Thursday, October 25, 2012

Upcoming Events: Champagne Dinner at Marcel's and More!

Tonight:  Ashok Bajaj’s authentic Penn Quarter Italian gem, Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, is hosting a “Fall Game Dinner” on Thursday, October 25th. Priced at $135 per person (tax and gratuity not included), Executive Chef Nicholas Stefanelli has crafted a mouthwatering menu featuring four courses of premier game.  Standout dishes from Chef Stefanelli’s game menu includes Smoked Wild Green Winged Teal Breast, SavoyCabbage, Pear ‘Dolce Forte’; Roasted Wild Pheasant, Slow Roasted Polenta Integrale, Wild Mushrooms ‘Triafolati’.

Raise a Flute and Toast National Champagne Day at Marcel’s:  Celebrate National Champagne Day without having to fly to Paris! Marcel’s is hosting a celebratory five-course dinner to celebrate National Champagne Day on Friday, October 26, 2012.  The dinner will showcase refined French dishes such as Filet of Turbot with Saffron Risotto and Pea Tendrils, Five Spice Duck Breast, Baby Spinach and Duck Confit with a Smoked Apricot Purée and Blackberries, and Caramel Apple with Caramel Powder and Apple Gelée with Almond Crunch.  Each course will be paired with hand-chosen French Champagnes selected from DC’s largest Champagne collection.  Tickets are $135 per person and reservations can be made by calling 202.296.1166.  For more information, visit http://www.marcelsdc.com/

El Centro D.F., located in the lively 14th street neighborhood at 1819 14th Street, NW, 20009, is serving up all-you-can-eat authentic Mexican brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Priced at $35 per person (tax and gratuity not included), guests can enjoy an endless selection from the entire brunch menu, with options such as Shrimp Ceviche with habanero citrus sauce and pico de gallo; Mexican French Toast and Huevos Divorciados, smothered in green and red sauce with chorizo and bean purée. Bottomless brunch drinks, such as the Michilada, Bloody Maria and choice of seasonal Aqua Fresca cocktails, complement the unlimited brunch offering.  The all-you-can-eat brunch menu must be ordered for the entire table, and all items are available a la carte priced between $5 and $12.95.  
 
October Cruises on the Odyssey and Spirit of Washington. Get in the Halloween spirit with the Spirit of Washington’s annual Boo Cruise! on Saturday, October 27 from 9:30 pm to 12:05 a.m. Tickets are from $44.90 per person, not including taxes or fees. Guests 21 and over can come aboard and enjoy passed hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar all night long. Halloween costumes are encouraged and the best costume will win 4 free tickets on the Spirit of Washington during the costume contest by the end of the night! Call 800.250.3897 or visit Odyssey Cruises online to make a reservation for the Go Pink Brunch Cruise. Call 800.250.3897 or visit Spirit of Washington online to make a reservation for the Boo Cruise!

 Executive Chef/Owner Domenico Cornacchia of the authentic Italian neighborhood favorites Assaggi Osteria in McLean and Assaggi Mozzarella Bar in Bethesda as well as the French oasis, Bistro Vivant, are offering a special chestnut menu thru October 29th.  The chestnut has been a food staple and an icon of health in southern Europe since 400 B.C., and the symbolic nut is welcomed every fall with culinary creativity.  Throughout the month of October, villages in the south of France, Switzerland, and northern Italy draw hundreds of thousands of visitors for their chestnuts festivals, where chestnuts are roasted, candied, boiled, ormade into bread or sugar.  Dishes that will be available during the promotion include Chestnut Bisque with crispy ‘jambon de Bayonne’; Grilled Quail with chestnut risotto; Wild Boar Sausage with Chestnut and Porcini Mushroom RaguFresh Chestnut Tagliatelle Pasta with Rabbit Ragu.

From Oct 22nd through November 2nd, Jose Andres and his team at Oyamel are celebrating their sixth annual Day of the Dead festival.  This years theme is around the ancient foods of Mexico.  The restaurant was inspired by the pre-hispanic foods set out as offerings on traditional Day of the Dead altars.  Mexicans leave staple foods such as beans, corn, chiles, chocolate and mezcal (tequila is a mezcal) on their altars so their loved ones can stay sustained in the afterlife.  The pre hispanic foods of Mexico are a mixture of ancient cultivation techniques (corn, amaranth, chiles and beans), collecting indigenous foods (fruits, chapulines, herbs and cacao) and the art of the hunt (fish, venison, turkey and quail).

Finally, Richard Sandoval’s colorful Latin-Asian inspired neighborhood restaurant, Masa 14, located at 1825 14th Street, NW, 20009, is pleased to introduce its Melting Pot series.  The Melting Pot will offering guests a special menu in addition to the dinner menu, which will showcase the evolution of cuisine across Latin America and Asia, highlighting how foreign cultures have mingled and melded cuisines overtime.  This special menu will be available for one month each quarter.  For the month of November, newly appointed Executive Chef Adam Goldman is preparing, Sao Paulo, which will highlight the Chinese and Japanese influences on Sao Paulo, Brazil’s culinary landscape, dating back to the Colonial Period.  Sao Paulo has the largest Asian-Brazilian population in the country and Goldman’s November Melting Pot menu will be available exclusively for dinner service in Masa 14’s main dining room.


Metro Cooking Show's All Star Line-Up and Food Extravaganza:  This year’s Metro Cooking Show on November 3-4, 2012 will feature some of the biggest names in cooking including:
·         Giada De Laurentiis (star of Giada at Home)
·         Celebrity TV chefs Jacques & Claudine Pépin
·         American chef, restaurateur, and television personality Michael Symon
·         Co-host of ‘The Chew’ and ‘Top Chef’ competitor Carla Hall
·         Top Chef judges -- Gail Simmons &Tom Colicchio, and
·         Next Food Network Star winner “The Sandwich King”  Jeff Mauro
In addition to these food stars, the Metro Cooking Show will showcase local and regional chefs’ cooking demonstrations, tasting and entertaining workshops, a beer, wine and spirits pavilion highlighting local mixologists, and nearly 400 specialty food exhibitors selling culinary products.  Ticket packages for a two-day pass, VIP tickets with meet and greet receptions, and day tickets are available at www.MetroCookingDC.com.  This year’s Metro Cooking Show is an event you don’t want to miss! 

No comments: