Did you ever think you’d be able get a mixed drink delivered in a Capri-Sun style pouch (named after the nation’s most prominent infectious diseases expert, no less) or take home three days’ worth of fancy family-style dinners from a restaurant that normally has a line out the door?
Well, in these strange days of coronavirus pandemic mandated stay-at-home orders in Virginia, Maryland and D.C., you can. That’s because all three have all temporarily allowed restaurants to offer alcoholic beverages along with to-go food purchases.
You can even order homemade ice cream from a cocktail bar, get a flight of rare whiskeys from a sushi restaurant, and take home a margarita large enough to last a few days. And venerable whiskey bar Jack Rose Dining Saloon in D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood took the extreme step of selling off its rare bottles to support its staff.
Those are just some ways the service and hospitality industry has adapted to a new way of doing business.
People who are not used to cooking at home, and looking for an activity, have made matzo ball soup from scratch for the first time and tried their hand at recipes revealed by famous chefs. Even the Hilton hotel chain gave up their close-to-the-vest chocolate chip cookie recipe made famous by their DoubleTree brand.
This gallery is a non-exhaustive list of some of the creative to-go options offered by bars and restaurants in the region during this public health crisis. If you want to order any of these items, be sure to check with the restaurants about their opening hours, item availability and the possible need to reserve and pay ahead of time.
- Hungry? These DC-area restaurants are open for carryout and delivery
- Stuck at home cooking? Try DoubleTree’s secret cookie recipe
- Not that kind of ‘viral’: A quick look at social media in the social-distancing age
- Website links customers with open-for-business DC shops
- Top chefs offer recipes for quarantine comfort foods