Gift buying? Check. Decorating? Check. Preparing sleeping arrangements for your guests? Check.
Now, you just have to cook for, like, a gazillion people.
Aren’t the holidays fantastic?
Luckily in the D.C. metro area, there are a number of area restaurants that offer Christmas Eve or Christmas Day — or both — dining options.
“It’s known for family gatherings,” Angella Reid said. Reid is general manager of Fyve, a restaurant located in the Pentagon City Ritz-Carlton. “We cater to people in the area. The Ritz-Carlton, in general, is kid-friendly. We want to take care of the little ones.”
Fyve is hosting its annual Christmas Day buffet brunch once again this year, which has become an Arlington tradition.
“It’s always been one of the gathering places,” Reid said. “You do have couples, but it’s primarily families and friends entertaining.”
The brunch runs the gamut from waffles and short ribs to a raw bar and sushi.
“We have staples, and we have some more exciting selections,” Reid said. “You try to cater to a wide cross section of people.”
Other dining options include Christmas Eve at 1789 Restaurant in Georgetown, with caroling from the Washington Men’s Camerata; Christmas Day brunch at the Willard InterContinental; and a three-course Christmas Day menu at the Morrison-Clark Restaurant.
Holiday dining can be combined with other Christmas Day and Christmas Eve activities. National Harbor is celebrating its Christmas on the Potomac with a number of events; the Nutcracker is at the Warner Theatre on Christmas Eve; there’s free jazz at the Kennedy Center on Christmas Day; and the ice skating rink at Pentagon Row is opened throughout the holiday (a round of skating followed by brunch at Fyve may make the list of Best Christmas Ever. After opening gifts, of course).
Christmas Eve is also the night of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian tradition that dates back to Catholic observers avoiding meat and dairy products on holy days. Dino in Cleveland Park and Potenza near the White House each have the Feast of the Seven Fishes on the menu.
“This year is a bit of a modern take on the meal,” Dean Gold, owner of Dino, said. “We’ve become more concerned with sustainability.”
Gold explained, that, for example, instead of using salt cod, his restaurant will use Alaskan codfish from a farm he knows has a good reputation, and spice it with salt; and instead of serving octopus, the restaurant will offer ceviche.
“It’s something we’ve always been about,” Gold said of sustainability.
Children are welcomed, and Gold said he recognized not all kids would be up for weird fish creations, so there is a kids meal available while the adults chow down on seafood.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Gold said. “It really resonates with people. It puts them in a good mood.”
