Washington, DC New Menu Report: 04/22/15
City Tap House
Love your mother? Then celebrate Earth Day with a cold draft at City Tap House. All day Wednesday, April 22, you can drink six earth-friendly beers from three Vermont breweries for $5 to $8 dollars each. The breweries include Long Trail Brewing Company, Otter Creek Brewing, and Wolaver's Organic Ales. Here is each brewer's green creds: Long Trail uses only recycled and green glass bottles for their brews; Otter Creek donates their spent hops and yeast to local farmers as clean alternatives to fertilizers and feed for local dairy cows; and Wolaver's Organic Ales is the first certified organic brewery in the U.S., has a non-GMO policy, and only sources hops, etc. from organic purveyors and farmers.
Jardenea at Melrose
Tucked away at Melrose Hotel, upper Georgetown's charming boutique hotel, is Jardenea, a quiet place for incredible seafood and locally sourced meat, game, and produce. Executive chef Nate Lindsay may look like a college kid, but don't let his youthful appearance fool you. He is fully in command of the kitchen and is an expert at preparing fresh seafood and delicate baby vegetables. For spring, he has created special lunch, dinner, and dessert menus that pair seamlessly with the new cocktail menu. Some mouthwatering favorites include the white asparagus bisque garnished with black truffle Chantilly cream; crispy skinned, coriander dusted Hawaiian sea bass; cinnamon scented profiteroles garnished with toasted hazelnuts and chocolate ganache; and the maple Manhattan made with Cutty Sark whiskey, organic maple syrup, and dry vermouth.
Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
For some, spring means baby vegetables, sorrel, tender lettuce, and a change from red to rosé wine. Dessert lovers with a perennial sweet tooth anxiously await the first shoots of rhubarb because they know that tangy, sweet, silky strawberry rhubarb pie can't be far behind. Well, you're in luck because Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab has just added a flaky crust strawberry rhubarb pie with vanilla ice cream to their monthly #pieitforward program that supports local charities. For every slice of pie you buy, Joe's will donate $1 to Communities In Schools of The Nation's Capital, which is dedicated to bringing community resources into schools.
Legal Sea Foods
A seafood eatery may not be the first place you consider when you're on the hunt for something different in the cocktail category, but Legal Sea Foods is literally raising the bar with new cocktails for spring. From April 15 to September 30, all four DMV locations will be offering a new line up for between $9 to $12 dollars. It's part of Legal Sea Foods' Raising the Bar program and it focuses on innovative and inventive drinks like The Islander, which is made with Plantation 3 Stars silver rum, Plantation Original dark rum, passion fruit, fresh pineapple, and lime juice; the Mexican Mule, made with Del Maguey Vida mescal, Patrón Reposado tequila, muddled grapefruit, lime, and ginger beer; and the Tea Party, which combines Deep Eddy Sweet Tea vodka, Templeton rye whiskey, lemon, honey, and soda water.
Masa 14
Sometimes, you just want to have something easy to eat that's familiar or doesn't cost an entire pay check. For some people, tacos satisfy that hunger. If so, Masa 14, chef Richard Sandoval's lively 14th Street cantina is happy to oblige with their new Unlimited Chef's Tasting Menu featuring unlimited small plates and free-flowing cocktails. You can order these savory hand held bites Sunday through Thursday with two options: Unlimited Latin-Asian small plates for $49 per person or the Unlimited Latin-Asian small plates with select bottomless drinks for $65 per person. There are restrictions however: the options don't include tax and gratuity, the entire table must order the same Unlimited Chef's Tasting Menu offering, and guests must complete their meal in two hours.
Nage Bistro
Nage Bistro is known for its fresh seafood, Rehoboth origins, and creative American fare and now they've upped their cocktail game and have added six new light, fresh, seasonal drinks named for colorful jewels. The drinks debut on Wednesday, April 22 and include "gems" like Stormy Garnet, which blends house made strawberry, basil, and black peppercorn vodka with ginger beer and cranberry juice; Jasper Moon is made with bourbon, St. Germain, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, and mint and topped with a dose of sparkling wine; the Ruby Slipper is a watermelon juice martini; and there's even a white peach sangria you can purchase by the glass or in pitchers.
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.