What's Happening In Washington, DC: December 14, 2015

There are only ten days left until Christmas and if that makes you break into a sweat — relax! Take a break from cooking and shopping and actually enjoy the holiday. We've put together a list of fun things to do, eat, drink, and buy right up until Christmas Eve — as well as a new beer garden opening in January that will help fill the void in your calendar.

Florida Avenue Gets a New Restaurant and Beer Garden January 2016
As the D.C. restaurant boom slowly moves north, Shaw and the Petworth area are getting fun places to eat and drink, including Takoda, a new modern American eatery and year-round rooftop beer garden from partners Ryan Seelbach and Eric Lund Takoda, a Native American name meaning "Friend to everyone," will serve sharable small plates of American pub food prepared by chef Damian Brown, a Capitol Heights, Maryland native who proved his mettle at other D.C. area restaurants. Look for fun food like bacon popcorn with parmesan and chives;  wings in four different styles including PB&J, parmesan garlic, Old Bay, and classic spicy buffalo;  Southern fried chicken with pecans and black pepper maple syrup over sweet potato waffles; and molten chocolate S'mores.

Lupo Verde Now Selling Gift Baskets Filled with House-Made Italian Holiday Delights
Holiday entertaining can often be stress filled what with all the shopping, traffic, and pressure to find the right gift and throw a smashing party. But if you buy a holiday gift basket from Lupo Verde, both givers and receivers benefit. This is a wonderful gift, hostess gift, or dinner supplement that any hostess would love, and if you don't have time to cook, this could be your new entertaining survival kit. Executive chef Domenico Apollaro has prepared gourmet Italian goods that any gourmet would love and you can get them until New Year's Eve, December 31. Choose from pre-packed baskets that include house made marmalade and ragù as well as black truffles, artisanal pasta, a bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella, Italian olive oil; Don Ciccio & Figli products, and cured meats and cheeses from Lupo Verde's cheese shop, or create your own custom basket. Buy them at the restaurant for between $60 and $200 each, depending on contents.

Macon Bistro & Larder to Host One Eight Distilling Cocktail Takeover
For a pre-Christmas party that's local, Southern, and sure to please, the One Eight Distilling take over at Macon Bistro & Larder on Saturday, December 19 sounds like a flavorful evening of good food and libations. From 4:00 p.m. to close, Macon will serve six featured cocktails, priced $12 each, and made exclusively with local spirits from One Eight Distilling including Ivy City Gin, District Made Vodka, and Rock Creek White Whiskey. In addition, at 8:30 PM, you can reserve a seat at the chefs table and enjoy all six cocktails paired with Macon Bistro's tempting snacks for $40 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Please email Andra Johnson for more information on booking a seat at the Chef's Table on December 19.

Summer Whitford is the D.C. Editor and a food, drink and travel writer at The Daily Meal. In addition to lifestyle topics, Summer also writes about culture and the arts at Woman Around Town. You can follow her on Twitter @FoodandWineDiva and on Instagram at thefoodandwinediva.