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EZTHEWASHINGTONPOST.
FRIDAY,JULY31, 2020A: S traight from the CDC:
Currently, there is no evidence
to suggest that handling food or
consuming food is associated
with covid-19. Coronaviruses,
like the one that causes covid-19,
are thought to spread mostly
person-to-person through
respiratory droplets when
someone coughs, sneezes or
talks. It is possible that a person
can get covid-19 by touching a
surface or object, including food
or food packaging, that has the
virus on it and then touching
their own mouth, nose or
possibly their eyes. However,
this is not thought to be the
main way the virus spreads.Q: We’ve relied on your tips for
birthdays and dating
anniversaries, now I’m reaching
out for a sweet and sour
occasion: Our original wedding
date. We’re spending the week
at a secluded cabin about eight
hours away, but I want to bring
a couple of special meals from
local restaurants. They would
need to keep and travel well,
since we’re leaving on a Friday
at noon, meaning I would pick it
up or get it delivered either in
the morning or on Thursday
night. I’m guessing make-it-
yourself kits would be best, but
no real preference. Only
limitation is that my partner
isn’t super into seafood. (I’ve
chosen to marry him anyway.)
A: Rose’s Luxury t o the rescue.
Or rather, Rose’s at Home, the
innovative restaurant’s catering
and delivery arm. The deal — two
meals for two, dropped off where
you live — sounds perfect for
your getaway. The package costs
$90 per person and includes
options such as wine pairings.
Bonus: Rose’s delivers within 30
miles of Capitol Hill. Followers of
this chat have praised the
deliveries. I recently ordered the
package myself and agree. Tom Sietsema hosts a weekly
Q&A on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at
live.washingtonpost.com.Ask Tom
Excerpts from Post Food Critic
Tom Sietsema’s online discussionQ: W hen will it be okay to use
gift certificates for a restaurant?
We have one for Hank’s Pasta
Bar from a year ago, and we
didn’t get to use it before they
shut down to change to Hank &
Mitzi’s. They plan on reopening
soon and I’m sure will need
business like all other
restaurants, so we don’t
necessarily want to use the gift
certificate right out of the gate,
but we don’t want to lose it
either. My husband was also
given a gift certificate to a
restaurant on the Wharf for his
birthday. Should we continue to
hold off using them?
A: “We accept any expired gift
certificates. That’s our policy,”
says owner Jamie Leeds.
“Especially since they received
the gift certificate from Hank’s
Pasta Bar and then we closed,
we would absolutely honor it.”
That said, adds the veteran
restaurateur, “Given that we are
in this crisis, every penny
counts right now.” If people are
able to spend money in
restaurants right now, she
advises saving gift certificates
until “we’re out of this mess.”
“Unless the person is in
financial straits themselves and
needs to use it, then of course
use it.”
I’m in her corner. At the start
of the pandemic, selling gift
certificates was seen as a way
for restaurants to pump some
money into their operations
ahead of government loans. I
expect to take some heat for my
response, and I realize
circumstances vary. Exceptions
might be made for big corporate
establishments. But I would be
disinclined to use a gift
certificate to a small
independent place for the time
being.
Leeds expects to open Hank
& Mitzi’s i n Old Town
Alexandria “any day now,” with
outdoor seating and chef Chris
Edwards in the kitchen.
Q: A re there any restaurants
that are taking special care for
celiac/gluten-free diners in the
takeout process? In the past, it
was possible to ask in person
and get a sense for how well
prepared the kitchen is to work
with celiac. Now, online
ordering rarely shows marked
menus, a few don’t even have
places to add comments or
requests to items, and even
restaurants I trusted in The
Before have made me ill a
couple of times, no doubt due to
having to transition to new ways
of operating. I sympathize a
great deal. I want to support our
great kitchens, I want to have
delicious food again from
someone’s kitchen besides my
own, and I hate not knowing
who to trust to keep me from
getting sick. Do you know of any
restaurants that are stepping up
to this particular challenge? The
closer to Arlington the better,
but I’m w illing to drive to pick
up safe and delicious food.
A: A food-loving friend in your
shoes says she always calls a
restaurant to ask about specific
dishes she wants to order: “If
the person answering the phone
doesn’t seem to really know, I
ask if they can confirm with the
chef.”
She says she avoids anything
fried, as it’s usually a source of
cross-contamination, and has
had the best luck with Asian,
Indian and Mexican cuisines.
Her go-to spots include
BlackSalt, Chiko, Espita, Little
Serow, Sfoglina and “all of the
José Andrés” spots in the
District; plus Haandi and
Takumi in Northern Virginia.Q: I was hoping you could help
me with ideas for our upcoming
anniversary dinner. Prior to the
pandemic, we loved to go out
and explore new restaurants
and enjoy nice date nights. Our
favorites included the Dabney,
St. Anslem, Rose’s/Pineapple &
Pearls, Tail Up Goat and Rooster
& Owl, among others. Last yearfor our anniversary, we did the
chef’s tasting at Masseria — it
was delicious! This year, we’re
looking for something fun and
probably more casual. We had
our second baby in May, so we
have not been out to a
restaurant since the pandemic
started. We’re happy with a
super well thought out takeout
(we were considering Rooster
and Owl) or a very well run,
socially distanced patio. Given
that we have an infant and a
toddler at home (and grandma
babysitting), we’re looking for a
fun, but ultimately low-risk way
to celebrate for just two of us.
A: Rooster & Owl, Annabelle
and Convivial offer some of the
most enticing takeout around.
Any of them would enhance
your anniversary. If you want to
venture outside — and you
should, as dining out feels like
vacation these days — consider
the exteriors of such “fun”
restaurants as Jaleo in Penn
Quarter, Espita in Shaw,
Centrolina in CityCenter or
Chez Billy Sud in Georgetown.Q: Being shut in makes us crave
comfort foods and homemade
fruit pies. Where can we getgood ones? Delicious, fresh,
savor-every-bite pies. We are in
Montgomery County but would
travel.
A: I tend to eat my pies in
restaurants. But food pals
suggest Stella’s Bakery i n
Rockville, Woodmoor Pastry
Shop in Silver Spring and the
Dutch Market in Germantown.
You can also order beloved pies
from around the country
(blueberry pie from Two Fat
Cats Bakery i n Portland, Maine,
Key lime pie from Fireman
Derek’s Bake Shop in Miami)
through Goldbelly, the food
courier I used multiple times for
a piece I wrote on where to get
iconic dishes by mail.Reader answer: Lewis Orchards
Farm Market on Route 28 in
Dickerson, Md., has a selection
of fruit pies for sale Thursday
through Sunday. Most recently
we got a blackberry pie that the
family loved. Nice Sunday drive,
and their produce is fresh and
delicious.
A: Sounds like the best of all
options: a drive and a pie.
Another reader recommends
Pie Gourmet i n Vienna.Q: My birthday is this week, and
the thing I most want is carrot
cake. Do you know of anywhere
that has a slice of carrot cake
available for takeout? I’m in
Virginia, but D.C. would work —
the closer to Virginia the better.
A: The last best carrot cake I
encountered was from
Unconventional Diner, which
sells a slice for $9. Happy
birthday!Q: We are reheating takeout
food to destroy any virus that
may have landed on the food in
the takeout-preparation process.
To what temperature, and for
how long, should food be heated
to be safe?SCOTT SUCHMAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
The carrot cake at Unconventional Diner in Washington is built in the style of Smith Island cake.BILL O’LEARY/THE WASHINGTON POST
Espita Mezcaleria in Shaw offers patio dining, and a gluten-free
diner lists it among her conscientious sources.NO COLLECTION
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