This year’s Parents’ Weekend is sure to be bursting with activities that will leave your stomach grumbling. Remedy your hunger by heading to these Scene-approved restaurants that parents will love.
Co Co. Sala
Getting a break from the dull tedium of TDR is one of the benefits of Parents’ Weekend. With your parents here, you can finally splurge on the pricier dinners.
So impress them with your knowledge of trendy D.C. restaurants while at the same time treating yourself to a less-than-healthy meal. Co Co. Sala is the happy medium between indulging your sweet tooth and letting your parents indulge in the rich and savory entrées that the restaurant offers.
While it is technically a lounge and chocolate boutique, it offers a great family-friendly setting as well. The weekend brunch menu offers everything from cheese soufflé to tuna tartar, and the evening menu boasts items like lamb sliders and creole crab cake.
But it’s the desserts and hot chocolates that are the prized possessions at Co Co. Sala. As the title of the restaurant suggests, each dessert is unhealthily drenched in chocolate of some form or another. For drinks, your parents can sip on the great variety of cocktails while you try the restaurant’s famous salted caramel hot or frozen cocoa.
By Hoai-Tran Bui
Location: 929 F Street NW (between N 9th and N 10th Streets)
Metro: Red Line, Gallery Pl-Chinatown
When: Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Meskerem
It’s no secret that D.C. has a huge Ethiopian population. As such, tons of Ethiopian restaurants have popped up all over the city, quickly becoming a staple dining option for D.C. natives.
Meskerem (which means ‘September’ in Amharic) offers a traditional dining experience, complete with waitresses dressed in Ethiopian attire. Prepare for a night of unconventional dining, because Ethiopian food is typically pretty spicy and eaten without utensils. Diners are also required to eat from the same plate.
Order an entrée of zilzil tibbs, a spicy stew of strips of beef cooked with butter, onions and herbs, or get yebeg kay watt, a succulent serving of soft lamb meat in a spicy berbere sauce, which is all served on a spongey bread called injera.
By Yohana Desta
Location: 2434 18th St. NW
Metro: Red Line, Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan
When: 11 to 2 a.m.
Poste Moderne Brasserie
Located in, and named after, the historic 1841 Post Office, Poste Moderne Brasserie offers a French upscale dining experience ideal for Parents’ Weekend indulgence.
This restaurant trades vapid trendiness for substance, boasting plenty of classic French dishes from croque monsieurs and tuna nicoise to escargots and steak frites.
Also on the menu is one of D.C’s finest burgers with a brasserie twist: a French onion soup burger, with Virginia grass-fed beef topped with caramelized onions and comte cheese.
And even if you’re flying solo this weekend, relieve your post-midterms weariness and stretch your food budget – because let’s face it, a semester of black beans and rice can crush your soul – with a few of Poste’s smaller plates like truffle frites or braised pork cheeks with brown sugar bacon.
Remember, you don’t need to wait for Mom and Pop to drive down from Jersey to treat yourself.
By Maeve McDermott
Location: 555 8th St. NW Washington, D.C., 20004
Metro: Red Line, Gallery Pl-Chinatown
When: 5 to 10:30 p.m.
Paolo's Ristorante
Located just off of M Street in Georgetown, Paolo’s combines classic Italian cuisine with a modern twist. The atmosphere of the restaurant varies upon where you sit, with a lively dining room with a full bar and tables for large parties a more traditional dining room for a quieter and more intimate setting and an outdoor patio.
From the breadsticks awaiting customers at the table to the pizzas, pastas and signature entrees, Paolo’s offers some of Georgetown’s best Italian dining. Among the top picks are the fried calamari and the highly recommended cayenne and espresso steak salad, piled high with grilled steak, roasted potatoes, onions, gorgonzola cheese and mixed greens.
Paolo’s has something for everyone, from the adventurous customers looking to try something new, to the more reserved simple pasta lovers. On weekends, the restaurant tends to fill quickly, so make sure you book reservations in advanced.
By Kendall Breitman
Location: 1303 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Metro: Blue/Orange Line, Foggy Bottom-GWU
When: Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
