Lighting the Torch,” a fiery cocktail featuring cachaça aged up to two years in French oak casks, could be a must-have tonight. For more offerings, see our full list of opening ceremony and other Olympic deals around town.
Small bites:
Dram & Grain Green
Cocktail den Dram & Grain (2007 18th Street NW) is wrapping up its summer “Monday Mashup” series on August 8 at 7 p.m. with a theme of eco-friendly drinking. Bartender Benny Hurwitz and Justin Hampton (Poste, Radiator) have created six sustainable cocktails, incorporating techniques to reduce the amount of water and ice needed to blend drinks and also using local herbs, spirits, and produce. Drinks will be $13 each all night.
Biscuits, jam, and so much more
Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. is celebrating its second anniversary on Saturday with a Biscuit Jam (get it?!) blow out of food, live music, and art. It’ll be held at 1900 Kendall Street NE from 12 to 9:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $20 (available online and at the door) and include one beer or wine ticket and two non-alcoholic beverage tickets; additional food and drinks are available for purchase, and there’s a full music schedule including performances from Justin Trawick and the Common Good and Johnny Grave and the Tombstones.
A seafood-themed pool party
The next edition of DNV Rooftop‘s (1155 14th Street NW) summer pool party roasts happens Sunday, August 7. The theme this time around is shrimp and oysters, and tickets are $20 instead of the normal $40. Admission includes a welcome cocktail, pool access, DJ entertainment, and unlimited food.
