Washington, DC New Menu Report: 04/08/15

There are only seven days left until tax day and depending on your financial situation, you may need a drink to fortify you while you labor over tax forms. Pas de panique! Washington, D.C.'s cocktail scene offers a plethora of watering holes and eateries that will slake your need for a drink with some kick. And with all the new seafood and tasty Chinese buns being added to menus, you won't go hungry, either.

City Tap House
This month, City Tap House has a new brew release, Black is the New Wit, which is a collaboration between Athens, Georgia brewer Terrapin Beer Company and New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado. A traditional Belgian-style wit, this nearly colorless brew is made from roasted wheat and de-husked barley; created for summertime drinking, it is light enough to pair with all the fresh seafood you crave.

On April 16, CPAs who bring their accounting business card can revive themselves on select beers and house wines, gratis, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. during City Tap House's Recovery Happy Hour. After that, the rate for CPAs goes to $5 for select craft beers and $6 for house wines.

EatsPlace DC
She's baaack! Katy Chang is once again taking center stage at EatsPlace DC with her new pop-up Baba's Brazen. Baba's Brazen reflects Katy Chang's culinary roots and the Chinese menu is devoted to handmade buns and red braised meat, seafood, and vegetarian options with mini egg tarts for dessert. As a little girl, Katy learned to cook at her father's knee and she has fond memories making buns with him and shaping the dough into animal shapes. This new menu "...was inspired by my baba (dad), who was a chef and often prepared red cooked meats at home. I don't usually find it in restaurants because it's a slow, careful cooking process." The Baba's Brazen residency at EatsPlace starts Tuesday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m. and continues through the month.

ENO
April is National Grilled Cheese Month and at ENO Wine Bar in Georgetown that's cause to celebrate – and introduce gooey cheese sandwiches that elevate the typical tomato soup sandwich. Each week in April, ENO will offer a different sandwich made with Pan de Mie that includes a featured cheese and a cheddar blend of Amber 16, Tumbleweed, and Cabot Clothbound along with a mixed green salad. Here's the lineup:

April 5: BC Grilled Cheese featuring Blythedale Camembert 
April 12: Creamy Grilled Cheese featuring Greenhill soft cow's cheese 
April 19: Go Nuts Grilled Cheese featuring Thomasville Tomme 
April 26: Got Goat? Grilled Cheese featuring fresh goat cheese 

All the cheese sandwiches, including ENO's signature grilled cheese and smoky blue cheese sandwich, are $11 and ENO's rotating charcuterie selection such as duck prosciutto, coppa, bresaola, soppressata, duck fuet sausage, and pâté de campagne can be added for $2 each. 

Joe's Seafood
Nutritionists and doctors say we should eat at least 2.5 servings of fish per week to max out our omega-3 intake for optimum health, and Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab has just what the doctor ordered: Alaskan halibut. This hearty fish is now on the menu at Joe's and is custom butchered for Joe's as a premium T-bone cut. The halibut comes simply broiled with lemon, cracked pepper and extra-virgin olive oil – yet another source of those important omega-3s – and the market price is $35.95.  

Legal Sea Foods
Head over to Legal Sea Foods April 15 and you can sample some new cocktails from their Raising the Bar craft cocktail series. This new batch of drinks is available from April 15 to September 30 and is meant to bridge the weather gap until fall. Made with seasonal ingredients and priced from $9 to $12 each, the new drinks to try include the Red Ruby Quencher, The Islander, Mexican Mule, Green Bloody Mary, and Tea Party. There is a drink here for every palate because the recipes run the gamut from vodka-based drams to Del Maguey Vida mescal lovelies like the Mexican Mule with grapefruit, lime, and ginger.

Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
For sheer luxe and bi-valve magnificence, it doesn't get much better than the classic Champagne and oyster pairing adored by Parisians. Pearl Dive's newly debuted Champagne list is the stuff wine connoisseurs only dream about, thanks to its focus on 25 wines produced by premier récoltants manipulants, or what we call grower Champagnes. Unlike the big names most people recognize, these people grow their own grapes and make their own wine, which means better wine at a better price. Pearl Dive is featuring five different styles of Champagne and two by the-glass-selections (at $12 and $17 per glass) that pair well with oysters as well as the restaurant's fried chicken and po' boys. All of the bottles are less than $100, with relatively affordable options in the $50 to $60 price range. 

Summer Whitford is the D.C. City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal and the DC Wine Examiner. You can follow her on Twitter @FoodandWineDiva.