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Axios
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
The best cherry blossom pop-ups around D.C. this spring
Cherry blossom pop-ups are sprouting faster than the blooms at florally festooned bars and restaurants around the city. Why it matters: Cherry blossom season is like D.C.'s Super Bowl, and local spots are going all out with spring decor and enticing menus. 🌸 What's new: Hiya Izakaya (East End): The izakaya at Japanophile destination Love, Makoto launches a cherry blossom pop-up with pink blooms and specialty cocktails, plus a regular happy hour and sushi boats. Guests can order hanami picnic baskets ($55) for dine-in or takeout at the adjoining Love on the Run food hall. Open March 20-April 13 Blossom omakase bar (West End): If you're more foodie than floral, check out chef Masaaki "Uchi" Uchino's pop-up at The Watergate. The Kyomi sushi master leads a 10-seat omakase through 15 courses with seasonal spring fish. Open Mondays only starting March 17-April 14 ($130 required reservations) Bloomroom at Hi-Lawn (Union Market): The 50-foot spherical dome atop Union Market turns from Alpine motifs to florals for spring. A 90-minute immersive dining and drinking experience includes a visual tour through flowering environments with refreshments like fruity spritzes and spring plates to match. Open April 4-May 18 ($35 entry tickets available now) Sakura Soirée (Logan Circle): The new Barrel House Cafe & Bar goes all out for its cherry blossom pop-up including floral décor, Japanese-inspired cocktails, a new patio ringed with freshly planted cherry blossom trees, and eats by Little Miner Taco. Open March 20. Meanwhile, some of D.C.'s most popular cherry blossom pop-ups are back with fresh floral themes. All are free admission unless noted. (Many take reservations, and it's a good idea to book in advance.) 💮 Ciel Social Club (Mount Vernon Triangle): The scenic rooftop lounge is filled with locally designed blossom installations and twisty faux branches indoors and out, plus Japanese-inspired cocktails like lychee martinis. Open: Now 🌸 Mercy Me (West End): A "secret" blossom garden is tucked away in the rear restaurant patio with pink blooms, bamboo accents and a seasonal sakura menu that blends the Nikkei flavors of Peru and Japan. Open: Now 🍹 Residents Café and Bar (Dupont Circle): Sip a floral spritz on this café's blossoming patio, where there's a new spring brunch and dinner menu. Open: Now 🍷 Lulu's Winegarden (U Street): The Southwest-inspired wine bar debuts a "Flora Garden" theme on two outdoor patios and indoors with specialty floral cocktails, bubbles and rosé, and pink treats like rosy cakes and seasonal toasts. Open: March 18-May 4 🐈 Calico (Shaw): The urban backyard bar covers its large greenhouse in blossoms — good for groups who fancy floral spritzes or cherry ciders. Open: March 20-April 13 🦁 Silver Lyan (Downtown): One of D.C.'s best cocktail bars celebrates the blossoms with a Japanese-inspired hanami pop-up — now in its intimate "Dishonesty Bar." Groups of two or four can book the experience that includes a welcome sake, two cocktails of choice from the specialty menu, and bar snacks ($75, including tax and gratuity). Open: March 21-29, reservations required.
Euronews
26-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Japan defends Pastry World Cup title as home favourites France fall short again
If your country were a gourmet dessert, what would it taste like and how would it look? That was the question put to the 18 national teams competing at the 2025 national heritage-themed Pastry World Cup in Lyon this weekend, and they had nine hours to come up with an answer. Japan's winning creations drew on a number of traditional elements, including Kyomi orange, rice-based wafers, and a recurring dragonfly theme. Team Italy, meanwhile, used Amalfi lemons and hazelnuts as part of a series of pastries inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, including one in the shape of the great inventor's airship design. Chile turned to hibiscus, mango and Limón de Pica to flavour their fire and dragon-themed frozen dessert. Finding the balance between appealing to an international jury and retaining a national identity is an essential part of the competition. 'When you make the product, it's because a jury is going to evaluate it. So you have to try not to take risks with flavours, you have to try to find straightforward tastes that will appeal. But each country keeps a little something, award-winning French pastry chef Patrick Chevallot told Euronews Culture. "There's a common thread with their history, their country and their traditions, and that's important. You can't forget where you come from.' Rising to the challenge Each three-person team - a chocolatier, a sugar expert and an ice master - has to produce five different creations, including a frozen dessert, a restaurant dessert, an ice sculpture and an elaborate buffet display of sugar and chocolate center pieces. It's a grueling task and takes place on the sidelines of the vast SIRHA Food Service exhibition. Fans pack the arena to the rafters, waving flags, chanting and blowing air-horns in support of their teams, while a couple of comperes provide running commentary. The overall atmosphere is football crowd meets reality TV. And that's probably not an accident. The introduction this year of the Show Chocolat challenge, where the teams donned national dress to hand out finger-food creations from a food truck, seems a clear nod to the growing influence of televised cooking contests. Chocolatier Jean-Philippe Darcis, the coach of this year's Belgian team, says teams now have to compete with production companies and social media for contestants. 'You get a lot more views doing things on Instagram than doing a World Cup. And so maybe there are fewer young people who go to competitions and instead say to themselves, 'I'm putting my energy into social networks and that's it.' That's a bit of a shame. Both work very well, but it's a matter of choice.' But while TV and social media exposure might give a young chef's career an instant sugar rush, former World Cup winner and frequent reality TV judge Christophe Michalak says they can't compare to the long-term benefits of taking part in the biannual Pastry World Cup. 'I've done a lot of TV and that's the fake life. It's not culinary on TV. It's all about image. It's 'We're going to keep this one because he's fun, because he goes down well,' But it's not the best one who's going to win the show.' This contest, he says, actually makes you a better chef. 'When I did the World Cup, I did ten mock exams, in other words, I worked ten 10-hour days, as if it was D-day, to win the title. By doing that, I got better, I pushed my limits, and that's what's great in life. The priority is to try and go a little further, to try and evolve. And that's what this competition allows young pastry chefs to do.'
