Eat.Drink.DC.: "Feast of the Seven Fishes" at Dino

So word has it that Dino restaurant is going to be serving a 5-course dinner based on the traditional Italian Christmas Eve meal consisting of 7 fishes, with dishes to be served family-style. Now, being that the dominant culture of B's family is Italian, several years ago he introduced his Jewish girlfriend (moi) to this exercise in abundance. I'd never really celebrated Christmas before, and being herded into a one-bedroom basement apartment with 20 of his closest family members to eat shrimp scampi, eel, tuna, scungili (octopus), baccala, calamari & branzino, and to drink eggnog (the obligatory American yuletime libation) was kind of, um, overwhelming. I felt like a tourist in another country, in which all of the customs were foreign. But food (not Reagan!) is the Great Communicator, and the deliciousness B's mom and uncle cooked up made the feast an annual event for me.

But I digress. I haven't seen many attempts by restaurants to recreate this holiday tradition, and I applaud the effort by an Italian restaurant to do something so uniquely Italian. I usually find Dino to be hit or miss, but one dish always makes the meal worthwhile, so I think this event is something worth trying. Even if its just to experience this lively cultural celebration That is, unless you'd like to come up with us to New York this year?

Feast of the 7 Fishes
Fri 12/22, 5:30-10:30
Sat 12/23, 5:00-10:30
Sun 12/24, 5:00-10:00
$55/person; optional wine pairing $25/person.
Menu - "Fritti di Mare"; Italian Wedding Soup; Lobster & Cuttlefish Ravioli; choice of Sauteed Shrimp and Scallops OR a Whole Fish (for two or more); choice of desserts.
"Feast of the Seven Fishes" event menu

DINO
3435 Connecticut Avenue NW, Cleveland Park
Washington, DC 20008
202-686-2966
eat@dino-dc.com

Comments

"Feast of the Seven Fishes" at Dino nice place good food and nice wines. do you suggest any restaurant like this.

Posted by: jackee | August 04, 2007 at 05:36 AM

Hi, I have also enjoyed a seven-fish Christmas Eve dinner (thanks to my ex-boyfriend). Every bit of it was fabulous. It did feel a little weird to eat calamari and spaghetti for the holidays, but whadyagonna do?

Any suggestions for Restaurant Week?

Goodie Girl

Posted by: Goodie Girl | January 08, 2007 at 07:43 PM

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

Posted by: |

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Your comment could not be posted. Error type:

Your comment has been posted. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.