There are only 2 more days of dinner service and 2 more brunches left before we close our doors for the final time. Every day gets a little bit sadder. Thank you, dear customer, for the years of loyalty and the good will you have shared with us during the past month. It means a lot. 

The public is invited to celebrate our 12 years of being here on Saturday, June 25, from 6:00. Our Closing Party will be a community Pot Luck (and possibly BYOB, depending on how things go...) so that we can leave this neighborhood the same way we came in: with the support, love and participation of the community. We'll supply whatever booze and drinks we can. There might even be some Swedish folk dancers in the mix!

And remember, during Sunday's pancakes-only brunch, we'll be holding our "garage" sale. 

Come in this week to try our new spring/summer menu! To kick it off, we're offering $4 glasses of protocolo all weekend or until we run out, whichever comes first. We think you'll like the light, fresh offerings, and for those many of you who are vegetarian, vegan or gluten intolerant --well, you'll find that this year's menu has tons more options than ever before, even for dessert.  We've also created a smorrebrod (open sandwich) menu available for early bird bar customers.  Cheers to spring finally making its appearance!

Looking for something to do on MLK Jr. Day? Why not show your support for DC local businesses by dropping by Domku for Penny Brew @ Domku's popup coffee sessions, 8-3p, from new entrepreneur Rachel Pace. Rachel will be hosting her popups for the next several Mondays while she  looks for more permanent digs somewhere in this fine city. Her dream is to find a spot East of the River, where she has put down her roots. 

Supporting up and coming food and beverage entrepreneurs has always been important to me. Through my non-profit NURISH:The Center for a Creative Culinary Economy, we helped launch DC Dosa and Thunderpig Confectionary and partnered with Bread Furst owner Mark Furstenberg on the Baker's Apprentice Project. While the project has been dormant for the last couple of years, I'm really happy to host Rachel and her concept and mentor her through this process. 

Come in Thursday, December 24, for brunch before or after that last minute shopping! We're offering a limited menu plus soups, salads & sandwiches from our lunch menu until 3:00pm. We will close at 4:00 then re-open Saturday, December 26, 10:00am.

SPECIAL EVENTS & HOURS IN DECEMBER:

December 9: Pierogi Night, 7-10pm, 10 varieties of pierogi in 1 night.

December 12: 10th Annual Upshur Street Art & Craft Fair, 11:00am-4:00pm. Locally made crafts & food, live music, loads of children's activities.

December 24: Open for breakfast & lunch only, 10:00am-3:00pm. No dinner service.

December 25: Closed.

December 31: Open for breakfast & lunch only, 10:00am-3:00pm. No dinner service.

January 1, 2016: Open for New Year's Day brunch 11:00am-4:00pm (Reservations recommended). Regular dinner service starting at 6:00pm.

This is my favorite part of the farmers market season, when the tart berries --black and red currants and gooseberries --and plums make their appearance. Kuhn Orchard Farms at the Petworth Community Market always has the most beautiful collection of berries. 

Here is a simple recipe for a Tart Berry Spiced Crumble with Creme Anglaise. The color, once the berries are cooked, is gorgeous and the flavors are just the right amount of sweet, tart and creamy. And the assembly couldn't be easier.

What you'll need:

About 1 cup of berries per serving (whatever berries or other fruit you like)

About a tablespoon of sugar per serving to sprinkle over the fruit

A crumble mix made of a stick of cold butter, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour, a bit of salt, ½ tsp. each of nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and ½ cup of raw oats. Pulse this through a processor until it is a crumbly mess of pea-sized pieces. Set aside.

You can make this in a single baking dish or in individual ramekins. Put the fruit in the baking dish(es), sprinkle with sugar, top with the crumble. Pop it in the oven at 375F until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is crisp and darkish brown. If using individual ramekins, place them onto a baking tray as the fruit juices tend to bubble over.

To make the Creme Anglais:

Warm up 1 ½ cups of milk in a saucepan on medium low heat. Scrape and toss the seeds and outer shell of 1 vanilla bean (or use vanilla extract).  In a bowl, mix 5 egg yolks with a pinch of salt and ¼ cup of sugar. Once the milk starts to foam around the sides of the pan, remove the bean pod, scrape it some more to get every last bit of bean and stir into the milk. Toss the pod. Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling the hot milk into the egg mix, whisking the whole time. Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan and slowly heat to about 180F on a thermometer. You'll need to stir the mix constantly to prevent curdling. Strain the mix and cool. It will be set and ready to use in a couple of hours. And that's it. Drizzle the sauce over the Tart Berry Crumble. Check our Instagram feed for the visuals.

We are always on the look out for experienced staff for our front and back of house teams. Servers should have previous experience in a restaurant setting or be smart enough and energetic enough to learn the job quickly. Kitchen staff should have a minimum of 1 year's experience in a fast-paced kitchen and be willing and able to do a variety of kitchen jobs. Whatever job you apply for, we value a can-do attitude, the ability to work in a small team setting, and a great sense of humor. Interested? Send us your resume AND a letter of interest to: [email protected].

Domku will open for brunch service only on July 4th so that our staff can enjoy the July 4th holiday. Our hours will run 10am-3pm with a pared down brunch menu. Happy 4th, everyone!