Culinary Ideas

#9 Food & Restaurant Industry Event
One of the area’s hipper foodie gatherings, the New Times Iron Fork Competition drew 2,000 guests to Ice Palace Film Studios last year. Next: October 2012

Celebrate the holidays by serving Pitango Gelato's affogato made with hot chocolate. While the Italian treat is traditionally served with coffee and ice cream, the gelato shop serves its version with cocoa poured over gelato (seasonal gelato flavors include cinnamon, cardamom, and orange dark chocolate). The dessert option is available for full-service catering or delivery, which gets you all the ingredients plus serving ware.

Say thanks to clients, employees, or bosses with a gift basket from Sticky Fingers. The bakery, owned by two-time Cupcake Wars winner Doron Petersan, offers vegan goods including peppermint brownies, eggnog cupcakes, mini cranberry loaves, mini pumpkin pies, gingerbread whoopie pies, and more.

To up the holiday cheer without increasing the decor budget, deck the halls with a magnolia leaf garland from Amaryllis. The arrangement not only makes a big statement—the floral design shop suggests running it down the center of a table—but it will also last well past the party. Amaryllis can create garlands with just three days' notice and can add in festive elements like pheasant feathers.

Groups can head to Latin-American restaurant Ceiba for a port and sherry tasting class this holiday season. During the activity, groups of as many as 40 people will have the chance to sample 12 different spirit varieties, which are served alongside lunch or dinner.

Make a statement at the office party with a Washington-themed gingerbread house from Windows Catering. The houses run approximately five feet long, and they can come in the form of the White House, the Pentagon, or the Capitol building. Windows also offers smaller scale gingerbread homes that make for equally eye-catching centerpieces.

Sugar Magnolia is serving up sweet and savory pies wrapped in ribbon-tied boxes that make for great edible gifts. Available in 6- or 9-inch sizes, options include a mushroom, pine nut, and sage pie; a smoked tuna, purple potatoes, and rosemary pie; a bourbon caramel pecan pie; and a pumpkin-spice pie.

Colleagues can skate into the holiday season together at the brand-new Washington Harbour ice skating rink. The rink, which opens for the season on November 19, offers up the ice to private groups every day from 10 a.m. to noon or Sunday through Wednesday 7 to 9 p.m. for as many as 200 guests. Groups can get skating lessons or play games like broom hockey. For smaller gatherings, the rink has a group rate for 10 or more people at $10 a person.

For groups that enjoy baking, try Acadiana’s gingerbread-building class. With a maximum of 25 people per class, the group is led by the restaurant’s in-house pastry chef as they work together to design a custom gingerbread house to take back to the office.

Toast to the company during a private holiday cocktail-making class at Ripple. Instructed by the restaurant's bartender, Josh Berner, the class is available for groups of as many as 22. Berner teaches guests how to make a holiday punch, a cocktail dubbed Eat the Lemon, and a classic Sidecar. Snacks like bacon-roast pecans and flatbread crisps are served during the class, and Sunday through Thursday between 5 and 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 until midnight guests can order selections from the restaurant's grilled-cheese bar.

Windows Catering can deliver a pie buffet set-up to any event venue or in-office holiday gathering. Flavors like pumpkin, cran-apple, blueberry-almond, and pecan-fudge are available in regular size, miniature versions, and pie pops. The catering company requires a minimum of eight guests, and at least 48 hours' notice.