While some countries have become complacent about the pandemic, there are countries on the other hand that still enforce partial to complete lockdowns. Despite the unceasing pandemic atrocities, people have learnt to navigate the rough waters. The everyday lives that once came to a standstill, people seemed to have moved on now.
We as a family have moved on too. With Riri having resumed in-person school, some level of normalcy has resumed for us. However, there are certain activities like dining-in at a restaurant, socializing at someone's house, play-dates and a few other indoor activities that we are still wary of doing. We are just keeping our guard on and would like to for as long as possible.
Talking about restaurants, most restaurants in DC had to shutter their doors those winter. The indoor seating was slashed down to 25% capacity and it really did not make economic sense. The restaurants that had any sort of outdoor space turned them into outdoor seating areas and continued to run at whatever capacity they could.
A trend that the DMV area is witnessing when talking about outdoor seating is the IGLOOS. Igloos are popping up all over the city and as strange as the giant plastic bubble might look like to you- it is the new norm that we all are trying to confer to. Despite, it seems to be working and helping restaurants with their ongoing effort of supporting their staff and keeping their businesses afloat.
One such restaurant that we stopped by this past weekend to experience dining-in inside the igloos was Halfsmoke. They've transformed their neighboring parking lot into a Winter Wonderland themed outdoor oasis. With 12 heated igloos and an extensive menu to choose from- it was the perfect place for a V-day family date.
If you asked me about the safety and hygiene- I was pretty impressed at how diligently the staff sanitized the igloos between two groups. I had my own doubts about it, but when I saw the staff spray and sanitize- I was at so much ease. Each igloo has been set up differently, some had lounge chairs and some had round dining tables and chairs. There were space heaters and personal heaters inside every igloo.
The menu is strictly American. Dishes featuring their in-house smoked sausages, wings, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, casseroles, were to be seen on the menu. We went with the crab fries, roasted cauliflowers, chicken wings, deviled eggs, Mac n cheese pops, and sweet potato tater tots for our starters, followed by Mac n cheese casserole and veggie burger as our main entree. We skipped the dessert as we were so full post stuffing our mouths with the above dishes.
It was our first winter dining out in and we thoroughly enjoyed the concept of igloo-dining. I would highly recommend taking your loved ones to the igloos this Valentines.