Dining Advice, Tips, Recommendations, and News
PrintWashington D.C. Cherry Blossoms Not Related to Cherries, But Yum
Photograph from P_R_ on Flickr
Cherry blossoms and cherry fruit trees may come from different plantae families but that doesn't stop D.C.-area chefs from rolling out cherry-themed menus this time of year. With Cherry Blossom Festival kicking off last weekend, restaurants have been acting like it's peak cherry season, even if that's not until July. Not a drupe hater or anything, but should we challenge the chefs for this cherry misunderstanding? The blossoms have petals, not fruit, and are grown for decorative purposes, not for eating. Even if the custom is silly, here are some of the most interesting cherry dishes around Washington D.C. right now.
About the author: Erin Zimmer, our Washington, D.C., correspondent, is a new media analyst and frequently writes for Washingtonian, DCist, and other local publications. While Georgetown's food columnist, she investigated the cafeteria's omelet station, Hoya coffeeshop's cultish pumpkin muffins, and what exactly the basketball players ate.
Cafe du Parc
Address: 1401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Phone: 202-942-7000
Website: cafeduparc.com
Dish: Cherry custard tart with sour cherry sorbet.
District Chophouse
Address: 509 7th St., NW
Phone: 202-347-3434
Website: chophouse.com
Dish: Lamb proterhouse with dark cherry ale demi glace.
Kaz Sushi Bistro
Address: 1915 I St., NW
Phone: 202-530-5500
Website: kazsushibistro.com
Dish: Bento box with cherry rice cake and plum tea.
Old Glory
Address: 3139 M St., NW
Phone: 202-337.3406
Website: oldglorybbq.com
Dish: Cherry cola BBQ St. Louis Ribs.
Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert
Address: 1190 22nd St., NW
Phone: 202-974-4900
Website: westendbistrodc.com
Dish: Warm clafoutis cake made with orange, cherries and almond.
National Gallery of Art's Cascade Cafe
Address: 4th and Constitution Ave., NW
Phone: 202-712-7451
Website: nga.gov/ginfo/cafes.shtm#cascade
Dish: Sour cherry gelato from the downstairs cafeteria.
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11 Comments:
"challenge the chefs for this cherry misunderstanding? The blossoms have petals, not fruit". Perhaps the writer should also be challenged. All fruit trees have blossoms which need to be pollinated to produce fruit. Yes some are planted for there blossoms rather than there fruit but they still produce fruit.
whippingwater at 11:34AM on 04/01/08
Just to clarify, cherry blossoms trees do not produce fruit (at least not the kind you'd eat), only blossoms. Of course, there are cherry trees that produce edible fruit, just not these.
roboppy at 11:59AM on 04/01/08
Brasserie Beck has 2 cherry beers on draft - Kasteel Rouge and Bacchus. Yum!
negociants at 12:37PM on 04/01/08
I don't care if those trees make fruit or not, they are gorgeous! I visited D.C. about 20 years ago (egads!) in April on a school trip and the trees were in full bloom. They were breathtaking, even to a 13 year old.
AuntJone at 1:00PM on 04/01/08
As a DC resident, I say why not celebrate the cherry blossoms with cherry inspired dishes? Certainly cherries are not in season when the trees blossom, but I can forgive the chefs for not cooking so strictly what's in season. It's only for two weeks. Last year my partner and I had a lovely dinner at one of the restaurants at the Mandarin which overlooked the tidal basin. The evening was memorable for its mood celebrating the blossoms. I think the dessert was some sort of sweetened rice cake shaped like Sakura blossoms. Having also lived in Japan for three years in the 90s, I love that I now live in a city that also is famous for this rite of spring.
Otabenga at 2:28PM on 04/01/08
So you claim "Cherry blossoms and cherry fruit trees may come from different plantae families" and then link to Wikipedia where they clearly are both in the family "Rosaceae"? Not only do your links prove they are in the same family, but in the same genus and seemingly sub-genus as well.
seadkdc at 2:48PM on 04/01/08
Correction: they are different plantae species. Bottom line though, cherry blossoms are still not for eating!
Erin Zimmer at 3:56PM on 04/01/08
"Cherry blossoms are still not for eating". . .or perhaps they are: http://kokonuggetyumyum.blogspot.com/2008/03/happy-birthday-to-me.html
merrilly at 4:05PM on 04/01/08
Man your back is against the wall, Erin. You're probably going to have to just give in and eat a cherry blossom. And isn't rosaceae something that happens on cheeks?
Seth Lavin at 4:15PM on 04/01/08
See also: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=60362
As you can see on this link, you can eat cherry leaves, too.
merrilly at 4:30PM on 04/01/08
Holy Cow.... I think I'll just have a Strawberry something or other.... sheesh!
Pavlov at 8:53PM on 04/01/08