Check Out Columbia Room’s new Spring menu: ‘Paris In Spring’

Photo by Farrah Skeiky

From a press release:

“Spring is undoubtedly in the air at James Beard Award-nominated Columbia Room (124 Blagden Alley NW), which launches its new Spring 2017 tasting menu today. Known for its elaborately themed and executed cocktail and food pairing menus, Columbia Room will take guests on a culinary jaunt to France via its “Paris in Spring” seasonal menu.

“I have been twice to Paris in the springtime, and I was able to tap into to some of those memories: the bite that’s still in the air and the cafés and sidewalk tables populated with endless Parisians drinking coffee and wine, eating simple dishes and conversing,” says head bartender JP Fetherston. “I also remember the energy in the air, as if the sun and the warmth were giving everyone and everything a bit more zip. We tried to channel all of these things and more, and to widen our view to all things French by using ingredients and ideas from across that beautiful country.”

Photo by Farrah Skeiky

Fetherston’s new cocktail creations for Spring include “Into Great Silence,” made with green chartreuse, jus vert, fino sherry, orgeat, lemon and grapefruit and “La Ballade de Paris,” a mix of pommeau, sweetgrass, peychaud’s, trash cordial (a cordial made from garnish trimmings like citrus husks and mint stems), cream and egg white.

Columbia Room Spring 2017 menus (PDF)

There are new food offerings on the Spring tasting menu as well from executive chef Johnny Spero, who collaborated with Fetherston on Columbia Room’s signature three- and five-course pairings. Spero’s spring peas come with jambon and tendrils, while his “Coq Au Vin” brings together chicken skin, mushroom and red wine.

“Paris has always been a hub for gastronomy; it’s the source of inspiration for many in the culinary world,” says Spero. “With Spring, you start to see the first signs of life after a cold winter: flowers and trees are blooming and fresh greens are becoming more available. That moment is what I focused on for the menu — still a slight chill in the air, but you can smell everything coming to life.”

Columbia Room’s Spirits Library and Punch Garden also get a seasonal update with new Spring menus, the latter of which will be available beginning Thursday, April 6. The eponymous Tasting Room’s three-course menu is $79 plus tax and the five-course menu is $108 plus tax. Both are inclusive of gratuity and can be booked through www.columbiaroomdc.com. The Spirits Library and Punch Garden have open seating and reservations are not required. The new Spring menus will be available through June.”