The Royal will feature bitter-flavored drinks this Monday, including the bottled Love Potion #13. (Photo by The Royal)
Love is in the air for Valentine’s Day 2017, which means there are plenty of ways to date, dine, and picnic your way through the District this week.
This week’s food events
Drown your sorrows with The Royal
The Royal (501 Florida Ave. NW) invites the lovesick to join them this Valentine’s eve for a celebration of all things bitter. From 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 13, the Royal’s team will be pouring specialty cocktails including the Heart Shaped Box, a combination of byrrh, mandarin syrup, bitters, and sparkling wine. Another option is the Love Potion #13, with Capelletti, Cardamaro, and seltzer. With 80s rock ballads gently wafting through the background and “bitters and beer” boilermaker specials on tap all night, the bar is the perfect place to celebrate your own nightmare before Valentine’s.
A North African Valentine’s Day at Compass Rose
The international street food-inspired Compass Rose (1346 T St. NW) is transforming into “a magical, lantern-lit North African market” this Valentine’s Day and invites you and your special someone to come romantically rock the casbah with them. The price of $50, plus tax and tip, buys a glass of bubbly and two dishes from the specially-prepared Mediterranean menu. The restaurant will also have designated swingers tables for solo diners, so those still looking for love are more than welcome to enjoy as well.
Tacos and tiki cocktails
Head to Archipelago (1201 U St. NW) on Sunday starting at 5 p.m. for a special taco pop-up menu from chefs Scott Muns and Samuel Meono of Pineapple & Pearls (the event, though, is not a collaboration with the restaurant itself or its ownership). Tacos in varieties like braised chicken, pork, and tongue will cost $3.50 each ($4 for the sweetbread variety) and will be served until they run out. The kitchen is planning to prepare about 1,000 for the evening.
It’s picnic time!
The National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW), the grand spiritual center in our nation’s capital, is opening its doors for picnickers next Friday, Feb. 17. Bring your blanket and a basket and spread out for dinner on the cathedral’s hallowed floors anytime between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. The event itself is free, but donations are welcome. If you plan on attending, don’t forget to register here in advance.
Top Chef visits Smoked & Stacked
On Sunday, Feb.19, Top Chef season 12 winner Mei Lin and season 13 finalist Marjorie Meek-Bradley will be taking over the kitchen at Meek-Bradley’s Smoked & Stacked (1239 9th St. NW) for the first in a series of guest chef dinners at the restaurant. The fusion menu will be served family style and includes delicacies like pastrami kimcheese bao, fried pig head, and miso white chocolate carrot cake. Seating for the dinner is at 6 p.m. and tickets are $135 per person.
BBQ comes to Shake Shack
If Federalist Pig and DCity Smokehouse weren’t drawing enough attention already, Shake Shack is trying to get in on the action with a limited edition barbecue menu. New additions include the BBQ ShackMeister burger, covered with ale-marinated shallots and barbecue sauce, as well as BBQ bacon cheese fries.
Plan ahead
The DC Distillers Festival returns to the District on Saturday, Feb. 25th. From noon until 10 p.m., Long View Gallery (1234 9th St. NW) will transform into a Prohibition-era speakeasy as twenty local distillers sling their wares to the vigorous tunes of a 1920s-style jazz band. The prices of tickets and tastings vary in price from $95 to $140, but all include a whole lot of local booze.
