New ideas for group outings, catering, rentals, corporate entertaining, gifts, and entertaining summer associates in Washington.
For in-office meetings, new Vietnamese-inspired eatery BonMi caters for parties of six or more. The Complete BonMi package costs $15.65 per person and includes banh mi-style sandwiches (with a choice of vegetarian or non-vegetarian filling), green salad with pickled vegetables, a variety of bagged crunchy snacks, and BonMi bars (healthy sweets made with dates, almonds, and dried fruits). Summer rolls and house-made beverages are also available.
The Addams Family musical comes to the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts this summer. Running from July 10 to 29, there will be nightly performances at 7:30 p.m., excluding Mondays. Saturday and Sunday matinees start at 1:30 p.m. Tickets begin at $39 and discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.
James Beard Award-winning chef Jose Andres of ThinkFoodGroup debuted Pepe, a Spanish food truck, in March. The silver truck is available for private events, offering a selection of eight flautas—rolled sandwiches layered with ingredients like Iberico pork, piparra peppers, Serrano ham, and manchego. There is a minimum of $1,200 and 20 guests, which includes the truck and staff for two hours.
The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center debuts the RiverView Terrace this spring, a new outdoor venue on the Potomac with 15,000 square feet of event space. Bring a group to experience the space August 30 through September 3, when Abbey Road on the River returns to the resort. The world's largest Beatles tribute festival will host 75 tribute bands and more than 50 concerts a day across four indoor and outdoor stages. General admission tickets cost $32 each, and Gaylord is offering a discounted room rate of $139 a night.
To cool guests off at the end of the night, Alexandria, Virginia-based Windows Catering Company suggests serving ice cream pops in flavors like coconut mango, orange pistachio, white raspberry, and espresso bean.
A 25-piece box of artisanal chocolates, $48, from Fleurir Hand Grown Chocolates makes a tasty gift. The bite-size chocolates feature colorful, summery images and are made with natural ingredients like Valhrona chocolate, Murray River flake salt, and fresh cream. The sweets are available online and at Fleurir’s retail shop (3235 P Street NW).
Cort Event Furnishings announced earlier this year that the Lounge 22 Powered by Cort collection will now be available to rent in the Baltimore and Washington areas, including the brand-new Odyssey Barstool, which was unveiled at an event designed by Richard Carbotti at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington on March 6 (pictured). The new barstools rent for $195 each, and come in five different fabrications, such as a filigree pattern, grey python, and purple ultrasuede.
Cirque Cuisine is a hybrid food truck-entertainment outfit that launched in February. Run by two former circus clowns, the big top-themed food truck specializes in organic global cuisine, and is available for private events of as many as 500 people. CIA-trained chef Jessica Shields handles the food, which has included Latin, Southeast Asian, and Indian fare. Her partner Sean Swartz, who works part-time at a local trapeze school, can arrange for a variety of circus acts (unicyclers, jugglers, acrobats, aerialists on trapeze rigs) to perform alongside the truck. Shields is also available to cater private multi-course tasting menus at any venue.
For those taking a small group of summer associates to a Nationals game (or a soccer match or outdoor concert) this summer, hire Andy’s Tailgate Cruiser to hand-deliver everything you need to pregame in the parking lot. Order tailgating rentals on the company’s Web site—including canopies, Weber Q100 propane grills, folding tables, collapsible chairs, ice coolers, and a cornhole toss—and they’ll deliver the equipment right to your home, hotel, or office (and pick up everything the next day). Fully custom packages for groups of as many of 20 can be arranged, as can food and beverages. There is a $20 delivery/pick-up flat fee within 25 miles of Vienna, VA (which includes Washington D.C.).
