Edible DC’s Holiday Guide for Last Minute Gifting

Photo @rathsalexandria

Our editors pick their favorite gifts of the holiday season

By Tim Ebner, Jen Chase & Susan Able

It’s officially crunch time for holiday shopping, and if you’re still second guessing yourself on what to give, then leave it to Edible DC’s editors — Tim Ebner, Jen Chase and Susan Able — with a few gifting ideas to the rescue.

These are gifts that can easily be ordered in a jiffy with expedited shipping to arrive in time by Christmas Day.

Cookbooks

Jen: I love browsing the shelves of Bold Fork Books - DC’s new(ish) food-focused bookstore.  They have a ton of books that would make great gifts though I’m partial to two books by local authors that I’ve worked on this past year - Treasures of the Mexican Table with PBS chef Pati Jinich and Food Story, Rewrite the Way You Think, Eat and Live by local food blogger and nutritionist Elise Museles. 

Susan: Ditto Jen, browsing cookbooks at Bold Fork, Kramers or Politics and Prose to get a visual sense of the cookbook in real life is still one of life’s small joys. It makes me happy to add to my cookbook collection and a fab new cookbook is always an appreciated gift to someone who entertains or cooks at home. Two local food stars wrote cookbooks that made reviewers chose as top of the list for this year. Jen mentioned Pati Jinich’s new book, Treasures of the Mexican Table. This book made almost every “best of 2021” cookbooks list and is a book I’m gifting to friends who love heirloom and authentic Mexican recipes. Local food historian and writer, Michael Twitty made the NYT’s List of the Best Cookbooks of 2021 with his book, Rice, where he shares fifty-one recipes that showcase Creole, Acadian, soul food, Low Country, and Gulf Coast kitchens as he explores “rice's culinary history and African diasporic identity”. Michael Twitty is a great writer and anyone with an interest in southern foodways and the African influence on our cuisine will enjoy this.

Tim: As Edible DC’s cocktail columnist, my favorite book of the year is a recipe-driven cocktail masterpiece. It comes from Maxwell Britten, a bar savant, who teamed up with lyrical genius and rapper T-Pain, to author Can I Mix You A Drink? 

This cocktail book dives deep into some of T-Pain's favorite drinks, and it has several musically inspired mixes, like the “All I Do Is Win,” a bourbon on the rocks drink with mint, citrus and Angostura bitters. And the “Booty Werk,” which looks something like a Ramos Gin Fizz, but instead comes served with vodka, Ciroc summer citrus, and Red Bull. T-Pain’s cocktails are funky, fresh, and easy enough to mix up at home. Buy this book for the aspiring bartender who also knows how to boogie at the bar cart.

Owner Andrew Dana samples some of the most comfy Call Your Mother holiday swag.

Restaurants & Food

Susan: For busy families and people I want to treat as a special thanks, buying them an “experience” of an evening out is lovely as is a gift of a hand-picked favorite of yours with its back story, making the gift recipient realize that you thought about them and wanted to do something very special. For my DC friends, I like the idea of driving someplace to try something new, Trummers’s on Main in Clifton, feels like an adult runaway for city residents. The same feels true at Restaurant at Powtamack in Lovettsville, VA.

Last year, I gifted two certificates to for tastings at local VA wineries, which was a hit. I think my home run this year will be a special gift for someone who really came through for me this year, an overnight at Hillbrook Inn & Spa (rooms and cottages start around $140) and a gift card to their restaurant where one of the top chefs in the area landed this fall, Executive Chef Jan Van Haute. This Belgian chef cooks from the farm and creates an insanely good chef’s tasting menu. (If you ever at at Goodstone Inn, you know what a talent Jan is.)

Jen:  I love giving restaurant gift certificates . It's a way of sharing some of my favorite places and also supports the restaurant industry.  In addition to all of the fantastic restaurants in DC there are some great new food focused inns in the Virginia and Maryland countryside that would make for a fun getaway.  The restaurant at Blue Rock headed by chef Bin Lu (formerly Pineapple and Pearls) would be a great choice.

Tim: For the bagel lover in your life, it has to be the Call Your Mother gift shop. This year the shop features some amazing merch, including its signature CYM cozy rob, hats, mugs, plus Z&Z spices and the shop’s signature coffee beans. It’s a one-stop-shopping for those with well-seasoned style.

Meanwhile, as my family prepares for its Feast of the Seven Fishes extravaganza on Christmas Eve, I’m happily gifting Colavita’s gift baskets. Each option comes filled with delicacies and goodies imported from Italy. The Classic Gourmet Gift Basket ($149) comes with a wide selection of canned goods, plus olive oil and vinegars to prepare for the feast. 

The lineup at Don Ciccio & Figli.

Cocktails & Wine

Susan: Boy oh boy, where to start? With all the award-winning wineries in MD and VA, giving the gift of local is pretty easy and can be immediate, no shipping needed, for an online store gift cards or a wine club memberships to your favorite winery. DC’s District Winery has a great lineup of last minute gifts, like Wine Tasting Kits, Wine Gift Sets (these are great) and Custom Virtual Tasting events. Check out their ideas here.

Do you have a wine loving friends that want to go outside the box? What about Bolivian wine? Chufly, an importer as curated a bunch of gifts packages. They are very interesting and you can see them here.

[PS: Tim mentions this but I give bottles of cordials and amaros from Don Ciccio & Figli - you might not know everyone’s taste profile, but who doesn’t like Limoncello?]

Jen:  A friend sent me a bottle of Disco Inferno ($18) - a new spicy cocktail enhancer from the founders of Bitter Cube and Disco Cubes and I’ve been adding a few drops to all my drinks  Made from a mix of chiles and botanicals it really brings up the heat.  Definitely a more high end gift but as a photographer and design junkie I love beautiful bottles and Clase Azul tequilas have some of the most beautiful I’ve seen.  All of their bottles are hand painted by master artisans. 

Tim: This year, I renovated my kitchen and invested in a top-quality wine fridge, which means I’m keeping it well stocked with a wide variety of varietals that take me to another world away from Washington, DC. That includes a Provence rosé called The Pale ($16.99), and Italian style reds, including Duca di Salaparuta. The Lavico Nerello Mascalese Terre Siciliane 2018 ($19.98) has intense minerality and delightfully intense flavors that are fragrant, spicy and complex. And for a chance to acquire rare wine varietals, I’m a big fan of Underground Cellar. With this wine gamification experience, you can taste and collect premium wine from all around the world, in the comfort of your home.

For spirits, Ivy City’s Don Ciccio & Figli has an aperitivi kit with the full spectrum of flavors, from bitter to sweet that you can try at home. The spirits are crafted in the same time honored tradition brought from the Amalfi coast, and they ship straight to your door courtesy of the online bottle shop.

Butter Pat’s locally forged cast iron pans.

Home & Kitchen

Susan: Well, if you really want to impress a foodie/home cook, check out Chef Bart Hutchin’s story from the EdibleDC Fall Issue, “Visit Best Kitchen Supply and Shop Like a Pro.” Some fun stocking stuffers or more practical items would be in abundance at Best Kitchen, and you know it is not boutique priced.

Okay, so every year in the Gift Guide I say I’m obsessed with my Salt Pig from J.Q. Dicksonson, a historic salt-works in West Virginia, but they have expanded their shop this year, so check out their new shop: Appalachian Mercantile. They have very unique, handmade, local products from salts (of course) to cutting boards to Alpaca felted soap, which is new to me—like a washcloth and soap all in one. And a Salt Pig is always a welcome gift.

I’ve become obsessed with local cast iron pan maker, Butter Pat Industries in Easton, MD. Their designs are classic, and according to their website, it takes 41 people to finish one of their pans, foundrymen, designers, artists and engineers from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland's Eastern Shore. On my Christmas wish list from the husband is the “Heather,” a polished 10” cast iron skillet, $195.

Tim: As I rebuilt and renovated my kitchen this year, I also took it as an opportunity to upgrade my everyday mix-and-match stoneware ceramics. I found affordable upgrades with Stone + Lain plates and bowls that come in a wide variety of colors, designs, and sizes. Stone + Lain is all about offering high-quality tableware that won't break the bank (ranging from $89-149 for most starter sets). Their ethos is that plateware should be priceless, not pricey, and I absolutely agree.

Terratorie Maps + Goods

Art & Lifestyle

Susan: Marcella Kribel’s original watercolor of shucked oysters hang in my kitchen. What can I say about this amazing lady and DC artist? She is truly a gem and someone to support. She also has a studio in Brookland and has prints that every foodie and locavore friend of yours will love. She also handpaints Birkenstocks with leafy greens that are one-of-a-kind and also has amazing hand illustrated cookbooks. Shop here, or visit her shop in Brookland.

Jen: Music lovers might appreciate photographer Farrah Skeiky’s photo book Present Tense DC Punk and DIY right now ($25) It captures the energy and resilience of the DC alternative music scene.  She also sells prints and postcards of her concert photos. Another choice for music related gifts is Uncle Tony’s Donut Shoppe - a vinyl record store in the lobby of Yours Truly Hotel. Store owner Brooklyn has a vast knowledge of vinyls and is a great resource to help guide you with selections.

For adult stocking stuffers I’m buying some stickers from young artist Julia Chon - also known as Kimchee Juice. Her online store with stickers, hats, and prints feature irreverent drawings like an adorable panda “flipping the bird”.  

Earlier this year we commissioned DC artist Caitlin Tuttle to illustrate our winter Edible DC cover and I loved it so much I have it hung in my office.  She has an online shop where she sells prints ($20) and custom pet portraits ($125). 

Tim: Ever since Kamala and Doug were spotted shopping at the Downtown Holiday Market on Small Business Saturday, sales of Terratorie Maps + Goods have taken off with Washingtonians and beyond, and for good reason. These maps are colorful, frame-worthy and allow you to take pride in a sense of place. A collaborative illustrator with EdibleDC, artist Torie Partridge (formerly known as Cherry Blossom Creative) creates maps from Capitol Hill to Columbia Heights and Arlington to Adams Morgan. These maps are great for the person in your life with bare walls in need of some inspiring prints. Best of all, these creatives make their works of art from a studio space in Brookland, so you can take pride in supporting a local business too.

The Byers family’s skincare store on Capitol Hill is co-owned by their daughters, Nya and Zuri. hunnybunny boutique, 311 8th Street NE, WDC, 202-792-5209.

Beauty & Fashion

Susan: If your checklist has “all natural,” “child-friendly,” “so safe you could eat it,” you’ve got to check out hunnbunny boutique on Capitol Hill. Their soaps, body butters and scrubs are 100% handmade. You can visit the store, ship a gift or go here to buy your favorite skincare lover an e-gift card.

Jen: For your activists friends, local shop and community space The Outrage has fun clothing options like a “Sleigh the patriarchy” ugly christmas sweater.  I personally love fun jewelry and Black Pepper Paperie makes somes great pieces.