Goodbye, Taco Bamba:
Monday is the last call for chef
Victor Albisu’s Taco Bamba pop-up at Black Jack—until
the former BLT Steak toque opens the permanent restaurant in Falls Church sometime in 2013. The “greatest
hits” menu includes tortillas topped with
everything from fried fluke and slaw to ancho-spiced meatballs with grilled guacamole
and masa-crusted foie gras. It’s open seating, but discount seekers should aim for
the happy hour between 6 and 7 (the menu runs until 10).
Top Chef
dinners: Belga Cafe chef-owner
Bart Vandaele, a current competitor in this season of
Top Chef, hosts two holiday dinners this week. The first is a three-course
menu with beer pairings on
Tuesday, with dishes like beef bourguignon alongside Delirium Noel. The second “Scotch-mas”
meal is on
Thursday, where you’ll find plates such as Scotch-flamed prawns with chanterelle mushrooms
and bacon-stuffed potatoes, complemented by Balvenie Peated Cask, 17 years. Both start
at 6:30, cost $59 per person, and can be reserved by calling 202-544-0100.
Solstice celebration: Equinox is looking at the glass half full on
Friday and going with a solstice versus worldwide destruction theme for its special dinner.
The evening kicks of at 7 with wines from Delaplane, Virginia, winery RdV and bites
such as crispy duck rolls and rare tuna on nori chips, followed by a buffet-style
dinner with various stations serving the likes of white truffle butter agnolotti and
pancetta-wrapped venison with parsnip purée. The event is $100 per person; reserve
by calling 202-331-8118.
Goodbye, world: So the Mayan-predicted apocalypse is on
Saturday, meaning you’ll want to get all your pre-doomsday partying in on
Friday. We have three suggestions for “celebrating” the end of the world, including a super-luxe dinner and a blowout
party.
Happy holidays: It’s a busy time of year with all the partying, shopping, menu planning, restaurant
reserving, and everything else that comes along with the holiday season. Let us help
you with our Holidays in Washington guide,
including festive events, where to eat while shopping in Georgetown, and recipes from
local toques.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
