(Photo by Le Diplomate)
The coming week in D.C. dining brings weekday cocktail specials, new fast-casual Chinese cooking, an experimental space from chef José Andrés, and more.
This week’s food events
Monday pina coladas
If the end of the Fourth of July has you with beach withdrawal, The Royal (501 Florida Ave. NW) is the place to be this Monday, July 10. Come by from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. for a pina colada-inspired cocktail list with creative ingredients like mezcal, sherry, and snow cones. There will be eight cocktails on sale for $8 each. Guest bartender Doug Atwell will be in from Blue Pitt Barbecue and Whiskey Bar in Baltimore.
New Zealand wine, via Belgium
Sip on New Zealand wine paired with five courses of B Too’s (1324 14th St. NW) cuisine on Tuesday, July 11 at 6:30 p.m. Seats for the dinner are $59 a pop and can be purchased online. The menu includes dishes like seabass poke, Octopus with Thai eggplant, and roasted duck. Guest of honor Stu Devine has worked for one of New Zealand’s biggest wineries and is heavily involved in sustainable winemaking.
Let your French flag fly
Friday, July 14 is Bastille Day. It’s an annual excuse to geek out with all things French, including food and drink. One of the biggest parties is happening at Le Diplomate (1601 14th St. NW). The festivities with start at 11 a.m. with children’s activities, face painting, accordion music, and a mime. Yes—a real mime. St. Germain elderflower liqueur will be onsite for adults, pouring a shareable cocktail with peach shrub and sparkling wine. The brand will also be running slushie machines with elderflower frozen cocktails. To top it all off, the restaurant’s ice cream cart will be scooping up French “glacé” on the sidewalk.
Raise a glass with mojito specials
Tuesday, July 11 marks National Mojito Day, and a couple of the areas Latin restaurants will have discounts on the refreshing rum drink. Start at Taqueria del Barrio (821 Upshur St. NW), where a classic version will be $5 from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. The drink will be also be $5 at Cuba Libre (801 9th St. NW) in Penn Quarter, starting at 11:30 a.m. The bar also has a large selection of rums and Island-inspired drinks.
Openings
A team of D.C.’s best chefs have joined forces to open Chiko (423 8th St. NE) on Barracks Row. The casual Korean and Chinese mashup comes from Danny Lee (Mandu), Drew Kim (formerly of Matchbox), and Scott Drewno (formerly of The Source). Expect affordable bowls and sides that push the flavor, such as peel and eat shrimp and smoked brisket or blue catfish.
Local business Pizzeria Paradiso is gearing up to launch its fourth area location, this one at 4800 Rhode Island Ave. in Hyattsville, Maryland. Doors will open Saturday, July 8 with an all-Maryland beer tap takeover and a special crab pizza with pesto, hominy, and cherry tomatoes. The restaurant will feature 16 beer taps, 55 interior seats, 18 outdoor seats, and a five-seat exterior beer bar .
Chef José Andrés is finally ready to open his innovative ThinkFoodLab on Tuesday, July 11. The space at 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW will act as a location for pop-up and experimental fast-casual concepts from Andrés and his restaurant group. The first go around will be Pepe, a Spanish-inspired food truck.
