The holiday season has descended on Alexandria, and there’s no shortage of events for eating and drinking your way through December. Here are a few of the city’s best bets:
Port City Pop-Up Beer Garden, Dec. 1
Looking for a refreshment while you take in the Holiday Boat Parade of Lights? Port City Brewing has you covered. The holiday-themed Tidings Ale will be the cornerstone beer of the evening (though many of the brewery’s concoctions will be available), along with food from Vola’s Dockside Grill and Dolci Gelati. Raise a glass and cheer on this year’s maritime participants from the comfort of the beer garden. Alexandria City Marina, 0 Cameron St. 4-8 p.m.
Third Annual Candy Cane Bar Crawl, Dec. 8
Del Ray plays host to an event that blends food and drink with service and holiday cheer in its third annual Candy Cane Bar Crawl event. Visit participating eateries – nearly a dozen in all – and enjoy drink specials and snacks along the way, ranging from Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza and Tap all the way through to Northside 10. The crawl, which features nearly a dozen restaurants, benefits the Cora Kelly ALIVE Weekend Food Packs and Mount Vernon Community School Blessings in a Backpack initiatives, helping low-income students and their families to have enough to eat. 2-6 p.m.; check-in begins at Lena’s and Northside 10 at 1:30. $15 for advance tickets; $20 at the door.
Georgia Peach Truck Comes to Town, Dec. 15
’Tis the season for fresh citrus fruit. The Georgia Peach Truck makes its way to Greenstreet Gardens midmonth, offering up Satsuma mandarin oranges and freshly shelled pecans. The Satsumas – akin to a clementine, but with fewer seeds – hail from Franklin Farms in Statesboro, Ga., and are available in 20-pound boxes. The pecans, from Lamar Pecan Company in Hawkinsville, Ga., come in one-pound bags that contain more than 300 halves. 1721 W. Braddock Road. 2-3 p.m. $48 for Satsumas; $15 for pecans.
Christmas Dinner at Sonoma Cellar, Dec. 25
Feast on a five-course prix fixe holiday dinner with all the fixings (and some surprises) at one of Old Town’s favorite wine bars. Start with a soup, salad or appetizer, then move on to an amuse bouche, then your choice of salmon, fettuccine, rib-eye roast, baked ham or turkey. Take a break for a cheese plate, and finish off with a holiday dessert. Wash it all down with some wine – bottles are 30 percent off for the holiday – and toast your friends and family. 207 King St. 4-10 p.m. $60 plus tax and tip. Reservations recommended.
Hope Nelson owns and operates the Kitchen Recessionista blog, located at www.kitchenrecessionista.com. Email her any time at hope@kitchenrecessionista.com.