For couples who’ve spent the past year safely ensconced at home, sharing both working and living space around-the-clock, making time for romance can be a challenge. It’s all too easy to get into the habit of scrolling mindlessly through your phone at the dinner table instead of chatting, or to settle in on the sofa with pizza or takeout and silently binge-watch your way through your Disney Plus queue. Again.
Instead, try regularly carving out an evening for a special date-night dinner — the kind you used to enjoy at restaurants, when you’d put your phones away and be present for each other, but now can bring into your own kitchen.
Chef Frank Ruta of Annabelle estimates he’s spent “14 or 15” Valentine’s Days working in the kitchens at Palena, Obelisk and the White House. Over the years, he’s learned secrets about what works better for couples. When plotting multicourse meals, it’s better to keep them light, so no one fills up too early. Also, it’s more fun to share: “If there’s an opportunity to serve something where we can put the plate in the middle of the table, and let them share and maybe fight over it,” Ruta says he’ll plan for that.
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Sharing is the name of the game at Fat Choi Hot Pot, which provides home cooks with a traditional tabletop Chinese hot-pot setup. The interactive meal includes dozens of ingredients to dip and soak in rich, bubbling, umami-laden broths. “It’s wintertime, and I think people have been stuck at home and looking for a unique night in that almost feels like a night out,” explains founder Will Fung, formerly of Tiger Fork and its sister restaurants. Because Fung provides everything for the meal — including the induction burner and divided pot, with a deposit — couples can focus on the experience rather than the process.
Other restaurants are trying to bring the dining-out experience into customers’ own dining room. Maydan has experimented with different to-go formats, including picnics last summer, before deciding to focus on prix fixe meals for groups. “We wanted you to explore as much of the restaurant as you could while not being in it,” explains owner Rose Previte. The main course of lamb or kebabs arrives in an aluminum tray ready to slide in the oven, and the box includes reheating instructions; a note urging customers to use the bread as a utensil, as a server might at the restaurant; a QR code linking to a Spotify playlist to enjoy while noshing; and a deep-breath reminder that “there is no wrong way to go about this.”
Previte says she’s touched when customers tag Maydan in their Instagram stories, showcasing the creative ways they’ve made date night special. Her “all-time favorite,” she says, was a man who had been planning to visit Morocco with his girlfriend before covid-19 caused them to cancel their trip. “He decorated their living room with Moroccan decorations, had Moroccan music going, and got Maydan, and said, ‘Thank you for making us feel like we were in North Africa.’ And I was so happy we brought them that kind of joy and could help them replace — as much as we could — a trip like that.”
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Whether you want to get that elaborate is a personal decision, but the dinner deals at these restaurants, which range from multicourse feasts to family-style shared dishes, make it easier to relax with your dining companion. All meals are available for carryout and, depending on your location, some are available for delivery, too.
Little Serow
Family-style dining isn’t a novel concept at Little Serow, which has served multicourse meals for tables to share since the 28-seat dining room opened underneath the lauded Komi in late 2011. What is different now is the experience: Instead of slipping out of work early to make sure you’re in line well before the no-reservation restaurant opens its doors at 5:30 p.m., you can log on in the morning and place an order for dinner, to be picked up later that day. (To keep the first-come, first-served spirit intact, you can’t schedule the pickup time, as meals are completed in the order in which they’re placed.)
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The seven-course Set Dinner for Two arrives split into an array of 15 boxes, tubs and cardboard containers, each marked with instructional stickers, such as “Coconut Rice: Eat with mushroom grapao” and “Cucumbers, Radishes and Thai Basil: Eat on the side with nam prik, laap & everything.” There’s a printed menu, too, in case you need help figuring out what’s in each dish.
What hasn’t changed from the dine-in days, though, are the intense, electrifying flavors that earned chef Johnny Monis a place in Tom Sietsema’s Dining Guide Hall of Fame. We scramble to scrape every fiery bit of the nam prik num, a dip of salted fish and green chilies, onto pork crackling so fresh that it’s still popping, and devour the si krong muu, mini-racks of Mekong whiskey-soaked pork ribs so tender they’re melting off the bone. Limiting the meal to seven courses means you might not get all of the greatest hits from the restaurant, but it’s enough to put a warm, satisfied smile on your face, and make you wish you could order every week.
Instead of the usual wine pairing, Little Serow offers a “beverage pairing” that includes bottles of housemade vermouth, French cider, German riesling and Belgian ale to share. You may wonder if it’s worth the extra $60, but it’s fun to see how the tart, winelike Duchesse de Borgogne red ale plays off the sweetness of the mushroom grapao.
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Set Dinner for Two available Tuesday through Saturday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. $110; optional beverage pairing $60. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Little Serow offers a seafood-only dinner, the Golden Mermaid, through Sunday.
1511 17th St. NW. littleserow.com. Carryout only.
Nina May
Back in the Before Times, the Chef’s Choice dinner at Nina May was the best way to explore the buzzy Shaw newcomer: For $44 per person, the kitchen would send out between six and nine dishes for the table to sample. In addition to providing an overview of the cooking, it was also a relief to surrender choice and let someone else make the decisions. That’s still a great way to approach Nina May, where the seasonal to-go menu features six courses at an appropriate size for sharing.
You might not pick the dishes, but you still have control: The drive home from the restaurant took longer than expected, thanks to a presidential motorcade, so my wife insisted we dive into the little neck clams, dripping with salsa verde, radishes and tangy XO sauce, while they were still warm. From there, we tossed the “menu” out the window, opened the jammy bottle of Paso Robles cabernet, and grazed on what caught our eye, such as half-moons of pita bread stuffed with braised lamb and a funky pumpkin kimchi, and hand-rolled pasta filled with sweet ricotta and topped with fennel. We paired the bright, citrusy red beet salad with a Mason jar of the Beet Cocktail, a complex mix of gin, mint, beet juice and spicy falernum, which I’d originally thought would make a good aperitif. But we’d decided to roll with it, and Nina May proved to be up to the challenge.
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Chef’s Choice menu for two available Tuesday through Saturday. $70; cocktails for two $12; most bottles of wine $16-$25.
Nina May, 1337 11th St. NW. ninamaydc.com. Contactless pickup. Delivery available in Shaw and Logan Circle only.
Maydan
Rose Previte has spent a lot of time thinking about the best way for Maydan, which showcases the flavors of the Middle East, to present its food to go. Eventually, the restaurant settled on a shareable, prix fixe feast that includes grilled meats or veggie kebabs, a spread of dips and condiments with hearth-baked flatbread, and a fragrant cabbage salad. It’s “our perfect meal,” she says, and if the dining room were full and humming right now, Previte would be urging customers to try the same menu. “In the dream where a table just says, ‘Please, order for us,’ this is what we would tell you. We’re giving it to you exactly as it’s meant to be had.”
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Maydan’s tawle is a date night you ease into. The large, sturdy cardboard takeout box opens to reveal small containers of labneh and hummus, a metallic envelope of flatbreads, and a lidded foil pan. That tray, full of kebabs or lamb shank and beautifully charred carrots, goes in the oven for 10 minutes, while you uncork a bottle of orange wine, pour a cocktail and start sweeping pieces of flatbread through the various condiments. Just remember to pace yourself, and not to finish off the toum, a garlicky whipped spread of olive oil and lemon. (Also, order at least one extra flatbread per person.)
You might not have a server to remind you to smother the carrots with harissa, or put the peppery, herbal chermoula on — well, everything. But it would be more surprising if you and your date didn’t get into the spirit, seeing which dip most flatters the basturma-rubbed lamb shank. It’s a date night you won’t forget for a while, and one that comes with a generous amount of leftovers — even if you know they won’t last that long.
Tawle menu available Wednesday through Sunday, with pickup between 5 and 8 p.m. preordering for the week begins on Monday. $45 to $55 per person. Cocktails (five servings) $38-$50. Bottles of wine $25-$35.
1346 Florida Ave. NW. maydandc.com. Carryout only.
Cheesetique
Cheesetique’s vast selection of triple cream, goat’s milk and pungent, washed-rind cheeses make it a go-to for anyone putting together a cheeseboard, and its grilled cheese sandwiches and fondue have made the shops fixtures in both Del Ray and Shirlington. But Cheesetique also offers heat-at-home family meal kits that can be the cornerstone of date night. Take the lasagna, which comes with a choice of meat sauce or spinach and garlic: The pasta is packaged in a foil tray, which is ready to slide into the oven. While it’s heating, you can start on a mixed green salad, or tear into a fresh baguette. The meal includes a bottle of red wine that’s selected to match the lasagna, but there’s no rule that says you can’t taste it while the main course is cooking. Thirty minutes later, the lasagna is ready, topped with crispy noodles and cheese. Pour another glass of wine: You’ve earned it.
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Family meals, served for two to four people, include lobster mac and cheese, chicken Parmesan (“with extra-aged parm”) and chicken pot pie. Family meals start at $39.99, which includes a main course, salad, baguette and bottle of wine. Entree-only meals start at $24.99. Open daily until 9 p.m.
2411 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, and 4024 Campbell Ave., Arlington. cheesetique.com. Contactless takeout and curbside pickup available. Delivery through DoorDash.
Pennyroyal Station
Every date night is different. Sometimes you’re in the mood to treat yourself to a multicourse dinner with wine pairings. Other nights, you just want a simple spread — but one that would require spending serious time at the grill or in the kitchen.
In that case, fans of Southern flavors should look to the new Pennyroyal Station in Mount Rainier, where chef Jesse Miller’s Smokey Brisket family meal includes a plastic container stuffed with 1½ pounds of brisket, an equal-sized container of collard greens and a box containing eight biscuits. The aromas start your mouth watering before the bag hits the table.
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The brisket is tender and savory, with sweet charred ends that melt on your tongue. The greens are shot through with mustard and heat, and take richness from pieces of ham. The extra-flaky biscuits pull apart into thin, fluffy layers that you can drag through the juicy debris on your plate, or pile with meat and collards. It’s a straightforward, satisfying combination that will feed you for at least the next day. Order a shared cocktail as a starter — say, the bar’s enticing take on an Old Fashioned — but save all the room for the main course.
Family Meals include Smokey Brisket ($40) or a build-your-own taco meal with pulled pork shoulder, rice, salsa and tortillas ($38). Available Tuesday through Sunday.
3310 Rhode Island Ave., Mount Rainier. pennyroyalstation.com. Carryout available. Delivery through Uber Eats and DoorDash. Free delivery within a three-mile radius.
Annabelle
The takeout at Annabelle has garnered praise during the pandemic, but the Dupont restaurant’s Sunday Market Supper is an under-the-radar highlight. Chef Frank Ruta traces the origins back to his days at Palena in Cleveland Park, where he’d prepare weekly feasts for groups who wanted to come in and enjoy multiple courses paired with large-format bottles of wine. Now, he says, the four-course meal is more organic and flexible, though it’s still served in large, shareable portions. “It’s really focused on what we’re talking about with our purveyors and vendors and farmers that day or that week,” Ruta says.
If great local oysters have come into the restaurant, for example, he’ll make a special vinaigrette and serve them on ice. Ruta likes to add pasta between the appetizer and main course: “I like the progression of a three-course meal plus dessert, as opposed to just two courses and dessert,” he says. But the point is that diners are placing themselves in the hands of a James Beard-award winning chef, who says he draws on his skills serving families at the White House to build the menu “so that all comes together and flows together and makes it fun.” That’s an offer that’s hard to turn down, especially when the chef admits he designs the menu so “there’s usually plenty for leftovers the next day.”
Sunday Market Suppers available every Sunday (except Feb. 14) from 5 to 9 p.m. $55 per person; wine pairings available for an additional $35 per person. Orders must be placed in multiples of two.
2132 Florida Ave. NW. annabelledc.com. Takeout available. Delivery through Caviar.
Fat Choi Hot Pot
Enjoying a traditional hot pot strikes the perfect balance for a date night dinner. It’s an experience where you’re actively preparing your food, choosing which dumplings or fish you want to drop into a numbing Sichuan peppercorn broth, but not so interactive that you stop chatting with your partner. And with more than two dozen ingredients in front of you, waiting to be dunked, you’ll have plenty to talk about.
Chef Will Fung, formerly of Tiger Fork and its sister restaurants, launched Fat Choi Hot Pot from a tiny prep kitchen above Barracks Row’s Lavagna last month. It’s based on his memories of eating hot pot growing up in Hong Kong, and sharing the experience with those looking for something new to try. Reservations can include a full hot pot setup — tabletop induction burner, two-sided pot and serving spoons — for those who lack the equipment.
Fat Choi is a one-man operation: Fung sous-vides beef heart and strips of fatty lamb; preps the vegetables and cuttlefish balls; and creates the rich, umami broths. He arranges for pickup of the food and equipment, and even delivers in a limited area around Capitol Hill.
The ingredients are slightly intimidating out of the bag: six clear-topped plastic takeout boxes, dotted with colored stickers that correspond to numbers on a printed menu; four large containers of broth; ramekins of sauce; a container of eggs. But before you know it, the broths are bubbling on either side of the pot, and you and your partner are debating whether you want to start with scallops or extra-firm tofu.
Fung goes to great lengths to demystify hot pot for the novice. He’s created a mobile-friendly cooking guide on his website that shows how long each ingredient should cook in the broth. He provides a “Hot Pot Hotline” where customers can text questions that arise during the meal. (The most common, he says with a laugh, is “What do I do with the egg?” Fung suggests adding the slow-cooked onsen egg to a bowl of sauces and broth, and dipping other ingredients into the mixture.)
Still, his best advice is to relax, and have fun dipping various ingredients into the broths, and comparing how the mochi tastes in a bath of Sichuan broth vs. the herbal broth, not trying to remember how many mushrooms are cooking on each side, or watching a timer to pull the pork dumplings out after exactly four minutes. “None of the ingredients are super time-sensitive,” Fung says. He sous-vides the meats “so all you have to do is run it through the broth a little bit and it’s good to go. I don’t want anyone to stress about this.” Besides, the fun part comes when you’re finishing the meal, and you scrape through the bottom of the pot to see what’s down there, soaking up all the flavorful juices.
If there’s any downside to Fat Choi, it’s that reservations can be tough to get: Fung sends out 10 to 12 dinners per night, Thursday through Sunday. Reservations for the following weekend open at 3 p.m. on Monday, and they can be gone within the hour. “I do everything myself, so the bandwidth is a little limited,” he says. He’ll get some help next week, when he debuts the first in a series of guest broths, created by the chefs from ChiKo. Just think of booking a hot pot like trying to snag a table at the hottest restaurant in town, because it’s worth the effort.
Fat Choi Hot Pot available for pickup between 5 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Rented equipment must be returned 24 hours later. $75 for mixed or pescatarian menus with a choice of two broths. $60 for equipment; $50 deposit refunded after return.
Food and equipment picked up from Lavagna, 539 Eighth St. SE. fatchoihotpot.com. Limited delivery area available.
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