the latest dish

Wet your Appetite

By Linda Roth Conte

August 2008

As part of the company’s 30 wishes for 30 years anniversary campaign, Morton’s The Steakhouse six DC metro region restaurants are heating up your weekends this August with special $19.78 prime hamburgers available for Sunday dinners.  The one pound patties are priced to commemorate the year Morton’s was born and each one is both delicious and for a good cause - $5 from the sale of each burger will go to The Make-a-Wish Foundation.  Go to www.mortons.com to find the restaurant nearest you!  Also, in a few short weeks keep an eye out for the brand new patio at Morton’s on Prospect Street.  The highly anticipated space will accommodate up to 40 people for delightful outdoor dining this Fall.

No plans for Labor Day?  Well skip the beach this year because you can find great seafood in the hills! West Virginia’s Canaan Valley Resort is hosting a culinary university course on Saturday, August 30.  The topic:  New England Clambakes!  Chef Nehmat Odeh will teach students about mussels, clams shrimp as well as fresh corn on the cob, potatoes, home baked bread, slaw and a variety of salads.  Students will receive their own chef hat and apron, a fabulous meal and culinary instruction for $50.  

It only takes $5 to sample delectable items off Amy Brandwein’s menu at fyve Restaurant Lounge. Take your tie off at “fyve” where those in the lounge graze over fried calamari; summer gazpacho; parmesan risotto balls; mozzarella with tomato and watermelon; or garlic bread with pork sausage with an indulgent libation from 5 to 6 pm daily. fyve  is located in the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City.

But if waterside dining is what you crave, spend a Sunday morning this summer at Indigo Landing, which is on the GW Parkway, just past Reagan National Airport on the way to Old Town, Alexandria. Chef Ernesto Pabico is cooking up a $30 per person jazz brunch buffet with a carving station, pastries galore and a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and made to order breakfast classics.  Call 703-548-0001 for reservations! 

Happy Hour in the west end neighborhood has been reinvented with delicious deals. M Bar at the Renaissance M Street Hotel (at New Hampshire and M) presents “Friday Night Whites” - half-priced white wine bottles and “Renaissance Man of the Happy Hour”, which celebrates the men of the beverage industry with $4 for any male-named drink -- Sam Adams, Tom Collins, Jack Daniels and the like. (Friday thru Sundays) Now that M Bar features communal tables and socially-engaging seating areas, they’re also offering the “8, 9, $10” deal, where groups of 8, 9 or more receive 2 bottles of wine for $10 a piece. Gear up early – M Bar’s Happy Hour is every day from 4pm to 8pm.

Les Dames d’Escoffier  celebrates Greek Modern Festival at Zaytinya with a special dinner orchestrated and prepared by one of Greece’s most innovative chefs, Christoforos Peskias, of the famed 48 The Restaurant in Athens, Greece. This special pre-festival kickoff dinner will be held on Sunday, September 7 from 5 to 8 pm..  The Modern Greek Festival will be celebrating contemporary Greek cuisine at Zaytinya, from September 8 through September 22.  Chef Peskias is renowned for his inspired interpretations of Greek classics. He draws from techniques he has learned working with master chefs in France, Spain and the U.S., including Joel Robuchon, Ferran Adria and Charlie Trotter. The mezze-like sampling of dishes will cost $65 for members of Les Dames, and $75 for non-members. To learn more or to register, call 202.973.2168 or send an email to:  lesdamesdc@aol.com

On October 24, the First Annual Joan Hisaoka “Make A Difference” Gala will be hosted at the Ritz-Carlton, Washington DC. Joan, who was founder and president of one of DC’s most respected hospitality PR agencies, was 48 when she lost her battle with cancer. She was a dedicated mentor and professional who brought kinetic energy and bright imagination to her work and to those who worked with her. Her inspiration encouraged others to “pay it forward.” The restaurant industry (RAMW) named the Joan Hisaoka Associate Member of the Year award in her honor. Joan found a great spiritual base to express herself at Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, a DC based non-profit health, education and creative arts organization that aids families and communities affected by cancer and serious illness. Accordingly, all ticket sales and proceeds will benefit this organization.  This black tie event will include dinner and dancing. For more information about sponsorships and tickets contact 202.741.1288 or Jacquelyne Willis at jwillis@websterconsulting.com

Linda Roth Conte is president of Linda Roth Associates, LLC (LRA) specializing in marketing, promotions and publicity in the hospitality industry. Contact Linda at 703-417-2700 or linda@lindarothpr.com or visit her web site at www.lindarothpr.com