We’ve already started the Christmas countdown, and instead of worrying about a fancy menu leaving you a less-than-fancy mess in the kitchen, have one of D.C.’s finest chefs whip you up something for the holidays.
Here are restaurants in the nation’s capital hosting an epic feast for Christmas.
Officina
Designation: The PlateAt Nicholas Stefanelli’s impressive multi-story ode to Italy, a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner can be yours for $85 per person. Guests will start the meal with a variety of antipasti misti of grilled eel and Pugliese octopus salad before diving into paccheri frutti di mare chockfull of clams, shrimp, mussels and calamari, and baked salt cod with potatoes, onion and tomato. And for dessert, pastry chef Jemil Gadea is whipping up a lemon cake with Meyer lemon cream and Buddha Hand citron gelato.
Gravitas
Designation: One StarFor Christmas Eve, chef Matt Baker is dishing up a four-course menu for a reasonable $75 per person. First course choices include chestnut velouté with roasted persimmon, celery hearts and crispy parsnips as well as yellowfin tuna sashimi with soy vinaigrette, shaved jalapeño and black vinegar aioli, while second course highlights are ricotta cannelloni with stracciatella and veal ragú and cotechino sausage with stewed black lentils. (Up the ante on the second course by adding White Alba truffles for a $90 supplement.) For the main event, diners can choose from honey-lacquered duck breast with roasted root vegetables, toasted farro, glazed apples and honey-Calvados jus; pan-seared red snapper with charred leeks, fennel purée, toasted hazelnuts and sauce gremolata; and a roasted rib eye with whipped potatoes and a red wine sauce for an additional $15. Sweet endings include a dark chocolate torte with Maldon sea salt and praline crunch, as well as a buttermilk and cardamom crémeux with burnt honey syrup.
Kinship
Designation: One StarTo ensure maximum relaxation will be had during the Christmas holiday, Kinship and Métier chef/owner Eric Ziebold and team is offering up a gourmet meal for takeout. Meal options include a roast chicken with Perigord truffle panade (serves three to four) for $175, complete with pommes Dauphinoise, friseee salad and crème fraîche cheesecake, as well as a standing beef rib roast (serves four to six) for $225, and comes with twice-baked potatoes, spinach aglio e olio and crème fraîche cheesecake. Those looking to deck their dinner tables, look no further—floral arrangements are also available for pickup.
Guests have the option of choosing between a tasting menu and an à la carte menu at Fabio Trabocchi's Fiola Mare. (Photo courtesy of Fiola Mare/Facebook.)
Fiola Mare
Designation: The Plate“The [team] behind some of this city’s hottest restaurants has a stunner on their hands with Fiola Mare,” state MICHELIN inspectors of this restaurant donning views of the Potomac River. The restaurant is offering a five-course tasting menu for $185 per person—and $50 per child—from the hours of 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Courses include Bigeye tuna puttanesca; Spanish octopus carpaccio with Castelvetrano olives, Bergamot lemon, Italian chicories and marinated peppers; linguine with razor and Manila clams, geoduck and XO sauce; Maine lobster with ‘nduja-lobster stuffing and Barolo jus; and warm chocolate cake for dessert. (Diners take note: the à la carte menu will also be offered on Christmas Eve.)
San Lorenzo
Designation: The Plate“Chef Massimo Fabbri, who long ruled the kitchen at D.C.’s beloved Tosca, has traded in those white tablecloths for this cozy neighborhood charmer which is named after his son [Lorenzo is the ‘patron saint of cooks’],” MICHELIN inspectors say of this eatery in Logan Circle. A Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner is offered at San Lorenzo, too, for $85 per person on December 23 and 24. Primi plates include roasted calamari with shaved Brussels sprouts, crispy oyster and sunchoke purée as well as tuna tartare with kiwi ragú, capers and parsley pesto and yuzu-persimmon vinaigrette, while linguine alla vongole with squash blossoms and black ink fettuccine with crab meat, artichoke and cherry tomato are pasta highlights. A grilled branzino with spinach, kale and porcini mushroom ragú as well as pan-seared halibut with sea snails, cauliflower ragú and halibut are all up for secondi grabs. And for dessert, a choice of flourless chocolate tart with espresso mousse, candied orange zest and orange curd, or maple panna cotta with oat streusel, caramelized apples and maple syrup are both up for grabs.
The Oval Room
Designation: The PlateFor those interested in people watching on Christmas Eve, head to The Oval Room, located a stone’s throw from the actual Oval Office. A prix-fixe three-course dinner for $65 is on offer with an optional wine pairing for $30 per person. Choose from a foie gras parfait with Armagnac, prunes and orange or porcini tortelloni with Bijou sauce, parsley emulsion and pickled maitake before moving onto venison loin with caramelized endive, pumpernickel and kuri squash, butter-poached lobster with potato, salsify and chanterelles of the pièce de résistance, a Christmas goose. And not to be missed for dessert: a Manjari chocolate Yule log with hyssop crémeux, cranberry, pecan and cocoa nib. After all, ’tis the season.
