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Maria "Mama" Calomiris poses next to the largest pumpkin ever seen
in the Eastern Market. Photo: Andrew Lightman |
Help! We’ve got 10 people coming for Thanksgiving dinner (Nov. 26), and we haven’t bought a thing.
Where to start? Our resurrected Eastern Market (www.easternmarketdc.com), where indoor merchants and weekend farmers will provide practically everything for your feast.
Market Poultry is accepting fresh turkey orders until Nov. 21, with pickup Nov. 23 or 24. Melvin also sells delicious turkey rolls (white or dark meat, seasoned or plain) weighing 2 to 5 pounds each. You may also order deep-fried turkeys, a Cajun specialty. 202-543-7470.
Likewise, Capitol Hill Poultry is taking turkey orders until Nov. 20, with pickup on the 23rd or 24th. Other feathered options include duck and Rock Cornish game hens. 202-544-4435.
Union Meats carries turkey alternatives, including rib roasts and even fresh bison. To carve your Thanksgiving centerpiece properly, Union sharpens knives ($3 each or 4 for $10). 202-547-2626.
For non-meat eaters, Southern Maryland Seafood showcases beautiful whole fish (Alaska King salmon and local rockfish are favorites), ready to be stuffed with lump crabmeat. Don’t forget freshly shucked oysters, which are ideal for stuffing. 202-546-9135.
Canales Quality Meats offers assorted olives for your appetizer tray; fresh pastas including whole wheat or porcini fettuccine; raviolis filled with lobster, crawfish, crabmeat, pumpkin or butternut squash; and sweet potato gnocchi. 202-547-4471.
Thomas Calomiris and Sons displays a cornucopia of produce including greens, peas and pumpkins in all sizes. 202-544-5442. Paik Produce carries okra, bags of Brussels sprouts, local apples, plus Asian condiments. 202-544-4435.
For your cheese or appetizer course, Bowers Fancy Dairy Products has pates and cheeses (plus crackers) from around the world; be sure to ask Tessa or Jack for a sample. To top off your apple pie: English Devon cream. 202-544-7877.
Shoppers at the Fine Sweet Shoppe are greeted with pies: strawberry, rhubarb, pumpkin, pecan and caramel walnut apple. 202-543-9729.
Floral Arrangements
Floral arrangements in harvest colors are essential for an elegant dinner party. Although Blue Iris has moved out of its Seventh Street location, Angie and Isaiah still sell flowers and plants inside Eastern Market. On weekends, look for their stand on the corner of Seventh Street and North Carolina Avenue SE. 202-251-0378.
Ginkgo Gardens, 911 11th St. SE, has an indoor shop filled with flowering plants, candles, candleholders, pottery and pumpkins. Be sure to say, hello, to Ginkgo’s two resident cats. 202-543-5172, www.ginkgogardens.com.
Surroundings, 1023 East Capitol St. SE (off Lincoln Park), does graceful floral arrangements for political bigwigs and Hill neighbors. 202-546-2125, www.surroundings.bz.
Nouveau Fleur, 500 H St. NE, specializes in floral design, “table scaping” and “special events planning.” Don’t be put off by H Street construction, Nouveau Fleur is eager to serve you. 202-543-8616.
Farmers’ Markets
Vendors are outside Eastern Market on Saturdays and Sundays and again Nov. 24 and 25. Dan Donahue’s Agora Farms has beaucoup Amish-grown produce, including regular and white sweet potatoes, okra, winter squash, Brussels sprouts, beautiful Arkansas black heirloom apples (cut them in half, don’t bite into them) and Kimes pumpkin butter spread.
Louise Morgal and son David Morgal carry umpteen kinds of seasonal fruits and vegetables (check out Louise’s $3 mixed-produce bags). Also visit Ashton Farms (hot cider and lots of apples), Wisteria Gardens (salad greens, salad dressings, different kinds of hummus, chips and salsa) and Sunnyside Farms (assorted nuts, bell peppers, winter squash and eggs).
Toward the north end of the farmers’ line, don’t miss the “sweet potato pie lady,” Ma Brown.
You have until Nov. 21 to visit FreshFarm Market, 625 H St. NE (in the parking lot across from H Street Self Storage). In partnership with the H Street Main Street Program and the DC Office of Planning, growers sell their own cheeses, yogurt, organic and grass-fed meats, produce, pastries and flowers.
Gourmet Grocers
Marvelous Market, 303 Seventh St. SE, will cook your turkey and sides, to be picked up by Nov. 24. The shop also carries pound cakes, pies, cookies, chocolates, Mayorga coffee beans, and Two Leaves and a Bud teas. MM also has an excellent wine selection. 202-544-7127, www.marvelousmarket.com.
Besides pates and artisan cheeses, Petite Gourmet, 224 Seventh St. SE, 202-544-5999, stocks attractive hostess gifts, including locally made Kingsbury chocolates with such yummy flavors as smoked jalapeno, fruit and nut, and mint cookie crunch. Chocolate-maker Rob Kingsbury also runs ACKC (Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections) at 1529c 14th St. NW (Logan Circle). www.thecocoagallery.com. Other temptations include cupcakes by Zorita Simunet of Catering by Z (202-744-1018).
Yes! Organic Market, 658 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, carries quinoa, a South American grain ideal for salads and stuffing; whole grain and wild rice; a line of naturally-produced soups; and organic fresh produce. 202-546-9850, www.yesorganicmarket.com.
Just off Lincoln Park, P&C Market, 1023 East Capitol St. SE, is taking orders for turkeys from Polyface, the Shenandoah Valley sustainable farm. P&C also has an extensive wine selection, including Thanksgiving staples: chardonnays, viogniers, pinot noirs and “lots of bubbly.” P&C’s catering service will prepare “charcuteries, cheese platters and anything for your get-together.” 202-640-1967. Closed Tuesdays.
Belgian-owned Le Pain Quotidien, 660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, specializes in freshly-baked breads, luscious cakes, pies and other pastries. Seasonal offerings encompass pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins and mixed-berry pies. 202-459-9148, www.lepainquotidien.com.
Firehook Bakery, 215 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, offers breads, pound cakes (Johnny apple, banana nut, lemon poppy), cakes, soups and salads, fresh fruit, hummus and Mediterranean crackers. 202-544-7003, www.firehook.com.
Harris Teeter, 1350 Potomac Ave. SE, the upscale supermarket at Jenkins Row, offers it usual wide selection of autumn produce, assorted chips and dips, a marvelous olive bar, potted mums (ideal centerpieces), and several brands of fresh and frozen turkeys (watch for ads). HT also makes appetizer and cheese trays. The wine selection covers all regions and prices. 202-543-1040.
Speaking of Libations…
Schneider’s, 300 Massachusetts Ave. SE, carries 12,000 wines. Among vintages complementing turkey and trimmings are Hunold Riesling, Alsace ($14.99); Di Arie Primitivo Block #4, from California, similar to Zinfandel ($19.99); and Ross Estate Shiraz, 2003, Australia ($30). 202-543-9300, www.cellar.com.
On Barracks Row is Chat’s Liquor, 503 Eighth St. SE, where proprietor Burnie Williams offers advice on wines. Examples: Foss Maran Cuvee sparkling wine ($25.99); Foss Maran rose sparkler ($17.99); Mercer Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley, Washington State ($15.99); David Noyes Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, California ($19.99). With dessert: Castello di Poppiano, Italy, ($21.99 for a 375 ml bottle). 202-544-4660, www.chatsliquors.com.
Cookware
Operated by Leah Daniels, Hill’s Kitchen (713 D St. SE) provides fun and functional cooking equipment, “everything you need to cook a turkey!” Moreover, she’ll stay open Thanksgiving Day for last-minute necessities: All-Clad and Mauvier roasting pans; Lodge Logic cast iron pans (different sizes); cutting boards, pretty leaf-shaped spreaders; wine decanters and glassware, aprons, cutting boards and cookbooks. 202-543-1997, www.hillskitchen.com.
At Frager’s, 1105-1107 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, aisles are crammed with cookware and other utensils: seasoned cast-iron skillets; 3-quart porcelain and enamel covered cast-iron casseroles and Dutch ovens; Nordic Ware Bundt pans; cast-iron cornbread pans; Pyrex bowls; Hefty EZ Foil pans, which can hold a 20-pound bird; as well as coffeemakers and filters. For ambience, Frager’s carries tapered candles in fall colors, mums in assorted sizes and colors, and pumpkins. To ward off November chill, Frager’s offers bundles of firewood. 202-543-6157, www.fragersdc.com.
Next door, Frager’s Just Ask Rentals lends tables, chairs, coffee urns, champagne fountains and wine glasses. The store closes at 3 p.m. on Nov. 25 (day before Thanksgiving), and rental items must be returned on Nov. 27. 202-543-0100, www.fragersjustask.com.
Restaurants
If you decide to leave Thanksgiving cooking and cleanup to the pros, the Hill offers several possibilities:
Café Berlin, 322 Massachusetts Ave. NE, is serving a special Thanksgiving dinner: cream of pumpkin soup, roasted turkey with mushroom stuffing, giblet gravy, winter squash, sweet potatoes with almonds, cheddar-mashed potatoes and a dessert buffet. Café Berlin will also offer its regular Teutonic-influenced menu of herring, wiener schnitzel, sauerbraten and wurst (sausage) platter. Hours: 1-8 p.m. For reservations, call 202-543-7656. www.cafeberlindc.com.
Sou’Wester, chef Eric Ziebold’s new American restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Ave. SW, will serve an a la carte, family-style Thanksgiving repast from noon to 8 p.m. The menu will include: herb-roasted turkey breast and turkey leg confit, green bean casserole, oyster stuffing and sweet potatoes with marshmallows. For dessert, pastry chef Amanda Cook will bake pecan and pumpkin pies. For larger gatherings, Sou’Wester offers a prix-fixe option at its 10-seat communal table or 14-seat semi-private room. For reservations call 202-554-8588.
For a more casual repast, the Hawk ‘n’ Dove, 329 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, will open at 10 a.m. for regular service. From 1 to 10 p.m., the Hawk will offer a prix fixe menu of cream of mushroom soup, hot turkey with dressing (or steamship beef), mashed potatoes, creamed peas and a choice of dessert. Price: $18, half price for children. The Hawk will also serve sandwiches all day. 202-543-3300.
Although Toscana Café, 601 Second St. NE, will be closed Thanksgiving Day, chef/owner Danielle Catalani plans a “takeaway traditional Thanksgiving menu with an Italian twist.” His menu includes rosemary-roasted free range turkey, focaccia stuffing with pancetta and chestnuts, butternut squash soup, beet/orange/cranberry chutney, sweet potato gnocchi and pumpkin ricotta cheesecake. Customers may order an entire dinner ($70 for two, $130 for four, and up), or a la carte.
To order, call 202-525-2693 or toscanacafedc@gmail.com. |
