Get in the holiday mood at these local restaurants serving up authentic panettone and handcrafted European dishes
By Brittni Guevara
Milanese panettone anyone?
The weather is getting colder (finally) so that can only mean one thing: the holidays are coming up! This year, a variety of restaurants scattered about the DMV are offering unique menu items to celebrate the holiday cheer. So leave the cookies and milk to Santa and treat yourself to some of the best holiday menu items the area has to offer.
Acqua al 2
212 7th Street SE Washington, D.C. 20003; (202) 525-4375
This restaurant just keeps on giving. Throughout the entire month of December, Acqua al 2 is serving handmade panettone, a delicious holiday Italian sweet bread, as a special holiday treat and donating one hundred percent (yes, that’s all of the proceeds) of every purchase of panettone to local charity, So Others May Eat (SOME), a local nonprofit organization aimed at feeding the poor and homeless in the Washington area.
Et Voila!
5120 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Washington, D.C. 20016; (202) 237-2300
Celebrating the holidays in authentic European-style, Et Voila! is serving freshly baked and frosted Bûche de Noël cakes throughout December.
Roof Terrace Restaurant & Bar
2700 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20566; (202) 416-8555
Santa’s coming to town a little early, and he’s landing on the roof the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For four days in December, join Santa and his reindeer at the Roof Terrace for a tasty brunch. For his fifteenth time at the restaurant, Santa (and the Roof Terrace) invite all families and friends to enjoy a brunch buffet, live jazz music and the skyline view. The jolly brunches will be held on Saturday, December 10th, Sunday, December 11th, Saturday, December 17th and Sunday, December 18th, all beginning at 10AM. With Santa Claus being so popular (obviously!), reservations are required for brunch. The brunch menu items will include seasonal gourmet salads, freshly baked pastries, oysters, French toaster and any way-you-want-it omeletes; a complimentary mimosa or sparking wine comes with your meal, moms and dads! For the kids, mac’n cheese, fries and chicken fingers are just some of their favorites on the menu. The price for brunch with Santa is $39.95 per adult and $20 for kids ages 4-11.
Community Canteen
11950 Democracy Drive, Reston, Va., 20190
Cookies and cocktails? Yes, please! On December 3rd from 4-6PM, the Community Canteen will be hosting a baking and drinking event that’ll surely get you cheerful for the holidays. Pastry Chef Cheryl Strasser will be celebrating the holiday joys at the Community Canteen, teaching all in attendance how to pair the best cocktails with the sweetest cookies. For $25, you can learn the best pairings for holiday treats and try them out yourself. For more information on the event, click here or to purchase tickets to the event, call (703) 707-0233.
