Several restaurants around town are celebrating the Fourth of July with special drinks and dishes. The Bayou Bakery Coffee Bar & Eatery (901 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) will prepare Music Box Meals for picnicking for $15, which include sandwich choices along with chips, a lemon-cornmeal cookie and fresh fruit.
Republic (6939 Laurel Avenue, Takoma Park) is hosting its second annual Fourth of July “Freedom Fest” with an al fresco barbecue and beer festival. The festival features live music performed by local bands Yamonamen and Human Country Jukebox from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and again from 3 to 7 p.m. Food includes slow-smoked pork barbecue, cheddar biscuits, deviled eggs, cole slaw, grilled corn on the cob and heirloom tomato salad. Draft and cask beers will be available. Tickets can be purchased for $40 for each of the two sessions. All-day passes are available for $70. Tickets are available at everbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-freedom-fest-tickets.
RareSweets (963 Palmer Alley NW) will offer first lady-inspired sweets for the Fourth of July: Lady Bird Johnson lemon bars, Mamie Eisenhower chocolate fudge, Eleanor Roosevelt angel food cake and Hillary Rodham Clinton oatmeal cookies. The shop will be closed on July Fourth, but the sweets will be available between June 29 and July 3.
If you happen to be in London on the Fourth of July, drop in at the Stafford Hotel’s American Bar (16-18 St. James’ Place, London). During World War II, the Stafford was a club for American and Canadian officers. With the Americans came Manhattans, sidecars, martinis and American whisky, all of which — our cousins across the pond being preservers of the past — are still served. The bar is decorated with memorabilia left by American visitors over the years.
Just to the left of the bar is a barstool always reserved for Nancy Wake, a leading figure in the French Resistance and highly decorated war hero whose medals included the U.S. Medal of Freedom. She lived at the Stafford for some years and enjoyed her daily gin and tonic in the bar. The “White Mouse cocktail” is dedicated to her due to her being called “the white mouse” by the Nazis, who never caught her, although they came close once or twice.
From July 14 through July 19, Et Voila! (5120 MacArthur Blvd. NW) will celebrate Bastille Day, France’s national holiday commemorating the beginning of the French Revolution, with a special three-course prix fixe menu featuring classic French dishes for $39.95. Hanger steak with green peppercorn sauce, braised rabbit leg and an apricot and pistachio tart are on the menu.
The second Burger, Tap & Shake (BTS) will open on July 6 at 4445 Wisconsin Avenue NW. Chef Jeff Tunks will offer the same burgers, milkshakes, hand-cut fries and small-batch craft beers as were served at the first BTS on Washington Circle. The new informal restaurant is located across the street from the Tenleytown Metro station. BTS will “shake up” a red, white and blue milkshake for the entire month of July, made with vanilla ice cream, blueberry puree and crushed raspberries.
It’s guacamole time at El Centro DF (1819 14th St. NW and 1218 Wisconsin Ave. NW) until Sept. 30. The Guacamole Festival will feature different versions of the dish that dates back to Aztec times, and is composed of avocado, onion, chiles, tomato and salt. Prices range from $12.55 to $14.75.
During the festival, El Centro will run an Instagram contest. Diners are encouraged to snap a photo of the featured guacamole specials and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #GUACFEST2015 and @ElCentro_DF for a chance to win dinner for two. Contestants must use the hashtag #GUACFEST15 and tag @ElCentro_DF to be eligible to win.
“Big deal wines” is the name of the summer program at Nage Bistro (1600 Rhode Island Ave. NW). The restaurant will offer hard-to-find, expensive wines (by the bottle only) at reduced prices until September 7. The specially selected wines will change throughout the summer.
701, Ardeo & Bardeo, Nopa Kitchen + Bar, Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, and The Oval Room are offering tomato-centric, three-course menus, priced at $39, from July 1 through July 31. The special menus featuring tomato dishes will be available at both lunch and dinner.
Magnolia’s on King (703 King St., Alexandria) will kick off its July grand opening month with live jazz performers featuring Piano D’Amore (July 10 and 17) and the Caroline Park Trio (July 11 and 18) as part of Alexandria’s first music festival. Performances will take place from 9 to 11 p.m. Annapolis-born chef Brian Rowe will prepare “Southern immersion cuisine,” i.e., traditional dishes with new twists, for the small dining room in the 200-year old building.
1789 Restaurant in Georgetown (1226 36th St. NW) is offering its annual summer special through Sept. 11. The three-course menu is available for $48 and includes first, second and dessert course options. Diners should mention the promotion to their waiter when making selections. The summer special is not available on Saturdays.
On Wednesday, July 8, BlackSalt (4883 MacArthur Blvd. NW, 202-/342-9101) will partner with Jackson Family Wines to host a seven-course wine dinner, priced at $145, featuring dishes from BlackSalt Chef Mike Huff and wines from the Jackson portfolio. A reception at 6:30 p.m. precedes dinner at 7.
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