Cook Up a Storm
If you enjoy cooking together at home, here’s your chance to whip up a gourmet meal with top-notch ingredients previously available only to high-end restaurant chefs. Arlington-based Fresh Impact Farms is now offering its specialty herbs, edible flowers and micro greens (from Mexican tarragon to rare varietals of basil) to the consumer market. After a small pilot, the hydroponic operation is introducing a CSA membership option for delivery or pick up at 5165 Lee Highway, Suite B (around the rear of the strip mall). If you could use some kitchen tutorials, Cookology in Ballston has posted free knife skills videos on its Facebook page, and is planning to launch live instructional videos with prep-ahead ingredient lists and fun perks, like food bingo and culinary trivia.
Stage a Wine Tasting
Sadly, you can’t visit Virginia’s tasting rooms, but the tasting rooms can come to you. Several wineries are offering tasting kits or bottle bundles that they’ll send to your home—some with free shipping—so you can taste along with their winemakers, growers and other vino experts on Facebook Live or other streaming platforms. Whet your whistle with a flight from Cana Vineyards and Winery in Middleburg, Casanel, Stone Tower or Lost Creek Winery in Leesburg, and Breaux Vineyards and Walsh Family Wine in Purcellville.
Have a Steakhouse Experience
Put on some jazz piano music and dim the lights. Merrifield’s swanky Trio Grill is offering a series of 3-course meals ($35 per person) for curbside pick-up, including three of its steak options—rib eye, filet and NY Strip—for a $10 upcharge. Add a bottle of one of six wines for $15. Executive chef Eddie Marine’s menu also includes steakhouse-style favorites like Caesar or bacon-and-blue salad, garlic whipped potatoes, Brussels sprouts and sauteed mushrooms. Order key lime pie for dessert and pretend you’re on a tropical island.