Next week, the Nation’s Capital will be abuzz as friends and partners set forth to restaurants and bars to celebrate the season of love.
Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day or Single’s Awareness Day, the District has something for everyone. Here’s where to go on February 14:
Bidwell
Designation: Bib GourmandAt his bustling Union Market restaurant, chef John Mooney is serving up a five-course tasting menu for a reasonable $55 per person (tax and gratuity not included). Diners will be greeted with scallops marinated with turmeric, chervil and Osetra caviar before moving on to mains like “Love Letters,” aka goat cheese ravioli with black truffle broth, and roast rack of lamb with roasted sweet potato and root vegetable gratin, Brussels sprouts and maple glaze.
Tail Up Goat
Designation: One StarAt this Adams Morgan one-starred restaurant by Jon Sybert, Jill Tyler and Bill Jensen, a schnitzel dinner is up for grabs for $75 per person. Though there isn’t a menu set in stone, guests can expect a special selection a German and Austrian sparkling, white and rosé wines to pair with dinner. (Diners be warned, while vegetarian options will be available, the kitchen will not be able to avoid gluten, dairy or eggs.)
Bombay Club
Designation: The Plate“Polished and sophisticated with just a hint of spice, Bombay Club’s environs are a nostalgic nod to the British clubs of the Raj,” state Michelin inspectors of chef/owner Ashok Bajaj’s Penn Quarter stalwart. “If you can take your eyes off the senator snuggled into the half-moon banquette, the polished Indian cuisine doesn't disappoint.” From 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., executive chef Nilesh Singhvi is offering a five-course menu for $85 per person. Guests will start off with an amuse bouche of badam shorba (almond soup) before moving onto things like date samosas; malai mushroom venison; lamb xaccuti with coconut, garlic and roasted spices; and tandoori lobster chittinad with coconut, coriander, black pepper and anise. A sampler of desserts like bhapa doi (baked yogurt) and banana hazelnut kulfi—as well as sultry tunes via live jazz on piano—rounds out the romantic meal.
Whaley’s
Designation: Bib GourmandSeafood lovers will relish in the multi-course menu at Nick and David Wiseman’s restaurant which inspectors deem “the kind of refuge where one comes to slurp away oyster after oyster.” For $95 per person, chef Daniel Perron is dishing up a selection of premium seafood via the Catalina Island sashimi box to start before moving onto first course dishes including kushi oysters with yuzu-cucumber mignonette and ikura roe or binchotan big eye tuna otoro with yuzu kosho, hearts of palm and sea bean. Shabu-shabu—Japanese hot pot—is the main event for the evening, with each table choosing between dashi or red miso broth, and one protein, like scallops, monkfish or heritage breed pork. (Up the ante by opting for the A5 wagyu beef, available for a $25 supplement.)
Nazca Mochica
Designation: The Plate“In a Peruvian version of upstairs-downstairs, this two-in-one restaurant comprises a cebiche and pisco bar downstairs with more traditional dining and a sleeker style upstairs,” state inspectors. “Luckily, the fantastic cebiches are served both up and down.” Extending the holiday for a few days, a four-course dinner for $65 per person, which includes a glass of Cava and a $10 gift card, is available through February 17. Starters include cebiche with sweet potato, Peruvian corn, onions and lime and short rib in aji panca, while arroz con pato (duck confit with cilantro-infused rice) and pulpo (octopus) and Brussels sprouts with panca sauce, passion fruit dressing and soy sauce are featured under mains.
Hero image courtesy of Nazca Mochica/Facebook.
