Washington D.C.

DC “DCocktail” Series: Firefly

The DC “DCocktail” Series highlights the food, ambiance, and most especially the cocktails at restaurants in and around the District of Columbia.  We find out about the background of the cocktail menu and how the restaurant uses it to make its mark on the nation’s capital.

In the heart of DuPont Circle and adjacent to Hotel Madera, Firefly (1310 New Hampshire Avenue NW, 20036) offers quintessential American food and cocktails.  I chatted with Bar Manager, Jason Smith, about what inspires him to keep Firefly’s menu fresh and on trend.

Cocktails

Utilizing the hotel’s roof garden and outsourcing from other farms in the area, Firefly uses fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables in their cocktails.  For Spring, Jason plans to incorporate a ‘shrub’ menu, including ingredients like celery, cucumbers, raspberries, thyme, cantaloupe, mint and fig. Jason believes DC is still trying to grasp ‘classic cocktails’ and that execution is more important than creativity when debuting a menu.

“Late Harvest” – Brokers gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon, red grapes

“Mother Earth” – Tumeric infused Ford’s Gin, house made celery shrub, lime, sugar

“Mother Earth” – Tumeric infused Ford’s Gin, house made celery shrub, lime, sugar

“Maple Dew Marinus Sour” – Rosemary infused makers mark, lemon, maple syrup and smoked sea salt

“Maple Dew Marinus Sour” – Rosemary infused makers mark, lemon, maple syrup and smoked sea salt

Cocktail prices were normal for DC, ranging from $9-$14.  They do offer happy hour specials with some of their more popular cocktails available for $7.

Food

Simply put, the food was superb.  Firefly’s commitment to local farmers carries over into their food, as they use the season’s best ingredients to develop their food menus.

I had the shrimp and grits, while my friend had their burger with blue cheese, bacon and a sweet potato bun with parmesan truffle fries (which I sampled too, of course).  OH-EM-GEE.  I left STUFFED.

I made friends with my neighbor at the bar and he had deviled eggs and a BBQ brisket sandwich.  How delicious do they look?  Mouth-watering, I know.

Ambiance

Firefly has a treehouse feel since there’s a (faux) tree in dining room.  I loved the intimate feeling of the restaurant, with its brick walls, dim lighting and quaint atmosphere.  It seemed like the perfect place for drinks after work or dinner with your significant other or friends.

If you end up trying Firefly, be sure to tell them I sent you!

Cheers!
Ashlee

Photo Credit: Ashlee Tuck and Firefly’s website.

‘Anju’ at Mandu Restaurant in Washington, D.C.

By: Nyasha Chikowore

If you’ve never experienced ‘Anju’ at Mandu Restaurant (453 K Street NW 20001), March 6th was your last chance.  Anju is a general term for Korean food consumed with alcohol.  The Korean bar snack pop-up has been a hit, with patrons flocking to eat well after 10 p.m. every first Friday since its launch in June 2014.

Initially the pop-up was on a first come first serve basis, but it got so popular that a reservation became a must. I was lucky enough to snag my sister’s 11:30 p.m. reservation that she made at least a month prior. By the time my drowsy counterparts and I were seated, it was a few minutes shy of midnight.  But how often do you get to eat Korean food that late in DC?

This month’s guest chefs included Jeff Black (Pearl Dive/Black Salt/Republic), Michael Schlow (Tico/Via Mata/Alta Strada), and Tim Ma (Maple Ave/Water and Wall). The menu included 13 items.  Each item was priced at $6 or $15 for a set of 3. Some tables even ordered 1 of each, according to our waiter.

Considering my friends and I had actually eaten that day, we opted to only order a few items. I ordered the infamous mandu fried chicken, the braised pork belly, and the stir fry, which had shrimp, scallop, squid and ramen noodles.

Mandu Fried Chicken

Mandu Fried Chicken

My favorite had to be the braised pork belly, because…pork belly. It was crispy, juicy and while I’m not a huge fan of kimchi, the little that did come with the dish was a welcomed addition. The chicken wings, although quite rich in spicy soy glaze, were nothing short of amazing. I only had room for two out of the four wings but I definitely woke up the next day thinking about them.

Pork Belly

Pork Belly

My friends ordered the sunomono (cucumber salad), the mussels, the tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) and the pork belly taco. I personally sampled the majority of their dishes and was impressed by them all. Koreans clearly know how to snack right because 1) all of the menu items were delicious; 2) they were quite filling; and 3) they were everything you would want in a late night snack.

Sunomono

Sunomono

Mussels

Mussels

Guest bartender Christine Kim (Tico) offered an assortment of libations to be paired with the snacks, which is the whole idea & definition of anju-drinking snacks. Being a lover of whiskey, I ordered the Scotty Doesn’t Know, which was a Dewar’s based cocktail. It definitely hit the spot. Reminiscent of a refreshing lemonade with a hint of pear, it went down easy and was also cute with its sprinkling of pine nuts.

Scotty Doesn’t Know Cocktail

Scotty Doesn’t Know Cocktail

If you missed each first Friday at Mandu, you definitely missed out. Luckily, Danny Lee, chef and co-owner at Mandu, has plans to make Anju a fixture in a permanent location in The District. The prospect of a late night Korean snack bar with cameos from other talented chefs is a winning idea. Considering the popularity of the pop-ups, we may all need to make advance reservations to this hypothetical restaurant that may or may not ever exist.

Photo Credit: Nyasha Chikowore